Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

Have you ever bumped into any famous sports figures?
I have four I could talk about, two are football related which I will now regale you with (sarcasm intended)

This encounter I am fairly certain of but cannot confirm for sure but I'm pretty sure I bumped into Jack Kent Cooke one day in Lake Placid, New York.
I'm not sure of the year, would have been in the mid to late 1980's.
My two sons and I were walking thru downtown Lake Placid (a fairly small burg). I happened to be wearing a Redskins jersey that day and as we strolled along we approached this couple coming from the other way. As we neared the couple I thought the older guy looked familiar.
As we walked by he looked at me and said “That’s a mighty fine jersey you have there young man”.
I was startled a bit and said thank you. As we continued walking it kind of dawned on me and I looked at my sons and said “Do you know who that was?”
That was Jack Kent Cooke, the owner of the Washington Redskins.
___________________________________________________________

The first week of August 2005 I was in New Orleans with my wife visiting my sister in law who had moved out there that year and lived near the airport.
(ironically a few weeks before Katrina hit)
We were doing the basic tourist stuff there and one afternoon before heading to Bourbon Street we stopped at the Zea Rotisserie and Grill for a drink.
We sat at the bar and while my wife and SIL were chatting I was watching the TV above the bar but they did not have the sound on.
ESPN was on and was showing a picture of Antonio Gates who at the time was in the midst of a much ballyhooed holdout.
There was a guy standing next to me having a beer who was also intent on watching the TV.
I had no idea who he was so I casually said “Is Gates still holding out?”
He replied “Yea, I told him that he should”
A bit shocked, I looked the guy over for a second and noticed that he was wearing a super bowl ring.
I didn’t know who he was so I asked him if he played ball with Antonio Gates.
He smiled and shook my hand and said his name was Dwight Smith and he was a New Orleans Saint.
(turns out Dwight Smith had quite a day during Super Bowl XXXVI when he was a Buccaneer)
Apparently he and Gates were close friends and had attended high school together.
He was a very nice guy….I kind of spazzed out and didn’t get his autograph.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

I met Jim Palmer when I was a kid...biggest name I've seen in person.

Cool story if that was really Jack.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

I was once at Criswell's Chevrolet in Gaithersburg servicing my car. When me and my buddy saw a new Lamborghini but the weird part about it was that it was dirty, like it had been really driven not pampered. Rarely do you see one with any dirt on it.

So we went over to investigate it and we were hunched over the front wheels looking at the rims or something when a voice said excuse me I need to get in my car. Turn around and it is Michael Westbrook. We moved out of the way he got in and drove off not another word. Funny part of the story is I had on his jersey, he had said nothing about it.

I have meet Darrel Green few times as well, was better off not though. I felt like a kid who found out Santa Claus is not real after learning green's true personality.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

Was sitting in a restaurant in NYC with my mom around ten years ago. In the middle of a conversation she looks up and says to the man who is currently walking behind me "now you must be a basketball player."

Before I can even turn around a deep loud voice retorts "No ma'am...I'm a Camel Jockey."

The entire section of the restaurant starts laughing as I turn to see who the heck just made that really odd statement that everybody found hilarious.

Patrick Ewing and his entourage had arrived in the house. They looked like they were ready to have a good time.

Ewing was still one of the King's of New York at that time.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

[quote=mredskins;831335]I was once at Criswell's Chevrolet in Gaithersburg servicing my car. When me and my buddy saw a new Lamborghini but the weird part about it was that it was dirty, like it had been really driven not pampered. Rarely do you see one with any dirt on it.

So we went over to investigate it and we were hunched over the front wheels looking at the rims or something when a voice said excuse me I need to get in my car. Turn around and it is Michael Westbrook. We moved out of the way he got in and drove off not another word. Funny part of the story is I had on his jersey, he had said nothing about it.

