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Interactions with Famous People

I got beaned (HS baseball) by Kevin Saucier, and Nat (Buck) Showalter.
I sat next to Timmy Lasorda on a Delta flight. He talked all the way from FLL to ATL.
I met Tom Cruise and Paul Newman in the garage at Road Atlanta when they were racing in the SCCA Valvoline Runoffs.
I used to play pickup hoops with Joe Scarborough, and also sit next to him on Delta flights.
I was a rec league teammate of Alec Kessler.
I played in a summer pro-am basketball league in Atlanta, so interaction with lots of NBA players.
I've played a couple of rounds of golf with Bubba Watson and Boo Weekly (before they made the PGA tour).
 
Back in the early 90s, Oldsmobile used to sponsor a big, national golf scramble. There were local qualifiers all over the country, then regional tournaments, with teams from the regionals making it to the national tournament, which was held at Disney in conjunction with the PGA tournament they host. The way it worked was that, if your 4 man team won a local tournament, you picked up the club pro from the local club host - so at the regional you had a 5 man team. If you made it to Disney, there were three rounds, then a cut; the teams that survived picked up a PGA pro for the final round.
I live about an hour from Disney; my buddies & I decided to try to qualify in their local event because they sent like 6 or 8 teams to the regional. We finished near the top there & moved on to the next round with one of the Disney club pros. At the regional, we finished tied for first & won in a playoff to make it to the National event at Disney. Since we were representing Disney, we got all kinds of extra crap - matching shirts for each day, Disney logo golf bags, balls, etc. Unfortunately, we played like crap the first two days. When we finished the 2nd round, our Disney pro, Steve, suggested we all meet at the Disney nightclub complex that was in existence at the time (Pleasure Island). He said he had an old friend that he'd grown up with & played golf with in high school that was coming in town for the weekend & we could all meet up & have a few drinks. We agree to meet at the saloon-style country bar at 7 pm.
We all get there other than Steve's out of town friend; order a round & have a seat. About halfway through my beer, I see some dude stroll in that is a dead ringer for Fuzzy Zoeller. That dude's scanning the room like he's looking for someone; eventually turns & makes a beeline for our table. Steve hops up, they hug; Steve turns & says, "guys, this is Frank Zoeller; everyone calls him Fuzzy."
We ended up getting smashed with him, he's buying drinks like crazy. About the last thing I remember is a waitress coming around, dressed like a gunslinger, but the belt of "bullets" was testtubes of some kind of liquor. Fuzzy asks her "how much" & she answered "two dollars." He responds, "no how much for the whole belt?" I missed what she answered, but she took it off & left it with us.
The round the next morning was really rough.
 
When my older son was 12, his little league all-star team won the district. When I got to the field for the first game of the sectional tournament, I see the mom of our star pitcher, just inside the gate, chatting with Dick Vitale. They talk for a minute, he tells her "good luck" & heads off. After he walks off, I ask her "Robin, how do you know him?" She responds, "I don't, he was asking me who was home team & who was visitor."
I ask, "Do you know who that was?" She answers, "No idea, I've never seen him before in my life."

She was probably the only person there who did not know him. His grandsons played on the team that we faced in the first game. It was a 4-team round robin tournament, so he was around all weekend. I ended up sitting next to him for most of another game & chatting with him; he was very friendly & welcoming to everyone who approached; had a little carrybag full of autographed, postcardlike pictures that he handed out to anyone who asked, and posed for pictures with most all of the players over the course of the weekend.
 
Joe Theisman was my neighbor in HighSchool. I helped him move a ladder once. He wasn’t there often. His wife Robin paid me to cut their grass. He had cool memorabilia in his office there. CSB
You were cutting grass.in his office? I think I have watched this movie....
 
One of the original CNN anchors, Bobbie Battista, was a client of mine. Nice lady.

She moved to the area to be closer to the University of Iowa oncology and passed away right around the same time everything started shutting down due to Covid.

