re: Who are the top ten most famous athletes you've ever met?

1. THE JUDGE
2. Mariano Rivera
3. Thierry Henry
4. The Rock
5. Joe Burrow

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You didn't meet

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Jackie Robinson

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had to eat out back

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Shoeless Joe Jackson?

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banned for rigging whose order would come up first

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did you swallow, or keep it for a souvenir?

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lol. No, but he was using a urinal so I used a stall.

1) Eli Manning - during Covid they spent a lot of time in Oxford and I coached his daughter on our club swim team as we were opened back up way before. He texted me on Memorial Day and I stared at the text for 20 minutes thinking it was fake and then I checked everything out and called back and we spoke for a while. Would drop her off in a pickup truck. Very nice guy.

2) Rowdy Gaines - work with him a lot. He has family from my hometown and he does so many clinics. The voice of swimming.

3) I cannot think of any other athlete I would say would know me personally.

Corey Webster
Louis Lipps
Tommie Frazier
and a shite ton of WWE/WCW male & female wrestlers, too many to list

Sat down with Ric Flair and had drinks a couple of different times probably 30-35 years ago. Not sure what he’s like now, but back then he was an interesting guy to talk with.

Ran into the Bushwackers, Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan at an airport bar in Miami.

Sat next to Franco Columbu on a flight to Italy We got pretty hammered, he told some good Schwarzenegger stories.

Henry Picard, won the Masters in 1938. Was one of my patients in the hospital, sat talking with him while he was dying. Just before he died he was talking like an announcer calling his rounds at the Masters. Died shortly after he called his win,

Ran into Kevin Kennedy and Jose Canseco at a strip club in Ft Lauderdale. Had drinks with Kevin, Jose hung around about 10 minutes then went to a private VIP room.

Not an athlete, but Jimmy Buffett and a friend of his sat down next to me late one evening at a pretty empty Cumberlands, a now closed bar in Charleston. Some small local band was playing, his friend asked the bartender if he thought the band would mind if his buddy (pointing at Jimmy) could use their guitar and sing a song or two when they took a break.

Bartender laughed and said no. I ordered us three beers, motioned the bartender closer and asked if he knew who the “buddy” was. He didn’t.

I told him it was Buffett, he told the band when they broke, they gave him a guitar. He sang a couple of songs, finished his beer, shook everyone’s hand and left shortly thereafter.

I met Muhammad Ali and not just in passing. Was at a resort golf course country club bar in Phoenix years ago (late 90’s) and he and his whole family were in there. He came over and started doing magic tricks for my buddies kids. His wife sat down and explained that his doctors were having him do sleight of hand tricks to help with his coordination from the Parkinson’s. We all ended up at a big table talking and drinking. I played shuffleboard and pool with his kids some as well. We were having a great time and then some dipshits in the bar realized who he was and left, somehow went and bought some posters and other shite and brought the stuff back and started badgering him to sign all the stuff. Apparently they told someone where ever they bought the stuff because then a bunch of other people showed up wanting autographs. They left at that point.

I had been having a great time all afternoon and hadn’t asked for an autograph, a picture or anything else. Was legit just enjoying hanging out. As he was leaving, he grabbed me by my shoulder and pulled me out of my chair and faced me and squared off with his hands up. I was confused and then realized he was doing a weigh in style face off. I put my hands up too and he got right in my face. Everyone was snapping photos and i still have that one somewhere.

Not sure I have 10.

Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Joe Horn, Aaron Brooks, Phil Mickelson, John Daly, Michael Phelps, Paul Skenes, Dylan Crews, and....Mark Calcaveccia?

Eta
I also partied with Kramer Robertson and his mom in the Mayor's spot during Mardi Gras this year.

I’ve only met Maurice Jones Drew at a Jacksonville bar doing a radio/ sports show and the Great David Pearson at the hospital seeing my fathers friend who had a surgery that were friends