I have meet Darrel Green few times as well, was better off not though. I felt like a kid who found out Santa Claus is not real after learning green's true personality.[/quote]

Damn, thats pretty sh*tty. And whats up with this Darrel Green stuff, is he really such an a$$hole?

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

I was sure that this was a thread about Smoot and his pass throwing days!

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

I worked my summers at the race track in Saratoga when I was in college. Bumped into George Steinbrenner one day. Also saw Jimmy Boeheim there too. Anyone remember Jimmy "The Greek"? He was a big regular at the track. Parcells is there a lot too, but I never saw him in person.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

I met Patrick Ewing in the potomac village when i was in highschool, saw him returning a movie he rented. said something to him dont really remember, he was nice enough.

met hakeem olajuwon (sp) also in the village in HS. i was using the pay phone right near a door., a real short african guy opened it took a couple steps in then was followed by the tallest dude i have ever seen. he had to duck way down to get through the door. the short guy asked where he could buy some beer and i told him right next door.

at the gas station in the village about 10 years ago i was getting gas, noticed this guy had these nice socks on with the NBA logo (i could only see his legs), looked over and saw it was george mureuson (sp). he was driving an older small suv.

im pretty sure i saw chris samuels a few days after he was drafted. in the giant in the village late night (ner dan snyders house), this huge guy was walking around with some very nicely dressed ladies.

saw shawn merriman in the SD airport around thanksgiving time (flying to DC). they werent letting him on b/c he didnt have a ticket. he had this 40 year old lady who was def an escort type walking with him and some buddies. eventually another jet blue employee came over and told the guy who wouldnt let him on who he was. saw merriman sitting i think in a middle seat.

boarded a plane from SD to DC with a stop in AZ. walked through first class and saw bobby mitchell. during the flight i asked an attendant if she could get his autograph for me, i had to take several mins to explain who he was and what he looked like. needless to say the packed plane of people around me were listening intenly. a few mins later she comes back and says that he wasnt bobby mitchell but dennis green. i literally sunk into my chair in embarrassment.

meet every caps player from the mid 80s to mid 90s. meet moses malone and alot of bullets players back in the day aswell.

pretty sure i meet mike tyson a few times, cant really remember where or when though. def remember meeting 2 of his super expensive mercedes though.

meet payne stewart at the kemper open years ago when i was 12 or so. i was inside a private area of the club house (we were members at avenel) in an empty hallway that leads to the locker room. i was getting players to sign a program and they were al nice. then walks in payne stewart with his old school golf leggings and stuff. i asked him ncely by name to sign the program. he took the program and pen while never stopping or looking down at me, signed the program as he contined walking away from me then dropped it on the floor. i imagine he probably had a bad round but hes never been known as a fan friendly guy either.

pretty sure i already told these stories . . . i know i had a few more chance encounters with other athletes . .

went to school with dhani jones from 5th grade to HS graduation. we used to hang out as kids playing basketball and tennis. he gave me my first porno debbie does dallas. found a picture of me, him and a few others from a bar mitzvah we were both wearing bow ties, he had a big eraser style hairdo. dhani was a standup guy, very high morals and character. on half days in HS we would be playing pick up ball, drinking and smoking and we would be running up and down this very steep hill behind cabin john middle school for hours. when he would get to the bottom id say "dhani you want to hit this?", hed smile continue up that hill, hed come back down id say "dhani you look thirsty take a swig of this 40" . .

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

Had a few beers with Russ Grim about 20 yrs back. I also went out one night with Harry Caray for a few too many drinks after a Cubs game.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

[quote=CRedskinsRule;831350]I was sure that this was a thread about Smoot and his pass throwing days![/quote]

Ha!

