The other day on Twitter the infamous Tuck Rule came up. If you’re a Raider fan, you are all too familiar with the Tuck Rule. During the Raiders and Patriots 2002 AFC play-off showdown, I was at the opera. Well actually I was in the lobby listening to the game on my walkman. As time wound down, Charles Woodson forced Brady to fumble, Biekert recovered and we were home free! Until we weren’t. Naturally, the referees had to conjure up a never before used rule to screw the Raiders out of their chance at glory. The aftermath had me sprawled face down on the marble floor of the Scottish Rite Temple’s lobby.
When I recently went in search of video for it, I found out that the Tuck Rule had been named the second most controversial call in NFL history. The first? You guessed it, the Immaculate Reception. This is all evidence of the Raiders biggest rivalry to date. Not a rivalry against a team they face off with once a year, but rather a crew of zebra striped mercenaries that they have to negotiate every week, the referees. Without further ado, I present to you the #1 and #2 most controversial NFL plays of all time.
Do you think the Raiders got screwed? Or is it all hype?
Chris Mullin is one of the greatest Golden State Warriors of all time, but his first couple years in the league left something to be desired. After overcoming a slow start and a bout with alcoholism however, Mullin went on to become an All-Star, a member of the gold medal winning1992 Dream Teamand a Hall-of-Famer, thus making him the NBA’s poster child of new beginnings.
This 1989 interview with legendary Lakers announcer Chick Hearn takes place during the turning point in Mullin’s career, and the year before Tim Hardaway was drafted to complete Run TMC and their subsequent string of play off appearances. His Brooklyn rogue is prominent, but it is his renewed focus, humbleness and dedication to his craft that shine through in this segment.
Props to our friends over atWarriors Worldfor digging up this gem and naming the 6’ 7” white boy as the starting 2 guard on their all-time Golden State squad.
Not only did the A's sweep the Giants this weekend, but this last week the official trailer for the movie Moneyball came out. Moneyball, which is adapted from the book by Michael Lewis, stars Brad Pitt, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jonah Hill. When the book was released it caused a little bit of a stir because it showed exactly how Billy Bean, played by Brad Pitt, tried to change the system of how you evaluate talent and how to contend with big budget teams like the Yankees and Red Sox.
Most would argue that his new ideas didn't pay off because the A's never won a World Series, but they made several play-off runs with a miniscule budget, and if you look at baseball today, you see Billy Bean's hand prints all over it. He forced organizations to think out of the box, and is a big reason why more teams employ people to break down stats on every player. Obviously this movie will not be the same as the book, they never are, but I am looking forward to an entertaining story and for my team and city to be shown on the big screen. Check out the trailer above and go support our beloved A's.
President Barack Obama awards Bill Russell with the Medal of Freedom
Oakland basketball legend Bill Russell added yet another award to his star-studded career on February 15th when he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. As the first N.B.A. player to receive this award, Russell added yet another “first” to his amazing life story that started on the streets of west Oakland.
When Bill Russell was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975, it was the culmination of one of the most improbable careers in the annals of sports. Considered by many as the greatest pro basketball player of all-time, Russell literally changed the face of the game with his shot blocking, rebounding and defensive prowess. However, in high school at McClymonds High in Oakland, Russell was cut from the J.V. team as a junior and showed little aptitude for the game until the end of his senior season according to his coach George Powles.
Yesterday’s all-star weekend hoopla centered on Blake Griffin’s showmanship in the final round of the slam-dunk contest. And though I hate to agree with bitter-ass Charles Barkley, it was an overrated dunk that was flashier than it was amazing. A 6’ 10” man-child dunking over the hood of a car? Back in the day a 5' 9" Oakland playground legend named Hook Mitchell did a 360-degree dunk over a Volkswagen. Now THAT was a dunk worthy of accolades.
Unfortunately Hook's legendary talent was lost to Oakland's streets, leaving players like Jason Kidd and Gary Payton to carry The Town's torch. Mitchell's sad story is told in a documentary entitled Hooked: The Legend of Demetrius "Hook" Mitchell. An excerpt is below.
Griffin's attempt at Hook's glory wasn’t the only homage to Oakland in this year’s dunk contest however. The Raptor’s DeMar DeRozan remixed another local classic, the East Bay Funk Dunk, originated by Isaiah “JR” Rider. Rider debuted the oft-imitated between-the-legs slam in the 1994 dunk contest. Unfortunately this rookie feat was the highlight of his NBA career, as he soon was tagged a problem player and became a journeymen who's drug habit and off-the-court problems overshadowed his talent.
