What famous athletes or celebrities have you met?

[roadscholar]

Someone started a thread on Advrider about meeting famous athletes I thought was pretty interesting, so asking here and adding celebs to the mix. They don't have to be world famous but with some notoriety at least regionally or nationally. I'll start with a couple and maybe add a couple more if it gets going. 

 

Mid 60's Daytona Bch, my step-father was somewhat connected with NASCAR and the Speedway, one Saturday during Speedweeks he invited Parnelli Jones over to our house for dinner. Parnelli saw my Jeep out front and later asked if I wanted some fat tires to put on it for the sand dunes, he had takeoffs from his Indycar across town and said they could widen the wheels too. Cool, almost nobody had fat tires then, what a great guy. They were a little tricky in the rain with just the squiggly little racing treads from back then but I learned to deal with it.

1977-ish, I was at Charlotte Motor Speedway competing for the SCCA Southeast regional autocross championship lounging in my room at the Holiday Inn late one afternoon. I could see thru the curtains some dude is oogling and peering in the windows of my red '74 Carrera right outside the door. I went out and said hi to this rather large kid and he says is this yours, it's killer what model is it? We start yakking about 911's and he says I'm Marty Tripes and we're here for the supercross this weekend, believe he rode for Honda then. I'd heard his name but wasn't really up on the current crop of motocross stars at the time, I might've recognized Bob Hannah but then maybe not too. Great guy always smiling and yukking it up, the following spring he showed up at my house in central fla (when they came for Daytona) with a new red 911 and stayed the night. A couple years later I had a Yamaha shop in Jax, I went down for the race and he (riding for Yamaha now) and Broc Glover had to give me a wild ride in a rental car, crazy kids..

[Hosstage]

Matt Birk, former center for the Minnesota Vikings, won a Superbowl with the Ravens, and winner of the Walter Payton Humanitarian Award, is my cousin. Nicest guy you'll ever meet, and damn funny too.

He has some pretty good stories from the locker room, which I will not repeat here....

 

[roadscholar]

Oh c'mon, there have to be one or two that aren't too bad : ) 

[chrisolson]

21 minutes ago, roadscholar said:

Oh c'mon, there have to be one or two that aren't too bad : ) 

Even so,  it might have to move to Full Throttle. .... 

[Hosstage]

4 minutes ago, chrisolson said:

Even so,  it might have to move to Full Throttle. .... 

Yup!

[roadscholar]

7 minutes ago, chrisolson said:

Even so,  it might have to move to Full Throttle. .... 

 

Ok probably could get a little dicey now that I think about it : )

[Hosstage]

I've talked with Jack Morris a few times, pitcher for the Twins who threw 10 shut-out innings to win the 7th game of the '91 World Series. Also won a Ring with Detroit. He lives in the area, used to ride his HD quite a bit, nice guy. No locker room stories though...

[Hosstage]

9 minutes ago, roadscholar said:

 

Ok probably could get a little dicey now that I think about it : )

Yup!

Although, he did mention a player that had turned and found God.

After his wife found his pager!

[chrisolson]

2 minutes ago, Hosstage said:

found his pager!

 

That has to go back a few years ... 

[TEWKS]

Waylon Jennings at LAX back in the mid 80’s. We, three buddies and me flew out and rented a Cadillac for a week of exploration.
 

Truth be told, my buddy recognized him before I did. He asked Waylon “are you who I think you are?” His reply was “I reckon I am” 

[BamaJohn]

Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, Crystal Gayle, Wayne Newton, Merle Haggard, Glen Campbell; (At a casino where I was working);

And Roadscholar...the only race car driver I know. 

And I did step foot onto The Old Course in Edinburgh.  Didn't meet any greats, but felt their presence.

[wbw6cos]

Back in the '80s, my dad was involved with charity golf tournaments for Spina Bifida.  A few of the Atlanta Braves players were involved as well, so I got to meet Phil Niekro,  Bob Horner, Jerry Royster, Glenn Hubbard, and Dale Murphy.   Also, I got to meet Bob Kelly (aka Brother Francis) who used to route for the Braves atop the dugout during home games in the 80's.

