I can't believe what a great career they ended up having ...

People who only know the larger-than-life Lombardi of legend don't remember what a risk the Packers took with that hire, and how desperate their situation was. I don't recall the exact details, but weren't they close to bankruptcy and a move to another larger city when the citizens of Green Bay essentially bought the team and sold shares of the team to the public?

 

Considering how many coaching hires in the NFL are of "charismatic and bright, young offensive minds" who don't pan out - I find it remarkable how many re-treads whose hirings were met with "meh"s end up winning a Super Bowl. Coughlin? Belichick? Even the Tomlin and John Harbaugh hires weren't deemed home runs - since neither were ever coordinators. Tomlin was viewed as a hire the Steelers had to make due to the Rooney Rule, when everyone thought Whisenhunt or Grimm would get the job. Harbaugh was a special teams lifer and had one year as a DB coach before the Ravens hired him.

 

They've had a few times when they were close to bankruptcy up until the 1950s or so, which is why they became publicly owned early on in the franchise's existence. One guy (I think he was the SE of one of the Green Bay papers, but I could be wrong), during the 1920s, sold his car so the team could stay afloat.

The other owners were getting annoyed about the relative lack of attendance in Green Bay, which is why for many decades, the Packers played a few games in Milwaukee. A few owners wanted the Packers to move to Milwaukee full time.

 

Torre did win the NL MVP award with the Cardinals in 1971 and had a gold glove to his name. And he was a nine-time All Star.

 

I'll go a little old school and fanboi with former LA King Dave Taylor.

He was a 15th round draft pick who went on to become the lowest-drafted player to net 1,000 career points.

He overcame a terrible stutter and became captain and later general manager of the Kings.

 

Triple Crown line!

"Dave Taylor! Knocks Wayne Gretzky down!"

 

On the athlete-into-broadcasting front, Bill Walton.

As most know, he had fairly serious speech impairment until well into his NBA career, and for much of his career, he was anything but media-friendly, but he's certainly carved out a niche. He's an acquired taste at best, and sometimes he drifts off into la-la land, but sometimes he's really on point.

 

Walton the announcer has become a caricature of himself.

 

All announcers who last more than a couple seasons do. As soon as you last long enough to start repeating yourself, you do.

 

Ric Flair was jealous of the way Gretzky sold that.

 

Yeah, even Phil Simms was really, really good his first couple of years.

 

Maybe I'm a homer, being from NJ, but did he fall so far that Tony F'n Romo should replace him?