If his wife would let him, Mr. Penny would paint his entire house orange and blue.
Known for enthusiastically performing thousands of push-ups at home football games, Mr. Penny, Johnny Richmond, is classified by many as Auburn's greatest fan.
Although Richmond claims he is a motivator for the team's success, he was shocked when the community raised $9,600 to send him to Glendale, Ariz., for the BCS National Championship game--something he could never have dreamed.
"I want to thank people--I can't thank them enough," Richmond said. "They didn't have to do that, but God put it in their hearts to do it, and so that's what they did. I really appreciate it. I had a great, great time."
Richmond works at Dean Road Elementary School as a custodian and a crossing guard. The group of parents and students he ushers across the street as they walk to school call themselves the Penny Walkers.
Susie Weigel, a Dean Road parent and member of the Penny Walkers, said she thought Richmond should have been able to go to the Iron Bowl and the SEC Championship. She said she couldn't imagine him missing the National Championship as well.
"I started thinking about it, and I said, 'You know, this man is the biggest Auburn fan I know,'" Weigel said. "I thought that would be just ridiculous if he's not there, but I didn't really know what to do about it."
Weigel created a Facebook group Dec. 7, hoping to have a ticket donated by the athletic department.
"I went by (the athletic department), I called them, I talked to several different people," said Anna Harris, who partnered with Weigel to raise money and plan Richmond's trip. "Their response was, 'We do not have any tickets to sell.' We weren't asking for donations; we just wanted a face value ticket to buy--you know, less than $900."
Weigel, Harris and Richmond could never have imagined what happened next.
After a bank account was set up and linked to PayPal, money began pouring in by the thousands.
Five days later, $9,600 sat in the account.
"It's just amazing that we were able to raise that much," Harris said. "Mr. Penny is just so grateful and appreciative of what we've done--we gave him a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
Weigel and Harris bought two tickets for Richmond and his wife, made travel arrangements and bought him a camera and luggage to take to Glendale--all in about four weeks.
Richmond said he thinks his kindness and enthusiasm inspired people to donate money.
"I love people," Richmond said. "When you do good, good things follows."
In Glendale, Richmond said he felt like a movie star.
"I took a picture with everybody," Richmond said. "I couldn't even go to the bathroom."
Richmond was featured on the Rick and Bubba show, made an appearance at the pep rally the day before the game and was interviewed by ESPN, Fox News, The Birmingham News and several TV news stations.
Richmond said he knew all along that Auburn would win the national championship.
"I told everybody this year was our year," Ricmond said. "I said, 'We gonna get that national championship.'"
Richmond has been doing push-ups at Auburn games for 17 years.
He has a detailed, rigorous system: 50 for every touchdown, extra point, field goal and safety; 25 for every sack and 20 for every first down.
This season, he has done more than 9,800 push-ups--including the 500 he did at the national championship game.
"I tell people all the time--my push-ups is not a show," Richmond said. "It's to glorify God. What it does, it gives that team motivation."
Although Richmond, 57, understands the risk of his extreme Saturday tradition, he said he is confident God will enable him to keep performing the strenuous activity.
"Well if I die, I like what I'm doing, so it won't bother me," he added.
Richmond said he is able to do the push-ups because of his faith in God.
"It's nothing that you can do on your own unless God is in the mission of it," he said. "That's how I get my strength. I ask God to give me the power. Ain't no way I can do these push-ups by myself--I have to have him. I talk to him constantly.
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