Casey Townsend
In the mid-'70s, legend has it that Plano West and Deep South Mississippi had a baby. Moments after the OBGYN gave the newly delivered baby boy a gentle back slap, he gave a slight cough, slowly opened his little eyes, puked all of his doctor and winked at his delivery nurse while smiling like a Cheshire cat. They named him Casey Townsend.
Casey is an enigma of Southern charm and wrapped in Plano West debonair flair. Picture Deliverance colliding with downtown Dallas, or a one-armed crocodile wrestler flaunting a Rolex. It just doesn’t make sense, but there’s Casey, right in front of you. At first glance, you might not notice him—neither tall nor short, athletic nor clumsy, good-looking nor scary. But don’t be fooled! Casey is oozing with such unassuming charm he could drown a mermaid just by saying hello. He’s the guy who falls into a pile of manure and emerges smelling like a rose. Sober when everyone else is overserved and always has an angle, while effortlessly charming his way through life with a knack for double entendres—without even knowing what they mean.
When Casey speaks, people listen—not out of choice, but necessity as they decipher his whiskey-soaked dialect. When Casey talks it sounds like one part Matthew McConaughey and a solid pour of that Cajun character from Joe Dirt. It’s rough and yet somehow goes down smoothly. At elite social gatherings to which he’s rarely invited, Casey has the charisma of Kathy Bates in Titanic and the manners of a bull in a China shop. But don’t judge this book by its cover. If the ship sank, he’d survive, steal the redhead from Leo, and walk away with the big blue diamond without saying a word about it to anyone - not because it’s a secret, it was just another Tuesday for Casey Townsend.
If you haven't met Casey, it’s easy to find his mirror image. Recently, the Housing Committee discovered that while living in Midland, Texas, he was secretly advising Taylor Sheridan on the Paramount+ series Landman. In just days after seeking Townsend’s counsel, Sheridan revised his script to base the main character largely on Casey, casting Billy Bob Thornton to mimic Brother Townsend in personality, demeanor, dress, hygiene, diet, personal habits, speech inflections (albeit less Cajun), colorful language, life style, vices, industry, negotiation tactics, wit, vehicle, inexplicable hot wife (Townsend’s is less crazy – love you Bri) and general outlook on life – not to mention that from the backside both Townsend and Thorton look like a frog standing up.
Most will be surprised to learn that Casey’s unique Epsilon Nu pledgeship experience influenced the development of Thornton’s character in Landman. Casey pledged in 1993, the strongest class in Sigma Chi history, yet somehow missed initiation with that legendary group. But like Thornton, he didn’t give up. In 1995, he charmed his way back, earning a second bid and finally being initiated—albeit with a less impressive group of pledge brothers.
Now, at 50, Casey is embracing the “old dad” trend, with two young boys: Jack, 5ish, and Tate, 3ish. Lord help us all.
His saving grace? His wonderful wife, Bri Townsend, who like many before her, clearly has questionable judgment) is not only a spectacular mother, but she’s also a welcoming hostess for all Sigma Chis. If you’re ever in Lubbock, Bri would love for you to drop by unannounced—“the later, the better,” she insists. Just reach out to the Housing Board for their address!