It’s sad that two local hoop icons have longer rap sheets than stat sheets, but that’s the nature of life for many in Oakland, CA. JR at least made it to the show, but Hook never got his shot. Renowned by many as better than both Jason Kidd and Gary Payton, his addiction to drugs and penchant for crime has left him in dire straits. While we can’t celebrate the successes of these two men, it’s good to see that their legends and legacies are still alive today thanks to players like DeMar DeRozan and Blake Griffin.
Bonus: Here is "Funk In The Trunk," Rider's contribution to a 1994 NBA mixtape entitled B-Ball's Hidden Secrets. It's light on the lyricism, but heavy on the shit that would eventually get him caught up. Talking about smoking weed on an NBA mixtape? Good job JR. smh.
Marshawn Lynch sits down with Greg Papa for an episode of Chronicle Live on CSN to discuss his 67 yard touchdown vs. The Saints. We've written in detail about the famous romp before, but one thing we left out is that the jubilation following the run actually caused a mini-earthquake–the first seismic activity ever to be credited to roaring fans. Check out Marshawn's thoughts on his epic stiff-arm and this past season above, and then watch 38thnotes exclusive interview with him HERE.
Marshawn Lynch has had a tough season. There are no two ways about it. He moved from Buffalo to Seattle, but unfortunately saw little improvement in his offensive line despite the move. Still, it doesn't quite explain his drop off in production. And then Saturday happened. On Saturday, the Oakland Tech high school graduate shook off the cob webs and broke out his signature Beast Mode to romp for a game-sealing 67 yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter against the world champion New Orleans Saints.
To say it was a great run would be an understatement. He broke in excess of half a dozen tackles en route to the end zone, saving a particularly savage stiff-arm/push for Tracy Porter that screamed "GET OFFA ME!" It is a clip that I have now watched about 30 times, that the Pacific Northwest will hold up as a holy grail of sorts, and football fans the world over will remember as one of the greatest runs in football playoff history.
There is no denying the improbability of that run, or the odds-defying win it helped create. I for one am curious to see how many babies born in Seattle in the next week will be named Marshawn, because "the worst team to ever make the playoffs" has all the juice now! If ever there was an underdog story, this is it. Hopefully that break out run is the spark Marshawn and the Seahawks need to give folks a serious run for their money in the coming weeks. All I know is that without Oak-Town, Sea-Town could easily be home in bed right now.
Earlier this summer WarriorsWorld, the official Warriors blog, caught up with Oakland native Leon Powe who was in town putting on his 4th annual basketball camp for kids in the community. Here he talks about his knee injury, Lebron leaving the Cavs, what Oakland means to him, and what he thinks about the Warriors.
Leon has always been the hard-nosed epitome of Oakland, leading 38thNotes to head up a push to bring him home last summer. Overcoming his tough background and continuing to overcome his personal injuries, he has become a role model for our whole city. He never quits and maintains a great attitude while traversing his hardships. Keep it up Leon and good luck this year.
Bonus Video: Leon does a quick interview for The Daily Cal while he was rehabbing his knee. I guess I will have to check out Gypsy's when I'm in Berkeley. Enjoi
After a little bit of a wait, here is the second part of 38thNotes interview with Marshawn Lynch of the Buffalo Bills and Josh Johnson of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If you didn't check out the first part then I suggest you check that out first. Marshawn has had a solid start to the season and seems to be getting stronger as the year goes on. Josh is the back up quarterback on a surprising Tampa Bay team and is always one play away from getting in the game.
In the second part of the interview they speak about how Oakland has prepared them for the NFL, their response to the Oscar Grant murder, and there favorite rappers from the bay. Shout out to both of them for sitting down with us and 38thNotes hopes their seasons only get better. Enjoi
Tupac Shakur was gunned down in Las Vegas 14 years ago yesterday. He would go on to die six days later. Much has been written about the man, the myth and the martyr, but somehow we continue to uncover new angles. For the latest installment of ESPN's amazing 30 for 30 series, they highlight the relationship between 2Pac and Mike Tyson as their careers rose and fall in near unison.
The special features interviews with Mike Tyson, Micky Rourke, Michael Eric Dyson, Suge Knight, Maya Angelou, Afeni Shakur and others as they piece together the two icons' stories through their fragmented relationship. The interviews, comic book graphics, spoken word, stories and insight frame their parallel journeys to dramatic effect. I definitely learned a bit more about Iron Mike, and is the case with most things that involve Pac, felt chills throughout.
