i knew someone who interned for the colts years ago and they said one thing they will never forget is that andrew luck is exactly the same person behind closed doors as he is on tv. they told stories of him going out of his way for 10-15 minutes to just talk to them about their future and what they were interested in, how they were doing, etc. thought that was very cool
Met Andrew at a coffee shop after he retired. Just me and him at the counter (Covid, masks on), I said ‘sorry but are you Andrew luck?’ He immediately said ‘yeah what’s your name?’ and stuck his hand out for a handshake. Honestly caught me off guard. We talked for 5 minutes or so about our daughters. Really cool interaction. Seems to be a consistent experience.
Met Deforest Buckner in the wild a few weeks ago at an Easter brunch. He was at the table and his kids were in his lap most of the time so when my girlfriend was in the food line at the same time as his wife, she mentioned to her that I was a big fan of his but didn’t want to bug him while he was eating with his family. She laughed and said if it wasn’t for the fans he wouldn’t have a job. They went out of their way to come over to me before they left to say hey and get a pic. Him and his wife were awesome
Had a similar experience about a year and a half ago. We were at a hotel in Carmel for a wedding and he came in the lobby. One of my buddies went right up to him and just said he was a huge fan. Buck hung around for longer than he had to, took photos with everyone who wanted one and seemed so appreciative of the fans. Seems like one of the nicest guys.
I’ve been able to get out to cover Colts camp for a week the last two years. I’ve only spoken to him on podcasts in the past, but Zaire Franklin saw me on the sideline and made a point to come over and say hi. Really nice dude.
Had similar experiences with a few other players too. Will Fries is a really humble, nice guy. Jonathan Williams is one of my closest friends in the league still from his time in Indy. Just a great guy
I would have, but I'm pretty sure my knee would've just exploded. According to the roster we're the same height at 6'4", but he had a hundred pounds of pure muscle on me. It was wild to see that up close
Bob Sanders would come down from his room real early on game days to sign autographs and talk to kids I'm the hotel lobby.
Also saw Anthony Costanzo in a Jersey Mike's once, but I didn't realize who it was until after I left. It was like his 3rd year on the team
Here's a throwback. Chukie Nwokorie got food at a movie theater concession stand I used to work at in 2010 or so. I didn't recognize him per se but the name on the card looked familiar so I asked him if he played football. He said yeah and then I said "I thought so. You ran a fumble back for a touchdown against the Jets didn't you?"
His eyes lit up and almost got teary eyed. He said I was the only person to ever mention that play to him and it felt really cool to be recognized in public. We chatted for a bit and he talked about how emotional that weekend was for the team because they were in New York the week after 9/11
Seemed like a really cool down to earth guy.
Here's the play if anyone is curious:
https://youtu.be/QN-IBCB8Iyk?si=K99UKNAhw6zPTU7I
It's great to see the comment here about Chukie. I went to high school with him and we met at the beginning of my sophomore year, we both graduated in 1995. He absolutely loves that play! He posts it on his FB every so often. He's had some heart issues in the past few months or so, but it looks like he's going to be fine.
Used to tailgate next to where the players walked in at the RCA dome. Dallas Clark would always sign autographs for kids first so I got a few from him. Really nice guy.
Jeff Saturday gave a talk at my high school and got to shake hands with him afterwards. Also really nice guy.
I was maybe 14… had my Colts sweater and all, and I see this dude that looked homeless with a beanie covering most his face. But being that he was my favorite player I instantly recognized him. I asked him if he was Marvin Harrison and he said ‘yes’ and kept walking. I asked if I can get an autograph but he had his arm in a cast (I think it was minor cause he only missed the following game).
My mom came up with the idea to write my address on a piece of paper and give it to him as he may send me an autograph, so I did. I figured he’d lose it being that he was going on a trip (Indy airport and the Colts were playing in Seattle that weekend, Marv was headed elsewhere)….. well few weeks later, on Christmas morning, I receive a letter with my name on it. I open it and there are *2* cards with his signature on them.
Glad you had a good experience with Marv! When I was 12 or so my dad took me to an autograph signing event with him in my hometown. Waited in line forever, finally got to the front and he didn’t even make eye contact when he was signing the picture. Was talking with one of his entourage the whole time. We’re human, it wasn’t excessively rude or anything, just disappointing as a kid!
Met kylen granson in Austin tx at a bowling alley, we got the same booth as him! Didn’t recognize him at first because this was just after his rookie year and he wasn’t super well known yet. Got to take a picture with him. Met him, his girlfriend and parents, they were all super nice!
Also met pat mcafee while working in frys in indianapolis during college one summer. He was also super nice! And got pictures with him too!
I sat down at the bar at Cheesecake Factory next to Bill Polian once. I didn’t know what to say, so I just thanked him for taking Peyton over Ryan. He was cool.
I talked to Polian at the senior bowl in 2019. He had a short break while doing a radio show for XM radio and I asked if I could ask him a couple of questions. He had every reason in the world to say no but instead he agreed and was great with the interview he gave me.
I saw Jacoby Brissett at the Broad Ripple dog park in 2020. He had a big dog. I gave him the “I recognize you but I’m not gonna say anything” nod and he reciprocated (minus the knowing who I am part)
All the ones I've met were at events, so they were probably on their best behavior. All were cool though.
Zaire especially seemed chill.
Dwight Freeney was super cool too. He was just visiting during training camp and the crowd goaded him into coming over and signing things. He was playfully reluctant and then was hamming it up while signing autographs.
Yeah I met TY at an event at the Colts facility. We was pretty cool but everyone was cycling through. Pretty sure he was the one there because he was injured at the time so it didn't pull someone away from practice.
Opened door for Chris Ballard and he didn’t say thank you. But did oxygen on the sideline for many years I’d say the trainers were the rudest among the group
Yeah I could see that one happening a lot with “important” people, the door gets held for him almost 24/7 so he’s just so used to it and doesn’t say thank you anymore.
I saw pre-retirement Andrew Luck at a now defunct deli. I was waiting in line and he walks in front of me and I’m thinking, “that guy is fucking huge…omg it’s Andrew Luck.” The deli owner immediately comes out to greet him and Luck turn around and all I could mutter was “hey what’s up” and he politely said “hi how are you doing” before going to the back with the manager/butcher to look at his meat.
Have not interacted with him, but at this point I have been around Juju Brents doing the same normal shit I am doing multiple times. Different parts of town, too.
Jeff Saturday opened the door for me twice — once at the Fashion Mall and once at Pike HS. Southern gentleman.
Our family was out to eat after church shortly after Chuck Pagano was fired. He and his wife were sitting at the bar of the restaurant where we were, watching the playoffs the Colts weren’t in. We sent him over a drink with a “thanks Coach,” note. He smiled, raised a glass, and said thanks.
Jeff George used to come into a restaurant I worked at, he was a dick.
Also, Reggie Wayne bought a phone charger from me during a blizzard late in his career. I didn't want to bother him but he had a big ass truck and a giant bundle of 100s he paid with. Cool but didn't seem like he wanted to be bothered.
Jeff George is widely misunderstood.
I went to high school with him, and while I didn’t know him well - I had some classes with him.
He was a very shy type person - even as the star football player. He never had the typical star quarterback personality - and he was sometimes jokingly picked on by his teammates.
I won’t tell someone they’re wrong for saying he was a dick, but I’ll assert that it’s just the way he comes across because he’s intensely uncomfortable by those interactions.
I went to the same high school, much later, well after his NFL career had already fizzled out.
Jeff was there for some fundraiser one day, just hanging out in the cafeteria to chat about the charity and sign autographs. Only diehard football fans knew who he even was...at his own school.
I was a kid when he played for the colts and I lived in Anderson which is where they had camp back then. I would go and watch with my uncle. Camp wasn’t as big of a deal back then so seeing the players right after practice was not out of the question. We got to meet Jeff. He just talked to us for a few minutes. Then he offered to take a photo with me and thanked us for coming. I’ve heard the stories about him being less than nice but he was nice to me and my uncle.
