Happy Birthday Bob Griese

[stillhardcore]

He was a rude prick to me when I was 7 years old & wanted him to sign my 1972 AFC Championship pennant after he walked out of the stadium into the parking lot after a game. Back in the early 70's the player's parking lot wasn't fenced off & fans could wait outside of the exit doors of the Orange Bowl after games to wait for autographs & pics as the players walked to their cars. He & Shula were the only 2 left of the active 1973 roster who hadn't signed it. We lived 6 blocks from the stadium so my Dad & I were at the exit doors after every home game that '73 season. Griese or Shula were never to be found like the rest of the players as they walked out, until near the end of the season when I spotted Griese walking out. Of course plenty of fans surrounded him & he signed a few things as he walked. I was eventually able to maneuver my way through the adult fans, all much bigger than I & as I got close to his left side, someone bumped me & I barely bumped into his left hip. He slammed on the brakes, looked down at me with daggers in his eyes & said "don't touch me, son". I said "I'm sorry, I got bumped into you". I was holding up my pennant & pen but he turned & walked away without signing it. Up until then he'd been my #1 sports icon. Not after that. We kept going in subsequent years to get autographs but I never saw him out there again. What a prick.

I guess we all have our days. I wonder what he would reflect on if this story got back to him now? I would feel bad about it.

 

[einhornisfinkle]

Not making excuses for bad behavior, but he lost his wife to cancer in the late 80’s when his kids were young and I don’t think he ever got over that.

My experience with him was in 1973.

I guess we all have our days. I wonder what he would reflect on if this story got back to him now? I would feel bad about it.

Life, right?

 

[Rex Mundi]

Bob was a great guy. Nay sayers may have caught him on a bad day!

He was from my hometown of Evansville, IN. My mom was his classmate at Rex Mundi HS. He always came back yearly to donate his time signing autographs for a local fundraiser in our town. He would donate the grand prize auction items every year. Super Bowl Tickets! He always came back to class reunions and signed football cards and whatever my mom asked him to sign for me growing up. He put our town on the map as the first major athlete to come from Evansville, IN. My mom and her group of friends always said he was one of the nicest guys in their class!

As for the questions of his athleticism, people forget he was an All American at Purdue! He started as the QB, Kicker, and Punter. He was also the starting point guard on the basketball team and an ace pitcher for Purdue that finished a season 12-1! He also upset #1 ranked Notre Dame his junior year! Hell of a guy and a hell of an athlete..period!!

Happy Birthday Bob you are one of the best!!

 

[Fred Bear]

I hate to hear he was a booty hole , but I still have his jersey

 

[royalshank]

Bob was a great guy. Nay sayers may have caught him on a bad day!

He was from my hometown of Evansville, IN. My mom was his classmate at Rex Mundi HS. He always came back yearly to donate his time signing autographs for a local fundraiser in our town. He would donate the grand prize auction items every year. Super Bowl Tickets! He always came back to class reunions and signed football cards and whatever my mom asked him to sign for me growing up. He put our town on the map as the first major athlete to come from Evansville, IN. My mom and her group of friends always said he was one of the nicest guys in their class!

As for the questions of his athleticism, people forget he was an All American at Purdue! He started as the QB, Kicker, and Punter. He was also the starting point guard on the basketball team and an ace pitcher for Purdue that finished a season 12-1! He also upset #1 ranked Notre Dame his junior year! Hell of a guy and a hell of an athlete..period!!

Happy Birthday Bob you are one of the best!!

3 sport athlete. He was a stud.

 

[MrClean]

Bob was a great guy. Nay sayers may have caught him on a bad day!

He was from my hometown of Evansville, IN. My mom was his classmate at Rex Mundi HS. He always came back yearly to donate his time signing autographs for a local fundraiser in our town. He would donate the grand prize auction items every year. Super Bowl Tickets! He always came back to class reunions and signed football cards and whatever my mom asked him to sign for me growing up. He put our town on the map as the first major athlete to come from Evansville, IN. My mom and her group of friends always said he was one of the nicest guys in their class!

As for the questions of his athleticism, people forget he was an All American at Purdue! He started as the QB, Kicker, and Punter. He was also the starting point guard on the basketball team and an ace pitcher for Purdue that finished a season 12-1! He also upset #1 ranked Notre Dame his junior year! Hell of a guy and a hell of an athlete..period!!

Happy Birthday Bob you are one of the best!!

Griese had a lot to do with me becoming a Dolphins fan. I watched Griese lead Purdue to a Rose Bowl win, and 11-year-old me was impressed. Then the Dolphins drafted him. When he came into a game in relief, he started connecting with Jack Clancy. One pass after another, it seemed. The previous Dolphins QBs I'd watched, it seems in my recollection, could not complete anything.

Draft coverage in those days amounted to the evening news sportscaster reading off the first round picks. I can still recall that I happened to be watching in 1968 and the sportscaster saying, "With the 8th pick, the Miami Dolphins drafted Larry Csonka, Fullback, Syracuse." My optimism increased.