OT: Your Celebrity Encounter

NickRU714

Heisman
Aug 18, 2009
14,251
13,052
113
Oh I just remembered.

Did a shot with Brian Leonard before the 2016 Michigan game.
He was going through the lots and we got him to stop for a shot.

I was wearing a Leonard jersey - he took a picture with me pointing at the #23.
 
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A

anon_ivydyf0amkzay

Guest
The only “celebrity” I’ve seen up close was Michael Moore on 59th st in NYC...he looked like crap...even worse than usual...thankfully he was not wearing an RU hat!
 

RUforester72

All-Conference
Jul 23, 2014
3,695
2,381
112
During the big Yellowstone fires in 1988 I was assigned to manage the Fixed Wing Base operation at the Jackson Hole (WY) airport. Harrison Ford came by after he parked his plane on the ramp, and chat about how the fires were going. Nice guy.

Later on Senator Alan Simpson (R-WY) came by to chat and offered support as well.

During the (then) record breaking fire season of 2000 while I was supervisor of the Coconino National Forest, Senator John McCain came up to my office in Flagstaff to see how things were going. After we settled into my office, the first thing he asked me was: "How are the pilots doing? Are they getting enough rest?" Says loads about his character.

Have a friend who plays lead guitar for Spyro Gyra, When they played in Bend many years ago we all went out for beers.

Met Charles Osgood and the CBS Sunday Morning crew when they came out to Flagstaff to do a piece on the fires in 2000 or 2001.
 

koleszar

Heisman
Jan 1, 2010
37,656
59,410
113
Have no idea why I just remembered this one and it was before he became a talking d*ck, probably cause he wasn't famous at the time. We went to the 2005 ND vs USC Bush push game. Walking around the lots was none other than a young Stephen A. Smith just getting his start. Stops by our tailgate introduces himself, we all look at each other like who the hell is this. Finds out we're from NJ and hangs out for a while being a Northeast guy, I think at the time he was a sports writer for a paper which is why he was at the game.

Really nice guy at the time, his TV persona didn't match up with the down to earth young guy we met. But maybe fame changed him. One thing I remember after the game and all night out on the town(which there isn't much of) ND fans saying "We're Back", turns out no you weren't.
 
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RUBama21

Junior
Aug 23, 2020
243
304
0
I’ve met a ton but here are that stood out.
Lawrence Taylor: he was in rehab at the same time my uncle was in. Told my brother and I to stay away from drugs.
Richard Nixon: met him at the circus when I was 5. He talked with my father for awhile, signed his ticket stub and rubbed my head.
 

Njbound1

Junior
Jan 29, 2020
293
345
0
I wouldn't exactly call any of these people famous, but...

1980 or 1981, I was chosen to be an extra in a Lowenbrau beer commercial filmed at the RAC. We were basketball players, and the commercial centered around the coaches. All of the "players" were RU guys, picked from applicants. There was one "real" RU player, I think it was Darius Griffin. We got to play full court for almost an hour while they were prepping the shoot. Got paid full SAG wages, had an incredible catered lunch, and got to talk to the real actors in between takes, who shared with us many of their previous roles. Fun day.
 
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hankee18

All-American
Jan 18, 2006
4,342
7,864
113
During the big Yellowstone fires in 1988 I was assigned to manage the Fixed Wing Base operation at the Jackson Hole (WY) airport. Harrison Ford came by after he parked his plane on the ramp, and chat about how the fires were going. Nice guy.

Later on Senator Alan Simpson (R-WY) came by to chat and offered support as well.

During the (then) record breaking fire season of 2000 while I was supervisor of the Coconino National Forest, Senator John McCain came up to my office in Flagstaff to see how things were going. After we settled into my office, the first thing he asked me was: "How are the pilots doing? Are they getting enough rest?" Says loads about his character.

Have a friend who plays lead guitar for Spyro Gyra, When they played in Bend many years ago we all went out for beers.

