I was working in Peoria, Illinois in early October of 1984 when rookie Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls came to town for a preseason game against the Indiana Pacers.

It would be Jordan's first unofficial game as a pro. I want to make clear. He was just a prize rookie at the time and not yet MICHAEL JORDAN.

He didn't start and didn't enter the game until late in the first quarter.

I just needed one interview at the mid-day shootaround. I wanted Bulls Head Coach Kevin Loughery. Don't ask me why. The Bulls media person told me Loughery was not available, but would I "settle" for Michael Jordan?

I said sure and did the interview with Jordan.

I don't remember much about the interview. I know the story I did on him focused on him helping North Carolina win the NCAA Championship as a freshman.

I wasn't the only one who didn't realize the gravity of the moment. The Peoria Civic Center could hold about 11,000 at the time. Attendance for the game was about 2,100.

Last year, a fan who had saved an $8 ticket stub from the game auctioned it off for $34,800.

Oh yeah. Jordan scored 18 points. The Bulls won the game, 102-98. I'm pretty sure my lead story on the television sports that night was the Cubs playoff series against the Padres.

The lasting lesson: you just never know when something you're doing today will turn out to be history.