Story behind the story: Toby Keith’s everlasting bond with the Mud Dogs

Story behind the story: Toby Keith’s everlasting bond with the Mud Dogs

Sellout Crowd's Sam Hutchens talks to Guerin Emig on The Mind Games Podcast about how the story came together about Toby Keith's Mud Dogs

Guerin Emig

By Guerin Emig

| Feb 15, 2024, 12:25pm CST

Guerin Emig

By Guerin Emig

Feb 15, 2024, 12:25pm CST

Toby Keith touched many more lives than we can imagine. Among them: 21 elementary school-aged boys in Norman who played on Toby’s Mud Dogs football team. Sam Hutchens wrote the story for Sellout Crowd after Toby’s passing. Here, he comes on Mind Games to reflect on how the story came together, something that began with a call to Mud Dogs team member Joe Castiglione, Jr, and how Toby’s influence on those kids resonates to this day. 

Episode highlights

03:25: If Toby Keith was going to coach a youth football team, well then he was going to draw up plays and run drills.

07:15: Mud Dog players included Toby’s son and Joe Castiglione, Jr. 

10:15: Postgame pizza at Cici’s 

12:15: Did Toby’s Mud Dogs invent the Tush Push 20 years before the Eagles? 

15:00: The night the Mud Dogs reunited at a Toby Keith benefit 

Producer: Jacquelyn Musgrove

Creative Director: Michael Lane

Social media: Bobby Howard

Director of Content: Mike Sherman

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Guerin Emig is a columnist for the Sellout Crowd network. Read his work at selloutcrowd.com and guerinemig.com. Reach out with feedback and/or ideas at [email protected] or (918) 629-6229. Follow him on Twitter at @GuerinEmig and Instagram at @guerin.emig. .

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