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"Dandy" Don Meredith: 1938 to 2010

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Bloviating Zeppelin: "Dandy" Don Meredith: 1938 to 2010

Bloviating Zeppelin

(in-ep-toc'-ra-cy) - a system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers.

Wednesday, December 08, 2010

"Dandy" Don Meredith: 1938 to 2010

Don Meredith, former expansion-team quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys (1960 to 1968), was just as famous -- perhaps even more so -- as the "color" announcer for the earliest iteration of Monday Night Football.


It is interesting to note that, as I prepared this post, I saw photo after photo of Howard Cosell embracing or hugging or touching Don Meredith -- and Frank Gifford uninvolved or looking away. There is no doubt that Meredith had a folksy, unassuming and likeable way about him whilst, at the same time, many described Gifford as a much colder and unapproachable individual. Photos seem to, that I've noticed, bear this out.

There is no question that Meredith lived his life as he saw fit. He drank heavily, smoked, joked, poked fun at everything including himself.

He loved hard, laughed hard, lived hard. As a quarterback, when he was "on" -- he was ON.

At the end of any given episode of Monday Night Football, when losers were identified and obvious, he would lapse into his own warbling interpretation of Willie Nelson's "turn out the lights, the party's over."

And when Dandy Don declared such, you knew the party was indeed over for that given team.

Don Meredith suffered a brain hemorrhage, and then lapsed into a coma. He passed away this past Sunday, December 5th, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with his wife Susan at his side -- at age 72.

I watched many a Monday Night Football game with my father; he was a huge Dallas Cowboys fan throughout his life. Though actually born in Minnesota, he embraced Texas as "his state" and the Cowboys as "his team."



I watched Don Meredith throw; I also watched him transition to Monday Night Football.

This is just another small portion of my past excusing itself and, truly, moving aside.

God bless you, Don. You were what you were and nothing more or less. People loved you because you were so open, so plain, so obvious. I don't really think there was much of a mean bone in your entire body.

Give me another lucky ten years, dude, I'll be right there with you.

BZ

5 Comments:

Blogger Z said...

BZ, I think this is probably THE nicest tribute to Meredith EVER.
I loved reading it...
sounds like you feel you lost a friend...he's a lucky guy to have you hold him in such good esteem.

Wed Dec 08, 11:21:00 AM PST  
Blogger Bloviating Zeppelin said...

Z, thank you most kindly.

I find, at my age, more and more of my past is expiring and vanishing and a little bit of me seems to vanish as well. . .

In truth, I think it started when Warren Zevon passed away and was emphasized when Ronald Reagan passed. It's the odd human trait of: I may not see these people or visit them or know them personally, but we find ourselves diminished and discomfited when we discover they no longer coexist with us in the living world.

We were otherwise and somehow comforted by their mere presence.

BZ

Wed Dec 08, 03:24:00 PM PST  
Blogger mrchuck said...

Thanks for the kind memories. I know that his kinfolk will appreciate them.

Wed Dec 08, 04:33:00 PM PST  
Blogger Bloviating Zeppelin said...

Thank you Mr C.

BZ

Wed Dec 08, 06:36:00 PM PST  
Blogger David Wyatt said...

Dandy Don was always far & away my favorite commentator on MNF. It's never reached the height it was during his tenure. What a huge loss. Thank you for the fine tribute, BZ. It was certainly fitting. God Bless.

Wed Dec 08, 07:46:00 PM PST  

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