Met Charles Osgood and the CBS Sunday Morning crew when they came out to Flagstaff to do a piece on the fires in 2000 or 2001.
Is your friend Julio Fernandez?
 

mikebal9

All-Conference
Oct 15, 2005
5,738
4,976
113
Forgot that I once bowled on the lane next to Tim Brown when he was still at RU. We chatted a bit and he asked me how to spin the ball. I like to say I was better than a D1 athlete at at least one sport.
 

wngarbarini

Heisman
May 4, 2006
10,949
11,365
113
Gary Player sat at my table at Metropolitan Golf Association dinner. Had my picture taken with him. Ewing Kaufman, owner of KC Royals was my client and spent many hours with him in his huge CEO office. At 2001 Brooklyn Dodger fantasy camp, ate dinner every night with my buddy Jeff Torborg, Carl Erskine, Don Zimmer, Johnny Padres, Ralph Branka and Clem Labine
 

RC1978

Heisman
Feb 10, 2008
7,823
11,654
113
I have a few.

I worked at Time /Life when I was 18 in the photo lab in NYC. I was in the dark room working on photos of the movie The Great Gatsby. Got a knock on the door put my work in the dark draw and my boss was with Robert Redford at the door. Redford wanted to watch. boy was I nervous. After we were done he asked me out to lunch. Of course I went and we chatted about photography. I still have the signed photo of him.

While working there a ton of people walked through to see their Time cover shots and Sports Illustrated covers. Met Nixon and Ford.

One last story. I was asked to do a shoot at the Playboy Club in Chicago for People Magazine. Met Hugh and did some shots with him in a huge hot tub with 5 "bunnies". I had to tell them to keep lowering themselves or get more bubbles, if you know what I mean.
 

oldtimer67

All-Conference
Dec 19, 2006
3,606
1,618
0
In 1996 I shared an elevator, at the Baltimore Renaissance Hotel, with Mike Krzyzewski and First Lady Barbara Bush.
They were there for some event in the ballroom. I was a guest at the hotel.

Funny. I have a long list I may post later (living in Cali helps) but in the same Baltimore hotel one day I walk onto the elevator and who is already there but Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Two of the smallest people I have met.
 
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oldtimer67

All-Conference
Dec 19, 2006
3,606
1,618
0
- Sat next to OJ Simpson at Little Buddha in Las Vegas
- Sat next to Charles Barkley and Tom Tolbert at Nine Steakhouse in LV
- Ran into Big Papi, Frank Thomas and Jermaine Dye at The Palms Hotel in LV
- At the bar at Campagnola in NYC between Matt Damon and Jim Boeheim. One was shorter than I expected, one was taller.
- Mark Messier at Sparks next table
- My wife ran into Steven Seagal at Short Hills Mall - said he was a complete d-bag

One of my friends is Steven Seagal's first wife. I can't report it here, but from what she says he really is worse than a d-bag. Also know their daughters.
 

RUBOB72

All-American
Aug 5, 2004
23,385
7,924
0
Met Harry Carson and Carl Banks 27 years ago in the Paramus Park Mall . Really nice guys... no autographs but father was a season ticket holder and it was a pretty great conversation.
 

RUdude

Senior
Sep 2, 2014
1,036
679
113
Howard Cosell and Sugar Ray Leonard in 1976 after he won the Olympics, i was at Yankee Stadium in the executive suites (my dads bank had the seats that nobody wanted) and Cosell signed my cast on my broken arm...kept the cast for 10 years...Also met Joe Piscopo a few times as he is seen around Hunterdon County a lot. Sat behind Billy Crystal and the guy who hung himself in the Shower in the Officer and A Gentleman movie at the same game at Yankee Stadium...sat with Judge Reinhold at a wedding back in the 90s when folks new who he was..
 

ClassOf02v.2

Heisman
Sep 30, 2010
13,879
15,369
103
Buck Showalter when he was manager of the Yankees. My dad got me front row tickets right next to the Yankee dugout for my 14th birthday. After the game, Buck came out and handed me two things. One was the KC Royals lineup card exchanged before the game at home plate (signed by manager Hal McRae). The other was the big Yankees lineup card that hung on the wall during the game in the Yankee dugout. Still have both to this day.