 

I also got to meet another baseball player by the name of Mike Lum, who was playing a magician at a teen party that was hosted by our country club (Indian Hills).  At that time, I had a baseball card collection and got Mike to sign his card.  Pretty cool .

[taylor1]

As a teen I worked the counter at a Jewish deli in the Malibu Country Mart. Da Deli Dealer. Mid to late 70's  The owner was a good friend of Neil Diamond. Anyway , it was a mecca for actors and musicians . Barbara Streisand , Paul Newman , Carroll O'Connor was a daily patron . Cooked breakfast for Neil Young quite a few times. One of my most memorable was shaking hands with Steve Howe. Huge Yes fan .  And yes , I can still make a hell of a good Egg Cream.

[Rinkydink]

In the early 2000s I rode to Bike Week in Daytona for the flat track races etc. Up early to get some breakfast and beat the crowds to Cracker Barrel. Sitting on a bench out front waiting on CB to open and Kenny Roberts sits down beside me.  We talked everything motorcycles for 20 minutes or so. Awestruck to say the least. 

[Skywagon]

Emmitt Smith, Magic Johnson, Roger Staubach, several baseball players, Arnold Palmer and several pro golfers, Roy Clark, Willy Nelson, Ray Charles, Glenn Campbell, Earl Campbell, Bum Phillips, Jamie Lee Curtis, Paula Zahn, Charlie Rose, Morgan Freeman, Nicky Hayden…. There are probably a few more. Let me explain. The company I worked for for 42 years brought in celebrities often as motivation and fun events. I had the privilege of meeting these folks and others through company events. When I was a teenager and in college I worked at a pretty famous Country Club. I was a bartender in the celebrity bar so through good fortune met many of them. Roy Clark gave me his hat ~ 1975. It’s wrapped up in my closet

[roadscholar]

18 hours ago, Hosstage said:

I've talked with Jack Morris a few times, pitcher for the Twins who threw 10 shut-out innings to win the 7th game of the '91 World Series.

 

I don't remember him but that's rare a game seven went to 10 innings without scoring a run, probably not too exciting but amazing nonetheless.

 

17 hours ago, TEWKS said:

Waylon Jennings at LAX back in the mid 80’s. We, three buddies and me flew out and rented a Cadillac for a week of exploration.

 

I'm betting you guys were the inspiration for Weekend at Bernie's : )

 

15 hours ago, BamaJohn said:

And I did step foot onto The Old Course in Edinburgh.  Didn't meet any greats, but felt their presence.

 

Awesome experience John, love it!

 

12 hours ago, wbw6cos said:

 A few of the Atlanta Braves players were involved as well, so I got to meet Phil Niekro,  Bob Horner, Jerry Royster, Glenn Hubbard, and Dale Murphy.   Also, I got to meet Bob Kelly (aka Brother Francis) who used to route for the Braves atop the dugout during home games in the 80's.

 

Man I miss Skip Carey, always listened to Braves games in the car driving thru Georgia, his calm descriptive manner kept you on the edge of your seat and was better than being there. Glavine, Maddox, Smoltz, Chipper, Justice, Deion, Bobby getting thrown out of the game, again.. I can still see long lanky Sid Bream rounding third giving it all galloping home and sliding in a cloud of dust, SAFE.. riveting!

 

11 hours ago, taylor1 said:

As a teen I worked the counter at a Jewish deli in the Malibu Country Mart. Da Deli Dealer. Mid to late 70's  The owner was a good friend of Neil Diamond. Anyway , it was a mecca for actors and musicians . Barbara Streisand , Paul Newman , Carroll O'Connor was a daily patron . 

  

Malibu was the place to be in those days, very cool.

 

11 hours ago, Rinkydink said:

Sitting on a bench out front waiting on CB to open and Kenny Roberts sits down beside me.  We talked everything motorcycles for 20 minutes or so. 

