Hank Stram

[Don Wassall]

I've read a number of obituaries and columns about Hank Stram since his death, and noticed that none of them had anything critical to say about him. Almost always, even the most revered figure, if he is a white man, will have a "dark side" or some negative personal trait or incident that the media will latch onto to mention along with his accomplishments.


Stram is best known today for thepioneeringNFL Films footage of him miked up on the sideline during Super Bowl IV. He was a colorful personality as a coach, and later as a broadcaster.


But what endeared Stram the most to the corporate media was his early use of the Caste System while coaching the Chiefs. He drafted and signed more blacks than any other team in the AFL or NFL. If you watch footage of the Chiefs of that era, they're noticeably blacker than their opponents, though by today's standards they'd be the whitest team in the NFL.Stram thenwould be equivalent to Bobby Bowden, Jim Haslet, Brian Billick and quite a few others now, coaches who think more than one or two white starters out of 22 is too many.


Ironically, a few years ago the usual suspects tried to hang the label of "anti-Semite" on Stram for comments he supposedly made about Joe Theisman. Theisman stuck up for Stram and the "controversy" was quickly forgotten.

 

[sport historian]

I have a couple of interesting anecdotes about Hank Stram. Around 1970, I was listening to KMOX St. Louis and their sports talk show, the most listened to of it's time. Jack Buck was on and he was talking about Hank Stram. Buck had broadcast AFL games in the early 60's and said, "Hank Stram had a terrible reputation in those days. He was considered a joke." Funny thing, Buck and Stram became partners on CBS in the late 70's and worked together for many years.


Stram did win an AFL title in 1962, went to the Super Bowl in 1966 and won it with KC in 1969. Stram thought of himself as a trend-setter. In the late 60's, he played two 5-9 running backs. Stram always liked extremely large players. Remember 6-10 Morris Stroud at TE? He was called Hank Stram's folly. His Chiefs were the first team to have a majority of black starters, for which he was praised from then to the present.


Stram could surprise you, though. In 1970, he benched and then traded Mike Garret, a black RBHeisman winner who was still young. He replaced Garret with a white player, Ed Podolak. Which other pro coach ever did that?

 

[whiteCB]

Joe Theisman is jewish? I never knew that. His last name doesn't jewish.

 

[jaxvid]

Theisman can't be jewish, he's too stupid! And if he was jewish then he would have been the most hyped athlete EVER.

 

[Bart]

Stram's remark angers Jewish group
<BR clear=all>

<BR clear=all></NEWSLINE><STORYTEXT><BYLINE>By Associated Press</BYLINE><BR clear=left>

<BR clear=left> NEW YORK -- Super Bowl-winning coach Hank Stram says he meant no offense and was only joking when he made an anti-Semitic remark during a radio interview.
On ESPN Radio last week, the former Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints coach was questioned about his readiness to spend heavily on Joe Theismann when the quarterback was entering the NFL in 1974.
"Yeah, I was ready to play that Jewish organ. ... Hit the cash register," Stram told host Mike Golic, according to an ESPN transcript of the Sept. 20 show.
His remark prompted the American Jewish Congress to denounce Stram as the winner of the "Stupid Bowl." The New York-based advocacy group is dedicated to fighting anti-Semitism and has some 50,000 members.
"It's ridiculous for anybody to think that I am anti-Jewish," Stram, 70, told The Associated Press.
"I was flabbergasted when I heard that it was coming over the AP wire. I said it in a kidding way."
Stram, who is Polish, said he grew up in an ethnically diverse neighborhood in Gary, Ind., and "never dreamed" anyone would take offense at what he said.
"It was just done in jest talking to Joe Theisman. I never even gave it a thought 'til after I hung up," he said . "Then I thought, ãGee, I hope nobody misconstrues what I said.'
"I have a lot of friends all over the country, people who are Polish, Jewish, Czeck, Italian. In the neighborhood where I grew up, you were always kidding one another like that. Nobody was ever malicious about it."
Theismann was in the studio during the interview and Stram was a call-in guest on the "Greenberg and Golic Morning Show," which was broadcast from New York.
Stram coached the Chiefs to the Super Bowl title in 1970 and is retired after several years as a football commentator. He was in Kansas City on Friday for a reunion of his team that beat Minnesota in the Super Bowl.
"I've always been in the people business," he said. "I've always felt fortunate having grown up in Gary, Ind. It was kind of a league of nations."
Stram said when an employee of the station told him they had received a letter complaining about his remark, he got the man's name and number and called him.
"I had a great visit with him," he said. "It turned out he's Jewish and Polish and lives in New York. I told him I was Polish and we laughed. He said, ãI'm sure you didn't mean anything by it.' We must have talked for a half an hour." <BR clear=all>

<BR clear=all></STORYTEXT></STORYAREA><BR clear=all>

 

[Bart]

After I sent the last post, it dawned on how stupid the situation was. A POLISH man whose peoplehave been the victims of more jokes than anyone can imagine, probably spent the rest of his life apologizing for a very mildhumorous statement,to the group who more llikely than not, invented Polish jokes.

 

[jaxvid]

Jewish organ = the cash register. HA! good one. No one has a sense of humor anymore. It's actually a compliment. I bet Strams snivelling reply bought him forgiveness.