“PE or PE?”
February 11, 2008 – 8:44 am

In Abqaig, Saudi Arabia back in the 70’s and 80’s, there was this guy, named Mickey that was the hook and bull in the Drilling Dept. for The Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco). After he graduated from college with a Degree in Physical Education and could not find a coaching or teaching job anywhere. While looking for a job in the Houston paper, he noticed that Aramco was looking for drilling hands. Having roughnecked offshore to pay for his school, he felt that he may have a chance, so he applied, proudly marking a degree in PE on the application. Mickey was hired right off the bat and treated better than he could believe. Years and years past, promotion after promotion, all the way to the very top of the Drilling Department.

After 25 years Aramco decided to honor Mickey with an Awards Banquet, friends and family from all over the world came to Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia to honor this wonderful man. This man backed his hands and understood when they rattled a little iron sometimes. Mickey understood that even with the best of everything to work with, a roughneck could and would screw it up. There was a large crowd and it seemed everyone was there that Mickey knew. Mickey thanked everyone for coming and that he wanted to share something with them. Mickey said that he didn’t really know why Aramco was treating a football coach like him so good until, he realized that Aramco thought that he had a Degree in Petroleum Engineering not Physical Education.