I wish I could match most of you guys in meeting the Gopher players in all sports. My experiences have been with college and pro players in the Ohio area.
I can tell you that I attended a wedding of a friend of mine that played fullback for University of Wisconsin during the Rose Bowl years for the Badgers.. Lots of former Badger football players at the wedding, as well. They were some of the greatest guys I have met, to be honest. I think I mentioned this before but they were respectful of Minnesota and my being a fan of them. This would have been in the early 2000s and they talked about how the Gophers hit hard but they would make mental mistakes that kept them from being better, in those years. But respectful comments about Minnesota so they got my respect. I know that is not popular but it is true.
I have met a lot of Ohio State Buckeyes, over the years. Of course, Archie Griffin is real nice to talk to but he is in a role at Ohio State as a liaison that he is kind of expected to be "on", all the time.. I sat next to him when his son, Adam, played high school basketball and came north for their regional tournament. Just a good guy.. His QB on those mid 70s Buckeye teams, Cornelius Greene is even nicer yet.. A very thoughtful man that is always encouraging and spent his lifetime in teaching. Enjoy talking with him. I met Chris Spielman a few times and he was much more humble than you think. I dont care for him as an announcer but he is nice person that will talk to you about just about anything.. Orlando Pace is kind of a shy person and a very large man... But he is pretty easy going. He is from Sandusky, Ohio which was not real far away from me.
I met Antoine Winfield Sr. and I think he is shorter than listed. I am 6'2" and I bet he is close to 6 inches shorter than me. But he is built as solid as a rock and a very serious guy about staying in shape and football.. He is tremendously smart when he speaks on football.. He is exactly what you would picture.. He is rock solid for his weight(no fat) and a super disciplined person. Loves his family.
At Michigan, Rob Lytle, who was Heisman runner-up as a RB, lived local to me and he was a nice guy. He is now passed away and he was a local banker after his NFL days. Great guy that could really explain the life of a player in the NFL and how it was a struggle to put on the pads when he was injured. His wife Tracy is about as nice of a person as you will find and retired as a teacher.. Their son, Kelly and daughter Erin are nice people as well. Charles Woodson of Michigan and a Hall of Fame DB was not such a great guy to talk to when he was young but he went to the same HS as Lytle. Jon Jansen was an offensive tackle who was a pretty mature person when I met him while he was in college. Anthony Thomas, a RB who ended up in the NFL after a successful Wolverine career, was super polite and you could tell he was raised in the South.
As far as Minnesota, I thought the late Matt Blair was one of the great guys that played for the Vikings that I had a chance to meet.. Always smiling. I met Carl Eller but cant say I was super impressed. I thought Alan Page was a very articulate man. Those eyes of Page can stare right through you. Paul Krause seemed like a much more reserved individual and not as easy to talk to,
I WOULD JUST LIKE TO READ STORIES OF YOU GUYS THAT HAVE MET GOPHER PLAYERS AND FAMILY.. I AM JEALOUS OF YOU GUYS THAT HAVE HAD THE CHANCE TO MEET PEOPLE THAT SO WISH I COULD MEET.. WHO WERE THE GREATEST GUYS THAT YOU EVER MET, THAT DONNED THE MAROON AND GOLD?? Maybe you could share a short story of why they were awesome people.. My experience is Ohio State and Michigan but those are not the teams that are my favorites, like Minnesota,, So I may have met some great players but they WERE NOT GOPHERS. I would so like for you to tell me stories whether they be in a tailgate situation or social situation where you got to meet these guys. ANY SPORT, not just the 4 main sports, I would be interested in the stories.
I can tell you that I attended a wedding of a friend of mine that played fullback for University of Wisconsin during the Rose Bowl years for the Badgers.. Lots of former Badger football players at the wedding, as well. They were some of the greatest guys I have met, to be honest. I think I mentioned this before but they were respectful of Minnesota and my being a fan of them. This would have been in the early 2000s and they talked about how the Gophers hit hard but they would make mental mistakes that kept them from being better, in those years. But respectful comments about Minnesota so they got my respect. I know that is not popular but it is true.
I have met a lot of Ohio State Buckeyes, over the years. Of course, Archie Griffin is real nice to talk to but he is in a role at Ohio State as a liaison that he is kind of expected to be "on", all the time.. I sat next to him when his son, Adam, played high school basketball and came north for their regional tournament. Just a good guy.. His QB on those mid 70s Buckeye teams, Cornelius Greene is even nicer yet.. A very thoughtful man that is always encouraging and spent his lifetime in teaching. Enjoy talking with him. I met Chris Spielman a few times and he was much more humble than you think. I dont care for him as an announcer but he is nice person that will talk to you about just about anything.. Orlando Pace is kind of a shy person and a very large man... But he is pretty easy going. He is from Sandusky, Ohio which was not real far away from me.
I met Antoine Winfield Sr. and I think he is shorter than listed. I am 6'2" and I bet he is close to 6 inches shorter than me. But he is built as solid as a rock and a very serious guy about staying in shape and football.. He is tremendously smart when he speaks on football.. He is exactly what you would picture.. He is rock solid for his weight(no fat) and a super disciplined person. Loves his family.
At Michigan, Rob Lytle, who was Heisman runner-up as a RB, lived local to me and he was a nice guy. He is now passed away and he was a local banker after his NFL days. Great guy that could really explain the life of a player in the NFL and how it was a struggle to put on the pads when he was injured. His wife Tracy is about as nice of a person as you will find and retired as a teacher.. Their son, Kelly and daughter Erin are nice people as well. Charles Woodson of Michigan and a Hall of Fame DB was not such a great guy to talk to when he was young but he went to the same HS as Lytle. Jon Jansen was an offensive tackle who was a pretty mature person when I met him while he was in college. Anthony Thomas, a RB who ended up in the NFL after a successful Wolverine career, was super polite and you could tell he was raised in the South.
As far as Minnesota, I thought the late Matt Blair was one of the great guys that played for the Vikings that I had a chance to meet.. Always smiling. I met Carl Eller but cant say I was super impressed. I thought Alan Page was a very articulate man. Those eyes of Page can stare right through you. Paul Krause seemed like a much more reserved individual and not as easy to talk to,
I WOULD JUST LIKE TO READ STORIES OF YOU GUYS THAT HAVE MET GOPHER PLAYERS AND FAMILY.. I AM JEALOUS OF YOU GUYS THAT HAVE HAD THE CHANCE TO MEET PEOPLE THAT SO WISH I COULD MEET.. WHO WERE THE GREATEST GUYS THAT YOU EVER MET, THAT DONNED THE MAROON AND GOLD?? Maybe you could share a short story of why they were awesome people.. My experience is Ohio State and Michigan but those are not the teams that are my favorites, like Minnesota,, So I may have met some great players but they WERE NOT GOPHERS. I would so like for you to tell me stories whether they be in a tailgate situation or social situation where you got to meet these guys. ANY SPORT, not just the 4 main sports, I would be interested in the stories.
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