Played 9 holes with Ken Daneyko at a corporate golf event. He was a good guy and very good golfer.

Maury Povich at a McDonald’s in Middletown after a little league game. He asked me how the game went. I was probably 11, but I have a weird vivid memory of it.
 

BigWill

Heisman
Jul 25, 2001
54,255
32,932
113
Sorry to spoil your fun but this is the 3rd version in the thread!

Back in the early Stone Pony days some guy with long hair would be playing his guitar and "singing" some "songs".. Asbury Park PD and also Monmouth County Prosecutors softball teams would stage their home team buffet and pitchers of beer at the Pony. State Police had several softball teams. I was on one and every time we were at the Pony everyone would yell to have the 'singer' take a long break ! Years later he was called The Boss.

Many years later Bruce would work out at my Buddy Joel's health club in Red Bank. Joel had 2 places, 1 in Belmar and the 1 in Red Bank. IIRC Joel called it the HEAR Institute.

It was in the Bruce, ripped short sleeve plaid shirt and showing some bicep 'guns' , stage of his career....

Bruce and I never drank together....
 
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rufan3860

Redshirt
Jan 16, 2009
454
43
0
One more...went to a New Years Eve party and unexpectedly had a one night stand with a very lovely older woman.

Found out months later she was a member of an 80s girl group I grew up listening to on the radio. She never mentioned word of it....

Bananarama
 

yesrutgers01

Heisman
Nov 9, 2008
122,701
38,469
113
Met Harry Carson and Carl Banks 27 years ago in the Paramus Park Mall . Really nice guys... no autographs but father was a season ticket holder and it was a pretty great conversation.
You can find Harry at the Market Basket, Franklin Lakes and Starbucks Wyckoff most weekends.
 
Oct 21, 2010
15,539
15,040
113
1 Grant Goodeve- dating a girl from westfield where I grew up. Met him at the local swimming pool. I must have been 10 or 11 at the time.
2) Jack Nicklaus- during the 1980 U.S. Open at Baltustrol he was staying at my friends house in westfield for the tournament. We were forbidden to come over during the tournament but on the night after he won we were.
3) John Stewart at Navoo in Rumson. We were all drinking at the bar together.
4) Natalie Gulbis- a few years back. I think she was playing at Hamilton Farm in a tournament. Anyhow she was walking between holes and our eyes caught. She walked over to me, took me in her arms, dipped me and kissed me passionately. I swear that’s the way it happened, I even have a signed hat to prove it. 😃
5) James Gandolfini- met him at Jersey Mike’s in pt. Pleasant early 1990’s.
6) Bruce Springsteen at the Manasquan inlet. I was with my kids and Bruce rode his motorcycle down there. He briefly talked to the kids put his helmet back on and rode off.
 

Rufaninga

All-Conference
Oct 8, 2010
3,873
4,407
0
In the late 80s when I was a n high school, I sold a set of Ping golf clubs to Jon Bon Jovi for his dad as a Christmas gift. He said his brother was giving his dad a briefcase or Christmas.
 

zappaa

Heisman
Jul 27, 2001
75,607
92,630
103
I also once ran into this super model in the city once and asked her out. She politely declined but I was proud of myself for asking.

Selfie or it didn’t happen
 
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[email protected]

All-American
Jun 24, 2001
28,586
6,762
113
I’ll define that as not just seeing a celebrity but actually exchanging words no matter how brief. I’m thinking mostly chance encounters, but “planned” ones, like going to an autograph signing count too. Oddly enough, since I’m starting this thread and I don’t have any celebrity encounters, I’ll also open it up to reliable sources you have who have related their encounter story to you. What impression were you (or your friend) left with?

Hers’s A reliable source one: one of my math teachers in high school was in the Army with Elvis Presley. He said Elvis was one of the nicest people he ever met. They were stationed in Germany and Elvis had a Cadillac shipped over and if you got a date with a local girl in town Elvis would let you use the car.

Spoke on the phone with Phil Slivers several times, trying to get him to play the lead in a screenplay I'd written about a crazy podiatrist who provides medical and psychological services at the "Free Clinic". Sent him a copy of the script and he told me "kid I know the people love me...but who's going to bank this cockamamy deal".

