coolest athlete(s) you have ever met

[sscrunner06]

Maybe something like this has been done before, but I thought it would be cool for everyone to list the coolest athletes they have ever met.

I guess I'll start by listing my top 3:

(1) Bart Starr

(2) Brett Favre

(3) Michael Strahan

[no97]

Best memory of my childhood - same day, Artis Gilmore and Walter Payton at old Chicago Stadium.

Gilmore was playing for the Bulls, and he met with the winners of a March of Dimes Read-A-Thon (of which I was one), and Payton was in the concourse durring the second half, minding his own business (Amazing, looking back, how the greatest RB in NFL history could be ignored in public. If Emmett Smith tried that today - stood in the concorse of a Mav's game - he'd be mobbed. Interesting how times change over the last 23 years). My Dad told me to ask "that guy" for his autograph (I was seven at the time - 1982), and I walked up to him with this blue "Metropolitan Chicago Chapter March of Dimes" folder and a ball point pen. Of course, he signed it.

I still have the folder with an old sticker that says "Propterty of John." Unfortunatly, I do not have the Artis Gilmore autographed book (interestingly enough, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.")

Moose

[sp0rtsguy13]

1. John Elway

2. Juilius Ervong

3. Chad Pennington

[bhambruiser]

Derrick Thomas while he was at Alabama...I was 8, but I remembered him being cool.

George Forman. When I was 12 he was doing a book signing here in the Ham. His hands were huge.

[winghaz]

I guess I'll start by listing my top 3:

(1) Bart Starr

I think of Bart Starr and I think of a very classy guy, a true gentleman. That must have been great meeting him.

[kansascityjayhawk4]

Just last week, actually, I met Lance Armstrong, because my best friend's mom was rommates w/ Sheryl Crow at Mizzou so she comes up here every once in a while and stays at their house, so i always go over there . But, this time she surprised me and my friend by taking us to the KC Downtown airport telling us that we were going to help her check some bags, but really she planned itt so we would meet Lance. From there we went to eat at the Cheesecake Factory on the Plaza. After that we went back to my friend's house, where he was staying, and he was in bed at like 9, so I went home later on. Two days later Sheryl Crow called my friend's house to tell them that Lance proposed to her on their vacation in Utah.I'll never forget it.

KC Jayhawk

[patsox]

Mike Vrabel (only one i've ever seen up really close)

[BCBoy]

I've only met Canucks players and BC Lions players but:

Todd Bertuzzi, Trevor Linden and Ed Jovanovski are all very nice people.

Dave Dickenson, Angus Reid, Jarious Jackson and Javi Glatt are also awesome.

[VitaminD]

1. Julius Erving

2. Antawn Jamison

3. Rich Ashburn

4. Jeff O'Neill

5. Reggie Miller (I was as shocked to find this out as anyone, but he is a pretty nice guy from my interaction with him)

[TBGKon]

Jim Thome at a Clearwater Threshers game when he was on a rehab stint right before he was benched for the year, he was a real nice guy and signed a ball for me too

[redsfan39]

I bumped into Sean Casey at a mall once....before he was a all-star. He was really nice and polite and talked ball with me for about 5 minutes. I think he was happy someone knew who he was

[jkrdevil]

I met Don Larson in a bar at cooperstown a few years ago along with a few other old Yankee players.

I've met a lot of the Devils. Marty Brodeur came into wear I worked last December.

When I was 5 I would skip school and go to the Devils practices which were supposed to be closed. So I got to meet a lot of the Devils players then plus a few signed broken sticks.

I've met Ken Daneyko who then introduced me to Mark Messier. Unfortunately I was 6 and it was right after the 94 playoffs where the Rangers beat the Devils so I refused to shake his hand. I regret that now.

[Brass]

Randall Gay - Very humble and literally gave me the shirt off of his back.

Zach Parise - Talked to him for about 5-10 minutes outside of a lockerroom after he signed a few 'graphs for me. Also very humble.

Craig Janney - Hometown hero (my town!) and very quite but nice. Awesome guy! I've met him around 5 or 6 times. He gets nicer with each visit.

[sscrunner06]

I think of Bart Starr and I think of a very classy guy, a true gentleman. That must have been great meeting him.

Yeah Bart Starr is a great guy...I actually met him by accident. I was at a charity dinner and he just happened to sit right next to me at the table. I didn't even realize it until someone told me, but man was I thrilled to meet him. He gave me an autograph, took pictures, and everything.

[Mings]

I talked with Sean Casey every time he dropped off his film, and talked with Gus Frerotte every time he was picking up film his wife dropped off when I was living in Cincinnati. Never asked for an autograph though, since I didn't wanna bug them lol. Sean got me tickets to a few games though.

Also have met Austin Croshere and Ron Artest.

[GeorgesL]

When I was a senior in high school, in '88, former Bears RB Neal Anderson came by and spoke at one of our FCA meetings. (FCA is Fellowship of Christian Athletes) He signed autographs, and he was awesome.

[rainmaker17]

The Best:

Mike Ditka, in an Atlanta hotel right before SB XXVIII. Really nice guy...and a lot bigger than I realized. The owner of the Panthers was there too, also very nice.

The Worst:

Bob Costas. Same hotel, but in the elevator. Acted bothered we noticed him and actually griped to his associate right in front of us. What a tool. I'm only 5'9" and I towered over that self-righteous shrimp.

[infrared41]

As a former sports radio talk show host and sports reporter I probably have an unfair advantage in this but here are a few of my favorites (and least favorites)

These are all guys I met outside my job.

The coolest was by far and away Hanford Dixon formerly of the Browns (and inventor of the dawg pound.) Class act all the way and just a joy to talk with.

Jim Brown was cool. He is one intimidating dude. I met him in 1995 and he still looked like he could gain 1000 yds. Very serious guy but friendly.

Earnest Byner was very cool too. Great guy. Very accomodating.

Jim Thome. That homegrown aw shucks bit he does on TV is not an act. He's one heck of a nice guy.

During my years in radio and as a TV crew person I had the opportunity to meet a lot of athletes. I won't bore you with stories about all of them but I will tell you that each sport has it's own attitude overall.

Baseball players as a whole are the biggest jerks followed closely by Basketball players. 85% of the baseball players I met were jackasses. It was only about 80% in basketball. Football players are a mix. They were split evenly. Some were really cool, some were in the middle and some were jerks. Football players are hard to peg. Hockey players are easily the most friendly, approachable, and accomodating of the four big team sports. I never met an unfriendly hockey player. I am sure there are some but I never ran across one.

[Mings]

Oh, I almost forgot. Jason Maxiell lived on the same floor as me freshman year in the dorms at UC.

[Chief.]

I met the seniors from KU basketball last year and I also met Monty Beisel from the Chiefs (Now the Pats) because he actually grew up and played football in a small town called Victoria, Kansas (About 10 miles from my town). There's a tight end playing for K-State named Brett Alstatt who played football at my high school.