Most famous person you've ever met?

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Arndorfer
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Re: Most famous person you've ever met?

Post by Arndorfer »

I grew up in Wisconsin so am still a die hard Packer fan.
1. My neighbors back then somehow knew Ray Nitschke, so they would have him over for dinner about once a year back in the 80s. I got to shake his massive hand.
2. On a flight from Denver to Minneapolis about 15 years ago, I was sitting next to a gentleman who had on a large championship ring that was a couple sizes too big for his finger. As I studied it, I realized it was a Packers Superbowl II ring (with three diamonds in it since it was their third straight championship). It was Vince Lombardi Jr wearing his father's ring. He is a former NFL exec and now a motivational speaker.
3. I was at Superbowl XLV with my sister in Dallas back in 2011. After the Packers won, we tried to go out on the field for the celebration. They wouldn't let us out on the field, so ended up walking around the ring under the stadium at field level and happened upon the small media interview rooms they had for the players. Stood outside there, got several autographs and high fived Mason Crosby - then and current Packers place kicker and former CU Buff.
Todd
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mountainrev
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Re: Most famous person you've ever met?

Post by mountainrev »

About 25 years ago, I was walking through the old hangar/terminal at Eagle County Airport early on a Saturday morning. Gerald Ford and a small entourage of Secret Service agents were walking toward me. There was no one else in the building, and the hall was narrow, so no avoiding each other. He spoke first with a very friendly "Good morning!" I realize that Gerald Ford sightings in the Vail area back then were hardly uncommon, but that's the one and only time I was greeted by a former president.
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Re: Most famous person you've ever met?

Post by mtn_hound »

andrew85 wrote: Tue Oct 19, 2021 4:57 pm Also back in college I was about 20-30' from Aaron Rodgers a couple times in the dining facility. I was a freshman at Cal when he was the junior quarterback there. Marshawn Lynch and Desean Jackson also played while I was there, but I never ran into either of them as they kept the athletes pretty well separated from the rest of us :lol: .

Then as a senior, I had a city planning class with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Black Manta in Aquaman) and even worked on a group project with him! Pretty sure he was an architecture major so seeing him as an actor popping up in movies all over the place nowadays is kind of trippy, but good on him! =D>
I had Joe Igber and a couple of lesser known starters in an engineering class I was TA for. That guy worked his butt off, he was obviously not just in school to play football.

My friend taught a class with the kid who was famous for being probably the most terrible singer in the history of American Idol. I don't remember his name, but he set up a mic on Sproul a few times at lunch and did his act there. He was even worse live.
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Bale
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Re: Most famous person you've ever met?

Post by Bale »

Another couple moderately famous run-ins for you climbers and skiers; Jim Donini at Grand Teton climbers ranch, and a bit more random, Dick Dorworth at the base of a climb in City of Rocks, (Dick once held the world speed skiing record of 107 mph in the ‘60s).
The earth, like the sun, like the air, belongs to everyone - and to no one. - Edward Abbey
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huffy13
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Re: Most famous person you've ever met?

Post by huffy13 »

greenonion wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 9:18 am
huffy13 wrote: Tue Oct 19, 2021 7:43 pm While living in the KC area I met George Brett and Buddy Biancalana, also a few other MLB players that lived in the KC area during the offseason that worked out at the same facility the college team I was on worked out at, also ran into Tammy Fay Bakker at the Country Club Plaza area while Christmas shopping. I've had the pleasure of meeting lots of football Hall of Famers as my FIL is the parade coordinator for the NE Ohio Buckeye Corvette Club and I've been recruited a few years to drive in the Hall of Fame Parade in Canton. Most notably I've shaken hands with Mean Joe Greene, had a beer with Franco Harris, and met many others.
I'd love to shake a hand that shook Mean Joe's!! Favorite Steeler of all time!
Let my hand heal up and I'll shake yours...LOL. Kidding, of course. Dude still has a hell of a grip and his hands are huge. But super kind and really seems down to earth, same with Franco.
Seems like the times that I need a mountain the most are the times that I can not get to them.
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andrew85
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Re: Most famous person you've ever met?