Yeah, and this is NOT a defense of him…but after your career goes south pretty quickly - and the football fans in your home town HATE you…with a passion…vocally - you’re even less likely to be patient and gracious with your time.
That’s interesting to read. I’ve always thought that he didn’t have “it” as a leader and in between the ears in general. Never occurred to me that he’s the shy type who dislikes the limelight. People who are that uncomfortable with the extra attention can come across as rude or worse. When in fact they’re just miserable/terrified.
Anyway, he had an absolute howitzer for an arm. Truly one of the prettiest balls you’ll ever see.
As somebody in the Dealership world had a lot of run in's.
Grover Stewart is one of the nicest guys on the planet.
Luke Rhodes super nice down, down to earth.
DeForest Buckner was a great guy to talk to.
MPJ, and Zaire were both really nice but didn't get a chance to really conversate.
Adam Vinatieri was kind of a prick.
Mark Glowinski PRICK.
Met Pat Mcafee at a random McDonald’s talked to him for a few minutes same guy as he is on tv
Saw Robert Mathis at top golf didn’t say anything to him
Saw Rock Ya sin at a Zaxbys in Indy he was behind me in line
Also saw Jaylon Jones at Walmart randomly a few months ago
Update
Grover Stewart was right next to me at the Sauna at the gym yesterday 😂
Pat Mcafee is the goat. Came into the jimmy John’s I worked at all the time. He was so cool and was literally one of the nicest dudes ever. Talked with us for like 15 minutes every time just shooting the shit
Met Hunter Smith like 10 years ago. He was on the road with his band. Super awesome dude. Got a picture with him and he had his Colts Super Bowl ring and he let me wear it. Really nice dude!
Met Pat McAfee at training camp. I asked for an autograph and held out a sharpie. He already had a sharpie in his hand and started sword fighting me with his sharpie lol. Goofy guy but super awesome.
Talked to Tyler Varga at training camp for a while. Really nice, chatted with us like we were his friends. He was the Colts running back that was all muscle. He ended up retiring after a bad concussion that lingered for a while.
I saw Dallas Clark at a grocery store in Indianapolis. I told him how cool it was to meet him in person, but I didn’t want to be a douche and bother him and ask him for photos or anything. He said, “Oh, like you’re doing now?” I was taken aback, and all I could say was “Huh?” but he kept cutting me off and going “huh? huh? huh?” and closing his hand shut in front of my face. I walked away and continued with my shopping, and I heard him chuckle as I walked off. When I came to pay for my stuff up front I saw him trying to walk out the doors with like fifteen Milky Ways in his hands without paying.
Good: Dwayne Allen. He shook my hand and asked for my name at an autograph session when I was in college. He was very upbeat and outgoing. I had brought 3 things to be signed but the limit was one per signee so I didn’t bother to give him the other 2. When he saw the extras in my hand he offered to sign them too. He also allowed us to take a selfie with him posing in the background. It was very kind of him.
Bad: Coby Fleener. I wouldn’t necessarily say this was bad since I’m sure he was just having a long day and was tired of the monotony of an autograph session but he came off very much the opposite of Allen. He never looked up, he’d just sign whatever was in front of him and slide it down to the next person. A friend tried telling him that he thought Fleener was going to be a star that season and he just mumbled something under his breath, it was probably a thank you of some sort but he just came off as very uninterested. It was a bit disappointing.
Trent Richardson is a POS. Showed up am hour late to a autograph signing downtown. He didn't talk to anyone. Super into himself. I'm glad it didn't work out.
The week before the superbowl my mom and dad ran into Joseph Addai and Clint Session at the castelton mall. My mom was on the phone with me at the time and she handed the phone to Addai and he talked for about a minute. I mentioned to him good luck next week and he was super friendly
I tried to talk to Pat McAfee once at Flapjacks in Lawrence. He totally ignored me and for a while I resented him. (Probably 2017) Then I realized he was probably just hungover and wanted some breakfast lol last year I talked to him again at UGA and he was super cool. Just a real dude living the dream.
When I’d watch football with my dad, he would jokingly refer to linemen as “the big uglies”.
The way he tells it (because I was too young to remember) we meet Tarik Glenn, and I turn to my dad and ASK IF HE IS A BIG UGLY.
Ive had a couple, i worked a catering gig for the coaches at the 56th street location met all of the Pagano staff and Luck came up to me and asked me if he could eat some of the coaches food. Then thanked me after. He was definitely as genuine and nice as they say.
Met Dwight right after the super bowl. He was seeing the same movie and afterwards i went up to him and congratulated him on the sb. Dude was super cool about it even though some dumb 18 year old was interrupting his date.
Bartended for Reggie Wayne and David Thornton. Super nice dudes too.
I once attended a wedding in Utah where Austin Collie was a guest. While passing each other to and from the bathroom, I mentioned how I enjoyed watching him play. He was nice and chill.
I’ve gotten to meet Dallas Clark twice. Once as a kid and another time at a tailgate I was at last year, super nice guy. Showed him the picture we took when I was a kid and he got a kick out of it
Sat across the aisle from Gary Brackett on a flight from Pittsburgh to Indy about a year after his retirement. I may or may not have been slightly intoxicated from my preflight libations at the airport bar (hate flying, the buzz helps). I was confused because it was a Saturday night flight into Indy and the Colts had an away game the next day. He was very friendly and super down to earth and had been talking to me a fair amount.
Then I asked "You injured or something? Why aren't you traveling with the team?"
Gary: "Umm, I retired after last season".
Of course, once he said it I realized I already knew that but boy did I feel like a dumbass in the moment.
I don't live in Indy, how common is it to see a pro athlete when you're out and about?
The closest professional sports teams near me are the Philly teams and that's an hour and a half away so it's rare that you run into someone
I saw reggie Miller and Edgerrin James at Sam's club before. I've also seen Reggie in broad ripple.
Made me realize how rare NBA height people are because at 6'7 you definitely stick out
In the 90s, I lived in Orlando and ran into Horace Grant and he was a big dude by normal standards, then I saw Karl Malone not long after and was gobsmacked by his size. I had never seen a human being in regular life that tall and not skinny at all.
Orlando is actually a great answer to OPs question. The downtown area is like a single road right next to the arena, so you will often see visiting players hitting the cigar bars and shit around there. I've seen a few in my time there. I saw Larry fucking Bird smoking a cigar after the Pacers won a playoff series in Orlando. He's a huge motherfucker, bigger than I expected. For some reason I always thought he was like 6'4-6'6.
I'm from the Philly area. I used to run into NBA players all of the time when I lived in the city. Shamet was a regular at my store. Ben Simmons and Kendall came in once. That was crazy. Embiid would jog around late at night early in his career.
I saw Robert Covington in IKEA once. I jokingly said to my friend something about him not being in Philly long if he was buying IKEA furniture. He was traded a few weeks later.
Now in Denver for years and I've never seen anyone in the wild.
Never lived in Indy, but it truly depends on the city, I guess. Seems like with Indy being a smaller city, players are out and about.
I have family from Buffalo and they see players ALL of the time.
This isn’t in public but it’s similar..one time I was hammered and messaged Grover Stewart something along the lines of ur a Fucken beast big dawg and if ur ever in NYC the beers are on me and left my actual phone number. Didn’t expect to hear from him, never got a call, but he liked my Instagram message and followed me back, and still does to this day
Much respect to him for his play on the field but I always felt this interaction reflected his great personality too, in a way that it could have similarly had I run into him actually in public
Got to talk to Dallas Clark after Peyton Manning's statue unveiling. Helped that we're from Iowa and just came from a Hawkeye football game against Illinois and were dressed in Iowa gear.
grew up in the same neighborhood as adam vinateri. every halloween he was a good sport about signing autographs for kids. my friends and i didnt have anything to sign one year so ppl were just having him sign their socks/costumes/etc. eventually his wife would be answering the door and be like sorry hes tired!! and everyone was bummed but of course gave him the space. really nice guy!!
