Chance encounters with prominent sports figures?

TheMalcolmConnection

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.

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GMScud

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:

http://www.thewarpath.net/redskins-l...d-collins.html (My evening with Dick Vermeil and Todd Collins)

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SmootSmack

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

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SmootSmack

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

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GTripp0012

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

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Mattyk

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.

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GMScud

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.

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tryfuhl

Was walking along.a strip mall.today.. saw CP26 getting his hair done

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TheSmurfs22

Probably the coolest sports encounter was meeting Reggie White. Well that and meeting Riggo right before the Superbowl against the Dolphins. I was 8 at the time.
At any rate I was working for the Panthers when Reggie was there and I worked in the "dungeon" of the stadium. I was working on something at my desk and then heard "Excuse me ma'am" I looked up and it was Reggie. I am sure I had a deer in the headlight look on my face. He was a really cool guy and nice as can be. Definitely something I will not forget.

I am sorry to hear that D Green is a bit of a jerk, that is a shame.

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SolidSnake84

In 2004, I got to meet Mark Mosely when he opened his very first Five Guys burgers and fries in Woodstock, VA. He was one of the nicest people i've ever met and he let me wear his superbowl ring and get a picture with him. He didn't charge anything.

Around 2008 or so, i had the chance of a lifetime to get to see the boxing hall of fame, and lo and behold I ran into Tommy "the duke" Morrison in the hotel lobby, who was chugging down white russians. He was super cool and acted like we were best buddies. He talked to me for a good while about Elvis Presley and how when Elvis was at the end of the road and in real bad health, he still walked out to the edge of graceland to talk to his fans and sign stuff for them. Tommy told me he tells everybody that if they dont want to interact with the fans and all that stuff, then to stay home because thats what they are there for.

I saw, but did not get a chance to talk to, Caitlin Brunell when she was in town this past spring for the Apple Blossom Festival. I was helping out at the sports breakfast and she was there along with her mother and younger brother. She counts kind of i guess because of her dad being Mark Brunell.

Last thing of note was in 2009 when Joe Jacoby sat in front of my wife and I at church. He is here coaching the offensive line for Shenandoah University. He seemed completley friendly, but I did not dare approach him at church or try and talk to him. Kind of had my mark-out moment there seeing a true redskins great.

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DynamiteRave

Although not a sports figure, I ran into Chick Hernandez at White Flint Mall, he was out with his young daughter.

My mom also briefly(and I mean really briefly) dated James Brown after a chance encounter on a flight (the sportscaster, not the deceased soul singer) since he's from the DC area.

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SolidSnake84

Did you get a good chance to see what kind of shape he was in? I'm asking because a guy I work with says his next door neighbor is a realtor that is trying to sell one of Clinton Portis' properties in Ashburn, it was a small apartment or condo of some kind for when he was not staying in his mansion. I asked him if he ever saw CP at the property when he was there, and he said "oh yeah" and I asked him what he looked like in real life. "Oh, you'd never know he was a football player if you didn't watch the NFL"

I was told he really put the weight back on since his last tryout in the NFL, which was almost a month ago. Its kind of sad because the only guy i knew who could baloon up that fast was jamarcus russell.

Portis, who was 220-230 last season, allegedly balooned as high as in the 280's this off-season, before settling down to around 250 when he worked out with the titans last month....still sad

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Dirtbag59

My brother played basketball with John Smoltz's kid so I saw him from afar. Chris Chandler gave a pregame speech to my high schools football team, I shamelessly asked for his autograph after. Met Art Monk at his football camp among other players like Edwin Mulitalo. Jessie Tuggle's son went to my high school a year or two after I graduated and became a decent QB prospect eventually getting a scholarship to Boston College so I occasionally saw him at games.

When I was in Middle School my Dad found out that his former teammate (Buzz Braman the shot doctor) was a shooting coach for the Bullets so I got to meet Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, George Murehsan, and Tim Legler at a local middle school where they were practicing. Only reason I was partly hoping for the Heat to win a title last year was because Juwan Howard was so nice to me when I met him as a kid.

I think I might have met Ozzie Gullien at a fan day but I'm not totally sure about that one.

Then again I'm pretty sure that a lot of these don't qualify as chance encounters.


Man everyone freaking runs into Barkley except me. Even my friends got to shake hands with him at a nightclub in downtown Atlanta. And they all say the same thing, that he's the nicest guy in the world.

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