I have several stories similar to others that we have seen here about running into celebs partying in LA and Chicago, but I'm not really one to get star struck and recognized more of them than I could name.
 
When I worked at Spencer’s snoop dog came in and asked a woman if he would hold her baby. She let him then proceeded to buy the kid everything he touched in the store.

I also sold Bruce Aune fake tattoos there, too. This was while he was banging Renee Chou.
 
I had a chat with Iowa Hawkeye QB Chuck Long
at the Airliner in Iowa City. It was a hot Summer
day and the beer was refreshing. His roommate
in college was a friend of mine.
Chuck and I were the only two guys in our U of I orientation group in the summer of 1981. Talked to him quite a bit over that weekend, nice guy and a longtime ago. Muhsin Muhammad had Sunday dinner in my family’s dining room, sadly I was absent but I have met him since. Got pretty drunk with Roy Marble one night at Sports Column, nice guy but he was definitely more interested in the women stuffed in that place than me. Shocker. Shook hands with Gerald Ford outside of O’Hare. Met Rick Steves in the Swiss Alps, had him sign our guidebook. He was a bit of a self important jackass at the time IMO but he was “working” so I’ll cut him some slack there. Played pickup ball for an afternoon with Vince Brookins at Bob A Lee RC, he was pretty good.:D Met Deputy Andy Brennan (Harry Goaz) from Twin Peaks at the IMU Wheelroom for some national promotional watch night of the series. Took a picture of him holding my first born 9 months old son and gave a copy of the same photo to my son 24 years later after he told me he was a big fan. It blew his mind. Creeped on Jill Goodacre in all of her glory as I sat in a hotel lobby in NO LA nursing one of the worst hangovers I’ve ever experienced in my life at the time. She made it tolerable at least.
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Had beers with Paul Walker and Tito Ortiz (separate incidences) in Huntington Beach.

Hes not super famous, but when in KC one weekend with friends at the Power and Light district this dude came up and asked if we wanted a shot, then ended up partying with us. I knew I recognized him and told my friends he was in some movies, but no one believed me. Finally my friend asked and it turned out to be Cylk Cozart.

Hung out with Johnny Damon a few times, we had a mutual friend.

Talked to Paris Hilton at my cousins house for about two min. She doesnt fake dumb. Csb time, but my two cousins, Paris Hilton, and some others took the Hilton jet to Vegas one weekend and I was invited. My car broke down on the way to the airport.

Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen came to our table at Beer Can Alley and partied after their show in Des Moines.
 
about 20 years ago I was working for an FB0 fueling private planes in Rochester MN. One night a family with an attractive younger woman came in and I started chatting with them . They said they were waiting for a plane from NY.
Plane pulls in , passengers got off and walked in the building. I had stepped out and when I got back in slide I noticed a guy grabbing coffee and I told the front guy this man looked like Bruce Willis. He said” that’s because it is” lol
Anyhow I walked up to Bruce and ended up having a nice chat with him . He was dating this girl in Rochester apparently . Right after he split w Demi.
Great guy. Very humble, down to earth . Talked with him for about 15 minutes. Sad to hear to hear he’s dealing with Aphasia these days .😟
 
I worked at KGAN for quite awhile in the early 2000's, on Friday's during the noon show they would have the headliner from Penguin's Comedy Club on the show. One random Friday I went into the break-room over lunch to grab a pop, and a decent sized guy with a very east-coast accent was in there and asked me 'how you doin?', I looked up and made chit-chat with him for a minute or so.

Walking back to my office it struck me it might of been Joe Piscopo, got back to my office and turned on the tv, and sure enough he was being interviewed promoting his weekend shows.
 
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Bought Torii Hunter a beer at Las Vegas. Cool guy. That was before Target Field and I joked that he was looking at Vegas for the Twins to move too. I am a die-hard Twins fan so pretty cool.
 
I got to play in the Cologuard Classic Pro-Am this past February with Ernie Els. He was an incredibly nice guy. Very engaging with everyone. Watching that guy hit the ball up close was cool to see. It was a fantastic time and a wonderful experience.
 
