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Sports figures you have met.


infrared41

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I've met a bunch of athletes so i'll just share my best & and worst experiences:

Shaq- He was a real nice guy. I met him in Orlando at a gun & ammo store, I walked in to do some target shooting and there was this 7 foot man standing there at the counter picking up his custom gold-plated Desert Eagle. It was durring the summer right after he won his first Championship with the Lakers. I went up to him and congradulated him on his win, he was extremely nice and took a picture with me and my brother as well as signed my hat(I was wearing an Orlando Magic hat, ironic huh?). My brother made a comment about his custom Superman truck parked outside, so he asked if we wanted to check it out. He took us outside and showed us the inside of his Superman-Expedition, it was a really cool experience that I will never forget. For being one of the most well known/popular athletes of all-time, I can say that Shaq was a really cool and nice guy. I've forgiven him for turning his back on the Magic, and since then i've been a big fan of his.

Kevin Garnett- The biggest jerk athlete i've ever met. I met him at Disney World about a year ago, he was with Paul Peirce and some other player who I think is now in the D-League(cant remember his name). I went up to him and Pierce and made some small talk w/ Pierce. Pierce was laid back and nice but Garnett just wasn't having it. Pierce and the D-Leaguer took a picture with me and my family but Garnett said he "didn't feel like it". I watched two kids go up to him as well, and he told the kids that he wasn't signing autographs that day or taking pictures...then why were you at the "Most happiest place on earth"?!?! He was a total scumbag.

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  • 6 years later...
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I'm going to bust out an old thread as to not re-post a new thread (Forum etiquette I guess). I know I went 6 years back but coming from a car enthusiast thread user, this is a pet peeve of many hardcore forum users who hate those who post the same questions when they could have searched for a thread already on the topic.

 

ANYWHO I will start by saying some of these stories on this thread are pretty cool and its always cool to see many people and their experiences with PRO athletes. In reply to the above post 6 years ago lol. It seems like Kevin Garnett was rough guy to deal with. 

 

So here is my list (I will not name celebrities, just athletes) some are indirect and some are direct:

 

Dak Prescott: I graduated a year before his older brother who should have been a big time collegiate player also his middle brother. Both were great in their own rights. Anyways Dak graduated from my high school in Haughton, LA. My step brother who played at LA Tech with Kenneth Dixon (Baltimore Ravens), and a couple of other recent NFL drafted guys also is still good friends with Dak. Dak was the QB and my step brother was the RB. My step mom was good friends with Daks mom, and the ESPN stories are true about how his mom is a huge reason why he even went to Mississippi State. My step mom also shared with me some of her last conversations with his mother, and it was hard to hear. I will say that the ESPN video of all the coaches doing interviews besides our high schools head coach (Coach Guin) at the time is not all of truth. In my home town, there should be 20 Dak Prescotts at least at a collegate level, but I will leave it at that. This is why is say his brothers were great players and athletes in our local area and my step brother along with others were great too, but the coaches will not help these kids go to big schools. As I stated, Dak's mom did not want here third son to get put on the waist side by my high school's coaches. Another note is that many reports don't mention Dak's father, but he played a large role in his life too. My step brother actually beat out Kenneth Dixon in spring camp, BUT, in college football, why sit your starter when he is selling tickets. If only he was helped by coaching, we later found out he could have went to Auburn and prob started. My high school does have a couple kids FINALLY... MAYBE going to D1 schools but we will see how they fare. It was not with the help of coaches that's for sure. For Cowboy fans Mo Claiborne and Dak played each other in HS. Mo was a superstar in High school. For LSU fans, Dak was highly recruited by Les Miles in the end, but it was too little too late. If you go up the road a couple of miles there is a rival school that had a QB named Brandon Harris who was good friends with Dak as well. Les went and got him but he was recruited early.

 

Chuck Lidell: I was standing next to him at a Vegas club the week before he fought Rashad Evans (and got KOed). I didn't bother him, but those UFC guys are massive in stature. It was some celebrities there but that's another topic.

