A Tribute To Acts Of Selflessness And Greatness

I went to bed last night all geared up to write an article that I felt must be written today. I woke up this morning to find there was something more important to be said and the original article could wait a day. The reason is pure and simple. There is not enough said about the acts of extreme acts of kindness performed by individuals who shun the limelight.

An example of opposites attracting.

This by all accounts is a story of two men who would be considered polar opposites. Former NFL football player Conrad Dobler and current pro golf champion Phil Mickelson. On the suface there is little that connects the men. Conrad Dobler a man once dubbed “The NFL’s Dirtest Player” was a lineman who played from 1972 to 1977 for the Arizona Cardinals. He split his last four years in the league between the New Orleans Saints and the Buffalo Bills. Phil Mickelson nicknamed “Lefty” is a pro golfer and champion on the PGA tour. Mickelson born in 1970 spent part of his childhood living in Arizona. As far as anyone knows that is as close as the connection was until recently.

Comrades with little in common

Dobler seemed to life a charmed live after football. He acted in commercials and other venues. It appeared the man had it made. Fate wrote the story differently. The years of playing pro football took their toll and the former down and dirty grunt experienced the breakdown of his knees. Applying for the NFL disability pension he was turned down. He became one the many neglected retirees of the multi-billion dollar league. As I noted in my article, “War, Sports And The Absence of Accountability”, he is one of the many warriors that played the game following orders only to be forgotten. Recent NFL Hall of Fame inductee Harry Carson referred to this atrocity in his Hall acceptance speech.

Conrad’s story takes a painful turn for the worse. On the Fourth of July in 2001 his wife Joy had what for most would have been a simple accident. She fell out of her backyard hammock. Tragically, she broke her neck becoming a quadriplegic. With this event, the myth of Conrad Dobler’s charmed life ended.

Mickelsen is a man of great talent with his sport playing as many others at this time in the shadow of golfing god, Tiger Woods. Upon hearing of the Dobler family’s situation Phil Mikelsen through his agent volunteered to pay Holli ’s, Conrad and Joy’s daughter, college tuition. Up to this time, the Mickelsen and Dobler families have never met. Phil refuses to talk about his selfless action. So, I will.