Pro talk

ByVic Covey
Special to the Coastal Point

That’s Andy Nelson — No. 80, defensive safety for the 1958 and 1959 World Champion Baltimore Colts.

When Andy walks into the room, it is immediately obvious this guy was an athlete. Despite his 72 years, he still has a purposeful stride, a certain economy of movement and that look about his eyes that led Art Donovan to call Andy “the toughest man on the team.” Considering “the team” had some other pretty tough guys, such as Bill Pellington, “Big Daddy” Lipscomb and Bert Rechichar — that meant a ton.

Oddly, that description of Andy seems inappropriate since, in all the years I’ve known him, he has always been an affable and perfect gentleman. Andy is immensely popular at the Merritt Club, where he works out and constantly exhibits his own brand of Southern charm in conversation or when he greets you at his restaurant in Cockeysville.

Athens, Ala., is Andy’s hometown. His dad, a farmer, raised cotton for a cash crop, and cut meat for the family’s barbecue business, the “Hoggly Woggly.” Mr. Nelson was the “Q” king of Limestone County. Their family recipes were legendary and are the basis for Andy’s business today.

“My fondest memories are of the farm, working with Dad bringing in the crops, and of my Mother, brothers and sisters. We were a close family; we went to church and led a Christian life.”

Andy says it wasn’t all work.

“We played, too. Football was important in Athens. That was the only real sport,” he said.

The games were played rough-and-tumble in a cornfield every Sunday. Andy made the team in his freshman year at Athens High, but not first-string.

“Since I only weighed 115 pounds, our coach, Hal Self (later All SEC at Alabama and Florence State College), held me back until I gained some weight. In my senior year, I was the starting quarterback and defensive halfback,” he noted. “My weight was up to 150 pounds — not quite enough for a try out at Alabama, but I did get a chance at Memphis State.”

State took Andy on and promptly put him to work in the cafeteria serving food and so he could “chow down” to gain more weight. In two years, he was up to 170 pounds, just shy of the 180 pounds he carried in the NFL.

“We all played two positions at State and later in the NFL. I was starting quarterback, and defensive halfback,” he said.

And Memphis State had a really tough schedule. “We were up against Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Old Miss and Southern Miss — 6-and-4 or 5-and-5 was a good season. I actually took more of a beating in college Football than I did in the NFL,” he added.

In 1957, the Colts drafted Andy as an 11th-round pick. That was also the year that Ohio State’s Jim Parker joined the Colts. Andy had been recommended for a tryout by Kentucky coach Blanton Collier. Blanton, who was a good friend of Colts coach Weeb Eubank, was impressed by Andy’s ability on the field when underdog Memphis State played Kentucky.

Drafted as a defensive halfback, and fourth backup quarterback, behind a very youthful second-string Johnny Unitas, Andy soon made a name for himself as a fierce competitor on the field. Describing Andy, teammate Art DeCarlo said, “You have to like to hit people to play defense. Andy thrived on it.”

Andy recalled the team’s requirement that each player cover a second position. “We were limited to a 33-man roster, so each of us had to be able to play both sides — offense and defense — but that didn’t get us double pay!”

The Colts ’57 season ended on two losses, but was by all measures a good year. Johnny Unitas and Raymond Berry both came into their own in that season, as did several of the defensive lineman and linebackers. With a young, confident, skill-laden roster, the Colts were ready for the 1958 season and their date with destiny.

I asked Andy if the team believed they would win the championship in 1958.

“Yes, we did; we knew we were going to win,” he replied. Johnny, Raymond Berry, Lenny Moore and Ameche had the stuff to put up points, and the defense could hold any team in the NFL. “There was a quiet confidence in the locker room and on the field.”

But it wasn’t quiet in Memorial Stadium on 33rd Street — once described as the world’s largest outdoor insane asylum. Every Sunday the Colts were in town, the stadium was packed with screaming fans. Baltimore loved their Colts, and the Colts repaid that love with spectacular, never-to-be-forgotten football, plus back-to-back world championships.

The “greatest game ever played” took place on Dec. 28, 1958, in New York, against the Giants. In the first ever NFL “sudden death” overtime, the Colts became world champions. They won despite losing Gino Marchetti earlier in the game to a broken leg when “Big Daddy” Lipscome accidentally fell on him.