 

Wanderle Silva: I ran into him indirectly at a Vegas club during a DJ Teisto concert. To be honest I had no idea who DJ Teisto was but I was there with some USMC buddies of mine. Anyways we were originally upper VIP and before we got in, we ran into some rich Canadians who also had VIP but on the floor. Later that night they invited us to the floor VIP were Silva was. I didnt really mess with the guy because he was hammered. A UFC guy hammered;.... I was in the Marine Corps and I know how that may have went down. Drunk fighters.... Ill pass. I was hammered myself but I remember he had 3 groupies that were jaw dropping, but the guy himself had an unappealing huge face. I'm sorry lol, but you could tell he had been in some fights. His neck and jaw looked like it could take a sledge hammer. He was stocky and jacked even in regular clothes lol. I wish now I would have talked to him but knowing my Marine buddies, if something rude was said ill just say Marines will be Marines.

 

Brian Stann: UFC fighter... As I said I was in the Marine Corps. Sir as we called him was in charge of us right before I got out in 07 at the Regiment I was at. He was that Regiments Company Commander. Really, really nice guy. However, he also had a neck and jaw the that was downright scary. Like those UFC heavyweights are stupid big. Anyways, I always bust my buddies balls, because he got yelled at by him and another First Sgt for not having his room squared away. We were short timers about to get out, and were already in civilian mode. Anyways he was actually one of the last guys to sign off on my discharge papers. Like I said, super nice guy and had great morals.

 

Joe Delaney: His jersey is retired for the Kansas City Chiefs. Many don't know that him and Dak are connected by hometown and High Schools. Anyways, this is a tragic story, but a great story on a heroic act. He was even honored by President Regan, and my hometown controversely built a memorial park in his honor. I say controversily because it was supposed be in a different location and the controvesy to many has to do with demographics of race in terms of the location of where the park was finally built.  Anyways, I went to high school with his nephew who also was a great RB. I will again say those dog-gon coaches at my local high school again. Anyways, you should really read about his ESPN 30 for 30 story and link here:   http://www.espn.com/30for30/film?page=delaney

 

Mark Ingram: So my buddy ran into him in Miami this past summer. I guess they met him at some bar and started chit-chatting with him, and he hung out with him for some of the night to watch some sporting event and go to some bar; I really don't know the details. Anyways, soon as my buddy met him in the beginning he texts me that he's hanging out with Mark Ingram. Being a Saints fan I get super excited and tell him he's lucky and that's a Heisman trophy winner in his presence. I thought he was BS-ing so I had him send me some pics and it was true. So he tells Mark Ingram about me and how much of a fan I am of the Saints. So he starts texting me about what they are doing. So as an LSU fan I start texting about Alabama and how much they suck in a joking manner. He ended up showing Mark Ingram who apparently busted out laughing. IDK i thought that was kool. In my fandom mode i'm like "i got Mark Ingram to laugh out loud" haha.  That same friend of mine also lives up the street from TE coach Wade Phillips or Wes Phillips for the Redskins (one is the dad the other the son). His wife is also kool with Chris Cooley and his wife. So every now and then, I would get the inside story on RG3. I actually knew before the media when his was gonna get benched and Kurt Cousins would take over. I also got an inside track on how he was and the coaches did not like him. I was like damn, i feel like Adam Shefter..

 

Jimmy Graham: So when one of my Marine Corps buddies who both of us are Saints fans was in AAfghanistan on R&R he got to meet Jimmy Graham when he was a Nola Saints  and he and other Saints players did a USO trip to support the troops. A week earlier I post on facebook, that we signed Jimmy Graham for too much and it will bite us in the ass and we won't be able to afford him. So I said in all sadness lets just trade him for two first round draft pics. He comments, i'm gonna tell Jimmy Graham what you said when I meet him. I'm like whatever dude..... So a week later he tags me on facebook that he told him lol. I'm like no way!! I guess Jimmy Graham also had a good laugh, but its ironic because we did ended up trading him that next season.