I'm struggling to stay upright in the lobby of the Hilton in Lafayette, LA, after a night of wild partying with some Cajuns when I hear a noise, and see a bus scraping bottom as it crawls up into the parking lot. I walk over towards the elevators and punch the button. A guy walks up to me and tells me that one is broken, so I go into a Foghorn Leghorn voice and start to effusively thank him for being so kind as to point out that the elevator is broken, and directing me to the working elevator. I might have even turned to the wife and mentioned how nice he was. I hear a chime, and the door of the elevator that is supposedly broken opens up, and Faith Hill with a kid on her shoulder walks into the elevator, and that dude walks in behind her, and the doors close. I get all pissed that Faith Hill's security guard scammed me, as if I was not good enough to ride in the elevator with her. I'm voicing displeasure and walking towards the front desk to lodge a formal complaint with my wife tugging on the belt loop of my pants telling me to STFU.
 
A very interesting guy i spent time talking with, Gaucho, MGM screen artist, who was looking for something different. He developed, found, started the Road Runner which made him millions, said that was his retirement money tree.
 
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Worked at an airport met few political candidates that flew in to campaign for what ever office they were running for

Senator and former Astronaut John Glenn very nice man , Bob Dole , Ted Kennedy , Grassley, Branstad etc
 
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I have a personalized autographed football of his. I was friends with the daughter of one of his Dallas teammates. She got it for me.
So I will tell you the story. I went to college in Dallas. A friend of mine lived in some apartments near Valley Ranch where the Cowboys practice. We decided to go to a small restaurant one fall Sunday named Cowboys Cafe.

When we walk in there was a 6 top round table on the center of the restaurant (not a big place) with a sign on it saying reserved for Tony Dorsett. I ask the guy seating us is he really going to show up and he says it's possible.

We order some food and a helmet of beer. Mind you we are struggling college students with limited funds but we were having fun.

Right before halftime a group come in and in the group was the legend TD. Our table was next to his so we caught glances and talked amongst ourselves. The Cowboys were winning. This was season when they won their super bowl in 1992.

As the game came to an end and so did our second helmet of beer. We asked for the check.

I had a brilliant idea. I told my friend I am going to get TD to pay for our bill. The waiter brought the check and I said TD will pick up the bill. The waiter took the bill over to TD. The waiter said those guys said you would pay the bill. TD took the bill looked at it and looked at us and look at it again. He said, and I quote, "Sorry guys. Too rich for my blood."

I walked up and said no problem TD, we got it covered. Then shook his hand. Paid my bill and left.
 
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I walked up to a urinal once and glanced left and there was Ben Stein. I almost did the “Bueller…Bueller…” voice but held off. Now I wish I’d have done it.
In the Austin airport, I was walking out of the restroom and decided that I needed to double-check my fly. Just as my hands were at the zipper, I bumped right into Dan Rather, who not terribly long before had survived his “what’s the frequency, Kenneth?” incident. He looked down at my fly with terror in his eyes before realizing it was an incidental collision.
 
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So I will tell you the story. I went to college in Dallas. A friend of mine lived in some apartments near Valley Ranch where the Cowboys practice. We decided to go to a small restaurant one fall Sunday named Cowboys Cafe.

When we walk in there was a 6 top round table on the center of the restaurant (not a big place) with a sign on it saying reserved for Tony Dorsett. I ask the guy seating us is he really going to show up and he says it's possible.

We order some food and a helmet of beer. Mind you we are struggling college students with limited funds but we were having fun.

Right before halftime a group come in and in the group was the legend TD. Our table was next to his so we caught glances and talked amongst ourselves. The Cowboys were winning. This was season when they won their super bowl in 1992.

As the game came to an end and so did our second helmet of beer. We asked for the check.

