There was a time long before becoming a three-time Most Valuable Player in the National Football League, an 11-time Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl champion and an NFL Hall of Famer where former Green Bay Packers and Southern Miss quarterback Brett Favre took part in the Boy Scouts of America.
The still youthful and exuberant Favre admits that he didn’t last long in his Cub Scout days after a friend’s mother kicked him out of the meeting for horsing around. Still, he understands just how important the Boy Scouts can be for a kid growing up learning responsibility.
“As we sat there tying knots, I was thinking about the Super Bowl and throwing touchdowns or putting her son in a headlock,” Favre joked about that scout meeting. “The next thing I know is she made me run home. I think I would have made a great boy scout had they given me some more time.
“It is a great cause. Anything to keep children active. There’s nothing like Mississippi. Our youth need to be outside doing things and be active. They need to learn how to problem solve.”
Favre was in Starkville on Wednesday afternoon as the keynote speaker for the 4th Annual “On My Honor Luncheon for Scouting.” The event is a fundraiser for businesses and organizations around the area to honor scouting alumni and provide their financial support to keep the longstanding tradition of the scouts alive in the Pusmataha Area of Mississippi.
There are 35 sponsors that help support scouts in the area, including Renasant Bank, the Taylor Group in Louisville, Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle, Mississippi State’s office of the President, Old Waverly Golf Club, Bancorp South and more.
The Mill Conference Center was packed with many of those representatives to honor the scouts and also to be entertained by the personable former footballer. Favre stepped to the stage after an introduction from West Point’s George Bryan dressed in shorts, a polo and a dusty hat. His speech was as informal as his attire as he grabbed the audience’s attention and had them enjoying laughs for the duration.
Favre spoke briefly on the scouts but spent most of his time telling stories of his Hall of Fame induction and speech, his time at Southern Miss and his NFL career. Favre also told the audience how much he enjoyed coming back to Starkville and seeing the campus grow.
Most notably, the Kiln native spoke about how he cheered for MSU in athletics over the years, especially lately. He’s followed and admired Dak Prescott, he’s kept up with the Bulldog baseball run this season and pulled for the women’s hoops team in their run to the Final Four.
“Every time I see Mississippi State on TV, I pull for them except for when they play Southern Miss,” Favre exclaimed. “It was so fun watching Dak Prescott last year and I was so excited and tickled that he came from Mississippi State. I pull for the state of Mississippi.”
Favre accepted questions from the audience as well that ventured from his first touchdown pass in the NFL (a completion to himself) to the reason he wore the No. 4. Midway through, his former tight end at Green Bay and Mississippi State alum Donald Lee asked Favre who is favorite tight end was in the NFL.
In addition to Favre’s speech, the audience enjoyed a meal but was also generously thanked by the scouts. Several sponsors were presented with a commemorative eagle trophy for their support of the scouts.