Also spoke Woody Allen's producer Charles Jaffe about the same screen play....with essentially the same results.
And spoke to John Ritter's agent (Robert Myman) about the Free Clinic with ...the same results.

Marty Ingels and I had several conversations about becoming the Free Clinic becoming a developmental project...to no avail.

Met Joe Morgan at No. Cal airport. He was pleasant and smiling...and acknowledged me when I said "Hey Joe".

Glenn Gondracheck (sp.) Knicks, stepped on my left foot at a Lakers- Knicks nationally televised game (we had courtside seats opposite Jack Nickelson and Michelle Phillips.

Met Karen Black, Tracy Ulman, Melissa Manchester at a New Year's eve party. Karen also stepped on my left foot.

At the same party I stopped dead in my tracks when I met Leslie Ann Warren (circa late 80's) and said "Why, you're Leslie Ann Warren..." and she said "Yes". She was HOT. My first wife and I divorced later that year...I blame Leslie for the demise of that relationship.

Lived in back of Connie Francis' house in Bloomfield...but never saw her.

Played ball (catch) with my courtside neighbor Dick Schapp. We talked a little about a lot...including civil rights and the upcoming Viet Nam War Issue (circa 1963-5).

Spoke to Tommy Davito (4 Seasons) about 7 years ago. He wanted to know why I was calling him and eventually turned me onto Joe Pecsi's attorney (I've talked about many of the encounters before).

I met Zappaa at Holsten's in Bloomfield with RutgersAL in 2018: they were both impressed! lol

And my in home meeting with Robert "Bumps" Blackwell...co writer of Good Golly Miss Molly. Bumps offered me 14 weeks in Chicago...but I was too stupid / arrogant to accept.

Was in the Mad Hatter (Chic Correa's recording studio...heard he passed today)....when guitarist David Navarro was there - who had something like 75 guitars in the hallway- never met him thou. The two studios had grand pianos that were played by Paul McCartney. The mixing board was from Jimi Hendrix's studio, Electric Lady Land.

MO
 

ouchmyknee

All-American
Nov 10, 2006
3,901
6,450
91
Selfie or it didn’t happen
Pre-cellphone times. Funny part of the story is that she was my computer’s desktop wallpaper at the time. I was working at Ford Models at the time and was heading out to lunch and saw Ana waiting at a corner to cross. I thought when would I ever have the chance to ask a Victoria’s Secret angel out so took a shot and asked her to lunch. She said she was running late to a shoot. Crazy thing is after that I had a bunch of encounters with models, including Mick Jagger’s daughter and Tom Brady’s baby mama before Gisele. That was a pretty crazy period of my life.
 
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willisneverrana43

All-American
Jul 26, 2001
11,028
6,998
113
Talked to Lefty Gomez in a hotel lobby when my team went to the Babe Ruth World Series in Nogales Arizona—very friendly. Willie Mays was there too, but seemed a bit too tired to talk to us as we followed him wide-eyed down one of the hotel hallways: “Not now boys , not now.”
 

srru86

All-Conference
Jul 25, 2001
17,883
4,203
113
1980 or 1981, I was chosen to be an extra in a Lowenbrau beer commercial filmed at the RAC.
Probably 1984 or 85 one of the big NYC ad firms is developing a new campaign for Army ROTC recruitment. I assume they said "where's the nearest ROTC outfit with a campus that looks typically college-y?" Our instructor tells us all juniors and seniors will report in our Class As on a specific date and time at the field behind Voorhees Chapel.

That day our instructor inspects us and we sign some manner of a release. Someone I assume was the director comes over and says they are looking for stock footage of cadets marching and just don't look at the camera. Our cadet leadership runs us through maybe a half an hour of drill and ceremony while the film crew does their thing.

Never show the footage. Don't know if I missed it or we hit the cutting room floor. We all got a check from the agency for a few dollars about a month later.
 