Have had many encounters of course.

here are a few from my pre-career days though...and not including the time I waited in line at the car dealership to get Heath Shuler's autograph since I was convinced he was the league's next great QB

Used to run into Patrick Ewing a lot down at Tower Records in DC

Got steamrolled by Shawn Springs in a high school scrimmage

Got dunked on by Exree Hipp in another high school scrimmage

Ran into Mike Tyson at a Pizzeria Uno

Got cut off by Riddick Bowe while driving...then returned the favor

Spoke to Chris Webber on a flight to Miami

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

I was waiting for my bags at the Phoenix airport next to Wes Unseld about ten years ago. I also ran into Riggo at BWI in '08 and got a picture with him. Through the in-laws of one of my brothers, I got into the A-list section of the Ky Derby last year and met Aaron Rogers, Arnold Palmer, and, last but not least, Kevin Willis. Also in '08, all of my brothers, and a few of our friends, decided to spend a weekend in Cooperstown. That was the year Goose got inducted. We were all at one of the two (or maybe three) "downtown" bars that Saturday night, and Goose walked in (he was in town for a walk-through for his ceremony). He hung out with us for awhile. Also, way back in '91-'92, I was living in San Antonio, which was the year Tark coached the team. He was walking down the River Walk when I saw him, and I shook his hand. Within a few minutes, he started getting recognized and essentially became Elvis (there was a whole lotta excitement about his hire down there when it happened, before he was run out of town at the end of the year). Also saw Derrick Coleman in an airport last year--wanted to tell him how sad I am for how miserable his life has become.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

[quote=firstdown;831353]Had a few beers with Russ Grim about 20 yrs back. I also went out one night with Harry Caray for a few too many drinks after a Cubs game.[/quote]

Very impressive, on both counts.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

Other than encounters with Redskins at training camp practices where they were signing autographs I don't have any stories to tell. I met Charles Mann's sister at the car dealership I worked at as a salesman about 7 months ago. She was in there buying a car from another salesman and she saw the Skins jacket I wore to work, so she struck up a conversation with me while her salesmen was busy. I then promptly got yelled at by my manager for breaking the first rule of selling cars, which is never talk to another salesmen's customer, even though all we talked about was the Redskins lol.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

[quote=mooby;831377]Other than encounters with Redskins at training camp practices where they were signing autographs I don't have any stories to tell. I met Charles Mann's sister at the car dealership I worked at as a salesman about 7 months ago. She was in there buying a car from another salesman and she saw the Skins jacket I wore to work, so she struck up a conversation with me while her salesmen was busy. I then promptly got yelled at by my manager for breaking the first rule of selling cars, [B]which is never talk to another salesmen's customer, even though all we talked about was the Redskins lol[/B].[/quote]

You were building rapport with her which is her salemen's job not yours.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

I know I've told the story here before so I won't completely rehash it, but I bought Champ Bailey a Big Bite at the 7-11 in Hillandale after a Skins preseason game around 8 or 9 years ago.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

I've run across Charles Barkley in Philly no less than 5 different times. He loves outdoor dining. Fat ass mofo, but nice as can be if you say hello on the street. Go figure.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

I met Mark Rypien at my middle school the year he won the Super Bowl. He was a nice guy. Not necessarily in the prominent sports figure, but I saw Dick Vitale at a book signing in College Park. I've heard people say that he's not a nice guy, but he was cool with me. Also spoke to Michael Wilbon at an event in College Park as well, which was pretty awesome.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

[quote=mredskins;831392]You were building rapport with her which is her salemen's job not yours.[/quote]

Yeah, I know. I already received that lesson from my ex-boss. I honestly still don't care about it though, because I wasn't the one who struck up the conversation. I know I'm in the wrong on this one, but idc. There's a reason I don't sell cars anymore ;).