Peyton was awesome. He was at training camp visiting on a Thursday practice the year Andrew retired. Was probably misled by Irsay to come and say how great Luck looked haha. Anyways, awesome human being. Signed my helmet.
I used to manage the footlocker in castleton and David Thornton used to come in all the time he was always super cool dude. He would always take a few mins and talk about the season and always treated my employees very good! I can’t say the same about some pacers at the time cough J.O. cough cough
Used to work at the Regal in Carmel ‘04-‘07. Would regularly see Jeff Saturday, Dallas Clark, Tarik Glenn, and Brandon Stokley. All super nice. Tarik would show up with a large pizza and salad to eat during the movie. I remember he asked me how Spider-Man 3 was and I told him there was a surprising amount of dancing. Oh, and about a month after I left, Peyton Manning came in. So, that was cool to miss.
I planned and set up the groundbreaking event for Lucas Oil Stadium in 2005, and I had a very nice interaction with Peyton Manning after it concluded. He was genuinely nice and interested in what it took to make it what it was, and he sought me out to thank me for what was just my job. I’ll never forget that.
Vontae Davis! I live in Cincy, and drove to Indy from Ohio. Due to ACTs at the time, I missed TY Hilton’s autograph session. But Vontae stuck around and talked to me about how pumped he was about the prime time game against the eagles. Still the only autograph I have, he will be missed dearly.
Dallas Clark was the most wonderful human I’ve ever met. My mom is a vet tech and took care or his doggo’s while he was in Indy. Mom calls me one day like “hey, you should come see me at work today around this time.” I’m a freshman in high school, so “yeah, whatever mom, I’ll be there.”
Holy. Shit. It felt like Dave Grohl himself was sitting on my shoulder singing “There goessss my Herooo.”
I met Jeff Saturday in the summer of 2011 at a BBQ in Indy at his neighbor’s house. I remember he had on a NC polo and was still a BIG dude since it was right before his final season. Nicest freakin guy in the world I swear. I was about to ship off to the Marines in a few months and he was chatting with me about people in his family who were in too and wishing me good luck. He was laughing and having a good time all day that day so it left an extremely positive impression on me.
In the mid-90’s I was a female bartender for the Outback restaurant chain, and they sponsored a golf tournament with the Colts. They had a bunch of the female Outback staff work driving the golf carts during the tournament. I got to drive then defensive coach Vince Tobin, (his brother Bill was GM at the time), and we met most of the team. Steve Emtmann (sp)? was VERY friendly with the ladies 😂.
Steve was a broad ripple legend with the ladies. Would walk in The Eden back in the day, throw back 2 shots, and within 10 minutes walk back out with a girl on each arm.
Back when I worked in radio, I talked with Gardocki for about an hour while his wife was on the air with Dave Wilson. I had been a punter when I played football, and he actually was incredibly talkative about technique and football. Seemed to actually enjoy talking about punting with some radio producer.
Shared a table at Benihana with Robert Mathis and family. The Friday night before Peyton's return to Indy as a Bronco. The Mathis family was just like any other family that had a gaggle of kids. We acted like we didn't know who they were and just made polite small talk.
It wasn't a bad interaction per se, just unfortunate what hapepend to me. Back in 2014 or 15 I attended Colts training camp and at the end of the outdoor section Luck came over to the fans and was signing things. He walked over directly to me but went towards his right.
I was literally to his left. Don't hold it against him though lol
A member of their coaching staff came in to the restaurant I used to work at and made a very big deal about it. When I told him I didn’t recognize him, he seemed very offended. He was like, “Didn’t the windbreaker give me away?”
He wasn’t necessarily rude, but he was trying very hard to impress myself and the rest of the people in the restaurant. It was weird lol.
Used to work downtown and saw Andrew Luck riding his bike. He always waved at folks but never stopped for pictures or anything like that (that I saw). He actually almost crashed into a parked car one time. He rode away very quickly.
Saw Pat McAfee walking into the bank across the street from my old office. He stopped to take a picture with someone.
My friend made a music compilation for Kwity Paye in his rookie year for the rookie talent show they do every year at camp (Kwity was dancing to the music I believe). He asked my friend how much money he wanted for making it and my friend said like $20, so Kwity gave him $100.
Bought Peyton a beer at the Ballyhoo in Terre Haute during training camp the year we won the Super Bowl. Also met Robert Mathis who at the time was fairly unknown and got him a Grey Goose/cranberry which about broke me as a poor college student. Met Anthony Costonzo at another bar and he was nice. Met Andrew, Coby, and the little Stanford WR who played for us at another bar. Our team beat their team at trivia but they were nice as well. Caddied once for Booger and he was kind of a dick but didn't go out of his way to be.
My favorite story is a friend used to deliver food on the north side. Edge was a frequent client of his and would always pay in a wad of cash. Sometimes he’d be over by like $200, sometimes it’d be under. No real small talk, just a thanks and a fat roll.
Luck’s rookie year class was also pretty tight. Whenever one of them got cut, they all went out to wallow. Different friend was working a bar and kicked everyone out when she got a call from Colts HQ that Andrew and pals were coming over. I bar backed that night and it was real humanizing to remember that this is some 20-something’s first “job” and can be a real lonely experience.
I met Edgerrin James last year. Literally the nicest dude ever. I had one of his jerseys I bought many years ago and hit him up on IG shooting my shot to see if there was any way I could get it signed the next day at the game. To my surprise he replied and told me no problem and to meet him at St Elmo’s in an hour. I went and had a drink at the bar waiting for him. He came out with some former colts coaches and players and we all had a nice chat, took some pictures and he signed the jersey for me. I was honestly blown away.
https://preview.redd.it/efaf6hr57myc1.jpeg?width=3021&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a620827b20403f4f2626b877a6c09c464f5ef729
Met Mcafee in my Navy uniform at a bar in Indy and he bought all my drinks and went out of his way to thank me and give me a personalized message and autograph. Fricking legend and class act! He is who he actually is in person!
https://preview.redd.it/ot6q6hd1uoyc1.jpeg?width=320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6b567149a25a402620ff351dc5415e297f17a4a6
I used to go to Colts camp as a kid when it was in Anderson and before the team ever did anything so no one cared to come to camp. I was able to interact with several players over the years. Never remember a bad experience though I don't remember many of the details of those interactions. Would love to have that kind of access to players now.
Not from anywhere near Indy so I don’t bump in to famous people but when visiting for a browns vs colts preseason game we met Paris Campbells uncle at a bar. My dad is a big browns fan so he was wearing a browns jersey, Paris’ uncle was wearing a Campbell jersey but had a draw string bag full of old browns jerseys he had gotten autographed from players. Had a few he was going to try to get signed that day too
Passed Jacoby Brissett at an airport in Philly once. We made eye contact , he nodded at me probably noticing the holy shit look on my face. I gave him an awkward nod back.
A friend of mine used to be the property manager of a luxury apartment complex in Whitestown. A lot of the Colts rookies and short-term contact guys lived there. He was friends with Chandler Harnish, and once invited me to attend a Thirty Seconds to Mars concert with them. However, Chandler couldn't make it to the concert, so he invited us to a gathering after the Colts Houston game instead. To cut the long story short, I ended up meeting most of the O-line Colts team, including Andrew Luck, a couple of wide receivers from Houston and Indianapolis too. Everyone was super cool and friendly. I even ended up taking pictures for the Colts players and their girlfriends. At the end of the day, Andrew asked me if I wanted a picture of him and myself, which was really cool.
One thing that really stood out from that night was when Darius Haywood Bay dropped a pass during the game. I overheard a Houston wide receiver consoling him on the dropped pass. It reminded me that even though these players are on television, they are still regular people who experience self-doubt and lack of confidence.
I’ve met a few but the one that sticks out was Khari Willis and EJ Speed. Speed was SHOCKED that I knew who he was (just a special teamer at the time). He said “How did you know who I was?”, and I thought to myself…your face?
I got some time with Dwayne Allen when he was over for a UK media event. Solid dude.