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Mr_Twister

All-American
Apr 1, 2004
15,684
5,819
0
One of my friends is Steven Seagal's first wife. I can't report it here, but from what she says he really is worse than a d-bag. Also know their daughters.
Never take as Gospel what either party in a divorce proceeding has to say.
 

zappaa

Heisman
Jul 27, 2001
75,607
92,630
103
Talked to Lefty Gomez in a hotel lobby when my team went to the Babe Ruth World Series in Nogales Arizona—very friendly. Willie Mays was there too, but seemed a bit too tired to talk to us as we followed him wide-eyed down one of the hotel hallways: “Not now boys , not now.”
Willie was tough, but he never raised his voice.
The “Kid” was what we called a lobby rat, Jim Ray Hart , Mac44 and Willie would sit on a sofa in the hotel lobby and shoot the **** with anyone who came by...he thought signing autographs was an imposition for the most part.
 
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RUBubba

All-Conference
Sep 4, 2002
4,997
2,739
113
Rode in an elevator with "The Fonz" in Tampa FL. Super nice guy, talked for a minute with him as me and bunch of guys were on our way to a baseball game in college.

Played golf with Super Bowl MVP OJ Anderson about 12 years ago. Asked him which NFL team he follows... "Sheeet... I'm a Giant! I only hold all of the Cardinal records"

Also played golf with Graig Nettles. Lot of fun. "Hitting a golf ball when people are talking is a hell of lot easier than trying to catch a pop up in Fenway with 30,000 people yelling DROP THE F_CKING BALL!"

Also sat with Micky Rivers and Bucky Dent at a dinner. No words can describe sitting with Micky for two hours. Absolute blast.

Also met Trump at his course in Bedminster before his political career... also Ivanka. She really is stunning.
 

Randal7

All-American
Jul 22, 2009
6,709
6,121
77
Got to play a round w/ Tiger Woods.

I was playing Winged Foot while Tiger was playing a practice round with Justin Thomas August of 2020. I was 2 holes behind him. Kind of felt like I was shooting on the same hoop as Michael Jordan.






When I passed their group I said, "Hey Justin, how you shooting?"

His response, "better than him"
 

Randal7

All-American
Jul 22, 2009
6,709
6,121
77
I have a few.

I worked at Time /Life when I was 18 in the photo lab in NYC. I was in the dark room working on photos of the movie The Great Gatsby. Got a knock on the door put my work in the dark draw and my boss was with Robert Redford at the door. Redford wanted to watch. boy was I nervous. After we were done he asked me out to lunch. Of course I went and we chatted about photography. I still have the signed photo of him.

While working there a ton of people walked through to see their Time cover shots and Sports Illustrated covers. Met Nixon and Ford.

One last story. I was asked to do a shoot at the Playboy Club in Chicago for People Magazine. Met Hugh and did some shots with him in a huge hot tub with 5 "bunnies". I had to tell them to keep lowering themselves or get more bubbles, if you know what I mean.

Why was Hugh and the bunnies not your lead story? :D

I forgot -- had a great chat w/ Larry Flynt (RIP) at the Venetian prior to the McGregor fight back in 2015. Nice guy; gold plated wheelchair. Looked legit.
 

knightfan7

Heisman
Jul 30, 2003
96,741
70,500
113
I worked a number of shows over the years. Got to hang out a bit and chat with Jefferson Airplane, The Turtles, Marshall Tucker, and Dave Mason twice. The coolest part was I had chatted just a little with Mason the 1st time around yet the next time a couple years later Dave came up to me and asked how I've been since the last time we talked. I mean people usually don't remember me the next day.

I had a nice talk with Ron Jaworski and a long interaction with Bob Ley. He got a kick out of me telling him I remembered when he started out in TV with Suburban Cablevision.

I also got wasted one NYE with a major former MTV personality but won't name drop,

In college I dated a former Miss Teen USA or whatever it was called back then 1st Runner Up for a short time till she realized she could do a hell of a lot better lol.
 

Racinejake

Sophomore
Sep 21, 2007
2,825
160
0
I see Paul O'Neill at Kroger about every other week. Seems like any time I go mid-week during the day he's in there.
 
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