Asheville –
A fun bonus to covering local high school sports has been writing about encounters with many Hall of Fame athletes and covering area pro sports teams and their star opponents.
I wrote about participatory stunts. I circled at 90 mph around a slippery dirt track in Cherokee, S.C., in an exhibition auto race. The car had no windshield, lest dust cover it. Dust kept flying onto my helmet shield. I could barely see. I learned to ski — on ice. I zoomed like James Bond, minus guns blazing at me.
Of all athletes I covered in their prime, swimmer Michael Phelps stands out. He demonstrated swimming technique at a ‘Y’ in Spartanburg, S.C. in 2004, merely two months after his first of four Olympiads. He was 19. Phelps won a record 23 golds. In 1996, New Zealand swimmers trained in Hendersonville’s Patton Park pool. Danyon Loader won two golds.
Greatest Athletes
Sports Illustrated in 1999 published a list of the 25 “greatest” athletes of the 20th Century. I’ve encountered seven of the top ten, and 11 of those 25.
Boxing legend Muhammad Ali tops the SI list. I spoke with him three times in the Nineties. In Atlanta’s airport, he was alone awaiting a connecting flight. I joined him. He agreed to autograph a paper from my notepad. He motioned to hand it back to him. I complied. He ripped it up!
Was he testing me? I’m going toe-to-toe with the champ. I remained emotionless during his apparent mind game. He motioned for another paper. He slowly wrote his name again. I again acted neutral, letting him lead. He didn’t ask for that paper back. Round to Pete!
Michael Jordan is second on SI’s list. I’ve photographed him playing just before and after he first won an NBA title. I took video and photos of Jordan playing baseball versus the “G-Braves” in Greenville, S.C. in 1994.
Track Olympian Carl Lewis ranked eighth among athletes. I snapped photos from midfield as Lewis leaped in the long jump to his ninth gold medal all-time. I wrote about an imaginary 200-meter “synchronized sweat” race between fans squirming out of the crowded subway.
Golfer Jack Nicklaus was rated ninth. I interviewed “The Golden Bear” and hockey’s “Great One” — Wayne Gretzky — at the area BMW Charity Pro-Am golf tourney. The Canadian native rated first among non-Americans on SI’s list, and sixth overall.
“Splendid Splinter” Ted Williams is 13th. I interviewed him and his arch-rival, “Joltin’ Joe” Dimaggio, a month apart at card shows in Atlanta in 1991. I asked them who was the toughest pitcher they faced. Williams didn’t single one out. Normally guarded “Yankee Clipper” opened up, specifying Cleveland’s Mel Harder.
I photographed huge Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal’s first pro basketball game, in 1992. Wilt Chamberlain ranked fourth on SI’s list. I spoke with him in 1999, two weeks before he died. I’ve also interviewed Hall of Famers Julius “Dr. J” Erving, baseball pitcher Jim Palmer, QBs John Elway and Fran Tarkenton, RB Jim Brown, and WR Jerry Rice; hockey’s Bobby and Brett Hull, golfer Arnold Palmer, and NASCAR driver Mark Martin.
Feisty John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors sounded engaged by our topics. Both were still on the main tennis tour. I spoke with quiet Bjorn Borg, and Martina Navratilova. I’ve photographed Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graff playing at tennis’ 1994 U.S. Open in NYC.
NFL Stars, World Series
Team coverage is a perk. I covered Carolina Panthers football in the 2000s, wrote about the Atlanta Braves World Series in 1996 and 2021; took photos of Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup hockey in 2002, and covered NBA Charlotte Hornets and North Carolina basketball.
I took photos at two games of the World Series in 1996, John Smoltz’s career year when rookie Derek Jeter’s NYY won it all. I interviewed Smoltz. Two seasons ago, I saw the Braves beat Houston at home as they won the Series.
While covering the Panthers for the Tribune, I was right by an on-field brawl ignited by a late hit on Atlanta QB Michael Vick. I did post-game interviews with legendary quarterbacks Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, Steve Young, Drew Brees, and Brett Favre; also edgy Carolina WR Steve Smith and QB Cam Newton as a rookie in 2011.
Runaway ‘Moose’
My most dangerous moment as a photographer was on those Carolina Panthers sidelines. Muhsin “Moose” Muhammad caught a pass just before speeding out of bounds. He kept coming full-tilt right at me. Stay still and let him veer around me, I figured. But Moose at 6-2, husky and in pads, seemingly didn’t worry about smashing me.
I snapped a photo just before leaping several feet backward and to my right, to evade instant death.
Tar Heel Greats
The 1993-94 reigning national champion Heels returned big men Rasheed Wallace and Eric Montross. UNC game announcer Montross died last week from cancer at age 52. He was humble when I interviewed him post-game. I also spoke with UNC head coaches Dean Smith and later Roy Williams. The 2005-06 defending champs were led by national player of the year Antoine Jamison and leaping Vince Carter, who I photographed dunking.
Crossfire Ministry-ACC All-Star exhibitions in Asheville featured gentlemanly national players of the year Grant Hill of Duke in 1994, Wake Forest’s Tim Duncan in ’97, and Tyler Hansbrough fresh off UNC’s 2009 national title.
The N.C.-S.C. Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas showcased WRs Keenan Allen and Deandre Hopkins in ‘09; also overall first NFL pick Jadeveon Clowney from 2010.
I saw my alma mater Michigan in four CFB Rose Bowls, lastly on Jan. 1, 1998 when winning the A.P. national title. Charles Woodson intercepted Washington State’s Ryan Leaf in the end zone, and I got the shot from my seat.
I’ve covered Asheville Tourists such as base stealer Juan Pierre in 1999 and slugging 3B Nolan Arenado in 2010, “G-Brave” Jeff Francoeur in 1994, Asheville Smoke hockey, Asheville Altitude in the NBA’s “G-League,” and auto racing on the Asheville Motor Speedway until the track closed in 1999. Sweet memories!