LCG Era Random: Nehemiah and Gault Olympic Gridiron
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Labels:
Renaldo Nehemiah,
Willie Gault
Ummm...RiiightThis is part of a series, people. Or at least that's the idea.
LCG Era Random in the hiz-ouse! I can't get enough of this notion! I may post random sports crap from my ute-dom for all eternity! Here's one for ya. Olympians playing on NFL teams. A lil' sumpin' I remember from my younger days. Perhaps, you too?
Yes, former Olympian Track & Field stars playing ball on Sunday was all the rage back in the 80s and early 90s. May it please the court, we offer exhibits Gault and Nehemiah. First, fast Willie. Now, truth be told, Gault and Nehemiah had little in common besides making on Olympic team. Willie Gault was an All-American receiver at Tennessee and a track star. He made the 80s Olympic team, but we boycotted. He later won a medal in the boycott games and, according to Wikipedia (bless its little heart), even made the American Olympic bobsled team on one occasion? Is this a bad Cool Runnings joke?
Anyway, Gault came up with the Bears and then - stop me if you've heard this one - was snatched up by the Raiders who loved his speed. Oh, Al Davis, when will you ever learn? Gault managed to log a more-than-respectable 11-year NFL career during which he caught 333 passes and found the endzone 45 times.
Nehemiah, on the other hand, was seen as a glorified PR stunt. Remember how Usain Bolt and NFL discussions strangely reared their head around these here Internets about a year ago (and even recently)? Imagine all that...but then someone actually handed over a contract, a uniform and a playbook. That's basically what happened wiht Renaldo Nehemiah.
Nehemiah was a legendary hurdler who dominated the sport in the late 70s and early 80s setting record after record. Then, he got invited in 1982 to work out for some NFL teams. The 49ers signed him up and put him on the field. Three years later, Nehemiah's career ended with 43 receptions and four touchdowns (and one Super Bowl ring). Legendary hurdler? Check. Stud receiver? Not so much. Renaldo today is a marketer/consultant to several of track & field's biggest stars, yet I remember him expressly due the buzz that surrounded hsi signing by the Niners.
You know the scariest part about all this? I was five when Nehemiah put on a gold helmet for the first time. Gault's career spanned ages six to 16. I remember, thouhg, no joke. Nuts. The moral of the story? Olympic-caliber athletes are stupid-fast. That doesn't guarantee they'll be superstar football players. I do recall.
Yes, former Olympian Track & Field stars playing ball on Sunday was all the rage back in the 80s and early 90s. May it please the court, we offer exhibits Gault and Nehemiah. First, fast Willie. Now, truth be told, Gault and Nehemiah had little in common besides making on Olympic team. Willie Gault was an All-American receiver at Tennessee and a track star. He made the 80s Olympic team, but we boycotted. He later won a medal in the boycott games and, according to Wikipedia (bless its little heart), even made the American Olympic bobsled team on one occasion? Is this a bad Cool Runnings joke?
Anyway, Gault came up with the Bears and then - stop me if you've heard this one - was snatched up by the Raiders who loved his speed. Oh, Al Davis, when will you ever learn? Gault managed to log a more-than-respectable 11-year NFL career during which he caught 333 passes and found the endzone 45 times.
Nehemiah, on the other hand, was seen as a glorified PR stunt. Remember how Usain Bolt and NFL discussions strangely reared their head around these here Internets about a year ago (and even recently)? Imagine all that...but then someone actually handed over a contract, a uniform and a playbook. That's basically what happened wiht Renaldo Nehemiah.
Nehemiah was a legendary hurdler who dominated the sport in the late 70s and early 80s setting record after record. Then, he got invited in 1982 to work out for some NFL teams. The 49ers signed him up and put him on the field. Three years later, Nehemiah's career ended with 43 receptions and four touchdowns (and one Super Bowl ring). Legendary hurdler? Check. Stud receiver? Not so much. Renaldo today is a marketer/consultant to several of track & field's biggest stars, yet I remember him expressly due the buzz that surrounded hsi signing by the Niners.
You know the scariest part about all this? I was five when Nehemiah put on a gold helmet for the first time. Gault's career spanned ages six to 16. I remember, thouhg, no joke. Nuts. The moral of the story? Olympic-caliber athletes are stupid-fast. That doesn't guarantee they'll be superstar football players. I do recall.
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