I had a brilliant idea. I told my friend I am going to get TD to pay for our bill. The waiter brought the check and I said TD will pick up the bill. The waiter took the bill over to TD. The waiter said those guys said you would pay the bill. TD took the bill looked at it and looked at us and look at it again. He said, and I quote, "Sorry guys. Too rich for my blood."

I walked up and said no problem TD, we got it covered. Then shook his hand. Paid my bill and left.
That's hilarious. If I remember right, the Cowboys Cafe was on Macarthur Blvd. Tony Dorsett's son went to my high school and was 3 or 4 years ahead of me.
 
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Took a leak next to Dennis Hopper at the Albuquerque airport when I was in high school. Didn't strike up a conversation with him because, honestly, I didn't realize who he was at the moment and we were in a bathroom.

My fraternity brothers and I drank beers with Dimebag Darrell at a metal club in Arlington, TX

Met Tony Boselli at a club in Jacksonville Beach. Wasn't exactly the nicest dude.

Got introduced to Jim Furyk at a restaurant in Ponte Vedra.

Met Bobby Bowden at a North Texas Seminole Club event when I was in high school.

Had a couple other encounters with famous people but those stick out the most.
You forgot the time you caddied for Lee Iacocca at Bloomington Hills. 🏌️‍♂️
 
I’ve met a lot of famous football players and professional athletes and coaches.
I don’t really get impressed by “celebrity”.
They’re just folks.
I can remember way back in the day as a senior at FSU a bunch of us were in Panama City Beach for a fraternity weekend and one of the guys had his high school sister visit. Everyone said “Mick’s sister is going to Hollywood as soon as she graduates” and everyone laughed. She was a flat chested stick sort of cute girl with pale pasty skin and no shape.
Poor thing had no chance.
It was Kim Basinger.
 
Sat next to Gene Autry in his private suite when he owned the Angels.

Took Lynn Swann and Eli Wallach to play tennis at a Scottsdale resort while working as a tour guide. They bought me a beer afterwards.
 
A couple buddies and I flew out to LA to party with friends in 1996, a friend of ours 6'0 Blonde bombshell asked us if we wanted to go to a Birthday party with her. We show up really early at this tiny dive bar, and the bouncer asked her for the password. We get in and there was only a few people in there. We walk up to the bar and she says "Hey Leo, meet my friends from Iowa!" So I met Leo DiCaprio. He just finished with Titanic.

We asked whose birthday party it was and she said Jam Master Jay. The rest of the night was spent slowly walking around and mingling with the stars. I met Alanis Morrisette and probably could have scored. Mighty Mighty Bosstones were kind of who we spent the most time with. I was out in the back patio and at the time I looked just like Dave Navarro, sure as shit he was sitting about 10 feet from me with a bunch of models around him. They were pointing at me and laughing and he looked down and gave a nod. Beastie Boys were there as well but we couldn't get close enough to talk to them. I'll always regret that...

A few years later our friend moved to Chicago and worked at the Dragon Room which was owned by David Schwimmer. I spent a few nights partying with him over the next few months. It was actually cheaper for me to party in Chicago than Iowa City because she gave me a card that got me free entry and drinks to all the clubs.

Two years ago I was at the Four Seasons in Maui on St. Patricks Day. I was working out in the gym and there was only 3 other people in there. One was an old couple, the guy had long stringy gray hair and beard. I thought it was weird that they were staying there. There was another guy working out that I recognized as an actor but not sure who, anyway I got done lifting and grabbed what I thought was my cell phone off the shelf and headed back to the room. When I got to the room the phone started playing music, I realized I grabbed the wrong phone and went back to the gym.

I walked up to the old guy and asked if it was his. He looked at me and said "Nahhh man it isn't mine" I instantly recognized him as Kurt Russell. Then I looked down at the lady and it was Goldie Hawn. They were there for his birthday and over the next few days I saw them all the time. He was really cool and personable and was taking selfies with anyone that asked (I didn't).

