NFL Player you Remember 1st Admiring as a Kid

[oaken1]

Anyone remember Dave Casper?
They called him Casper the friendly ghost...or just ghost...because he would disappear when the ball was snapped. Then reappear twenty yards down field to make the catch.

 

[Yuma]

Swann was a good dude. Became pretty good friends with him while he played for us....to the point where he would get me tickets for road games when they would play on the east coast.

That dude was one of the BIGGEST humans I have ever seen in my life. I saw him once at a Suns game, sitting on two folding chairs. One for each butt cheek. He could have used three!

 

[Yuma]

Anyone remember Dave Casper?
They called him Casper the friendly ghost...or just ghost...because he would disappear when the ball was snapped. Then reappear twenty yards down field to make the catch.

I didn't know that. I thought it was for his lack of skin tan!

 

[LarryStalling]

Jim Brown and John David Crow

 

[SECTION 11]

I remember wanting to punch Ditka for not letting Payton go over the top at the goal line.

 

[Russ Smith]

I discovered sports in a big way when I was 9, so 1975. UCLA basketball because John Wooden was going to retire so they were sort of the great story, Warriors NBA basketball the local team, and Cardinals in football(and baseball) presumably because I was born in Missouri but grew up in Cupertino, CA.

Terry Metcalf was my favorite Cardinal, great player so exciting when he got the ball. That was a great offense with him, Otis, Jim Hart, Mel Gray, a great OL. The defense had no talent because Bidwill Sr wouldn't spend the money.

1975 UCLA won the title and then went 20 years before winning again(and not since). Warriors won the title(Rick Barry) and then went 40 years without another (thank you Steph), Cards were in the playoffs and not long after became terrible for decades with one brief run when Lomax was the QB(very brief) where we were good(but still didn't make the playoffs).

9 year old me had no idea how unusual it was to have all your favorite teams be good at the same time.

 

[BulldogCard]

Cleveland Browns like Kosar, Hanford Dixon, Frank Minnifield, Webster Slaughter, Reggie Langhorne, Clay Matthews, Earnest Byner, Kevin Mack. I wanted them to win so bad