Time still hasn't evaporated the sadness I feel for the loss of the enigmatic ghetto sage at such a young age. Rest in Peace Pac.
A few weeks ago I got a chance to sit down with Marshawn Lynch of the Buffalo Bills and Josh Johnson of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at their 4th annual Fam First football camp at Oakland Tech high school. The former Bulldogs have moved on to the NFL but return to their roots each year to help mentor and invest in the next generation of local athletes coming out of the Bay Area.
In part 1 of our interview they share thoughts on giving back to the community and the state of their careers going into this coming season. Their words are wise as they reflect on the importance of community uplift– something that Oakland is known for, but that our athletes rarely engage in.
Granted, some pro athletes who end up with our local teams do little team-sponsored clinics or clean-ups, but it’s clear that Josh and Marshawn are invested in a much more personal and passionate way.This year, they brought out a variety of pro and college athletes to coach the 600 youth that assembled at their alma mater to learn and have fun. Shout out to Josh and Marshawn for giving back to The Town.
"I was paid to hit, the harder the better. And I hit, and I knocked people down and knocked people out." -Jack Tatum
Jack Tatum embodied this quote and more. One of the fiercest hitters to ever play the game, Jack Tatum (aka The Assassin) passed away a couple days ago after suffering a heart attack. Tatum was the epitome of an old school Raider- ferocious, hard-nosed, and obsessed with winning. His play was a big part of the reason why the Raider teams of the 1960s and 70s were as hard-nosed as the city they represented. Tatum, along side George "The Hitman" Atkinson, Skip "Dr. Death" Thomas and "Old Man" Willie Brown, comprised "The Soul Patrol," one of the best and most feared secondaries to ever play the game.
If you caught a pass over the middle, you could count on Jack Tatum gunning for your head as soon as the ball hit your hands. As a result, some of the nastiest hits in the history of football were perpetrated by Jack Tatum. In Super Bowl XI, he demolished the Minnesota Viking's Sammy White after he caught a pass across the middle, sending his chin strap flying one direction and his helmet another. That hit epitomized his menacing presence, but it was the punishment he layed on Darryl Stingley that weighs the heaviest. That collision left Stingley paralyzed, changing both of their lives forever.
He has been painted as a villain and a criminal, as many of those Raiders teams were, but the majority of his hits were legal (at the time at least). Tatum can be criticized, but his approach was simple; to drive through his targets so that they felt the pain the rest of the game. That approach is actually just textbook football with some added ferocity– a mentality some current Raiders should adopt.
He stuck around the Bay Area after his playing career and continued to help younger Raiders who played after him. Our thoughts go out to his family, friends and The Raider Nation.
Rest In Peace Jack The Assassin– A real Raider In Paradise
Last weekend 38thNotes.com took to the fields of Oakland to check out open try outs for the movie Money Ball. If you aren't familiar, Money Ball was the best selling book by Michael Lewis that covered how Oakland A's General Manager Billy Beane was able to assemble several play off teams on a shoe string budget in the early 2000s. He did this by signing players that excelled in undervalued sabermetric categories like on base percentage and slugging percentage. The A's don't have big money, so Beane was forced to make due, and challenged the whole manner in which baseball talent is assessed and valued in the process.
The movie adaptation stars Brad Pitt as Billy Beane, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jonah Hill and a host of actual players from the century's early Athletics' teams. In the footage below, 38thNotes joins a crop of ball players, cum aspiring actors, as they duke it out for supporting roles in the feature film.
The question that has been connected to all our Oakland teams the past few years is "What will they do?" This hasn't been more true then with the Warriors and the NBA Draft. In the past 10 years the Warriors have been one of the most inconsistent drafting teams in the league. One year drafting the likes of Jason Richardson, Gilbert Arenas, and Troy Murphy and then a few years later cause Warriors fans to scratch their heads by drafting undersized big man Ike Diogu. C'mon Warriors Sean May was still available, get it together. If your a Warriors fan it comes with the territory.