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

[quote=Schneed10;831426]I've run across Charles Barkley in Philly no less than 5 different times. He loves outdoor dining. Fat ass mofo, but nice as can be if you say hello on the street. Go figure.[/quote]

One of my friends sat next to him on a recent flight.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

[quote=mooby;831436]Yeah, I know. I already received that lesson from my ex-boss. I honestly still don't care about it though, because I wasn't the one who struck up the conversation. I know I'm in the wrong on this one, but idc. There's a reason I don't sell cars anymore ;).[/quote]


I hear you, to you/me you were just being nice to career sale's folks you were eating into their profits. Unless you think like them; sales is not for you or me.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

[quote=BringBackJoeT;831364]Very impressive, on both counts.[/quote]

Russ G was at the end of a long day of a fund raiser and I think was hiding from the people still there. We just happened to walk in and sit down and thats when I realized who he was. So I kind of left him alone and it seem he was kind of surprised and struck up a conversation. Harry Caray work with my cousin so that's how I got to go out with him while in town.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

[quote=mredskins;831477]I hear you, to you/me you were just being nice to career sale's folks you were eating into their profits. Unless you think like them; sales is not for you or me.[/quote]

This.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

[quote=ArtMonkDrillz;831405]I know I've told the story here before so I won't completely rehash it, but I bought Champ Bailey a Big Bite at the 7-11 in Hillandale after a Skins preseason game around 8 or 9 years ago.[/quote]

We bumped into Shaun White while getting dinner during a conference for work. Really cool, laid back dude who took the time to talk and say what's up with us despite the fact he was with a smoking hot brunette.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

Mostly recent.. delonte west, livan hernandez, Byron leftwich

Stacy Compton as a kid, NASCAR truck series, not sure that makes him prominent though

Bernie williams when i was 4 or so, when he played for the potomac Yankees, but that was after a game

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

My friends and I bumped into London Fletcher at Strasburg's debut game last year. He was just walking though the concourse and it seemed like no one else recognized him, maybe because at about 5'9" he doesn't stand out like most football players.
We just said hi and asked for a quick picture and he really couldn't have been nicer.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

[quote=Mattyk;831438]One of my friends sat next to him on a recent flight.[/quote]

Did he talk to him? He comes off like he'd be a serious curmudgeon to random fans saying hello, but he's really nice. I just wonder if your buddy had the same experience.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

Oh how could I forget this one, I was a caddy at Merion Golf Club in my summers as a teenager. When the Braves came to town the aces would show up and play a round at least once a year. I carried the bags of Greg Maddux and Steve Avery from their car to the first tee. John Smoltz and Tom Glavine were there too.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

In the swimming world (since I was a swimmer), I was high school teammates with Brendan Hansen and college teammates with Michael Phelps' older sister. He visited us at one point as like a 15 year old and swam the practice, destroyed all of us even at that age.

I have met many absolute legends from my beloved Glasgow CELTIC not that it would resonate much with the Redskin nation of course.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

[quote=Schneed10;831630]Oh how could I forget this one, I was a caddy at Merion Golf Club in my summers as a teenager. When the Braves came to town the aces would show up and play a round at least once a year. I carried the bags of Greg Maddux and Steve Avery from their car to the first tee. John Smoltz and Tom Glavine were there too.[/quote]

That's pretty awesome.

Drew Brees is still my most surreal experience...that and the time I went to the bathroom and I quickly turned around and hightailed it out of there because the stench was so bad...and as I'm leaving... out of the stall comes Dave Winfield

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

met a few. met Barkley when the sixers trained here. nicest guy in the world. met Dr J at hersheypark doing an coke promo. super nice. sat next to Hannah Storm on a plane a couple of years ago going to Fla. really quiet. mey Jay Schroeder at a local mall signing autographs. talked to him a while

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

[quote=Schneed10;831626]Did he talk to him? He comes off like he'd be a serious curmudgeon to random fans saying hello, but he's really nice. I just wonder if your buddy had the same experience.[/quote]

He said he was cool, joking around, thinks he had been drinking a bit

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

In my past life I worked in event staffing so I met quite a few athletes and entertainers but this encounter has always stood out. After I worked in event staffing I worked for the Carolina Panthers and at the time Reggie White was playing for them. I was part of the stadium ops department and our offices offices were located in the "dungeon" of the stadium as we called it. I was working at my desk one day and hear, "Hello ma'am I have a question." I look up and it is Reggie. He had a question for me and my boss. I wasn't expecting to see him and he was as nice as he could be.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

When I was a freshman in high school, we had to give some extra players to varsity so I got trucked by Ronde (or maybe Tiki?) Barber on kickoff team.

