Summit

There are three National Drinking Days in the Unites States. Do you know them?

They are all in the winter. First, New Year’s Eve. Then, Super Bowl Sunday. Lastly, my birthday.
I suppose, in the case of my birthday, it might be Saint Patrick’s Day that we celebrate. We know they are National Drinking Days because when they fall on Sundays the Commonwealth permits full alcohol sales and in lent, if St Pat’s falls on a Friday you can eat meat. The establishment, typically, discourages abusive drinking (Wikipedia – see MADD, SADD, or fad) but on these three days they seem to go out of their way to encourage it (Irish Car Bombs, free cab rides home).The pertinent issue here is winter. The 340 Club was devoted to multiple season drinking.

After all, we coulda had our reunion in the winter.

And so it was in the summer of ’83, the last summer on King Street, that the 340 Club decided to create a 23 foot Italian Hoagie and celebrate the Philadelphia Stars magnificent season in the nascent United States Football League. Several of us went down to Philly to see some regular season games. The Stars were a great collection of Sean Landeta, Sam Mills, and fellow All-Time All-USFL stalwarts Kelvin Bryant, Irv Eatman, Bart Oates, William Fuller, and Pete Kugler, They were the Green Bay Packers of the USFL losing that first “Summit” Bowl before capturing the second two. The opponents in the inaugural title match were the Michigan Panthers led by the stirring pass/catch combo of Bobby Hebert and Anthony Carter.

The 340 Club chefs, led by Jimmy Zangari and Sam Wickersham, prepared a magnificent work of art in the form of a Philly Hoagie that stretched over two roms in the Club. Beer was the other ingredient. It is my memory that Leo R was gone from the hallowed Halls of 340 when Philly captured its 2nd MAJOR title of 1983.

1st USFL Summit Bowl (Woody insists this is what it was called, perhaps by us; I have yet to document such appellation)
July 17, 1983
Michigan Panthers 24
Philadelphia Stars 22