I am talking about celebrities that helped form the way I view things.
1. Clint Eastwood.
Nobody helped me form the way I carried myself in my early days more than Clint Eastwood. I was a nerd and a nobody in school.
At home, I watched Clint Eastwood movies such as Dirty Harry, Fistful of Dollars and everything else he made. I started to try and talk and act like Clint Eastwood. Suddenly, some kids in my class started to notice that I wasn't such a bad guy after all, that I was actually kind of cool. I did my Eastwood impersonations and my Eastwood one liners all the time.
Eastwood will be the only celebrity that will make me cry when the end comes for him.
2. John Wayne
Kind of goes without saying that a man my age would idolize John Wayne. I liked the way he walked and I liked the way he talked and behaving comparably goes a long way in overcoming obstacles in life. Actors like the Duke and Eastwood helped me in a very bad time of my life where I was too shy to talk to anyone and I just wanted to have friends.
3. Tom Landry.
We came from the same town. He played football at my favorite college, and he coached my favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys. I am no longer a Cowboy fan, but I will always love, admire and idolize the man that Tom Landry was. He was America's coach back when the Cowboys were America's team. He was my coach even though I never made it past high school and was not good even there.
He had a huge impact on my life because I saw how a man should carry himself both on and off the field. Tom Landry was class all the way around.
4. John Fogerty
Favorite musician ever. I do love a lot of musicians, but Fogerty was in my favorite band when I was growing up and I still love them and him to this day.
I have a lot of fond memories listening to Credence Clearwater Revival growing up. One of the biggest memories is being a young kid in Weslaco, Texas and going to the Methodist Church Coffee House which was set up for teens to go as an alternative to other obvious options. Girls were everywhere and I was really too shy to say a word to them. But, CCR was always playing in the background and sometimes even to this day listening to certain songs takes me back.
Fogerty was cool and was not what a lot of other rock stars were of the day. You can be cool without going over the dark side.
5. Mike Ditka
This guy wrote the book on tough. Don't believe it? Go watch some videos of when he played TE for the Chicago Bears. Not many guys could tackle Ditka one on one. He was a Tight End and he ran like a Full Back. The guy was hard nosed as a player and again as a coach. Ditka refused to be tackled and put up a fight on every play.
Tough is what I wanted to be and Ditka was the perfect example of tough.
6. Muhammad Ali
I was not an Ali fan. I liked Joe Frazier and I liked George Foreman. But, I hate to admit it but Ali had a strong influence on my life in a lot of ways. You can learn anything from anybody, but Ali had a style that was all his own. Many have tried to copy and I must admit that I have done my fair share of mimicking Ali.
I was not a boxer, but the way he carried himself outside the ring was a pretty big influence on many people and I was one as well.
7. Jim Brown
I consider Jim Brown the best football player of all time. He was great on the field and he was great off of the field. I love football and this guy played the way it should be played.
Big thing about Jim Brown, he got out while things were still good. Only one other guy that I can think of did that and that was Barry Sanders.
Be your best while you are your best and then get out while you are the best. We all could learn a lesson from that. All memories of Brown are at his best, not as a washed up has been. He held the rushing record for many years and could have put it out of reach if he had stayed in the game. I, for one, admire him more for getting out while he was at his best. He is also a very reasonable and wise man off of the field.
8. Paul Newman
Paul Newman was cool. He was the picture of cool. If you want to be cool, just smile like Newman.
What I liked about Newman was that when he met his true love he stuck with her the rest of his life. That is rare. He was a very handsome rascal and could have had his pick of the ladies, I am sure. He chose to stick around and be faithful. Very admirable and I have patterned myself after that.
Also, love how he came out with his own food products and gave the money to charity. This was a guy one could model their life after and could led a good and fruitful life.
