One the greatest players New Orleans ever had was Rickey Jackson. He was a wild man on the football field who left many a quarterback and running back on the dirt. Topping off the Saint’s greatest season last February was the announcement that Rickey made it into the Hall of Fame. But of all people to mention in your speech, Mel Tillis!
...I started off with my hometown. So I go like this. My elementary year coming up. My coach started me playing football when I was six years old. I mean, I was in the sixth grade, Coach Rhodes. He's out there now. I started playing. I got to be 13. I realized I knew I was going to be a great football player. I always wanted to play football. What enticed me to really try to play football was you come to Pahokee, they have on the sign, Welcome to the home of Mel Tillis. He was a country singer. We had things around my hometown that you could do wrong if you choose to do wrong. I wanted my name on that sign. I tell you what, I wasn't going to do nothing to try to mess my career up to keep my name off of that sign.
So a lot of my friends, they went the wrong way. Man, I wave my hand to them because I was trying to get my name on that sign...
Rickey, man you have earned everything you've gotten. My only regret is you had to go to San Francisco to get your ring. But thank God you got the championship and may God continue to bless you.
Saints owner Tom Benson, Rickey and his bust...I don't care what the Hall of Fame says, the bust is not larger than Rickey's life!
Rickey Jackson was a legend who earned it the old fashioned way - hard work and dedication. He was also a class act. You never heard him "trash talk" other athletes. He let his stats speak for themselves. His work ethic was incredible. If memory serves, one season he missed 3 games due to an auto wreck where he had to have surgery to put a plate put in his head. The team physician had a royal fit and wanted to put him on injured reserve, but, Jackson was determined to play anyway, thus a specialized helment was made for him. Needless to say, Jackson built up a crap-load of "street cred" in the locker room (and from his opponents) for playing in that condition (his opponents were saying - "I'd hate to see how hard he hits when he's 'healthy'!!") The honor was long overdue and I hope he get's his name on the town sign ... if he don't I think it's time for me/Mike to grab a can of "krylon" and take a road trip. If we're busted, it'll be a cute story for the local media.
ReplyDeleteJerry
ReplyDelete1. Getting busted for that would be cool.
2. He missed only two games as I recall from a broken jaw...he had a custom helmet built to help him. That is a stud.
3. Now that we've gotten a real reason to go there, ROAD TRIP to the NFL Hall of Fame!
When the news first "broke", Michael Hebert (quarter-back for the Saints when Jackson was on the team) was telling the story of Rickey Jackson having Hemorroid surgery the DAY BEFORE a Saints game .... (dramatic pause for effect) ... and he suited up to play .. the ENTIRE game. Hebert's quote "I don't know about you, but, that's my defintion of TUFF".
ReplyDelete(nuff said)
Again, enough said, he is the definition of tough....and road trip!
ReplyDelete"Correction" - former QB of the Saints was "Bobby Hebert" .. not "Michael Hebert". Michael Hebert was this local in New Orleans/Metairie who sold some of the tackiest furniture on the planet. One of my wife's "favorites" there was a 6 foot dolphin lamp (i.e. = the dolphin is standing up on it's fin, mouth open, with assorted spot-lights eminating from various body parts to illuminate the room).
ReplyDeleteMy apologies to Saints fans everywhere for this momentary lapse in memory.