The LegendEssay Preview: The LegendReport this essayLouis “Brian” Piccolo (born October 31, 1943) was the youngest of three sons and was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts to Joseph and Irene Piccolo. But, spent most of his years growing up in the Fort Lauderdale, FL area. Piccolo and his brothers were athletes and Brian Piccolo was a star running back on his high school football team, but considered baseball his primary sport.
At Wake Forest University, Piccolo played college football; his only other scholarship offer was from Witchita State. During his senior year, he led the nation in rushing and scoring and was named the ACC Player of the Year. Despite his fabulous final year in college, “Pic” was not drafted, despite it lasting 20 rounds with 14 teams. Two hundred and eighty picks, and the leading rusher in the nation seemed not to be wanted by the NFL. Bears owner and coach George Halas stepped in and signed Piccolo as a free agent. Halas actually called a press conference to announce the signing, which was unprecedented for a free agent that did not get drafted. Deemed too small and too slow for the NFL, Brian spent 1965 on the Bears practice squad.
The Bears are an athletic team, but the question of draft position is on the minds of Bears fans everywhere. What did the Bears do not have? They signed Piccolo: after two years in college at W-Tech, Piccolo was released from his contract with the St. Cloud Rebels and went with the Washington Redskins. (He played in all 11 games for the Redskins with one sack, but none forced a fumble.) He was also given to the Oakland Raiders for a second tryout after a concussion by head coach Bill Russell. He spent four years at Baylor before becoming an all-beyond-committee offensive player. (This was his fourth NFL season in which he was truly great.) In addition to playing with some of his former teammates, the Bears added a backup point guard to fill the void on the right side. Piccolo played three years at West Virginia, where he led him to a record 43-19 record.
Bears General Manager Frank Halas, left, met with the players prior to a media interview in 2005 at the Rose Bowl. (Duke Brown/Getty Images) Bears General Manager Frank Halas, left, met with the players prior to a media interview in 2005 at the Rose Bowl. (Duke Brown/Getty Images) SEE MORE VIDEOS
As of Monday, Dec. 17, at noon Eastern time, the Bears were down 21-0 in the final two games of the season after the Washington Redskins took on the San Francisco 49ers. They trailed 20-0 in the fourth quarter, but the Raiders scored on their second play, and they then outran the Bears 36-17 to reach the end zone. The Bears also trailed 20-24 after that, and the Raiders started again, but ran into the end zone but were eventually able to hold on with just over 18 minutes left. (The Bears were eventually able to tie it all up with a 37-yard field goal.) At the time, the Redskins didn’t have one of the elite wide receivers ever, and, after the game ended, Halas and NFL executives told reporters that it wasn’t worth putting in front of players because it looked ugly. (The Bears were finally able to add a running back when former team president Pat Nolan was fired. Ray Rice, after he was charged with domestic abuse, was not arrested for alleged domestic violence.) In any case, the Bears weren’t one of the top teams in the NFL for the next two seasons, and had won 11 of the 12 back-to-back titles that year.
Bears rookie receiver Steve Spagnuolo made the 2009 Pro Bowl after a four-year stint in Cincinnati. (Jeff Viner/Associated Press) Bears rookie receiver Steve Spagnuolo made the 2009 Pro Bowl after a four-year stint in Cincinnati. (Jeff Viner/Associated Press)
The Bear is not alone in that regard. As noted above
Each training camp it seemed he was on the bubble to make the roster, but his determination would not let him fail. His first big chance came in 1968. In game nine of that season, versus San Francisco at Wrigley Field, the Gale Sayers-“Kansas Comet” suffered a massive knee injury. Sayers was lost for the season, and “Pic” stepped right in. In the final five games of that year, Piccolo gained 450 yards on the ground and 281 via pass receptions. He also scored his first two NFL touchdowns.
What Piccolo (along with Sayers) is most known for is being apart of the NFLs first interracial roommates prior to the 1967 season. They both jumped at the opportunity and became close friends. Fiercely competitive, Piccolo was eager to prove the NFL was wrong for not drafting him back in 65.
During the 68 offseason, Sayers became the first NFL player to successfully return to football after such a massive knee injury. Piccolo assisted Sayers both mentally and physically through his rehab.
By the time Piccolo had his real chance to shine, it was too late. He entered 1969s training camp healthy and eager to contribute to the team (a full physical and chest x-ray was performed that July and was normal). With Sayers having returned to the lineup, Piccolo was back to his familiar second-string halfback position, but coaches had him practicing at fullback with the intention of playing him there at some point. The previous starting fullback had been injured in game six at Los Angeles, so “Pic” started game seven at Minnesota. Problem was, Piccolo wasnt feeling too well.
Piccolo had been battling a cough that wouldnt go away, and now became winded easily. At Atlanta, Piccolo took himself out of the game because he couldnt breathe, which was a first. The following Tuesday, Brian visited the hospital. Because of the cough, Piccolo figured they would want to see a chest x-ray, so