I was home in Mason City and they were filming a movie there. I was in a bar shooting pool and the actors all came in and sat down, I was introduced to David Proval (Richie Aprile in The Sopranos) and Karen Black. When my friend told her I lived in San Francisco she grabbed me and took me to a little table. We talked for about 45 minutes. I could have hit it that night as she was all about me, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

I've had drinks with Rob Schneider a couple times in San Francisco. We lived next door to a comedy club and he was always in there trying out new material. He graduated with a good friend of ours so we had a common friend. He was in Des Moines 6 years ago and my wife ran into him at Whole Foods and he took a photo holding our son, when she handed him over she said "Go to Daddy!" He got a good chuckle out of it.

I saw a ton of actors around SF when I lived there but didn't engage them in any way.

Edit: Forgot to say Ashton Kutcher. A buddy was dating a girl that graduated with him and we ran into him at the Sports Column this was in 1998 and he was just starting That 70's show. Nobody recognized him and he was all alone so he hung out with us for a few hours talking. Great dude.


TLDR: Leo DiCaprio, David Schwimmer, Kurt Russell, Karen Black, Ashton Kutcher.

I feel so insignificant,... sighhhhhhhh
 
Met Jerry Jones last year. Dude was funny. As a Cowboys fan, it was cool.

Also have met Tony Hale aka Gary from Veep and Buster from Arrested Development. He is a Tallahassee native.
 
Met Jerry Jones last year. Dude was funny. As a Cowboys fan, it was cool.

Also have met Tony Hale aka Gary from Veep and Buster from Arrested Development. He is a Tallahassee native.
One of our best friends graduated with Tony. He came back for their 25 high school anniversary. He was one of the coolest people who is famous as he just hung out and drank with us.
 
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One of our best friends graduated with Tony. He came back for their 25 high school anniversary. He was one of the coolest people who is famous as he just hung out and drank with us.
He was back in town for a fundraiser about 8 years ago. He was legitimately funny and nice. We had a real life Gary in my office at the time. Tony enjoyed our story.
 
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I was in an Irish bar in downtown CR on a weekday night (forgot the name but pretty sure it doesn't exist anymore) Anyway in walks in Dave Attell after doing a show at Penguin's. This is when he was doing Insomniac but of course he wasn't doing an episode in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I didn't talk to him but he did buy Jaeger shots for the whole bar. Seemed like a pretty good guy. Asked where the strip joint was, I imagine he wasn't impressed if he did end up going.
 
Bunch of Noles hanging with Bernie Kosar? Shocked he made it home alive.
Actual, he was sad when he saw my sign on gameday. He did not know he stold my Crowne. He never did but his memory is not so great. So he went and bought a bottle and set out to find me. He tracked me down in the RV lot and I thought he was going to kill me for the sign. Actually he just was super nice. I kinda felt bad for him.
 
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Harry Connick Jr - post concert in Ames
The band “Train” - private event in Des Moines
Sarah Evans (female country singer) - private event in Des Moines
Boyz to Men - post concert in Ames
Mitch Albom (author - Tuesdays with Morrie) - Detroit airport
 
since I'm from ottumwa I grew up around tommy johnson jr, the famous drag racer and several twin galaxies famous gamers including tim mcvey { not the bomber} and billy mitchell would travel from florida, and of course tom arnold and his meth-queen sister lori
 
The year was 1996. I was visiting a friend in Washington DC who went to Georgetown. It was Saturday night and my friend said we were going to a bar in the district to meet up with his friends, Eric, Sam and Brad.

We meet up with his friends and the drinks start flowing. After a while a bunch of hotties join our group. My friend points at Brad and says to me, “not sure how, but that guy always pulls the best pvssy around here.”

About midnight Brad stands up and says he has to split because he has rowing practice early that morning.

Turns out it was Bradley Cooper.
 
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Went to a Yankees Spring Training game and sat right behind Yogi Berra and Hank Bauer. Got a picture with them, but that was these new camera phones got good. Also got a baseball signed by them, but not sure where it is. Slight chance the movers took it.
 
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