It appears as if history will repeat it self this year. Especially since they drafted future All-Star Stephen Curry last year, their due for a terrible draft. A combination of a relatively weak draft, an unproven General Manager, and an Owner who is ready to make as much quick money as possible before he leaves only makes matters worse. The latest consensus from insiders, whatever that means, is that the Warriors will use their pick to draft Ekpe Udoh out of Baylor. If this is the case I am torn between being excited and proclaiming this another use less draft. On one hand Udoh would provide some much needed defensive presence, something that has been lacking since Manute Bol (R.I.P) graced us with his shot blocking. But on the other hand he is built in the same mold as Anthony Randolph and Brandon Wright. One of the rumors to why the Warriors love him so much is because he showed up to his workout in a suit. You want to draft a guy because he wore a suit? Maybe they want a guy who has the proper atire to wear for when he gets injured, as all Warriors do.
But once again you just never know with our beloved Warriors. There are also rumors going around that our whole roster is up for grabs with the exception of Stephen Curry, who we had the pleasure of interviewing earlier this year. GM Larry Riley already shipped out Corey Maggette yesterday in return for two unknown/potential role players. Ultimately it was a move in order to free up cap space. Maggette will be one of those players we will wish we had back in the middle of the season because of the effort he gave and his consistent scoring, but he had 3 years and 30+ Mil. left on his contract, so have fun spending you money in Milwaukee Mr. Maggette.
Damn, I started out this post just on the draft, but while I'm at it I guess I should touch on all the crazy Warriors news that's been going on. The new logo has been unveiled and it seems that the fans like it. Of course anything would have been better then the horrible orange, blue, and gold we had, to go along with Thunder. Poor Thunder is out of a job and I'm sure that it will be hard to get hired when a regular job see's that on his resume. The Cohan regime finally managed to do something right. They were able to use the popular "The City" uniforms as a reference, but still made them feel fresh and new
And finally the Warriors have not been sold yet. Oracle CEO Ellison is still in the front of the pack, but Chris Cohan might try to screw us one more time and sell us to some random owner who doesn't want to see us succeed. Either way I would not be surprised.
Bonus: This draft also gives us a chance to root for some of our hometown boys who might get drafted. Omah Samhan, who took our local St. Mary's Gaels on an impressive run in the NCAA Tournament should get drafted in the second round sometime. If not, he has practiced his media skills during the NBA playoffs, appearing with Larry Beil a few times on the local post game show. Check out the charismatic and funny big man's interview after his recent workout with the Warriors.
Another local product who could surprise a few people is Jeremy Lin who played at Harvard. Originally from Palo Alto, Lin has had a hard time earning respect because of his Asian-American decent, but could very well break that stereotype tomorrow night. Here is his interview with the Warriors.
Youth UpRising (YU), the state-of-the-art youth center next to Castlemont High School, has recently opened a skatepark on the premises, presumably deep East Oakland's first. The new outdoor digs adds yet another dimension to an already existing slew of amenities. Equipped with recording studios, film editing suites, job services, a health center, cafe, dance studio and amphitheater, YU epitomizes everything youth centers should look like and provide.
Now with a skate park, the center will hopefully attract a more diverse population of youth to the center, while also turning members of their core community on to a new activity.
As a founding member of YU, it's existence and evolution always makes me proud. As a high school student it seemed improbable that something of such scale was really going to be born into an old Safeway on 88th and MacArthur. But, it was not only born, it has grown too! Just last week in fact, YU celebrated its 5th anniversary in grandiose fashion.
Executive Directors, MacArthur geniuses, judges, politicians, founders, funders, families, rappers, dancers, organizers artists and youth were all there to toast the success of the center. Such a well-rounded turnout demonstrates what a gathering place it is thanks to the work of the great staff and the grind of the hardest working hustler in Oakland, Executive Director Olis Simmons.
Now we'll add some skaters to that stew. How appropriate for a place so used to the grind.
And I'd also like to give a shout out toYouth UpRising for their award winning film, "Youth Jail Chronicles." The documentary notes how rampant incarceration is in our communities by talking to local youth who have spent time locked up. It's definitely depressing, but they crown the experience by sharing advice on what others can do to avoid their fate. It's sad that Oakland youth often know the prison industrial complex so intimately, but it's also sad that we more often read about these young people than listen to them. Here is our chance to start.
Our local blogger compatriots over at Warriors World have graced us with another great interview, this time with R&Bay sensation R.O.D. 38thNotes hosted an exclusive interview with him awhile back, but this interview, with the always beautiful Lucena Herrera, is of better quality.
R.O.D. has been on the grind for 10+ years, dating back to his rapping days, and has finally achievedlocal "success." 38thNotes respects that grind and gives big props for the hustle and love that R.O.D. puts into his music. Stay tuned for his album The Many Contradictions of Love Vol.1 coming in late July.
