Forrest Gregg: Effort, Achievement And Craft

Long before, (in what in my opinion will leave him on the “right side of history,”) Bob Costas renounced football and its inherent violence, he engaged Beano Cook in a “baseball vs football” discussion, on a short lived show, hosted by “Bengal” Bob Trumpy.

In citing baseball’s better things, stances remembered and not so, say baseball Stan Musial’s iconic one and not “the all are the same/ordinary one” of offensive tackle and football great, Jim Parker, were juxtaposed nicely, by Mr. Costas.

Linemen, especially offensive, even great ones like Parker and Forrest Gregg, who died within the last year, at age 85, are not publicized, nor that well remembered.

As cited above, I agree with Mr. Costas regarding football violence and face it as linemen do each other, blocking and tackling and all that goes on in and around the line of scrimmage is a, if not The, biggest component in that violence.

However, in a better less evident time, a professional football team (the Green Bay Packers) and its coach (Vince Lombardi) epitomized effort and great achievement.

The player, Mr. Lombardi called his greatest, among the so many such, was Forrest Gregg.

In recalling Mr. Gregg then and later when vaselene was rubbed on his face before his coached ’81 Cincinnati Bengals won the AFC crown at home, in beyond frigid conditions, better, less “visible” elements of football, resound.

Forrest Gregg, even with football as his craft, represents a time when that truly mattered. Few ever plied their craft with the determination and success of Forrest Gregg.