Your brush with Greatness?

[cumberlandreds]

I'm not sure how great mine are but here goes.
I met Alvin Gentry,the Phoenix Suns head coach, a couple of years ago. His sister works in adjoining office to me and she brought him around to introduce when he was in DC with Suns. I think he was still an assistant at that time. He seemed like a very nice man and was very cordial with everyone.
I was able get autographs and meet all the UK players from the 1979-80 UK basketball team. They came near my hometown in Kentucky for an intrasquad scrimmage and I went to see them. After the game you could go on the court and meet them and get their autographs. Sam Bowie and Kyle Macy were two of the players. Also got to meet Joe B Hall who seemed very nice and extremely happy to meet and greet everyone. Before the game I got, the then UK AD, Cliff Hagan's autograph. He was just standing around talking to someone and I went up to him and ask for autograph. He seemed very nice and shook my hand and thanked for stopping by. Hagan was also a very good player in college and the NBA many years before I was around in this world.

[gilpdawg]

Let's see here, I used to work in a Bob Evans as a teenager. One day Clark Kellogg came in and sat at the counter. I talked hoops with him for a minute but didn't want to bother him so it was very quick. I think he was just shocked someone recognized him from his playing days and not as the guy on CBS. Also, one day 2 WCW wrestlers came through on the way to a show in Dayton. Davey Boy Smith and Bryan Clarke (who was working as Wrath at the time). My girlfriend (now my wife) waited on them and they didn't tip. I've also met Ronnie James Dio, Dave Mustaine, the singer from Disturbed, Dimebag Darrell and his brother Vinnie Paul, most of the Dream Theater guys, comedian Jim Norton, and probably someone I'm forgetting. Aretha Franklin apparently came in Bob Evans one day but it was my day off. She did a show at Richmond, IN, 12 or so years ago and was coming into town for the show a day or two early.

[RichRed]

The one and only Merrill Osmond. I related the story here.

http://www.redszone.com/forums/showp...9&postcount=19

I also saw Hugh Downs on a plane. I need to get out more.

[marcshoe]

'can't believe I forgot this guy:



Max Patkin. I used to make it a point to get over to Watt Powell Park in Charleston when he was going to be there. One game, there was a huge rain delay and nearly everybody left. I stayed, and ended up, along with another guy, standing and talking to Patkin for a while. He didn't look like the same person when he was in street clothes.

[Screwball]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention I dated Jeff Wyler's daughter back in my college days. Cincinnati folks will know who he is. He definitely gave the patented "Hello, I'm Jeff Wyler" when I met him, and I wasn't sure how to respond so I gave an awkward, "Hello... I'm, uh, Josh." Thankfully he laughed. He was actually really nice even though he overheard me deriding his daughter's navigating skills (which are awful), and his wife is still pretty ridiculously good-looking.

His house (and cars) may or may not be freaking awesome. Definitely had its own theater room with stadium seating.

[Sean_CaseyRules]

I work as Event Staff in Columbus, so I've met a lot of famous people, a few of my favorites are Billy Gibbons, Jack White, Dave Grohl, John Paul Jones, Katy Perry, the guys from Airbourne, and there are some of my less favorite people, but that's a totally different thread I guess, lol.

I stood in line next to Dan Akroyd at the Back to the Future ride in Orlando about 8 years ago. Didn't say anything to him, but talked to his daughter while we were there.

But my number one favorite person I've met was Dave Mustaine, I know a lot of people probably have stories of him as a jerk, but the three times i've talked to him, he was one of the coolest people I've had the chance to talk to.

[Razor Shines]

Just saw The Undertaker at Subway today eating lunch. When he got out of his F-350 I thought it was either a football player or one of those Under Armor manikins from Dick's Sporting Goods come to life. He was in a Grey UA T-Shirt, Red UA gym shorts, UA shoes, UA hat on backwards and a UA lanyard for his keys.

I texted my brother who is a huge MMA/wrestling fan and right away he texted me back: "Ask him what he said to Lesnar after his fight." I said "not a chance".

The Subway guys said he comes in all the time.