 

 

Other lesser known athletes i meet and are still acquainted with are:

Crystal Smith: (WNBA player) went to my high school and grew up, up the road from her and her siblings. Still FB friends lol

Myron Baker: played for the Bears he also played for the Panthers the year the Panthers and Packers played in the NFC Championship game in 1996. Really good friends with my uncle who also was a casualty of my old high school coaches. 

Myron Baker: MMA fighter, who may go big time. I was in the Army Reserves (BAD DECISION; sorry army guys) with him. Real cool cool guy and a great leader in the midst of the bad leadership at that reserve unit.

 

Working in Wash DC I have meet other celebrities and politicians, but this is a sports thread and I'd be here forever naming names and stories of them.

 

 

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Lets see.

 

I've met many over the years. Some of the standouts were Barry Zito (when he was good), Tim Hudson, Terrence Long, David Eckstein, Glenn Hoffman, Trevor Hoffman, Willie O'Ree, more then minor baseball minor leaguers then I can remember.

 

The best of all though was I briefly met Joe DiMaggio when I was a kid. And by met I nearly tripped him as he was walking down the stairs at the Oakland Coliseum toward the field during the 1989 season with the Commissioner. He proceeded to move me gently out of the way and I returned this epic meeting by yelling "Hey Dad, it's Mr. Coffee!"

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I passed by Connor McDavid in the Edmonton airport last week, didn't realize until a couple minutes later, then my brother and cousin went without me to take a picture with him. I made a huge mistake.

GO OILERS-GO BLUE JAYS-GO ESKIMOS-GO COLTS

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I met McDavid after his first OHL preseason game which was played in my hometown.

 

My list is ridiculously long (comes from working in media and hockey)

 

Kevin Bieksa called me at home once while I was watching The Dark Knight Rises, and Cam Talbot is the nicest athlete I've ever met. 

 

Current NHLers:

Cam Talbot

Kevin Bieksa

Josh Jooris

Ben Chiarot

RIley Sheahan

Steve Ott

Ryan Ellis

Jake Gardiner

Zach Hyman

Jacob Trouba

Connor McDavid

 

Former NHLers:

Ben Scrivens

Jay McKee

Ric Nattress

Darcy Tucker

Doug Gilmour
Michael Peca

Jason Ward
Steve Thomas

Ken Dryden

Bobby Hull
Johnny Bower
Bob Baun

Wendel Clark

Steve Staios
Travis Green

 

Coaches and Management:

Brian Burke

Mike Babcock
Jeff Blashill

 

Media Personalities:
Ron MacLean
Don Cherry
Jay Onrait

I've gotten to where if I see someone I typically don't even bother going to talk to them anymore. I will waive that for Wayne Gretzky if the opportunity ever arises, though.

On September 20, 2012 at 0:50 AM, 'CS85 said:

It's like watching the hellish undead creakily shuffling their way out of the flames of a liposuction clinic dumpster fire.

On February 19, 2012 at 9:30 AM, 'pianoknight said:

Story B: Red Wings go undefeated and score 100 goals in every game. They also beat a team comprised of Godzilla, the ghost of Abraham Lincoln, 2 Power Rangers and Betty White. Oh, and they played in the middle of Iraq on a military base. In the sand. With no ice. Santa gave them special sand-skates that allowed them to play in shorts and t-shirts in 115 degree weather. Jesus, Zeus and Buddha watched from the sidelines and ate cotton candy.

POTD 5/24/12POTD 2/26/17

 

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Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei used to live in my neighborhood. I passed him all the time, probably monthly. We went to the same barber.

 

I never said anything, mind you, but wish I had. We could have been pals.

