Roosevelt “Rosey” Grier is the quintessential gentle giant*. He is a distinguished man with a ready smile who just happens to be the size of a refrigerator. In the 1970’s, that crazy time of breaking down barriers and changing expectations, Rosey became widely known for his fantastic needlework and his crochet. He also knits and does macrame and probably everything else that you can do with yarn.
Most people who were not NFL quarterbacks between the years of 1955 and 1967 would be happy to meet him. But if you were a quarterback during those years then he is probably not your favorite person. Rosey Grier is one of the best defense tackles to ever play the game. He played first for the New York Giants and he was really good. Then he played for the Los Angeles Rams (the Rams were in LA back then) and he was awesome. While with the Rams, he was part of the best defensive line in history. That line was called The Fearsome Foursome. It was the first Fearsome Foursome defensive line (there have been a few others given the title since) and widely recognized as the best. When Rosey got hurt in 1967 and left the game, the Rams went from being in the championships to being perennial playoff contenders.
Rosey was a superstar player who couldn’t play anymore. That’s when he took up crafting. Check out this short (2:08) interview from 1973 where Rosey shows off his needlepoint. (Made available by Dick Clark Productions and the original video link is here.)
He even published his own book of patterns, Rosey Grier’s Needlepoint for Men.
Needlepoint is his main thing. He has made beautiful pieces with fingers the size of sausages. It seems like crochet is his second favorite thing but he obviously does it all. In Girlie Men for Prostate Cancer Prevention he sits around with a bunch a guys, including Vida Blue, and knits.
But before he became a famous crafter, Rosey Grier did something amazing that the world can’t be allowed to forget. About a month before he was injured and had to leave football, Rosey was acting as a bodyguard for Robert Kennedy and his family. It was the off-season and Rosey was guarding Ethel Kennedy who was pregnant at the time. He was with her, helping her off the stage, on the night Robert Kennedy was shot.
When he heard the gunshots he ran towards them, towards the kitchen. He found several men struggling with the assassin, Sirhan Sirhan. Rosey reached into that dog pile, pulled the gun out of Sirhan’s hand, and put the gun in his pocket. Then he grabbed the man’s leg and tossed him onto a table where he held him down while fending off a swarming crowd that wanted to beat Sirhan to death.
That’s a true story and you can read the full account published by AARP.
So…
Last week I was wearing my Granny Square Poncho and a friend liked it. He asked if he could try it on. I said yes. Of course I said yes.
“Oh look, its Rosey Grier!”, I shouted.
He said “Who?”
…
Which is why I now have this post. We are not going to be forgetting Rosey Grier. Not if I can help it.
*When I started putting this article together I came across news articles from April 2014 stating that Rosey Grier had been accused of sexual assault. I was floored. I nearly dropped the idea of this post entirely but in the end I decided to stay with it. Here is why:
- We are innocent until proven otherwise.
- The reported details of the incident are a little… strange.
- In the 16 months since it was reported, there has been no follow up in any media that I could find anywhere. I can’t even figure out is the suit is active or dropped.
- There only seems to be a civil suit. The woman making the accusations has not filed criminal charges. She is suing for damages and compensation.
- Prior to this incident Mr. Grier went 81 years without a breath of scandal during which he entertained millions. helped kids, openly battled depression, and set up a Christian ministry. And let’s not forget, this is a man who once took a deadly weapon away from an assassin and then defended that assassin from an angry mob. That is a genuinely heroic and Christian act.
So I’m going with this post. If and when he is shown to have committed a sexual assault, I’ll take it down. Until then, it stays.
Very, very cool. I had never heard of him and he does needlework just like my Sister-In-Law does! (I use hoops, I ALWAYS use hoops). Thank you for the lesson
Happy to! I LOVED writing this post. I know it will make my mom happy (and that's always a charge) but mostly I just feel good telling the story of such a wonderful and brave man. I'm telling ya, today I just can't stop smiling.
Yes innocent until guilty. One can be a hero, kind in heart, and a humanitarian yet that does not exclude from them the capacity to do evil. I am glad you stuck with this article. He is a phenomenal man.
Yes he is. Thanks!
I remember him and his needle work is lovely.
Thanks for the reminder.
Happy too. Can you imagine doing needle point with those huge hands of his? I wonder how he threads s needle....
Yes I do remember him! I watched him play footbal and saw several interviews he did with his needlepoint. I Didn't know he also did all the other ctafts. I also didn't know he was there when Robert Kennedy was shot. He was a phenomenal man. I really appreciate your being open minded and posting this despite the allegation. Thanks fot the memories!
Thanks for the support. I know the world is a pretty dark place and terrible accusations as easy to believe. I do hope it isn't true, for all party's sakes.
And his old interviews are so adorable. Such a contrast to the man who wore a football jersey and terrorized offenses everywhere.
Excellent article! I had heard of him, but since I don't follow football stars I didn't know his story. Thanks for filling us in and standing up for him.
You are very welcome and thanks for the support!
I didn't know the Robert Kennedy story, but can well believe it. I can add to his story: I was on my way to a spinning conference somewhere, and as was my usual, I had my Louet "cat box" wheel, and was spinning away, answering the occasional question. After a bit, I sensed a disturbance at the other end of the row. I looked up to see Rosie Grier calmly doing needlepoint, while a crowd gathered. I stopped and gaped, because I'm a)a Rosie Grier fan, b) a football fanatic (a previous set of felines were Franco and Bubba) He just looked up, smiled, and nodded. I could have gotten to the conference without the plane on that smile!
That must have been an experience and I would have been flying high on that smile too.
Franco and Bubba are great kitty names, btw. I can totally get behind naming cats after ferocious football players. When I was little I wanted to grow up to be Bubba Smith. I thought Bubba was the second most intimidating guy in the whole world. The first most intimidating guy was Darth Vader. Of course.
I've often wanted to name several of the furry things in my life (not the dust rabbits) a collection of Brett, Franco, Reggie, Bubba, The Bus, Bradshaw, Howie....the biggest problem is trying to figure names for the girls!
I love your story even if you are a Steeler fan. That's a big concession for a Texan.
Great story!! Thanks for sharing it with us!!
You are most welcome! So glad you liked it.