rosey grier: needlepoint for men

I pride myself in being somewhat of a historian in every area, including sports history. The other day I learned about a man who quickly jumped into the top 10 most interesting people I’ve ever heard about: Rosey Grier.

Grier was one of the “fearsome foursome” of the Los Angeles Rams, which means he was one of the biggest guys on the team. Grier was the great-grandson of slaves in the south, and was named after the president Franklin Delano Roosevelt. His presidential connection would prove to be ironic later in life. He would be the one who wrestled the gun out of Sirhan Sirhan’s hand, the man who assassinated Robert Kennedy.

While playing football, the 6’5 300lb Grier was known to be a beast, but once he got off the gridiron, it was a different story.

To curb his fear of flying, Grier picked up a hobby that would keep him preoccupied: needlepoint. On January 1, 1973 he released “Rosey Grier’s Needlepoint for Men” thereby making it okay for the hypermasculine to sit down and needlepoint a picture of themselves on a pillow case.

Today Grier happily resides in San Diego, CA.