2004 electric football article on Chris LeMay

[WEIRDWOLF]

Published on: 12/29/2004
NOLENSVILLE
Chris LeMay is king of the gridiron. The master of the contest. He's the quarterback, kicker, defensive line, tight end and offense all rolled into one, albeit in a mini-football universe.

But what he wants is for others to share in his love of the game.

Off and on for the past five years, LeMay has been trying to start the Nolensville Electric Football League. At the moment, there are only two regular players - LeMay and his 16-year-old stepson.
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At least, if it was only to play for once a month and not have to travel so far," LeMay said.
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You can get them to sort of go where you want, but it takes a lot of practice," LeMay said.

Fanatics will sometimes file the prongs on the bases - a practice known as "base tweaking" - to encourage their players to go in certain directions.

There is also a kicker figurine, which can be called upon for punting opportunities. "Really, there is not a whole lot of punting that goes on in these games," LeMay said.

The Nolensville resident got his first taste of the miniature football universe as a 12-year-old, when he got his first set. Back then, it was the New York Jets, the boy's favorite team, and the Kansas City Chiefs that filled his board.

But not until he found an electric football board at Toys R Us about five years ago did his interest rekindle.

A big football fan in general, LeMay estimates he spends about 20 to 25 hours a week on his hobby - not only playing the games, but painting figures, searching the Internet for electric football items and checking chat rooms to converse with other fans. He even invented kick placement cards to take the place of having the electronic player actually kick the ball.

The enjoyment comes mainly in collecting the pieces and sharing in a game of chance and some skill. Fanatics will even keep stats on their favorite teams and players.

LeMay has collected more than 50 different teams, from the Tennessee Titans - in both their light and dark jerseys - to the University of Tennessee Vols, Vanderbilt University's squad and more.

And his fellow fans will travel great distances to play in tournaments. There's even a Super Bowl on the miniature fields.

"I've never made it past the first round (in the Super Bowl), but I enjoy going just so I can meet people from all over the country," LeMay said.

It's also a good way to bond with his stepson, a student at Ezell-Harding Christian School.

In 2001, when the school won the state championship, LeMay created a special Ezell-Harding edition complete with an electric football field painted with the school logo and a red-and-white checkerboard pattern in the end zone.

At the end of the season, LeMay's board was auctioned off as part of a school fund-raiser, bringing in about $325.