Andy recalled the locker-room atmosphere after that game: “It was kind of quiet. It didn’t sink in till the next day.” The Colts were greeted at Friendship Airport by thousands of fans. Their late-night arrival didn’t deter the delirious crowd.

“They were everywhere. The bus couldn’t get through for an hour to pick us up. I even saw a fan in a wheelchair that night. We couldn’t believe what was going on.”

The bus finally got away from the airport with a couple of guys still hanging onto the roof. The state troopers stopped the bus; Johnny got off, talked to the fans, and the team finally headed into town. It was beginning to sink in.

Virtually the same Colts team won the championship again in 1959, also against the Giants.

What was it like to be a Colts player back then?

“We had a code; you played hurt unless you were knocked out or had a leg broken. Johnny played with broken ribs wearing a brace.”

Concussions?

“They gave us smelling salts, held up some fingers for you to count, and if the number was anywhere near right, you went back into the game.”

Leadership?

“We had several informal leaders. Johnny and Gino were ‘quiet’ leaders; they led by example. Pellington was a loud leader — he was one tough guy on and off the field. … Shinnick led us in prayer before each game. No one ever used foul language around him.”

Art Donovan kept the team loose with his stories and antics. And the most admired player? “That was probably Ray Berry. He had the respect of both black and white players because of his work ethic.”

According to Andy, Lenny Moore was the single most talented player on the team. “Bert Rechichar was nicknamed “the Mystery Man,” and our prayer leader, Don Shinnick, (a linebacker) was also the guy most likely to get the signals messed up – but, funny thing, it seemed to always work out OK on the play.” The Team of Destiny.

After eight years in the NFL, 35 interceptions, and numerous broken bones, concussions and bruises, Andy hung up the cleats. He did coach for several years after retiring as a player.

But that is only the football story. Andy met his wife to be, Betty Bryan, the daughter of a Memphis lawyer and judge, while in his freshman year at Memphis State.

“Betty was my first and only love. I didn’t date much before Betty, but she was right for me.” They were married in 1953. After that, the Nelsons were busy. They had seven children: Andy Jr.; Paul; the twins, Cheri and Susan; Linda; Brett; and Leslie. Andy Jr. and Paul manage the family restaurant and catering business, while Linda is a professional recording artist specializing in blues and country music.

As for Andy’s own career outside football, the players that made the NFL — guys like Andy Nelson, Johnny Unitas, Ray Berry, Gino Marchetti, Jim Parker and Lenny Moore — didn’t enjoy the lavish salaries received by players today. They actually had to work in the off-season and after retirement from the game. Andy recalls working as many as three jobs at a time to keep things going.

After stints in the trucking business and as a partner in a carry-out store with Johnny Unitas and Bobby Boyd, Andy was invited to open a pit-beef site at Valley View Farms in Cockeysville. That opportunity led to today’s thriving “Q” business.

Andy, arguably, serves the best barbeque this side of Athens, Ala. In addition to Dad’s recipes, Betty and Andy Jr. developed signature sauces that add to the enjoyment of eating at Andy’s place. My favorites are the pulled chicken and pork Q. I just wish Andy would finally franchise the business and expand to the Eastern Shore. That would make summer at the beach a lot more tasty for all of us.

Andy Nelson — at a glance

Andy’s favorites:

Team: Actually two teams, the Ravens and the Redskins.

Player: Peyton Manning, since he most reminds Andy of Johnny Unitas.

Coach: The Redskins’ Joe Gibbs.

Favorite pastime: Working in his impressive vegetable garden.

Andy on Andy, the defensive halfback: “When I went onto the field, a kind of metamorphosis set in. I was tough and very aggressive because I knew that when I went up against a player like Mike Ditka, for example, that I was either going to take a beating or give a beating. You had to be ready to give it back. Tom Landry is a good example of that — on the field he was vicious, but off the field, you couldn’t meet a nicer guy.”

My sentiments exactly, Andy, and thank you for sharing these wonderful memories with us.

Andy Nelson’s Web site is located at www.andynelsonsbbq.com. Linda Nelson’s Web site is at: www.lindanelsonmusic.com.