 

Chance encounters just don't get any better than that, King Kenny was and always will be the man. Watching he and Freddie go into the east banking at 180 banging bars was epic stuff..

 

7 hours ago, Skywagon said:

Emmitt Smith, Magic Johnson, Roger Staubach, several baseball players, Arnold Palmer and several pro golfers, Roy Clark, Willy Nelson, Ray Charles, Glenn Campbell, Earl Campbell, Bum Phillips, Jamie Lee Curtis, Paula Zahn, Charlie Rose, Morgan Freeman, Nicky Hayden….

 

Had a feeling you'd have some Skywagon, but Wow!

[taylor1]

Forgot to mention more of a hero than celebrity. I grew up in a rural farm town north of Pittsburgh until my senior year of high school.  Eric Buell lived about a mile down the road . Met him a few times. Once was on the trails and it wasn't a good experience. He crashed his dirt bike. He was pre college and not a  big deal at the time

[Skywagon]

I have a short list of whom I would like to meet...It might surprise you.  It would be high on my bucket list to spend an afternoon with any of these 4.

 

1. Jay Leno

2. Jimmy Buffett

3. George Bush

4. Angela Merkel

[roadscholar]

Yep 1. and 3. would be high on my list too, the Leno choice reminds me of a close encounter once. I was at a big Porsche racing meet (Rennsport Reunion II) with my just restored 908 and all the race cars were lined up on Daytona's pit lane for display. I had several buddies hanging out around the car and we're all shooting the breeze with the passersby, some of them notable in the Porsche world, ex factory drivers, racing engineers, brass, etc. Especially interesting to meet was Chad McQueen, he actually found us because his dad had raced a similar car at Sebring and almost won. Anyway, told my buddies I was going over to the refreshment stand and would be back in a few. When I came back they said hey, Jerry Seinfeld stopped by and was all over your car, he wanted to know who the owner was and meet him. Story of my life : )

 

It made me think of the Seinfeld episode when the four of them were waiting forever for a table at a Chinese restaurant, they finally gave up and walked out. Almost immediately it cut to the maitre' D who says, 'Seinfeld, party of 4'    

[wbw6cos]

At least there was no B.O. left in the car. 

[TEWKS]

You sent me searching for a group pic of us in Tijuana sitting on a painted donkey  but, couldn’t find it. Big Ted and the Cadillac. He’s been gone a while now. 
 

 

 

[roadscholar]

20 minutes ago, wbw6cos said:

At least there was no B.O. left in the car. 

 

Don't think I saw that one but just read the synopsis, where do they come up with this stuff?   

 

20 minutes ago, TEWKS said:

You sent me searching for a group pic of us in Tijuana sitting on a painted donkey  but, couldn’t find it. Big Ted and the Cadillac. He’s been gone a while now. 
 

 

 

 

Sorry to hear about big Ted but that looks like some great memories. 

[Selden]

Dick Burleson was my roommate at U of Michigan. I'm not sure he qualifies as a "celebrity" except in motorcycle circles. He started motocrossing with a Honda Trail 90, bored out to 110cc, then a Maico 250 hardtail (which he rebuilt in the living room of our 5-man apartment), a CZ, BSA 441 Victor, followed by Penton, Husqvarna and KTM. Although he was an engineering major, he originally came to U of M on a music scholarship, as he had the potential to be a concert pianist.

[Hosstage]

6 hours ago, roadscholar said:

 

I don't remember him but that's rare a game seven went to 10 innings without scoring a run, probably not too exciting but amazing nonetheless.

 

 One of the greatest games ever. While Atlanta had Smoltz, Stanton, and Pena pitching, the Twins only Morris. Every at bat on both sides was the most important of the game. As the 10th inning started, the question was whether the manager was going to let Morris throw a 10th. He looked at Morris, and it was quite obvious that Jack was not going to allow the manager to make the call. Morris strode to that mound and threw the most incredible 10th inning a series has ever seen. Bottom of the 10th, Twins score the winner off Pena.

