For years, Hattiesburg has been shrouded in the mystery of the ‘Underground Pizza Guy,’ a figure that has piqued the curiosity of many.
Hattiesburg residents relied on the mysterious pizza proprietor to combat late-night hunger for a long time, and this was done solely by word of mouth, and the phone number of the nameless pizza man that had been passed on to Southern Miss students over the years.
When Hattiesburgers called the mysterious number, they were answered with an abrupt, “Yeah?” After submitting their order for the pizza of their choice, the call ended with a “20 minutes” before hanging up the phone. This seemingly random time frame has sparked numerous speculations and adds to the enigma of the Underground Pizza Guy. Then, like clockwork, a mysterious Tommy Chong lookalike knocked on the door, sporting a Che Guevara T-shirt and cargo shorts, accompanied by his dog.
After pulling the change for a $9 large pizza from his sock, the Underground Pizza Guy swiftly disappeared to return to the secret location of his pizza kitchen while the customer was left to devour the most delicious late-night pizza Hub City had to offer.
Undoubtedly, The Underground Pizza Guy is a living legend intricately woven into the fabric of Hattiesburg culture.
For decades, Hattiesburgers have wondered: who was that guy who sold us pizza in the middle of the night, and what happened to him?
“The story of the Underground Pizza Guy is a tale of mystery, intrigue, anti-establishment, and radical self-reliance that is uniquely Hattiesburg,” shared the film crew. It is a narrative that resonates with the city’s culture and urban legends, and is certainly a story that needs to be told.
Talented local filmmakers Noah Noble, Thorne Hood, Jamie Massengale, and Noah Maddox are currently raising money to create a documentary about “THE Underground Pizza Guy,” also known as Scott Steadman.
The team will travel to the locations where Steadman spent countless nights making pizzas, talk to his close friends, visit his living relatives across America, and provide the true, inside story about the Hattiesburg legend that has never been told before.
The film crew is dedicated to preserving this unique Hattiesburg story, dispelling the rumors surrounding Underground Pizza, and bringing Steadman’s true story to the forefront of this documentary.
“This story is one that many Hattiesburgers remember, but no one fully knows,” shared the film crew. “Our mission is to give the story of Scott Steadman and his Underground Pizza business the platform it deserves – to bring the legend into the light. We want to make sure we get every detail right. We want to ensure that the Underground Pizza Guy’s legacy doesn’t go down in history clouded by rumors and hearsay. Why now? In 3 years, it will have been a decade since we lost the Underground Pizza guy. Hattiesburg is a busy college town. People come and go from our city quickly. New students and folks moving to Hattiesburg don’t know about our beloved urban legend. That doesn’t sit right with us! We want to make sure everyone knows this story and remembers it for as long as possible!”
Check out the “Underground Pizza Doc” Facebook page for more information about the documentary, fundraising, and sneak peeks of “The Underground Pizza Guy.” Interested in donating to the documentary? Click here.