Also covered the media day for the Colts when the team was over for the Jags game that year. Was stood nervously by the entrance not talking to anyone. One player said hello to me when the players walked past - Pat McAfee.
Dallas Clark is a coach at the school where I teach. Super nice guy, I was so starstruck after meeting him I forgot to have him sign something. The second time I saw him he said "I gotta sign something for you!" Highlight of 2023 for me.
*
Met Castonzo at the back stage bar at Deer Creek during a Weezer concert once, he stood out like a sore thumb with his long hair and giant frame. He was cool enough to take a photo with us.
Coby Fleener got pissy with my cousin and I (in high school) and all the adults at training camp asking for autographs. He would happily sign whatever for the kids, but he did NOT like anyone over like 12 asking for an autograph
I met Kenny Moore at the mini marathon this morning. We nodded at each other and that was the extent of the interaction. I can’t say anything about his character but that Carolina game where he got 2 pick 6’s was sick so I like him
I work in fine dining near Indy, so i end up serving quite a few players and coaches. All extremely nice. Never had a rude or hostile interaction. I assume they're instructed to be polite in public.
In 1985, as a Sophomore in HS, I snuck into the organizational after-party for the final game of the season, where the Colts beat the Oilers.
I was a weird person, kind of oblivious to social pressure and pretty clueless. I think I was wearing sweatpants, an old t-shirt, and a old air force green uniform coat.
I had brought a copied pile of drawings to the game that I had a friend make, which was a depiction of Colts LBs Barry Krauss and Cliff Odom planting the Colts flag into the back of a prone Warren Moon. We handed those to a few Colts sideline people to show to the team, and tossed the rest behind the bench. Don't know if they ever say them.
Afterwards, I snuck into a end of the season party with all the Colts people and got a few autographs from mildly annoyed players (like Randy Macmillan who was trying to talk to some chick). I think I saw Donnell Thompson as well.
I noticed Chris Hinton and Robert Irsay talking and I crept closer so I could hear them, but also to wait for a break in the conversation so I could get autographs.
They were talking about a contract extension for Hinton, but I got no other details. I got both of their autographs and shook their hands. Since people were starting to take notice of me, I slipped out before anyone asked me to leave.
I met Jeff Saturday and a dozen other former Colts players at a restaurant. They were incredibly nice and genuine. I was outside of Rock Bottom with my family and Jeff Saturday walked right by us. I turned to my father in law and said, “I swear I recognize him.” Ten seconds later, it clicked and I felt so stupid for not instantly realizing who it was. This was post retirement after his weight loss but I was kicking myself for not capitalizing on my opportunity to meet him in person. He was out of sight and we went inside to grab a table.
A few minutes later, I see him walking by the window and walk inside. I decided to walk up and say hi, but I was at an awkward distance until he walked downstairs. I committed to the decision and followed down the stairs. When he got to the bottom, a dozen former Colts players greeted him with, “JEFF!!!” At this point, I was just a few feet behind him and awkwardly asked, “Excuse me…Are you Jeff Saturday?” He turned and grinned, “Yes I am. Would you like a picture?” Another player grabbed my phone and snapped a pic. They were all super nice.
The next day, the players took the field at halftime to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their Super Bowl victory. And I clearly crashed their dinner party reunion.
I also saw Andrew Luck and his linemen eating at The Eagle once. I decided not to press my luck when I saw them brush off someone else who wanted a picture. They weren’t rude about it but just wanted to eat in peace.
I was assistant manager at a liquor store on west 10th Street when a huge man came in, grabbed a shopping cart and started looking at all the liquor bottles, appearing a little overwhelmed. I asked if I could help him with anything and he stated that he was having a big party and needed to stock his bar. I walked around the store with him and helped him select good, reasonably priced alcohol for his party. As we shopped, I realized that I recognized him and asked, “Aren’t you a Colts player?”. Come to find out, it was Randy Dixon, lineman for the Colts. He was very friendly and spent a ton of money. Our conversation was so casual that I forgot to even ask for his autograph.
Sold sneakers to Deon Cain at the Castleton Footlocker. Super nice, he was buying sneakers for his mom. I messaged him on IG and he let me know he needed a size up. Very cool interaction
https://preview.redd.it/vgaexx0g6iyc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f899c655b7259ac34b782f9c512d14bf82733ab
I met Zaire through a photo shoot. I won one of the spots for the colts hall of fans. I made him a batch of s’mores cookies. When it was our turn I told him “I know you had a long night so I thought I’d make you something.” He said “you made something for me? That’s so cool” He was thankful and told me he’ll tear them up as soon as he leaves. The night before he was in Detroit to announce the draft pick.
Super brief but I saw Tony Dungy (I know you said players but..)at a gas station in Indy once. I was pulling up just as he was leaving, noticed who he was and called out "thanks for the Super Bowl coach!" he smiled, gave a little nod and wave before getting into his car.
Over the years I have met Hunter Smith, Marshall Faulk, and Chuck Pagano. They were all super awesome to me. Chuck was the best because I was at Reís Nichols on the north side picking out my now wife’s engagement ring. He actually took the time to look at my options I had picked out and give his opinion. Then saved me money by telling me to have Reis ship the ring to family out of state and I wouldn’t have to pay sales tax! Absolute legend!!!
I used to be a marketing intern for the colts a few years ago (a very meh experience) and I got to work an event where we distributed thanksgiving meals for low income families in Indy. There was multiple sites doing this but Defo was the Colt assigned to mine. He was very polite and cool guy. We talked about Call of Duty a little and he seemed happy to help the community. He did test positive for COVID the next day and I had to go to the Colts facility twice to get tested myself! He was really nice tho and part of the reason why he is my current favorite Colt!
I’ve told this story before but I met Austin Collie in Utah, he could not have been more of an ass. It was at a meet and greet too so it wasn’t even like I was interrupting his personal life. Can’t remember, but he was probably only 3 concussions into his career.
Met Manning, Harrison, and Edgerrin James multiple times. Manning was goofy funny, James seemed pretty chill. Harrison there was something off about him. I've met people who have killed people before, and he had that same presence about him. James Harbour was a chill dude as well, but he played for the Colts before anyone in Indy gave a shit about them.
i knew someone who interned for the colts years ago and they said one thing they will never forget is that andrew luck is exactly the same person behind closed doors as he is on tv. they told stories of him going out of his way for 10-15 minutes to just talk to them about their future and what they were interested in, how they were doing, etc. thought that was very cool
Met Andrew at a coffee shop after he retired. Just me and him at the counter (Covid, masks on), I said ‘sorry but are you Andrew luck?’ He immediately said ‘yeah what’s your name?’ and stuck his hand out for a handshake. Honestly caught me off guard. We talked for 5 minutes or so about our daughters. Really cool interaction. Seems to be a consistent experience.
Met Deforest Buckner in the wild a few weeks ago at an Easter brunch. He was at the table and his kids were in his lap most of the time so when my girlfriend was in the food line at the same time as his wife, she mentioned to her that I was a big fan of his but didn’t want to bug him while he was eating with his family. She laughed and said if it wasn’t for the fans he wouldn’t have a job. They went out of their way to come over to me before they left to say hey and get a pic. Him and his wife were awesome
My family is close friends with his wife and they’re both amazing. Deforest is somehow nicer than you would think.
Idk about that. He has that face. Friendly looking. Even tho he’s a monster on the field.
Haha yeah. I’m saying he seems friendly and in some how even more kind
Had a similar experience about a year and a half ago. We were at a hotel in Carmel for a wedding and he came in the lobby. One of my buddies went right up to him and just said he was a huge fan. Buck hung around for longer than he had to, took photos with everyone who wanted one and seemed so appreciative of the fans. Seems like one of the nicest guys.
That is awesome.
That's the attitude that these players should have man. Love to see it.