Later, manager Tom Kelly said no way was he ever going to try and stop him from going out there!

[roadscholar]

Love it, that is what’s so great about baseball. I go back to the days of Bill Mazeroski (listened to the game on a transistor radio in 7th grade, at school) and before, Mantle and Maris.

[Hosstage]

36 minutes ago, roadscholar said:

Love it, that is what’s so great about baseball. I go back to the days of Bill Mazeroski (listened to the game on a transistor radio in 7th grade, at school) and before, Mantle and Maris.

Wow, you're old!  😉

[roadscholar]

Dick Burleson once said, "the only reason to ride pavement is to get to dirt". 

 

1 hour ago, Hosstage said:

Wow, you're old!  😉

 

No, you're just young.. 

[TEWKS]

17 minutes ago, roadscholar said:

Dick Burelson once said, "the only reason to ride pavement is to get to dirt"

Mr. Burelson is a wise man!   He made some pretty badass old time motorcycle pics too!  
 

 

 

 

[roadscholar]

Not too bad yourself either.

 

 

It's a long ways from this : )

 

 

 

[TEWKS]

An evolution.  

[roadscholar]

11 minutes ago, TEWKS said:

An evolution.  

 

Looks like a Super Glide to me : )

[TEWKS]

Just now, roadscholar said:

 

Looks like a Super Glide to me : )

Very close, it was a 1986 Low Rider with the evolution  engine. 

[Hosstage]

43 minutes ago, roadscholar said:

Dick Burleson once said, "the only reason to ride pavement is to get to dirt". 

 

 

No, you're just young.. 

Haven't heard that in a looong time!

[roadscholar]

3 hours ago, Selden said:

Dick Burleson was my roommate at U of Michigan. I'm not sure he qualifies as a "celebrity" except in motorcycle circles. 

 

Pretty sure he qualifies as an athlete, at least in my book. When I spent some time with Broc Glover and Marty Tripes in the early 80's we got on the subject of physical conditioning. They said a local clinic did a bunch of stress tests comparing them (professional motocrossers) to members of the San Diego Chargers, the motocrossers ran circles around the football players.

 

18 minutes ago, Hosstage said:

Haven't heard that in a looong time!

 

Enjoy it while you can : )

[BamaJohn]

All this got both neurons firing and from the dark recesses of old memory:

I once played a charity basketball game against Earl Campbell.  His thighs were bigger than my waist (back then).  We were changing ends and I jumped on his back...he just chuckled and kept on running!

Here's a photo of me hitting a pitch from "Goose" Gossage.  He dusted me off the next pitch, so I switched to lefty and hit his next pitch.  He said "that's it, get outta there!"  (of course, he was easing 'em in)   Good times....

[John Ranalletta]

Shook hands with Roy Rogers.  Petted Bullett and Trigger.

 

Out for a run early one morning in Rotterdam and got on an elevator with Diana Ross & 2 bodyguards.  Not much conversation.

 

Almost told Tom Seaver to go F himself as he barged into line at a cash register counter in downtown Chicago.

 

Rossi, the evening before the 2009 Indy MotoGP. This was taken at the Indy Mile dirt track race the same evening Kenny Roberts turned a hot lap on the dirt. https://youtu.be/8k8hJWKIVNs

 

 

 

 

[Mike]

I recall meeting Telly Savalis, Ozzie and Sharon Osborne, Smokey Robinson, George W. Bush, Nancy Pelosi, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Princess Margaret, Princess Diana, and a few others. The only athlete I can recall is Cary Wood, former pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, but there were likely some others.

 

Oh, yeah…Mario Andretti.

[roadscholar]

On 7/21/2021 at 9:47 AM, John Ranalletta said:

Shook hands with Roy Rogers.  Petted Bullett and Trigger.