We have also been slackin on posting other WarriorsWorld interviews with the likes of local boxer and Olympic Gold Medal winner Andre Ward, and comedians Anjelah Johnson and Kevin Hart. Enjoi!
There is so much to talk about, but to start, Ice Cube's documentary Straight Outta LA will be premiering tonight at 8pm on ESPN. The documentary chronicles the impact that the Raiders had on N.W.A. and the overall culture of LA while the team was there.
Cube, a life long Raider fan, sheds light on how N.W.A. transformed the Raiders logo into a global brand, and how the city of LA connected to the bad boys of the NFL. One of the highlights of the video is Ice Cube's sit down interview with our geriatric owner, Al Davis, who rarely grants one-on-one interviews. Check out the documentary below, as well as an interview he did with the AP for the movie a little farther down.
Given that Al Davis looks like a cross between the Crypt Keeper and The Bruce's deteriorating father from Brave Heart, that the Raiders got rid of Jamarcus Muscle and that we had a good draft, could it be that Al Davis has finally died and someone else is running the team? Think about it. Have you ever seen The Raiders make this many sensible moves in the course of a couple weeks? Al Davis has done a lot of great things for the Raiders in his career, but recently he has only run our team into the ground.
Is a Super Bowl title in the cards for this year? I think so, but that's because I have said that every year since Coolhand got a full Raiders uniform for Christmas (unfortunately, I got stuck with the 49ers uniform. Thankfully that didn't last long). Realistically it's not going to happen, but the fact that the Raiders are starting to get better and finally cut Muscle Head aka Sir Syrup aka Jamarcus the Jeweler, is a huge heavy step in the right direction. Lets face it, the kid couldn't hit Al Davis if he was walking across the field with his walker.
And as I have said before, if he would have had a decent personality and attitude he would still be on the Raiders because lets face it, we didn't give him much to work with. We had a sub-par offensive line, young/injured receivers, and a trio of running backs that didn't do their job. BUT Russell chose to say that he always thought he was doing a good job and wouldn't take any blame himself, so the fans turned on him and now he has been enveloped by the black hole.
He is probably in the same place he was before he got cut...the club with a Styrofoam cup of Sprite and Robitussin in his hand. So, to your departure, we all raise our glasses of our cough syrup of choice and bid you farewell. I am sure Darren McFadden and Darrius Heyward-Bey are shaking in their cleats now because they are the next players who will feel the wrath of the toughest football fans in the country.
It looks as if the sun might be starting to shine on the Raiders a bit, especially with the wall of Russell knocked down. Jason Campbell will be an improvement at QB over the cast of characters we had last season, and our first pick of the draft this year, Rolando McClain, has a good chance of being the real deal at linebacker. I realize we are talking about the Raiders and Al Davis, so you never know what they will do to screw things up, but this is certainly a start back up the mountain of excellence.
Let us know what you think of the recent transactions by the Dark Side or the best Jamarcus Russle jokes you can conjur up.
The show "Home Turf" appears to be a locally focused telecast that showcases the issues of young people. The show is hosted by Dominique and accompanied by a cheesy 80s hip-hop sound and aesthetic, but this particular story is really dope.
Greg Liggins was a renowned BMX racer from Hayward who amassed a large number of titles and sponsors over the course of his racing career. However, when his sponsor announced a trip to apartheid South Africa, Liggins objected and refused, and as a result, was dropped by his sponsor and black balled from racing. We often hear of high profile examples like Hollywood's McCarthy era black lists, but things of this nature happen all the time.
I have no idea where Greg Liggins is now, but I'm glad he took a stand for what he believed in, and hope it hasn't crippled his life too much.
A few weeks ago 38thNotes had the pleasure of hooking up with the starting Point Guard for the Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curry. If you pay attention to college basketball or the NBA then his name is very familiar, and for those of you who are scratching your heads right now, go do some research.
One of the very few bright spots this year for the struggling Warriors, he finished the season with an amazing game scoring 42 pts. to go along with 9 rebounds and 8 assists. Although he had some tough games, he was one of the most consistent players on the team and has my home vote for Rookie of the Year, for the little bit that its worth.
In this short interview we covered everything from his favorite spots in the Bay to the "I Love College" remix he made while attending Davidson. One of his comments that caught my attention the most were his plans to host a Oakland high school basketball tournament next year. At certain points the audio is a little shitty and I got distracted because we were watching one of the NCAA tournament games, so my apologies.
