Posted on 10/10/2012 10:49:04 AM PDT by iowamark
Alex Karras, who was a star defensive lineman for the Detroit Lions in the 1960s and went on to gain other fame for his acting in Hollywood's Blazing Saddles and TV's Webster, has died, according to multiple reports.
He was 77 and had been suffering from kidney failure, as People magazine earlier reported. His death has been reported to The Associated Press by Karras' attorney, Craig Mitnick, and to USA Today by the Lions.
The Associated Press reminds us that:
"Karras became a bit of a celebrity through George Plimpton's behind-the-scenes book about what it was like to be an NFL player in the Motor City, Paper Lion: Confessions of a Second-string Quarterback. That led to Karras playing himself in the movie adaption, and it opened doors for him such as being an analyst alongside Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford on Monday Night Football.
"Karras had a well-known appearance as Mongo in the 1974 movie Blazing Saddles and was a star in the 1980s sitcom Webster. He took on another role this year as lead plaintiff in a complaint against the NFL by ex-players who claim the league didn't do enough to protect them from head injuries."
IMDB.com has cataloged Karras' acting career here. For those of us who were young and enjoyed director Mel Brooks' movies back in the '70s, his performance as Mongo in Blazing Saddles is some classic comedy. If you haven't seen his most famous moment from that movie in a while, there's a clip of it here (and, no, we're not endorsing the punching of horses).
Karras missed the 1963 NFL season. He and the Green Bay Packers' Paul Hornung "were suspended by [Commissioner] Pete Rozelle for betting on NFL games and associating with gamblers," as ESPN writes.
Update at 11:35 a.m. ET. Daughter Confirms The News:
"Tom McInerney, owner of McInerney's Woodhaven Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram and a friend of Karras since the 1950s, said he heard the news [of the death] from Karras' daughter, Katie," the Detroit News reports.
Update at 11:05 a.m. ET. A "Bull-Necked Defensive Tackle" Who Was "Ahead Of His Time As A Multimedia Personality."
The Detroit Free Press begins its appreciation of Karras with this:
"Alex Karras, a bull-necked defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions who chased NFL quarterbacks on muddy fields more than 50 years ago but was ahead of his time as a multimedia personality, died today in Los Angeles. He was 77 and had been suffering from dementia and kidney failure.
"Karras never slowed down after a 13-year NFL career — he was suspended one season for gambling — turning to an acting career he'd built in previous off-seasons. He appeared in movies, TV shows and commercials, and spent three years (1974-76) in the Monday Night Football booth, once declaring, 'I'm the bridge between Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford. I'm there to have a little fun.' "
RIP
Yes, I knew that Karras played for Iowa in the 1950s. But they only had one Rose Bowl appearance under Evashevski, maybe because the Big Ten had a "no repeat" rule for the Rose Bowl representative at that time?
Yep, there are a few people that when I heard they passed, gave me a real punch to the gut, Madeleine was one of those.
1957 Iowa 35, Org State 19
1959 Iowa 38, Cal 12
Funny. Those were the exact same three I thought of.
Sorry of the error on that, Eric in the Ozarks. But Karras only played for the first of those two Rose Bowl champions. He was a rookie for the Lions in 1958. (Just looked that up to be sure.)
Yes, but that Denver win vs. the Lions was only a pre-season exhibition and didn't really count. Prior to that, teams from the AFL had only faced the Lombardi-coached Packers in two Super Bowls and had been drubbed pretty badly. So Karros and other NFL players arrogantly assumed that any NFL team could easily beat any AFL opponent.
IIRC, there were other AFL teams who beat NFL teams that exhibition season, including the Jets beating the Giants.
But in Super Bowl III following that same season, the Jets with Joe Namath upset the Colts (missing Johnny Unitas for most of the game). That was the first AFL win over the NFL that counted. The leagues had previously agreed to merge completely the following year, so you can't really say that any one result "changed the game forever." What forced the merger was more the competitive bidding that increased the salaries for players coming out of college. Cheapskate owners didn't like it.
Wow, those names bring back memories.
Karras played Mongo, but he also memorably played the bodyguard in Victor/Victoria, a great, great movie. The scene where James Garner tells him to handle Lesley Ann Warren as she rams a pike through the door at them was hysterical.
RIP, Alex.
My father attended Iowa a few years after he got out of the Air Force, and because he was going to coach as well as get his teaching certificate, he had a Phys Ed course or two. During that time, there were only two guys dad knew of who could not climb a rope to save their butts: he and Alex Karras. Despite being rope-challenged, they both went on to their respective careers and did just fine.
Dad did not care for a lot of the other athletes who were at Iowa in those days. He and his younger brother were both veterans of the Korean War, and they would not take crap from anybody regardless of who they were (or who they thought they were)... but dad liked Alex Karras ("a fun guy... terrible at gymnastics, but a fun guy").
Mr. niteowl77
The original Blazing Saddles Cast was going to be Richard Pryor as Bart. Buy Pryor wasn't reliable due to his drug issues even though he co-wrote the movie. But he did a great job in See No Evil, Hear No Evil with Wilder and another movie they did together Silver Streak is one I remember.
Really Little was perfect for the part of Sheriff Bart. The only other actor of that era I think could have done Mongo possibly as good as Alex would have been Dan Blocker. But Blocker would not have lived through the filming.
RIP Alex Karras. You were a class act and a true individual. You could actually express yourself through coherent utterance, unlike these robotic copycats and their body art. Gee, I miss these guys. I don’t think we’ve ever had as many moronic athletes as today. They all look alike, think alike and talk the same mindless crap; all absolutely immersed in a herd mentality.
Yea I sure did thanks. I remember her in a movie with Jerry Lewis, Marty Feldman, and Pat Morita. Marty was the Nanny and Madeleine and Jerry were twin brother and sister. When apart from each other were idiots but together were genius.
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