Super Bowl MVP

Their are times in our life where we have the chance to meet famous people. Sometimes we meet people before they become famous.

This past weekend, the Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl. Their quarterback, Joe Flacco, was named the Most Valuable Player of the game. 

While watching parts of the game I started to think about the day I met Joe Flacco.

I was returning home from a speaking job and had to change flights in Houston. I got on my plane for Phoenix. The plane was packed with people heading to Arizona from Houston. I had just boarded the plane and was looking for my seat. You can imagine how happy I was when I found my "middle" seat towards the back of the plane. As each passenger walked past the empty seat to my left, I kept praying I'd be able to move into it. I wanted more leg room.

Just before the door of the plane closed a tall man who looked like a basketball player walked aboard the plane and headed directly for the seat to my left. He sat down and squeezed himself into the seat. He had to be at least 6 feet 6 inches tall. I jokingly asked, "Do you have enough leg room?" He looked at me with a smile. I told him the planes aren't built for tall guys.

To my right was another tall gentlemen who told me that he was six foot 4inches tall. We pretty much had a basketball team in our row. None of us had any legroom. When the plane took off, the flight attendant came on the overhead and made the announcement, "It is safe to recline your seats." That's when the man infront of us reclined his seat all the way back into the legs of the man to my left.

We were all too uncomfortable to sleep, so we started a conversation. I had to ask the obvious question, "do you play basketball?" The man to my left said no, I play college football. I asked, "What college do you play for?" He responded, "The University of Delaware." Being a big football fan, I asked "Are  you Joe Flacco?" He said yes. That's when I told him I had just read an article about him in the USA Today.  We spent the next two hours talking about football and the Philadelphia area, because we both grew up there. He was headed to the Super Bowl to compete in some competitions and get ready for the draft. He wasn't quite sure when he would be drafted or what team he would go to. During our conversation the gentleman to my right joined in. Turned out he was a cameraman traveling to Phoenix to work the Super Bowl.

When the flight landed, I wished Joe good luck and told him that his agent needs to work on getting him better seats the next time he flies. He said the same to me. I never asked him for an autograph or photo. As I got to the airport exit, I saw people lined up, hoping to get autographs of celebrities and pro-athletes getting off the planes. I just smiled, because I knew I got something better, a two hour experience.

Fast forward five years...There are news reports that Joe Flacco was just named the MVP of the Super Bowl and was not in line to potentially sign a contract for $20 million a year. The same guy I sat next to on a plane from Houston to Phoenix.