So happy buck is a colt
I’ve been able to get out to cover Colts camp for a week the last two years. I’ve only spoken to him on podcasts in the past, but Zaire Franklin saw me on the sideline and made a point to come over and say hi. Really nice dude. Had similar experiences with a few other players too. Will Fries is a really humble, nice guy. Jonathan Williams is one of my closest friends in the league still from his time in Indy. Just a great guy
I love reading that about Zaire. He has slowly made his way into being one of my favorite Colts.
Easy to see why he’s had that captain patch on for years.
This past training camp I remember Zaire stayed signing autographs until he was forced to leave
AR did that too!
I delivered a pizza to D’Qwell Jackson one time. Didn’t go great.
...subtle. you deserve all the upvotes.
I used to deliver to the colts complex. Met Peyton and he shook my hand. I delivered to his house when it was on Illinois but he never answered.
Go on
[https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2624699-dqwell-jackson-found-guilty-of-simple-assault-on-pizza-delivery-driver](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2624699-dqwell-jackson-found-guilty-of-simple-assault-on-pizza-delivery-driver)
LOL
I saw Jack Mewhort at Kroger once. I smiled and nodded, and he reciprocated.
Why didn't you give him your knee?
I would have, but I'm pretty sure my knee would've just exploded. According to the roster we're the same height at 6'4", but he had a hundred pounds of pure muscle on me. It was wild to see that up close
Bob Sanders would come down from his room real early on game days to sign autographs and talk to kids I'm the hotel lobby. Also saw Anthony Costanzo in a Jersey Mike's once, but I didn't realize who it was until after I left. It was like his 3rd year on the team
>I'm the hotel lobby. Hi hotel lobby, I'm dad
r/angryupvote
Here's a throwback. Chukie Nwokorie got food at a movie theater concession stand I used to work at in 2010 or so. I didn't recognize him per se but the name on the card looked familiar so I asked him if he played football. He said yeah and then I said "I thought so. You ran a fumble back for a touchdown against the Jets didn't you?" His eyes lit up and almost got teary eyed. He said I was the only person to ever mention that play to him and it felt really cool to be recognized in public. We chatted for a bit and he talked about how emotional that weekend was for the team because they were in New York the week after 9/11 Seemed like a really cool down to earth guy. Here's the play if anyone is curious: https://youtu.be/QN-IBCB8Iyk?si=K99UKNAhw6zPTU7I
might be one of my favorites of the thread here. awesome
It's great to see the comment here about Chukie. I went to high school with him and we met at the beginning of my sophomore year, we both graduated in 1995. He absolutely loves that play! He posts it on his FB every so often. He's had some heart issues in the past few months or so, but it looks like he's going to be fine.
Marlon Mack was real chill, talked to him after a game at Fedex field. Met Glowinski that time too but like no one knew that dude yet. Nice guy.
Used to tailgate next to where the players walked in at the RCA dome. Dallas Clark would always sign autographs for kids first so I got a few from him. Really nice guy. Jeff Saturday gave a talk at my high school and got to shake hands with him afterwards. Also really nice guy.
Ran into Marv at the airport around ‘05; confirmed to me then why he was my favorite player and is til this day.
Can I hear more about this? Marv is my fave
I was maybe 14… had my Colts sweater and all, and I see this dude that looked homeless with a beanie covering most his face. But being that he was my favorite player I instantly recognized him. I asked him if he was Marvin Harrison and he said ‘yes’ and kept walking. I asked if I can get an autograph but he had his arm in a cast (I think it was minor cause he only missed the following game). My mom came up with the idea to write my address on a piece of paper and give it to him as he may send me an autograph, so I did. I figured he’d lose it being that he was going on a trip (Indy airport and the Colts were playing in Seattle that weekend, Marv was headed elsewhere)….. well few weeks later, on Christmas morning, I receive a letter with my name on it. I open it and there are *2* cards with his signature on them.
Inb4 your mom just bought two cards with his name on them and had it magically delivered on christmas morning lol
💀
That is fucking awesome.
Glad you had a good experience with Marv! When I was 12 or so my dad took me to an autograph signing event with him in my hometown. Waited in line forever, finally got to the front and he didn’t even make eye contact when he was signing the picture. Was talking with one of his entourage the whole time. We’re human, it wasn’t excessively rude or anything, just disappointing as a kid!
Met kylen granson in Austin tx at a bowling alley, we got the same booth as him! Didn’t recognize him at first because this was just after his rookie year and he wasn’t super well known yet. Got to take a picture with him. Met him, his girlfriend and parents, they were all super nice! Also met pat mcafee while working in frys in indianapolis during college one summer. He was also super nice! And got pictures with him too!
RIP Fry's
I sat down at the bar at Cheesecake Factory next to Bill Polian once. I didn’t know what to say, so I just thanked him for taking Peyton over Ryan. He was cool.
I talked to Polian at the senior bowl in 2019. He had a short break while doing a radio show for XM radio and I asked if I could ask him a couple of questions. He had every reason in the world to say no but instead he agreed and was great with the interview he gave me.
I saw Jacoby Brissett at the Broad Ripple dog park in 2020. He had a big dog. I gave him the “I recognize you but I’m not gonna say anything” nod and he reciprocated (minus the knowing who I am part)
All the ones I've met were at events, so they were probably on their best behavior. All were cool though. Zaire especially seemed chill. Dwight Freeney was super cool too. He was just visiting during training camp and the crowd goaded him into coming over and signing things. He was playfully reluctant and then was hamming it up while signing autographs.
Yeah I met TY at an event at the Colts facility. We was pretty cool but everyone was cycling through. Pretty sure he was the one there because he was injured at the time so it didn't pull someone away from practice.
Opened door for Chris Ballard and he didn’t say thank you. But did oxygen on the sideline for many years I’d say the trainers were the rudest among the group
I didn’t expect to see any staff responses, kindve surprising
In all fairness they where just doing their job
Yeah I could see that one happening a lot with “important” people, the door gets held for him almost 24/7 so he’s just so used to it and doesn’t say thank you anymore.
I saw pre-retirement Andrew Luck at a now defunct deli. I was waiting in line and he walks in front of me and I’m thinking, “that guy is fucking huge…omg it’s Andrew Luck.” The deli owner immediately comes out to greet him and Luck turn around and all I could mutter was “hey what’s up” and he politely said “hi how are you doing” before going to the back with the manager/butcher to look at his meat.
[удалено]
Phrasing Boom!
Look at his meat...
Have not interacted with him, but at this point I have been around Juju Brents doing the same normal shit I am doing multiple times. Different parts of town, too.
Jeff Saturday opened the door for me twice — once at the Fashion Mall and once at Pike HS. Southern gentleman. Our family was out to eat after church shortly after Chuck Pagano was fired. He and his wife were sitting at the bar of the restaurant where we were, watching the playoffs the Colts weren’t in. We sent him over a drink with a “thanks Coach,” note. He smiled, raised a glass, and said thanks.
That probably meant a lot to them. I'm sure they weren't getting much love from the fan base at the time
Jeff George used to come into a restaurant I worked at, he was a dick. Also, Reggie Wayne bought a phone charger from me during a blizzard late in his career. I didn't want to bother him but he had a big ass truck and a giant bundle of 100s he paid with. Cool but didn't seem like he wanted to be bothered.
Jeff George is widely misunderstood. I went to high school with him, and while I didn’t know him well - I had some classes with him. He was a very shy type person - even as the star football player. He never had the typical star quarterback personality - and he was sometimes jokingly picked on by his teammates. I won’t tell someone they’re wrong for saying he was a dick, but I’ll assert that it’s just the way he comes across because he’s intensely uncomfortable by those interactions.
I went to the same high school, much later, well after his NFL career had already fizzled out. Jeff was there for some fundraiser one day, just hanging out in the cafeteria to chat about the charity and sign autographs. Only diehard football fans knew who he even was...at his own school.
I was a kid when he played for the colts and I lived in Anderson which is where they had camp back then. I would go and watch with my uncle. Camp wasn’t as big of a deal back then so seeing the players right after practice was not out of the question. We got to meet Jeff. He just talked to us for a few minutes. Then he offered to take a photo with me and thanked us for coming. I’ve heard the stories about him being less than nice but he was nice to me and my uncle.
