The only one I can remember that knew me personally and by name would be Buck Williams, when he played for the University of Maryland, while I was going there. He and my cousin went to the same high school in Rocky Mount, NC. He was a very good friend to my cousin and Mike Lewis, who played wide receiver for the University of Maryland, a year after Buck arrived at Maryland. Mike also went to high school with Buck and my cousin. Mike and my cousin played football together in high school in Rocky Mount, while Buck played for the high school basketball ball team. We already knew Buck was coming to Maryland, and we knew he was going to make it big, which he did. Anyway the three were very close. Mike started dating my sister during the summer before he came to Maryland that fall, although he already met her when we drove to Rocky Mount earlier that summer. That's how we got close to Buck. Mike still stays in touch with our family til this day. But my cousin passed away suddenly, which is still hard to believe. That happened back in 2010, while he was on his way to the DMV to see our family, and to see his son play his first college basketball game. We were the same age. Mike attended his funeral. Buck didn't make it, and I didn't really expect him too. Mike also attended my fathers' and my older brothers' funeral too. He may have even attended my other sisters funeral, but that's been 20 years ago, and I can't quite remember.
I forgot to mention I played boys club football one year with Larry Spriggs, who played with Howard University, then eventually wounded up with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he won a ring. So Larry definitely knew me by name, even while he was playing for Howard. I remember he payed our campus a visit at the University of Maryland, and we bumped into him. That's how I knew he still remembered my name, at least up til then. But since he got further into the NBA, and began playing for the Lakers, I'm not sure if he would still remember my name. But being one of the only five Blacks on that football team when we were kids, which was why I only played one year, he just might still remember my name. I remember when Larry would be late for football practice, the White coach would say to him, "Why don't you join the basketball team", which was ridicules, because it wasn't even basketball season. Therefore it was really a racist remark. although the coach wasn't mean to us. But telling Larry that, was almost like telling him to go back to the hood, and play basketball. Although we played football with White boys, we lived in the hood across the tracks.
Oh, I also met Al Sharpton, dikk Gregory, and former DC congressmen Walter Fauntroy, who was there with Dr. King and President Johnson, when the voting rights bill was signed in 1965.
I also met Paul Mooney at the Howard Theater a few years ago, when he was on the same ticket with dikk Gregory. I was there with my brother, who was terminally ill, and I was pushing his wheel chair. I still don't know how my brother made it there. Btw, Paul Mooney was his favorite comedian, as you can probably tell. Anyway, we happened to be standing right in front of where Paul Mooneys' Limo pulled up, which was in the back, near the kitchen, while my nephew and the others went to find a parking space. My brother's girlfriend, who was standing beside us, suddenly said to my brother, "Turn around, guess who's here". I turned my brother around, and It was Paul Mooney getting out of his Limo. My brother spoke to him, and introduced Paul Mooney to me, like I was the star. So I said, "Paul Mooney" shaking my head, like it was a dream...lol. Sometimes I think my brothers girlfriend set that up. But there's more to this story, and it' concerns something I still kinda have mixed feelings about. I'll probably discuss that part later in this thread.