[Spitball]

A couple of years ago, Bruce Coville, author of My Teacher is an Alien series among other young adult novels and children's books, was paid a lot of money to come to my wife's school to talk to the elementary kids. We picked him up at the airport and took him to an expensive restaurant to eat.

I thought the guy was a grouchy, self-important jerk. He was apparently nicer the next day and put on a pretty good program for the kids. He also took time to talk to our teenage son about a career in writing, but my first impression of him was not really very positive.

[redsfanmia]

I met Merlin Olson at the Rose Bowl in 2008, he was a really nice guy.

[fearofpopvol1]

I've been very fortunate, mostly because of the industry I work in, to meet quite a few famous people. Charles Barkley, David Robinson, Reggie Miller, Bob Knight, Barry Zito, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, Ryan Adams, John Mayer, Norah Jones, Michael J. Fox, Katie Holmes, Jennifer Aniston, Zach Braff, Elaine Irwin-Mellencamp, Minka Kelly, Jessica Simpson, Avril Lavigne, Jack Johnson, Hayley Williams (Paramore), Jason Mraz, will.i.am (of the Black Eyed Peas) and many others.

The Jennifer Aniston one might be the coolest of the bunch, because we talked for probably 15-20 minutes about a variety of things and she was very down to earth and very un-celebrity like. Very much a mirror of her character on Friends.

Barkley was awesome because I was in the 3rd grade and he was on the 76ers, who were playing the Pacers. The team was doing warmups after halftime and he was sitting on the bench and there was no security around and my dad convinced me to go say something and I did and he was super nice to me. He asked me about school and my ambitions and to stay out of trouble and I'll never forget that. He gets a rap for being a bad guy, but I'll always defend him after that.

Barry Zito was cool too, because we talked baseball for probably a half hour, including the Reds and their direction and he said he was a huge KGJ fan (this was back in like late '03).

[Razor Shines]

Oh, I was a ballboy for the Pacers when I was 14 or so. Got to meet a lot of NBAers then. Reggie was incredibly nice.

[Razor Shines]

I've been very fortunate, mostly because of the industry I work in, to meet quite a few famous people. Charles Barkley, David Robinson, Reggie Miller, Bob Knight, Barry Zito, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, Ryan Adams, John Mayer, Norah Jones, Michael J. Fox, Katie Holmes, Jennifer Aniston, Zach Braff, Elaine Irwin-Mellencamp, Minka Kelly, Jessica Simpson, Avril Lavigne, Jack Johnson, Hayley Williams (Paramore), Jason Mraz, will.i.am (of the Black Eyed Peas) and many others.

The Jennifer Aniston one might be the coolest of the bunch, because we talked for probably 15-20 minutes about a variety of things and she was very down to earth and very un-celebrity like. Very much a mirror of her character on Friends.

Barkley was awesome because I was in the 3rd grade and he was on the 76ers, who were playing the Pacers. The team was doing warmups after halftime and he was sitting on the bench and there was no security around and my dad convinced me to go say something and I did and he was super nice to me. He asked me about school and my ambitions and to stay out of trouble and I'll never forget that. He gets a rap for being a bad guy, but I'll always defend him after that.

Barry Zito was cool too, because we talked baseball for probably a half hour, including the Reds and their direction and he said he was a huge KGJ fan (this was back in like late '03).

Ben Folds? Is your board name a homage to his album?

[fearofpopvol1]

Oh, I was a ballboy for the Pacers when I was 14 or so. Got to meet a lot of NBAers then. Reggie was incredibly nice.

I concur with you. When I met Reggie, I was in middle school and he was the nicest guy.

[fearofpopvol1]

Ben Folds? Is your board name a homage to his album?

Very good! You're the first person notice (or at a minimum--to mention it)!

Do you like BF? He's another one I've met, although he's not as notable as some of the others on my list.

[Danny Serafini]

In 1997 I raced in one of the support races for the Indy Car race at Mid-Ohio. During the weekend Raul Boesel happened to walk past our trailer, parked a little ways out of the main area, looked over and said "Nice car." I realize 99% of this forum has no idea who Raul Boesel is, but I thought it was cool.