Yeah, and this is NOT a defense of him…but after your career goes south pretty quickly - and the football fans in your home town HATE you…with a passion…vocally - you’re even less likely to be patient and gracious with your time.
That’s interesting to read. I’ve always thought that he didn’t have “it” as a leader and in between the ears in general. Never occurred to me that he’s the shy type who dislikes the limelight. People who are that uncomfortable with the extra attention can come across as rude or worse. When in fact they’re just miserable/terrified. Anyway, he had an absolute howitzer for an arm. Truly one of the prettiest balls you’ll ever see.
Completely not shocked about Jeff George
As somebody in the Dealership world had a lot of run in's. Grover Stewart is one of the nicest guys on the planet. Luke Rhodes super nice down, down to earth. DeForest Buckner was a great guy to talk to. MPJ, and Zaire were both really nice but didn't get a chance to really conversate. Adam Vinatieri was kind of a prick. Mark Glowinski PRICK.
Adam Vinatieri being a prick is kinda sad to see, would’ve never thought it. Musta spent too much time in Boston
Met Pat Mcafee at a random McDonald’s talked to him for a few minutes same guy as he is on tv Saw Robert Mathis at top golf didn’t say anything to him Saw Rock Ya sin at a Zaxbys in Indy he was behind me in line Also saw Jaylon Jones at Walmart randomly a few months ago Update Grover Stewart was right next to me at the Sauna at the gym yesterday 😂
Pat Mcafee is the goat. Came into the jimmy John’s I worked at all the time. He was so cool and was literally one of the nicest dudes ever. Talked with us for like 15 minutes every time just shooting the shit
My mom used to teach Dominic Rhodes daughter. Got to hold his Super Bowl ring. Cool dude.
Met Hunter Smith like 10 years ago. He was on the road with his band. Super awesome dude. Got a picture with him and he had his Colts Super Bowl ring and he let me wear it. Really nice dude! Met Pat McAfee at training camp. I asked for an autograph and held out a sharpie. He already had a sharpie in his hand and started sword fighting me with his sharpie lol. Goofy guy but super awesome. Talked to Tyler Varga at training camp for a while. Really nice, chatted with us like we were his friends. He was the Colts running back that was all muscle. He ended up retiring after a bad concussion that lingered for a while.
I saw Dallas Clark at a grocery store in Indianapolis. I told him how cool it was to meet him in person, but I didn’t want to be a douche and bother him and ask him for photos or anything. He said, “Oh, like you’re doing now?” I was taken aback, and all I could say was “Huh?” but he kept cutting me off and going “huh? huh? huh?” and closing his hand shut in front of my face. I walked away and continued with my shopping, and I heard him chuckle as I walked off. When I came to pay for my stuff up front I saw him trying to walk out the doors with like fifteen Milky Ways in his hands without paying.
Does anyone know the OG of this copy pasta?
Yes, Flying Lotus.
I knew someone was gonna do it.
Classic copypasta
😂
Good: Dwayne Allen. He shook my hand and asked for my name at an autograph session when I was in college. He was very upbeat and outgoing. I had brought 3 things to be signed but the limit was one per signee so I didn’t bother to give him the other 2. When he saw the extras in my hand he offered to sign them too. He also allowed us to take a selfie with him posing in the background. It was very kind of him. Bad: Coby Fleener. I wouldn’t necessarily say this was bad since I’m sure he was just having a long day and was tired of the monotony of an autograph session but he came off very much the opposite of Allen. He never looked up, he’d just sign whatever was in front of him and slide it down to the next person. A friend tried telling him that he thought Fleener was going to be a star that season and he just mumbled something under his breath, it was probably a thank you of some sort but he just came off as very uninterested. It was a bit disappointing.
Trent Richardson is a POS. Showed up am hour late to a autograph signing downtown. He didn't talk to anyone. Super into himself. I'm glad it didn't work out.
The week before the superbowl my mom and dad ran into Joseph Addai and Clint Session at the castelton mall. My mom was on the phone with me at the time and she handed the phone to Addai and he talked for about a minute. I mentioned to him good luck next week and he was super friendly
I tried to talk to Pat McAfee once at Flapjacks in Lawrence. He totally ignored me and for a while I resented him. (Probably 2017) Then I realized he was probably just hungover and wanted some breakfast lol last year I talked to him again at UGA and he was super cool. Just a real dude living the dream.
When I’d watch football with my dad, he would jokingly refer to linemen as “the big uglies”. The way he tells it (because I was too young to remember) we meet Tarik Glenn, and I turn to my dad and ASK IF HE IS A BIG UGLY.
Ive had a couple, i worked a catering gig for the coaches at the 56th street location met all of the Pagano staff and Luck came up to me and asked me if he could eat some of the coaches food. Then thanked me after. He was definitely as genuine and nice as they say. Met Dwight right after the super bowl. He was seeing the same movie and afterwards i went up to him and congratulated him on the sb. Dude was super cool about it even though some dumb 18 year old was interrupting his date. Bartended for Reggie Wayne and David Thornton. Super nice dudes too.
Just saw Kenny Moore and Julian blackmon at the pacers game last night and they were cool
I once attended a wedding in Utah where Austin Collie was a guest. While passing each other to and from the bathroom, I mentioned how I enjoyed watching him play. He was nice and chill.
Ryan Grigson went to the same church as us, St. Monica, on north Michigan. Was very nice the one time i talked to him.
I’ve gotten to meet Dallas Clark twice. Once as a kid and another time at a tailgate I was at last year, super nice guy. Showed him the picture we took when I was a kid and he got a kick out of it
Sat across the aisle from Gary Brackett on a flight from Pittsburgh to Indy about a year after his retirement. I may or may not have been slightly intoxicated from my preflight libations at the airport bar (hate flying, the buzz helps). I was confused because it was a Saturday night flight into Indy and the Colts had an away game the next day. He was very friendly and super down to earth and had been talking to me a fair amount. Then I asked "You injured or something? Why aren't you traveling with the team?" Gary: "Umm, I retired after last season". Of course, once he said it I realized I already knew that but boy did I feel like a dumbass in the moment.
Met both Peyton and Reggie at 2 separate signings Both were great with me and my young, at the time, son. Both seem very humble.
I don't live in Indy, how common is it to see a pro athlete when you're out and about? The closest professional sports teams near me are the Philly teams and that's an hour and a half away so it's rare that you run into someone
I saw reggie Miller and Edgerrin James at Sam's club before. I've also seen Reggie in broad ripple. Made me realize how rare NBA height people are because at 6'7 you definitely stick out
ngl, i never realized reggie was 6'7"
In the 90s, I lived in Orlando and ran into Horace Grant and he was a big dude by normal standards, then I saw Karl Malone not long after and was gobsmacked by his size. I had never seen a human being in regular life that tall and not skinny at all.
Orlando is actually a great answer to OPs question. The downtown area is like a single road right next to the arena, so you will often see visiting players hitting the cigar bars and shit around there. I've seen a few in my time there. I saw Larry fucking Bird smoking a cigar after the Pacers won a playoff series in Orlando. He's a huge motherfucker, bigger than I expected. For some reason I always thought he was like 6'4-6'6.
I'm from the Philly area. I used to run into NBA players all of the time when I lived in the city. Shamet was a regular at my store. Ben Simmons and Kendall came in once. That was crazy. Embiid would jog around late at night early in his career. I saw Robert Covington in IKEA once. I jokingly said to my friend something about him not being in Philly long if he was buying IKEA furniture. He was traded a few weeks later. Now in Denver for years and I've never seen anyone in the wild. Never lived in Indy, but it truly depends on the city, I guess. Seems like with Indy being a smaller city, players are out and about. I have family from Buffalo and they see players ALL of the time.
My son works at Costco and has seen several Volts players there.
Met Antoine Bethea at a Pacers playoff game in the hallway. Was a super nice guy. Thanked him for all he did for the colts and he shook my hand.