Be on the lookout for more exclusive 38thNotes's interviews coming soon and please LEAVE SOME LOVE!! Big shout out to Warriors World for the connect.
With the conclusion of the much anticipated 2010 Masters Tournament, 38th Notes believes it’s a good time to review the life of Oakland’s own ‘Champagne’ Tony Lema. Lema was one of golf’s best and most colorful pros of the 1960’s before his tragic death in 1966. ‘Champagne’ Tony played in four Masters Tournaments, including the thrilling 1963 tournament where he dueled the legendary Jack Nicklaus down to the last hole.
The opening line of a Sports Illustrated story on Tony Lema in 1995 said it all,
“The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews and “Champagne” Tony Lema from the streets of Oakland made for a most improbable pairing at the British Open in 1964.”
There are few “rags to riches” golf stories that can match that of “Champagne” Tony. He learned the game of golf as a caddie and player on the links of Oakland’s Lake Chabot Municipal Golf Course. He learned the game of life on the streets of east Oakland, growing up on 92nd and 105th avenues “on the other side of the tracks,” as Tony once described his home on 92nd Ave next to the train tracks that ran along what is now Bancroft Avenue. Lema attended E. Morris Cox Elementary and St. Bernard Catholic schools as a young child.
Then Lema’s father Anthony, 37 years old and working for the WPA, died from pneumonia when Tony was three years old and his mother Clotilda worked hard to support her four kids. Tony had a few run-ins with the law and with the nuns at St. Elizabeth High School growing up. He would sometimes cut class to go play golf. John Brodie, another Oakland youngster who later went on to an All-Pro career as a quarterback with the 49ers, caddied and golfed with Lema, said of him, “Tony was a tough kid. You had to be growing up in Oakland.”
When most Oakland kids his age gravitated to baseball, football or basketball, Lema came to golf for economic reasons. Attempting to help his family financially, Tony started caddying at Lake Chabot and club pro Dick Fry noticed him and gave him golf shoes and instruction.
Soon Lema was balancing his life between school, golf and working at the Gerber’s Baby Food factory in east Oakland. He took to the game immediately and, with the help of local Black golf coach Lucius Bateman, won the Oakland City Amateur Golf Championship by the time he was 18 years old. After a stint in the Marine Corps, he landed a job as an assistant pro at the San Francisco Golf Club where he learned the refinements of the game while observing and playing with the many talented players there. It was the break of a lifetime. He joined the pro tour in 1957 but after a solid rookie year in 1958, had some rough years and was in heavy debt to his sponsor. It was in 1962 during the Orange County Open that Lema’s luck changed and he earned his famous nickname.
During the Open, he blurted out to a group of sportswriters with whom he was drinking beer, “If I win this thing, guys, it’ll be champagne all around, not beers, tomorrow.” He won, his first big win on the pro tour, and the champagne flowed and from then on, he was known as “Champagne” Tony. His career skyrocketed as he finished one stroke behind the legendary Jack Nicklaus at the Masters in 1963 and played on the United States winning Ryder Cup team. In 1964 he won the championships of the World Series of Golf, the Crosby National Pro Am, the Thunderbird Classic, Cleveland, Buick and British Opens. In 1965 he was second only to Nicklaus in earnings and again participated on America’s winning Ryder Cup team.
In the years between 1962 and 1966 Lema won an incredible 12 PGA tour events, finished second 11 times and third 4 times. The money and the champagne were flowing and Lema was golf’s media darling. It all ended suddenly and tragically on July 24th, 1966. Lema and his wife were flying from Akron, Ohio to Chicago to play in the Lincolnshire Open. Unbelievably, the plane ran out of fuel and crashed just short of the green on the 165-yard, par 3, 7th hole of a golf course in Lansing, Illinois, killing Tony, his wife and the pilots. The funeral of Champagne Tony Lema and his wife Betty was held in St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in the Fruitvale neighborhood of east Oakland, his old stomping grounds, before an overflow crowd of mourners.
Because we tend to forget our local history, let’s all toast ‘Champagne’ Tony Lema as we watch him in interview and action below. Enjoi
Local Legends is a series written by guest contributor Paul Brekke-Miesner that highlights Oakland's many sports luminaries. These profiles are excerpts from a forthcoming book that will highlight the many Oakland natives to emerge succesful in the sporting world. This is the first installment of the series, but there will be more to come!
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