Local ‘all in’ with Web site

Mike Cunningham knows a thing or two about risks.

After all, the 1994 Eufaula High School graduate did spend a year in Las Vegas playing poker for a living.

“It was one year too long,” Cunningham said with a laugh.

Cunningham’s foray into professional poker followed a 10-year stretch as a track and field coach that ended with a stint at Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss. On the weekends, he would drive from Starkville to Tunica, Miss., to blow off a little steam by playing poker.

He soon learned he was pretty good.

After a controversy involving one of Cunningham’s top runners at Mississippi State, which ultimately led to the runner being disqualified from the NCAA championships, Cunningham decided he had had enough of coaching. He packed all of his belongings into his SUV and headed for Las Vegas.

“I wasn’t married. I didn’t have any kids, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to be a coach anymore, so I figured I’d give it a shot,” Cunningham said. “I didn’t even have a place to live when I moved there. I just played (poker) 24-7. I learned a lot. For one thing, I learned that poker is great when it’s something you do with your buddies every once and while. It’s a great hobby. It’s totally different when it’s your lunch money on the table. It’s a pretty big risk.”

Cunningham, now a senior tech sales representative with Gill Athletics, Inc., also learned that rewards rarely come without risks.

That’s why when Cunningham had the chance to purchase the GoTroyTrojans.com, the Troy alumnus jumped at the opportunity.

GoTroyTrojans.com is a message board primarily dedicated to Troy University athletics.

“I see this as all reward,” Cunningham said. “If we don’t add another member during the next five years that’s fine. (Buying the site) will still be worth it because I will have spent five years working on something that I love – which is Troy athletics.”   

According to Cunningham the Web site currently has more than 800 registered members. He’d like to see that number grow to 1,200 to 1,300 by the end of Troy’s 2009 football season.

“I think that’s realistic,” Cunningham said. “I keep a close eye on the numbers and we have a lot of people who just come on and view the site as guests. They never log in. At times, they outnumber the members 6-to-1.”

Cunningham was at one time one of those guests.

After discovering the site, he spent a year reading other members’ comments before registering for an account. He now posts under the screen name “hurdlelove.”

“It’s so neat,” Cunningham said. “It’s a community. You get to know the other posters and read their thoughts and opinions. You get wrapped up in it.”

For Cunningham, who now lives in Champaign, Ill., the site also offers a way to stay involved with his alma mater.

“I’m 1,000 miles from Troy,” he said. “… This is my way to stay a part of that community.”

Cunningham, and his partner and fellow Eufaula native Brian Sanborn, have big plans for the site, which is currently just a forum where fans can discuss Troy athletics and other school news.

They plan to completely redesign the site’s front page and offer RSS feeds of Troy athletics and Troy University, while also offering original content produced by Troy University Hall School of Journalism students and message board members.

There will also be a place for Troy fans to post pictures.

“We want them to post pictures of their kids at the game or even their dogs,” Cunningham said.

“I’m a dork. I have a dog and I’ll dress him up in a Troy hat. We want the site to be interactive and we want it to be more than just a forum. The forum is great, and we’ll keep that running, but we think the site can be so much more than that.”

The new front page is expected to be up and running June 1.

Cunningham and Sanborn began the transition of taking over the site Wednesday.

Cunningham expects that process to be totally completed within the next three weeks.

“Once we totally take control of the site, (the posters) will know it,” Cunningham said. “They’ll see some drastic changes right away.

“The site will go from being a generic site to being in Troy colors and will have a new design. They’ll know we’ve taken over. … We’re just really excited to have this opportunity. I’m not rich – yet –  so I can’t give a lot of money to the football program, but this is one way I can give back to my university.”