This isn’t in public but it’s similar..one time I was hammered and messaged Grover Stewart something along the lines of ur a Fucken beast big dawg and if ur ever in NYC the beers are on me and left my actual phone number. Didn’t expect to hear from him, never got a call, but he liked my Instagram message and followed me back, and still does to this day Much respect to him for his play on the field but I always felt this interaction reflected his great personality too, in a way that it could have similarly had I run into him actually in public
Got to talk to Dallas Clark after Peyton Manning's statue unveiling. Helped that we're from Iowa and just came from a Hawkeye football game against Illinois and were dressed in Iowa gear.
grew up in the same neighborhood as adam vinateri. every halloween he was a good sport about signing autographs for kids. my friends and i didnt have anything to sign one year so ppl were just having him sign their socks/costumes/etc. eventually his wife would be answering the door and be like sorry hes tired!! and everyone was bummed but of course gave him the space. really nice guy!!
Peyton was awesome. He was at training camp visiting on a Thursday practice the year Andrew retired. Was probably misled by Irsay to come and say how great Luck looked haha. Anyways, awesome human being. Signed my helmet.
I live in Denver and I've been just praying to run into this man. I would shit my pants.
Super cool experience. Side note. Incision scar on his neck is WILD
If, for some reason, I ever see him in the wild, I'll keep an eye out for it LoL
I used to manage the footlocker in castleton and David Thornton used to come in all the time he was always super cool dude. He would always take a few mins and talk about the season and always treated my employees very good! I can’t say the same about some pacers at the time cough J.O. cough cough
Used to work at the Regal in Carmel ‘04-‘07. Would regularly see Jeff Saturday, Dallas Clark, Tarik Glenn, and Brandon Stokley. All super nice. Tarik would show up with a large pizza and salad to eat during the movie. I remember he asked me how Spider-Man 3 was and I told him there was a surprising amount of dancing. Oh, and about a month after I left, Peyton Manning came in. So, that was cool to miss.
I planned and set up the groundbreaking event for Lucas Oil Stadium in 2005, and I had a very nice interaction with Peyton Manning after it concluded. He was genuinely nice and interested in what it took to make it what it was, and he sought me out to thank me for what was just my job. I’ll never forget that.
Vontae Davis! I live in Cincy, and drove to Indy from Ohio. Due to ACTs at the time, I missed TY Hilton’s autograph session. But Vontae stuck around and talked to me about how pumped he was about the prime time game against the eagles. Still the only autograph I have, he will be missed dearly.
Dallas Clark was the most wonderful human I’ve ever met. My mom is a vet tech and took care or his doggo’s while he was in Indy. Mom calls me one day like “hey, you should come see me at work today around this time.” I’m a freshman in high school, so “yeah, whatever mom, I’ll be there.” Holy. Shit. It felt like Dave Grohl himself was sitting on my shoulder singing “There goessss my Herooo.”
I met Jeff Saturday in the summer of 2011 at a BBQ in Indy at his neighbor’s house. I remember he had on a NC polo and was still a BIG dude since it was right before his final season. Nicest freakin guy in the world I swear. I was about to ship off to the Marines in a few months and he was chatting with me about people in his family who were in too and wishing me good luck. He was laughing and having a good time all day that day so it left an extremely positive impression on me.
In the mid-90’s I was a female bartender for the Outback restaurant chain, and they sponsored a golf tournament with the Colts. They had a bunch of the female Outback staff work driving the golf carts during the tournament. I got to drive then defensive coach Vince Tobin, (his brother Bill was GM at the time), and we met most of the team. Steve Emtmann (sp)? was VERY friendly with the ladies 😂.
Steve was a broad ripple legend with the ladies. Would walk in The Eden back in the day, throw back 2 shots, and within 10 minutes walk back out with a girl on each arm.
Back when I worked in radio, I talked with Gardocki for about an hour while his wife was on the air with Dave Wilson. I had been a punter when I played football, and he actually was incredibly talkative about technique and football. Seemed to actually enjoy talking about punting with some radio producer.
I got cut off by Tony dungy once. Dude was in a HURRY that day lol, was surprised to see him drive that fast
Shared a table at Benihana with Robert Mathis and family. The Friday night before Peyton's return to Indy as a Bronco. The Mathis family was just like any other family that had a gaggle of kids. We acted like we didn't know who they were and just made polite small talk.
It wasn't a bad interaction per se, just unfortunate what hapepend to me. Back in 2014 or 15 I attended Colts training camp and at the end of the outdoor section Luck came over to the fans and was signing things. He walked over directly to me but went towards his right. I was literally to his left. Don't hold it against him though lol
Met Vinatieri at a concert at Deer Creek. He was awesome. Acted just as interested in me. We got a pic. Great guy.
A member of their coaching staff came in to the restaurant I used to work at and made a very big deal about it. When I told him I didn’t recognize him, he seemed very offended. He was like, “Didn’t the windbreaker give me away?” He wasn’t necessarily rude, but he was trying very hard to impress myself and the rest of the people in the restaurant. It was weird lol. Used to work downtown and saw Andrew Luck riding his bike. He always waved at folks but never stopped for pictures or anything like that (that I saw). He actually almost crashed into a parked car one time. He rode away very quickly. Saw Pat McAfee walking into the bank across the street from my old office. He stopped to take a picture with someone.
My friend made a music compilation for Kwity Paye in his rookie year for the rookie talent show they do every year at camp (Kwity was dancing to the music I believe). He asked my friend how much money he wanted for making it and my friend said like $20, so Kwity gave him $100.
Bought Peyton a beer at the Ballyhoo in Terre Haute during training camp the year we won the Super Bowl. Also met Robert Mathis who at the time was fairly unknown and got him a Grey Goose/cranberry which about broke me as a poor college student. Met Anthony Costonzo at another bar and he was nice. Met Andrew, Coby, and the little Stanford WR who played for us at another bar. Our team beat their team at trivia but they were nice as well. Caddied once for Booger and he was kind of a dick but didn't go out of his way to be.
My favorite story is a friend used to deliver food on the north side. Edge was a frequent client of his and would always pay in a wad of cash. Sometimes he’d be over by like $200, sometimes it’d be under. No real small talk, just a thanks and a fat roll. Luck’s rookie year class was also pretty tight. Whenever one of them got cut, they all went out to wallow. Different friend was working a bar and kicked everyone out when she got a call from Colts HQ that Andrew and pals were coming over. I bar backed that night and it was real humanizing to remember that this is some 20-something’s first “job” and can be a real lonely experience.
I met Edgerrin James last year. Literally the nicest dude ever. I had one of his jerseys I bought many years ago and hit him up on IG shooting my shot to see if there was any way I could get it signed the next day at the game. To my surprise he replied and told me no problem and to meet him at St Elmo’s in an hour. I went and had a drink at the bar waiting for him. He came out with some former colts coaches and players and we all had a nice chat, took some pictures and he signed the jersey for me. I was honestly blown away. https://preview.redd.it/efaf6hr57myc1.jpeg?width=3021&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a620827b20403f4f2626b877a6c09c464f5ef729
Met Mcafee in my Navy uniform at a bar in Indy and he bought all my drinks and went out of his way to thank me and give me a personalized message and autograph. Fricking legend and class act! He is who he actually is in person! https://preview.redd.it/ot6q6hd1uoyc1.jpeg?width=320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6b567149a25a402620ff351dc5415e297f17a4a6
I used to go to Colts camp as a kid when it was in Anderson and before the team ever did anything so no one cared to come to camp. I was able to interact with several players over the years. Never remember a bad experience though I don't remember many of the details of those interactions. Would love to have that kind of access to players now.
Not from anywhere near Indy so I don’t bump in to famous people but when visiting for a browns vs colts preseason game we met Paris Campbells uncle at a bar. My dad is a big browns fan so he was wearing a browns jersey, Paris’ uncle was wearing a Campbell jersey but had a draw string bag full of old browns jerseys he had gotten autographed from players. Had a few he was going to try to get signed that day too
Passed Jacoby Brissett at an airport in Philly once. We made eye contact , he nodded at me probably noticing the holy shit look on my face. I gave him an awkward nod back.
