What a pisser! At least I got the opportunity to meet Dick in Las Vegas some years ago and best of all, get an autographed photo for my ex-roomie and great friend Paul! He was a class act the whole time. I had forgotten about him being in The Longest Yard, one of the best football and Burt Reynolds’ movies. What made him super incredible in my personal opinion is that he grew up in Chicago, played at the University of Illinois and then got to play for the Chicago Bears; he was also drafted by the Denver Broncos a couple years before the NFL acquired the AFL. These days, a hometown favorite rarely has the chance to play the team they grew up with and love…until later in their careers when they’re free agents and let’s face it, their careers are winding down. After Dick retired from playing professional, besides some acting, commercials and sports broadcasting, he went to start a foundation to fight heart disease and teaching young athletes to train well without using performance-enhancing drugs; those things are like the Dark Side of the Force.
Thanks for everything Dick! You may have played for my team’s rival yet it’s OK. You were a good person with a good heart at a time when the NFL wasn’t a ridiculous, corporate behemoth. You had a fantastic second act in which everyone really liked you and you must have been doing something right as you made it to 80 in a profession in which many former NFL players pass away a generation earlier due to drugs and/or now CTE. If there’s any after life, you’re probably making Bart Starr nervous before the snap!