Post by andrew85 »

mtn_hound wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:55 pm
andrew85 wrote: Tue Oct 19, 2021 4:57 pm Also back in college I was about 20-30' from Aaron Rodgers a couple times in the dining facility. I was a freshman at Cal when he was the junior quarterback there. Marshawn Lynch and Desean Jackson also played while I was there, but I never ran into either of them as they kept the athletes pretty well separated from the rest of us :lol: .

Then as a senior, I had a city planning class with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Black Manta in Aquaman) and even worked on a group project with him! Pretty sure he was an architecture major so seeing him as an actor popping up in movies all over the place nowadays is kind of trippy, but good on him! =D>
I had Joe Igber and a couple of lesser known starters in an engineering class I was TA for. That guy worked his butt off, he was obviously not just in school to play football.

My friend taught a class with the kid who was famous for being probably the most terrible singer in the history of American Idol. I don't remember his name, but he set up a mic on Sproul a few times at lunch and did his act there. He was even worse live.
Wow, small world! Lol completely forgot about William Hung, yeah I saw him too a couple times waiting at the Transbay station at Telegraph and Bancroft but never had the fortune (or misfortune) of hearing him sing in person :lol: .
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Eli Watson
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Re: Most famous person you've ever met?

Post by Eli Watson »

My dad and I hiked Handies from the east on 09/18. There was a finisher party on top that came up from the other side, and I overheard someone say, "Who else are we going to meet on this mountain today?" I was confused, but it sounded like they met someone significant on the trail? When we returned to the trailhead, a guy in the parking lot said we missed Gerry by maybe 15 minutes. He had stopped by the trailhead on his way down the road to say hello and sign books. I was a little bummed to have missed him, since I had both my copies of Fourteeners and Thirteeners with me. Gerry's only a man, but it would have been cool to meet him in the wild and shake his hand.

Greg Oden and Mike Conley went to my high school. Jason Lezak, who chased down the French in the 400 m relay to win the gold medal in Beijing 2008, talked at my school. He was super down-to-earth and humble. If you spend enough time mountain biking in southern Utah you'll run into some pros. Never had a bad experience meeting any of those dudes.

I think that's one of the really cool aspects of outdoor recreation. The professionals aren't tucked away in their private training facilities and gyms, and there isn't a line of security guards barricading you from interacting with them. They're just regular people out on the same trails as you, and if you spend enough time out there you're bound to bump into them.
People who are hardcore don't think they're hardcore. Marshall Ulrich, Fastest Known Podcast #85
Davea27anderson
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Re: Most famous person you've ever met?

Post by Davea27anderson »

pvnisher wrote: Thu Oct 14, 2021 5:54 am The Great Camillo
Ahh Camillo the Great!
I once let him borrow an old tent of mine that he said he really needed, he didn’t tell me why. Turns out he ended up giving it to some skater girl in Breck.
As always, TGC new exactly what he was doing.

Great memories.
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Mark Curtis
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Re: Most famous person you've ever met?

Post by Mark Curtis »

Mountaineering:
- Talked to Joe Simpson at a book signing in Boulder. He defintely resonated a certain kind of aura.
- Gerry Roach at an REI sponsored class in Fort Collins....as much of a true character in person as one could imagine from his books.

Athletes:
- Shook all time leading NBA scorer/author/actor Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's hand as he was walking off the floor after a Laker game. His finger tip almost went to my elbow (I was a young teen). He would not sign his autograph (known for his aloofness), but I was very excited to get the handshake. :bow:
- That same night I was able to get many other Laker autographs including Michael Cooper.
- Literally ran into two time NBA scoring champion Adrian Dantley in downtown Salt Lake City in the early 80's.
- Able to get my son an autograph from NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry.... at the State Fair in Pueblo about 15 years ago. He talked to both of us for several minutes. Couldn't have been nicer.
- A lot more obscure of a name, but 14er related. Talked to Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Andy Russell (played in the 1970's) while climbing Blanca in the late 90's. My friend Rod recognized him....I have no idea how!

