scoobydude85-blog

[scoobydude85-blog]

So let's talk about the NFL combine. For those if you who don't know, the combine is a gathering in Indianapolis, Indiana, of the staff members and more than likely, the owners of the 32 NFL teams. It is also the destination of many of the top prospects from college football. Some to reinforce their athletic prowess in the minds of those teams. Some to get the attention of teams for the first time. They are weighed, measured, and tested for many different traits. They run, they jump, and they lift. All of this in preparation for the NFL Draft. Oh and agents and support staff are in town also.

In the early days, before the proliferation of cell phone with cameras, you could find yourself sitting at the bar next to Dave Wannstedt or Bill Cowher. Again for those that are not NFL historians or fans, those two gentlemen were the head coaches of the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers. I will get back to my fiasco with these two a little later.

I happened to be head of security at a favorite hang out of all of the staff members, especially the head coaches. We would have a line around the block waiting for entry. Head coaches would most likely be let in on the house after moving to the front of the line. If they had staff members, we would do a package cover charge. Mind you, there were always tips involved in any of these maneuvers. Everyone wanted to run elbows with these #footballgods. I found myself sitting at the end of the bar talking football strategy with Mike Shanahan and Mike Holmgren. At the time, the Head Coaches of the Denver Broncos and the Green Bay Packers. Also, commonly thought to be 2 of the top offensive geniuses at the time.

You could witness Wade Phillips, son of legendary Houston Oilers coach Bum Phillips, on stage playing tambourine and singing with the band or on the dance floor tearing it down.

The guys could get away for a week and let their hair down and have fun, while still doing important work for the team, without the worry that they would make the national news the next day.

Problems usually happened with the lower staff members after the head coaches had left. Without the facial or name recognition to garner special treatment, they had to pull out the wallet. Mind you, the ego and testosterone levels in the city were off the charts. Many staff members were unceremoniously ushered to the door. There is a great deal of a feeling of entitlement that comes with that ego and testosterone.

We ushered an extremely large man to the door and it was quite a scuffle. The police were involved and I learned his name. Mike Tice went on to be a pretty solid head coach of the Minnesota Vikings.

I got to meet probably the most well known and outspoken owner in the League. He owns the franchise from the Great State of...... He was very nice. We cordoned off an area for his group complete with his own server and security provided by myself. Along with the money spent for drinks, he tipped his server $1000 and $500 for myself. Did I mention that that was for one and a half hours as they came out late.

Now for my embarrassing moment. Both coach Wannatedt and coach Cowher have very strong jawlines and similar moustaches. They had both been in the club before. With hats on, they bear a resemblance. Hats off, not so much, as one had a glorious head of hair. I'll leave it at that. Anyway, one of those two came in one night and was engulfed by autograph seekers. I ushered him to a booth and he graciously signed for those people. He looked at me and asked if he could do anything for me. I asked for an autograph for my son and he provided it to me. I made sure that he was ok and thanked him while walking away. Saying "Thanks Coach Wannstedt" I walked over to talk to one of my staff and they asked "you got an autograph?" I said, " Yes, but he looked at me like he was pissed". I found that odd considering the treatment that I provided. Then I looked at the autograph. It read, "To Matthew, All of the best to you! Coach Bill Cowher". I felt like an ass, but his Steelers were a thorn in my Colts side for years to come. I think he came out ahead.

Peace. Be kind. Remember, Life Is Good, even in the rough spots.

[scoobydude85-blog]

Brushes with Fame

I was thinking about and sharing stories of my 25+ year career as a bouncer, bartender, and night club manager, with some current coworkers. In that time, I've met, interacted with, and hung out with many persons of fame, from all sectors of celebrity. I will be recounting those meetings and sharing any humorous or disasterous stories.

The first contestant is the Boston band "Letters To Cleo". We start here because I was trying to relate to my younger co workers how a song we had just listened to, sounded like Letters hit "Here And Now". I went to Google and pulled up the song. In the process, I came across the stories about Parks and Recreation character, Ben, wearing a "vintage" LTC shirt. I remember seeing that episode and remember how hyped I was when I saw the shirt. I had a really real vintage LTC shirt that was given to me by Kay Hanley herself!!! I had such a crush on her back then that I was head over heels. My feet didn't touch the floor the entire night. I wore the shirt until it could no longer be called a shirt.

This is my first entry in this blog. This is my first blog. I've had many brushes with fame and will share them as they come back to me. Peace. Be kind and remember, Life is Good. Even in the rough spots.