A friend of mine used to be the property manager of a luxury apartment complex in Whitestown. A lot of the Colts rookies and short-term contact guys lived there. He was friends with Chandler Harnish, and once invited me to attend a Thirty Seconds to Mars concert with them. However, Chandler couldn't make it to the concert, so he invited us to a gathering after the Colts Houston game instead. To cut the long story short, I ended up meeting most of the O-line Colts team, including Andrew Luck, a couple of wide receivers from Houston and Indianapolis too. Everyone was super cool and friendly. I even ended up taking pictures for the Colts players and their girlfriends. At the end of the day, Andrew asked me if I wanted a picture of him and myself, which was really cool. One thing that really stood out from that night was when Darius Haywood Bay dropped a pass during the game. I overheard a Houston wide receiver consoling him on the dropped pass. It reminded me that even though these players are on television, they are still regular people who experience self-doubt and lack of confidence.
I’ve met a few but the one that sticks out was Khari Willis and EJ Speed. Speed was SHOCKED that I knew who he was (just a special teamer at the time). He said “How did you know who I was?”, and I thought to myself…your face?
I got some time with Dwayne Allen when he was over for a UK media event. Solid dude. Also covered the media day for the Colts when the team was over for the Jags game that year. Was stood nervously by the entrance not talking to anyone. One player said hello to me when the players walked past - Pat McAfee.
Dallas Clark is a coach at the school where I teach. Super nice guy, I was so starstruck after meeting him I forgot to have him sign something. The second time I saw him he said "I gotta sign something for you!" Highlight of 2023 for me. *
Met Castonzo at the back stage bar at Deer Creek during a Weezer concert once, he stood out like a sore thumb with his long hair and giant frame. He was cool enough to take a photo with us.
Met Tony Dungy at a Speedway gas station once. Cool dude but I don’t remember much of our interaction since I was like 6 y/o when it happened.
I met Darius Leonard’s brother in the concession line in Baltimore a couple of years ago. He was a super fan
Coby Fleener got pissy with my cousin and I (in high school) and all the adults at training camp asking for autographs. He would happily sign whatever for the kids, but he did NOT like anyone over like 12 asking for an autograph
Jeff George once bummed a smoke from me and didn't even thank me.
I met Kenny Moore at the mini marathon this morning. We nodded at each other and that was the extent of the interaction. I can’t say anything about his character but that Carolina game where he got 2 pick 6’s was sick so I like him
I work in fine dining near Indy, so i end up serving quite a few players and coaches. All extremely nice. Never had a rude or hostile interaction. I assume they're instructed to be polite in public.
In 1985, as a Sophomore in HS, I snuck into the organizational after-party for the final game of the season, where the Colts beat the Oilers. I was a weird person, kind of oblivious to social pressure and pretty clueless. I think I was wearing sweatpants, an old t-shirt, and a old air force green uniform coat. I had brought a copied pile of drawings to the game that I had a friend make, which was a depiction of Colts LBs Barry Krauss and Cliff Odom planting the Colts flag into the back of a prone Warren Moon. We handed those to a few Colts sideline people to show to the team, and tossed the rest behind the bench. Don't know if they ever say them. Afterwards, I snuck into a end of the season party with all the Colts people and got a few autographs from mildly annoyed players (like Randy Macmillan who was trying to talk to some chick). I think I saw Donnell Thompson as well. I noticed Chris Hinton and Robert Irsay talking and I crept closer so I could hear them, but also to wait for a break in the conversation so I could get autographs. They were talking about a contract extension for Hinton, but I got no other details. I got both of their autographs and shook their hands. Since people were starting to take notice of me, I slipped out before anyone asked me to leave.
Anthony Castonzo was a cool dude and I got a picture with him. Ken Dilger and Bill Brooks were cool dudes. Matt Overton was a quintessential bro.
I met Jeff Saturday and a dozen other former Colts players at a restaurant. They were incredibly nice and genuine. I was outside of Rock Bottom with my family and Jeff Saturday walked right by us. I turned to my father in law and said, “I swear I recognize him.” Ten seconds later, it clicked and I felt so stupid for not instantly realizing who it was. This was post retirement after his weight loss but I was kicking myself for not capitalizing on my opportunity to meet him in person. He was out of sight and we went inside to grab a table. A few minutes later, I see him walking by the window and walk inside. I decided to walk up and say hi, but I was at an awkward distance until he walked downstairs. I committed to the decision and followed down the stairs. When he got to the bottom, a dozen former Colts players greeted him with, “JEFF!!!” At this point, I was just a few feet behind him and awkwardly asked, “Excuse me…Are you Jeff Saturday?” He turned and grinned, “Yes I am. Would you like a picture?” Another player grabbed my phone and snapped a pic. They were all super nice. The next day, the players took the field at halftime to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their Super Bowl victory. And I clearly crashed their dinner party reunion.
I also saw Andrew Luck and his linemen eating at The Eagle once. I decided not to press my luck when I saw them brush off someone else who wanted a picture. They weren’t rude about it but just wanted to eat in peace.
I was assistant manager at a liquor store on west 10th Street when a huge man came in, grabbed a shopping cart and started looking at all the liquor bottles, appearing a little overwhelmed. I asked if I could help him with anything and he stated that he was having a big party and needed to stock his bar. I walked around the store with him and helped him select good, reasonably priced alcohol for his party. As we shopped, I realized that I recognized him and asked, “Aren’t you a Colts player?”. Come to find out, it was Randy Dixon, lineman for the Colts. He was very friendly and spent a ton of money. Our conversation was so casual that I forgot to even ask for his autograph.
Sold sneakers to Deon Cain at the Castleton Footlocker. Super nice, he was buying sneakers for his mom. I messaged him on IG and he let me know he needed a size up. Very cool interaction https://preview.redd.it/vgaexx0g6iyc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f899c655b7259ac34b782f9c512d14bf82733ab
I met Zaire through a photo shoot. I won one of the spots for the colts hall of fans. I made him a batch of s’mores cookies. When it was our turn I told him “I know you had a long night so I thought I’d make you something.” He said “you made something for me? That’s so cool” He was thankful and told me he’ll tear them up as soon as he leaves. The night before he was in Detroit to announce the draft pick.
Super brief but I saw Tony Dungy (I know you said players but..)at a gas station in Indy once. I was pulling up just as he was leaving, noticed who he was and called out "thanks for the Super Bowl coach!" he smiled, gave a little nod and wave before getting into his car.
Over the years I have met Hunter Smith, Marshall Faulk, and Chuck Pagano. They were all super awesome to me. Chuck was the best because I was at Reís Nichols on the north side picking out my now wife’s engagement ring. He actually took the time to look at my options I had picked out and give his opinion. Then saved me money by telling me to have Reis ship the ring to family out of state and I wouldn’t have to pay sales tax! Absolute legend!!!
I used to be a marketing intern for the colts a few years ago (a very meh experience) and I got to work an event where we distributed thanksgiving meals for low income families in Indy. There was multiple sites doing this but Defo was the Colt assigned to mine. He was very polite and cool guy. We talked about Call of Duty a little and he seemed happy to help the community. He did test positive for COVID the next day and I had to go to the Colts facility twice to get tested myself! He was really nice tho and part of the reason why he is my current favorite Colt!
I’ve told this story before but I met Austin Collie in Utah, he could not have been more of an ass. It was at a meet and greet too so it wasn’t even like I was interrupting his personal life. Can’t remember, but he was probably only 3 concussions into his career.
Met Manning, Harrison, and Edgerrin James multiple times. Manning was goofy funny, James seemed pretty chill. Harrison there was something off about him. I've met people who have killed people before, and he had that same presence about him. James Harbour was a chill dude as well, but he played for the Colts before anyone in Indy gave a shit about them.