My best chance encounters were at the HOF enshrinement of Art Monk. Sure, this makes it less of a chance, but I had a beer with Boomer Esiason who actually approached me asking where to get white wine for his wife. Talked with him for about 10 minutes, SUPER cool guy.

At the same dinner, I went to the bathroom and Howie Long stood right next to me at the urinals. He also does not adhere to man-code. He stood right next to me even with empty stalls. I typically don't have stage fright, but that was a rare exception.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

When I was a kid my dad was Chairman of the Board at Children's National Medical Center, and Redskins used to visit there all the time to see sick kids. I met Mark Rypien, Charles Mann, Darrell Green, and several others, but I was like 10-12 years old.

Going to University of Florida and living in Gainesville, I met Danny Weurffel, Bobby Stoops, Ron Zook, Emmitt Smith, Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Wilbur Marshall, Channing Crowder, Urban Meyer and a few others.

And then there was this:

[URL]http://www.thewarpath.net/redskins-locker-room/33292-my-evening-dick-vermeil-todd-collins.html[/URL]

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

I was once verrrrrry close to the daughter of an NFL head coach....very close. I won't say who, but needless to say she was a great source of inside information...so you all should thank her

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

[quote=GMScud;831679]When I was a kid my dad was Chairman of the Board at Children's National Medical Center, and Redskins used to visit there all the time to see sick kids. I met Mark Rypien, Charles Mann, Darrell Green, and several others, but I was like 10-12 years old.

Going to University of Florida and living in Gainesville, I met Danny Weurffel, Bobby Stoops, Ron Zook, Emmitt Smith, Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Wilbur Marshall, Channing Crowder, Urban Meyer and a few others.

And then there was this:

[URL]http://www.thewarpath.net/redskins-locker-room/33292-my-evening-dick-vermeil-todd-collins.html[/URL][/quote]

I get the impression Noah's a pretty cool dude. Is he? Wuerffel is one of my favorite people ever

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

I met Rex Grossman at a high school football game, of all places.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

[quote=TheMalcolmConnection;831665]When I was a freshman in high school, we had to give some extra players to varsity so I got trucked by Ronde (or maybe Tiki?) Barber on kickoff team.

My best chance encounters were at the HOF enshrinement of Art Monk. Sure, this makes it less of a chance, but I had a beer with Boomer Esiason who actually approached me asking where to get white wine for his wife. Talked with him for about 10 minutes, SUPER cool guy.

At the same dinner, I went to the bathroom and Howie Long stood right next to me at the urinals. He also does not adhere to man-code. He stood right next to me even with empty stalls. I typically don't have stage fright, but that was a rare exception.[/quote]

That was the great thing about that HOF weekend, you could literally bump into anyone. I got a picture with Mark Moseley, saw Charles Mann, Joey T., Elway, Doc Walker, Lynn Swann, Mooch, Schefter, on and on.

Re: Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?
 

[quote=SmootSmack;831691]I get the impression Noah's a pretty cool dude. Is he? Wuerffel is one of my favorite people ever[/quote]

Noah was a really cool guy. It was maybe a month after Florida's 2nd national title in a row with Noah, Horford, Brewer, etc, and everyone knew they were all going pro. I was in a bar on the main strip in Gainesville having a beer, and he came in with his sister (who is smoking hot btw) and Al Horford to say hi to the manager, who was a mutual friend. He ended up sitting on the bar stool right next to mine, and we chatted for probably close to 10 minutes. Totally laid back. I didn't talk his ear off about basketball because I'm sure that's all he ever hears. Anyway, yeah, cool guy.