 

Out for a run early one morning in Rotterdam and got on an elevator with Diana Ross & 2 bodyguards.  Not much conversation.

 

Almost told Tom Seaver to go F himself as he barged into line at a cash register counter in downtown Chicago.

 

Rossi, the evening before the 2009 Indy MotoGP. This was taken at the Indy Mile dirt track race the same evening Kenny Roberts turned a hot lap on the dirt. https://youtu.be/8k8hJWKIVNs

 

 

 

 

 

I'd forgotten about that video, fantastic, I think it may have been my old buddy Barry Boone announcing on the PA. The look on Rossi's face is great, when you've impressed him riding a motorcycle, that's saying something!

 

27 minutes ago, Mike said:

I recall meeting Telly Savalis, Ozzie and Sharon Osborne, Smokey Robinson, George W. Bush, Nancy Pelosi, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Princess Margaret, Princess Diana, and a few others. The only athlete I can recall is Cary Wood, former pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, but there were likely some others.

 

Oh, yeah…Mario Andretti.

 

Mike, impressive list but wow the Queen, doesn't get mucher higher up than that : ) 

[Danny caddyshack Noonan]

The real Pappy Boyington.  Twice.  Brought in for alleged DUI.  He got a seat of honor outside the holding cell each time.  People kept asking why.  We merely introduced him and no more questions were asked.

[Mike]

14 minutes ago, roadscholar said:

Mike, impressive list but wow the Queen, doesn't get mucher higher up than that : ) 

Not such a big deal; we lived in England for a period of time and ended up in situations where these things happened. 

[lawnchairboy]

Sugar ray leonard.  Susanne Sommers.  Betty Buckley.  

[Hosstage]

Mmm..., Suzanne Sommers...

[Ken S]

Richie Havens and John Wayne at the Atlanta airport -- separately.

 

Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, Jerry Garcia.  Was on a gig with Zappa at the Filmore East and John and Yoko showed up, but didn't really meet them.

[roadscholar]

8 minutes ago, Hosstage said:

Mmm..., Suzanne Sommers...

 

 

[Hosstage]

You guys have had some great encounters! 

[Sonor]

When I was about 12 I met Count Basie. Since then I have met with and studied with a variety of famous drummers of which you might only recognize a couple so I will not list them.  But recently (pre covide) I met and talked with John Cleese and Eric Idle (two childhood heros).

[Rinkydink]

On 7/21/2021 at 8:47 AM, John Ranalletta said:

Shook hands with Roy Rogers.  Petted Bullett and Trigger.

 

Out for a run early one morning in Rotterdam and got on an elevator with Diana Ross & 2 bodyguards.  Not much conversation.

 

Almost told Tom Seaver to go F himself as he barged into line at a cash register counter in downtown Chicago.

 

Rossi, the evening before the 2009 Indy MotoGP. This was taken at the Indy Mile dirt track race the same evening Kenny Roberts turned a hot lap on the dirt. https://youtu.be/8k8hJWKIVNs

 

 

 

 

I was at the Moto GP that day in the infield. They had KR’s Yamaha on display. I assisted Kel push the beast into the box truck to take to the mile. Of course I was at the mile too. Wish I’d had a camera handy. 

[Rougarou]

I met this guy,......whooooo!!!

 

 

No happy snaps of the rest, but I did meet R. Lee Ermy at the exchange in Okinawa,....had no idea he would be there.  Also, I did bum a cigarette from Pat McCrory's wife.  While on the way to Okinawa in 1990, in the Minneapolis airport,I got an autograph from Morris Day and the only thing I had that he could sign was the book Is that It? by Bob Geldof

[roadscholar]

I don't know Roug, with all those medals you look like the hero to me, the best kind, unsung. Probably a few others around here like that too. 

[Rougarou]

28 minutes ago, roadscholar said:

I don't know Roug, with all those medals you look like the hero to me, the best kind, unsung. Probably a few others around here like that too. 

 

Hehe,....I shoulda said, "Ric Flair met me"