Musicians:
- Fellow forumer Jon Frohlich and I were fortunate enough to talk to the lead vocalist for the symphonic metal band Epica, Simone Simons, before their concert at the Bluebird (or Gothic?) Theater many years ago. Not exactly a household name (though I consider someone you pay to see perform at least somewhat famous), but super talented, strikingly pretty and very sweet/friendly in person.
- Rock instrumental guitar player Travis Larson after a concert in Denver. We talked for almost a half hour. Super cool guy.
- Asked questions of prog rock/metal drummers Mike Portnoy and Virgil Donati at respective drum clinics in Denver. If you know great drummers, you would understand how huge a thrill for me to talk to them.

TV/Radio
- Might get some jeers from some by posting this (if anyone has read this far!), but I don't care. Recognized long time KOA radio host Mike Rosen at a Rockies game. He was SO surprised someone recognized him (and perhaps just as surprised someone would approach him for an autograph!). I didn't have anything for him to sign, so I pulled out a dollar bill! He joked that it was "safe"....that if it was any larger a bill I would be too tempted to spend it. :lol:
- Legendary sports announcer Chick Hearn before a Lakers-Nuggets game in the 80's. He signed his autograph.
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AlexeyD
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Re: Most famous person you've ever met?

Post by AlexeyD »

OK I'll play! Though my list is admittedly not very impressive.

In the climbing/outdoor world:
-Living in Bozeman, you can't help but run into Conrad Anker every so often. Have seen him at ice climbing at Hyalite; at the local climbing gym the Spire; and probably just grocery shopping.
-Ran into Lynn Hill once at DIA, waiting in line at a bagel shop. Was definitely one of those awkward "she could tell we knew who she was" encounters.
-Saw Yosemite climbing legend Tom Frost give a talk at the former Ahwanee hotel once; chatted with him for a bit afterwards.
-(this one is probably the most interesting) ran into legendary blind mountaineer Eric Weyenmayer on the New Hampshire ice climb Pinnace Gully way back in the day. Chatted with him and his guide for a few minutes at the base of the route. I remember it as a pretty typical conversation you might have with someone in the mountains, just about weather, conditions and whatever else. I didn't really think about what it means to be a blind climber at the time, which is probably the way it's supposed to be!

In the world at large - hmm, pretty short list:
-Saw Ted Cruz having dinner in Boulder during a campaign stop in the 2016 GOP primaries
-Soviet nuclear physicist turned human rights activist/Nobel peace prize winner Andrei Sakharov was a good family friend
-Have briefly interacted with/conversed with several members of funk/soul bank the California Honey Drops
-I can't confirm, but friend is absolutely convinced that we ran into actor Kurt Russell in a restaurant in Carbondale last year...take it for whatever you will

There are probably others I haven't thought of, but like I said earlier, I'm not much of a celebrity magnet apparently.
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Re: Most famous person you've ever met?

Post by timisimaginary »

Eli Watson wrote: Thu Oct 21, 2021 11:25 amGerry's only a man, but it would have been cool to meet him in the wild and shake his hand.
definitely cooler than seeing him in captivity.
"The decay and disintegration of this culture is astonishingly amusing if you're emotionally detached from it." - George Carlin
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Re: Most famous person you've ever met?

Post by USAKeller »

Lots of cool replies here!! I've met several famous people, but the two most notable ones are my "ex future husband" - TIM TEBOW!

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And the great Charles Esten several times - known for his lead role in the tv show NASHVILLE, as well as Outer Banks, The Office, and Whose Line is it Anyway? And a country music star.

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