1 hour ago, ShutUpLutz! said:

and the drunken doodoobags jumping off the tops of SUV's/vans/RV's onto tables because, oh yeah, they are drunken drug abusing doodoobags

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NASCAR:

Bobby Allison

Alan Kulwicki

Geoff, Brett, and Todd (before AND after they were in NASCAR)

Many crew chiefs and crew members before the World 600 in Charlotte (college cuisine arts was doing a demonstration of tailgating, NASCAR people came running when it was known we were giving out samples)

 

Soccer

Several members of the 1981-82 Tampa Bay Rowdies including Tatu, Zequinha, and John Gorman.  They watched our tournament team practice and gave us some help knowing the dasher rebounds

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Oh what could have been....

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When I worked security for the Daytona 500 I met virtually every driver over the 4 years I did it, but I also met john cena, micheal strahan, had to protect Casey Anthony's dad for one year, met the Zac brown band, kid rock, I'm sure I'm missing a bunch. 

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Only athlete I've ever met was Tim Brown about 2 years ago. My buddy and I had crashed the Notre Dame Tailgate when they were playing USC and he had passed us after giving a pep talk to the Irish fans. We asked him for a picture, but he just looked at our SC shirts, laughed and said "no way" before walking away fro us.

 

He wasn't rude to us in the slightest and I have a huge amount of respect for that. 

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I grew up with professional snowboarders Jamie Anderson and Hannah Teter. Ran into both of them last month when I was home for the holidays. 

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On 11/19/2012 at 7:23 PM, oldschoolvikings said:
She’s still half convinced “Chris Creamer” is a porn site.)
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Herman Moore: He was signing autographs outside of Ford Field before a Lions game. No complaints...he was pretty nice, and I got my picture taken with him.

Chris Chelios/Johnny Damon: On a different trip to Detroit, I went to the 2010 Frozen Four. On the day of the finals, we went to Wisconsin's pep rally, which was held at Cheli's Chili. When we were making our way outside, security pushed me back, and when I tried to figure out why, Chelios and Damon (it was the year he was a Tiger) walked right in front of me. I high-fived Johnny Damon. Not much of an interaction with either, other than being about a foot from them. Chelios spoke at the pep rally.

Vince Coleman: I have no real recollection of this other than an autograph I probably don't have anymore. Tommy Herr used to (still might...his kid played against my brother in high school) live in Lancaster, PA and had a sporting good's store, Tommy Herr's 2nd Base, and he had Coleman in to sign autographs one time.

Manute Bol: Another one I don't really remember, but he was signing autographs at the local mall when he was a Sixer. I was probably 4-5 years old.

Various pro wrestlers: I ran into Jerry Lawler and the Blue Meanie at a bar (not at the same time), met King Kong Bundy, Honky Tonk Man, The Patriot and Jimmy Snuka (among others) at an independent show, and I once walked around the mall (the same one I met Manute Bol) with Virgil. He was cool as hell.

 

I went to high school with MLB player Jeff Bianchi. I have no idea what team he plays for now (Boston?), but he was on Milwaukee when he was actually up in the bigs. Also, I'm not positive, but I might've played against Nick Foligno in high school. I know I played against his high school, but he might've moved on to juniors by then.

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Way back in the days where you could meet people at the gate at the airport my parents and I were picking up my grandmother at LAX.  A couple gates over we noticed this really geeky guy who was ridiculously tall and skinny and was wearing a plaid shirt tucked into tight jeans and cowboy boots.  As we kept watching him we noticed that there were people walking up for autographs.  It took us a bit to figure it out but the geeky guy turned out to be Shawn Bradley.

 

And yes, I got an autograph.  No idea what happened to the thing though.

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Chris Carter- My friend works at a hotel where there was a bunch of activities for the NFL draft, one of which was a lounge where league legends could relax and watch the draft. I was able to go in there before any legends came in, and while I was still in there, Chris Carter came.

Bo Jackson- Again, my friend at the hotel got me passes for the Chicago White Sox fest, and I was able to find Bo Jackson in one of the convention rooms.

 

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