Bob McDonough has some of the most precious gridiron memories a player could ask for, and he has the memorabilia to back it up.
The 88-year-old former Philadelphia Eagle has a collection of color programs from the 1946 season, his one and only year in the NFL, along with a trunk full of Mint-condition magazines and clippings from his collegiate career when he starred for Duke University’s 1941 Rose Bowl team.
Originally from West Orange, N.J., McDonough now lives in upstate New York where he enjoyed a lengthy career in the FBI tackling federal offenders instead of running backs.
It’s a sad time for Abner Doubleday. Starting next year, the Cooperstown field that bears his name will no longer host the annual Hall of Fame Game.
Citing scheduling difficulties, Major League Baseball (MLB) has decided that the June 16 contest between the Cubs and Padres will be the last ever, ending a 67-year tradition in the Birthplace of Baseball.
Most guys save sticks, pucks, jerseys and perhaps a few choice autographed photos from their pro hockey careers.
Dave Hanson’s favorite possession is the goofy-looking thick glasses that he and his fictional brothers, Steve and Jack, wore in the 1977 movie “Slap Shot.”
He also has an autographed picture of himself with Hollywood legend Paul Newman, who played coach Reggie “Reg” Dunlop, along with race car superstar Mario Andretti at the Detroit Grand Prix that Newman, a huge racing enthusiast, invited Hanson to.
Dave Righetti had one of the most valuable collectibles a kid could ask for – a Joe DiMaggio autographed baseball. And like any normal kid, he took it outside and played catch with it.
“We had that ball on the street. Can you imagine that?” The former Yankee All-Star and current San Francisco Giants pitching coach said.
Fortunately, Righetti still has many valuable items from his career, but his collection is minus the baseball and basketball cards he grew up with. Like many other young men, his collection was a victim of his mother’s house cleaning.
Growing up in the 1950s, Leo Mazzone collected every Yankees card he could get his hands on. Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford – the list goes on and on.
Most kids from that era stuck cards in their bicycle spokes or, upon leaving home after going to college, their mothers would toss them out with the trash.
Mazzone’s cards suffered a different fate.
“I glued them to a scrapbook,” he said laughing. “So that took care of that!”
Johnny Podres was to the Dodgers what Bill Mazeroski and Bobby Thomson were to the Pirates and New York Giants, respectively.
A hero for the ages.
In his case, Podres gave Brooklyn fans what no one else ever could – a World Championship, which to this day endears Podres to legions of Dodger faithful who are mourning his passing on Jan. 13.