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Posted on 10/03/2026 4:52:07 PM PDT by nickcarraway
In spring of 1975, Washington coach George Allen hatched a plan to keep his NFL team in the headlines in the dead of the offseason.A llen spread word that he was interested in signing professional wrestling behemoth Andre the Giant and developing him into a specialist at swatting field goals and extra points out of the air.
Washington quarterback Joe Theismann recalls being asked to pose for publicity photos beside Andre at a press luncheon organized by the team that July. The most famous photo features the 7-foot, more-than-400-pound wrestling icon effortlessly cradling Theisman like a toddler. Said Theismann with a laugh, "I've never been around another human being that large in my life." The way Theismann remembers it, Allen's pursuit of Andre was more marketing ploy than serious courtship. There was never a tryout, Theismann said, nor a contract offer. Andre's drawing power barnstorming the country as professional wrestling's ultimate attraction brought him far more money than he ever could have earned in those days from playing NFL football.
"George Allen was the ultimate promoter," Theismann told Yahoo Sports. "Back in the 1970s, you didn't have football 24-7-365 like you do now. When the season ended, there was a time when there was a lull, but George always wanted to find creative ways to keep the Washington Redskins' name front of mind." An idea that started as a harebrained publicity stunt half a century ago has since resurfaced as a radically unconventional strategic proposal. A former NFL assistant coach and director of football analytics posted to social media earlier this week encouraging teams to give 7-foot-7 former NBA center Tacko Fall a tryout as a field goal block specialist.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.yahoo.com ...
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Why not Brittney Griner?
Wouldn’t his body have broken up in football?
Bill Veeck went the other way.
You might need more than 7 feet.
I think it was the late 70’s where a Notre Dame player climbed up on the back of a teammate and blocked a kick.
You need somebody like USAin Bolt if you want a 7footer in goal.
I love Bill Veeck.
I am rereading his auto biography for probably the 20th time.
I wish professional sports had more like him today.
Can you imagine him owning a NASCAR team ???
I think he would have loved the Savannah Bananas.
Bill Veeck went the other way.
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Why not have a dwarf specialty team dude who was thrown up in the air to block the kick?
If only Andre had great leaping ability instead of next-to-none.
Charlie Finley wasn’t far behind in offbeat moves. In 1974 he hired world-class sprinter Herb Washington as a “designated pinch-runner” for the A’s.
If I remember correctly, the NFL doesn’t allow “catapulting”
During his youth, before pituitary gigantism overwhelmed his joints, Andre often used the dropkick in his repertoire. By 1975 any leaping was totally out of the question, but Allen's PR stunt was a fun divergence from the norm.
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