4 minute read
Colbert Column
“To most, he was this ferocious and fierce football player who some described as pound for pound the toughest player of his generation. To me, he was the most generous and gentle soul you would ever meet. For Larry, it was always about everyone else and what he could do for them. And especially in the times we live, that’s something that we could use more of today.”
That comment was made by the widow of Larry Wilson, who passed away last week at the age of 82. He was a Hall-of-Fame football player for the St. Louis Cardinal football team from 1960-72.
So what’s the big deal, you ask. Former star athletes die all the time.
Well, for a 12-year kid like myself in 1970, Larry Wilson made an impact upon me like no other sports athlete.
The scenario was this:
At the time, the St. Louis football Cardinals, who eventually became the Arizona Cardinals, had their pre-season camp at Lake Forest. The Bears would have been the preferred team to watch practice, but they had their camp in far southwest Indiana.
Thus, a couple adults and three of us kids piled into a car and headed to Lake Forest to see the pros up close and personal. It was also an opportunity to get autographs.
The big name player for the Cardinals was a physically gifted halfback named Donny Ander
COMMENTARY Andy Colbert
son. That’s whom I sought out first in my quest for memorabilia to take back home. Upon asking, the response was “Get lost kid.”
Talk about having hero worship crushed. That’s what Donny Anderson did to me and I decided it would be best to give up on autograph seeking; that is until a beat-up looking player with a No. 8 jersey came by. It was Larry Wilson.
Compared to the pompous, pretty boy No. 44 Anderson, Wilson had a different look to him, one of genuine compassion. Still stinging from the Anderson rejection, I set aside my pride just enough to ask Larry Wilson for an autograph.
Not only did he oblige, but also he spoke to me in an interpersonal way. This from a guy who had to be exhausted from a grueling workout and someone who had been asked innumerable times for an autograph.
My faith in the human race was restored by the kind manner in which he treated me. Being an impressionable 12-year old, the interactions with him and Donny Anderson had always stayed with me.
Larry Wilson had nowhere near the physical talent as Donny Anderson, but as a human being, stood head and shoulders above him. To this day, it is rare to find a professional athlete with similar ideals.
He was mentally tough enough to play one game with casts on both hands because of broken fingers.
One final quote from Michael Bidwell, owner of the Cardinals:
“Larry was someone who truly lived his faith and demonstrated it daily in the kindness he showed every single person he met.”
What a beautiful contrast to the opinionated athlete of today who has agendas they would rather foist upon you. Give me a Larry Wilson any day over them.
On another note, rallies were held in Chicago and Springfield on Saturday in hopes of getting the governor to change his mind and allow all normal fall sports. Now that Michigan reversed course, we are the only state in the Midwest with restrictions.
That makes no sense, but this is coming from a man who has already devastated the livelihood of businesses all over the state. Let the parents and their children decide if it safe to play sports, not a dictator.
By placing all these safeguards and limitations on our young people, it’s entirely possible that there is more harm being done to their over
See COLBERT, Page 8
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