We don't always note the passing of athletes, but Chester McGlockton's dying of an apparent heart attack at 42 touched us on many levels. First off, he did play at Clemson, and he was only 2 years younger than I am. But, the most important part is that we actually met him..
In fact, he came to my apartment once. For those of you who don't know our life history, I spent my first two years of college at East Carolina. Sophomore year was spent at a townhouse with three guys from Whiteville, NC - and their three girlfriends, all from 'Whatville' as well... So, having group parties filled with people from Bulldog country was pretty common. Whiteville was a small 2-A school in Columbus County, but they produced a nice crop of jocks: Patrick Lennon was the first overall draft pick in the 1986 baseball draft. Actually, he was a customer of mine up here. The NC tags gave them away. There also was Tommy Greene, who eventually pitched a no-hitter and made it to 1993 World Series for the Phillies. Chet, as he was called, just won the state titel, and was on his way to Clemson..
Usually, everyone tells stories about how this guy is going to make the pros, but it their cases it was true. Chet was a mountain of a guy, even at that age. Back then, he played tight end, but it was his size and speed that would get him to the NFL. He was a 4-time Pro Bowler - one of the best at his position- and last was an assistant coach at Stanford...
We won't get into the discussion of whether NFL players are threatening their future health by doing what they need to make it there today. For today, we'll just remember him for what he did on the field, and by all acounts of people we know well, was a great guy...
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1 comment:
I sometimes wonder if the fame and fortune - which is often shortlived - is worth it. So many of these guys die long before their non-athlete peers.
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