The Most Famous Person You've Ever Seen/Met In Person..?

nelson mandela, came to speak at our school in '93

I've met a lot of pro athletes through my job but the best "fan" meeting was Michael Jordan at the golf course in Chapel Hill in June, 1984. He was a bout a month away from being drafted by the Bulls and I saw MJ and Buzz Peterson loading their gear into his car. He was parked way in the back of the lot and said he would give me his autograph if I drove his cart back to the clubhouse because it was so hot he didn't want to return it and have to walk back to his car. It was funny, it was before he had any money, so he was pretty much dressed like a college kid and was driving a late 70s Buick Lesabre. Just a beat-up old boat of a car. He was rail-thin, too.

George, the elder, Bush-twice in Kennebunkport. The SS didn't like it the second time in the town square. They showed their "pieces!"

Once had a "run in" and a few words with Paul Newman going thur the Ma. state house tunnel while I was on my way home from grad school and he was on his way to the hotel after filming on the grounds.

Track people: Morceli, Coughlin, Lewis, and lots of "B" list guys.

Other athletes: Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutumbo, Alonzo Mourning, Allen Iverson (pretty easy to guess which college I went to.) I showed Joe Klein where the bathroom was.

Politicers: Bill Clinton, Stokely Carmichael, Marion Barry, Martin O'Malley, and Don Felipe - Crown Prince of Spain.

I also shook the Dalai Lama's hand when I was an usher at at speech he gave at my college.

Got to talk with Prince Charles after wining a race in NSW many years ago. Also met Clinton at the OTC in Chula Vista.

Patrick Ewing, Anthony Mason and a few other knicks got on my elevator in Atlanta and then asked me to get out when the overload bell went off. Like a real asshole I didn't have the balls to tell them to f*** off (or maybe it was a smart move)

Burgess Meredith got on an elevator with me in Minn while filming Grumpy Old men. His dogs stunk like hell and I had to get off to keep from puking.

Ronnie McDonald ... frequently

I used to see Big L quite often, back in the days, when he was still alive...

I saw Mick Jagger standing outside my apartment building. I think he was waiting to see a play at the theater next door. I saw people go up to him and ask for his autograph, then I looked and--aah, whaddyaknow, it's Mick!

This was just a few years after John and Yoko were regulars at Phebe's, so I wasn't much impressed. I mean, Joe Jackson lived right around the corner, and I often got out of the Union Square subway with William S. Burroughs.

You get to meet everybody, then you die.

Almost forgot Pat Croce, cool guy, very positive and down to earth.

Michael Jordan

Bart Starr- my uncle's father

Bobby Kennedy, I flew from Spain to New York with him, I was about 11. he was a nice guy and did not worry about kids running around on the plane.

I've lived in LA now for almost 5 years and have met my fair share of people I guess you could say.

I sold bathing suits to Brittney Spears and her little sister (I don't know her name). This was when she was pregnant with her first kid. Brittney was very nice, her little sister was a snob. This was all before she went crazy.

I've also met and talked to Coolio (Gangsta's Paradise), Julia Roberts, Christina Aguleria (sp?), The father on the show "The OC", all the members of 311, the kid that played Coach Carter's son and my Cousin Skeeter. haha I know there is more, but I forget them.

As for runners I have had conversations with Ryan and Sara Hall, Deena Kastor and a couple others when we were in Mammoth for our training camps.

i met eddie griffin at the bar i work at in atlanta.

when he's drunk he's a real asshole

I did a volunteer voter registration stint just out of college (resume fodder). One day we had some (then) mid-level celebrities who helped us register voters and this was in the summer of 1988 (Robert Downey, Jr., Eve Plumb, and so forth). Also a young guy named Will Smith helped out and he was paired up with me.

He was totally cool and we got along great. Will was doing his acting bit on Fresh Prince but he was not a big name yet. We worked together all afternoon.

A couple of pretty girls sidled up and Will was trying to schmooze them, saying he was "Will Smith the actor from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." It was a new show and they looked at him: It was obvious they seemed to recognize him but were torn and they were just not sure--was it really him or just a line? Why would he be doing this? I.e., "Oh, my God, he does look like that Will Smith guy! Nah--it CAN'T be!" etc. I said--"Yeah--it REALLY is him!" In the end their cynicism won the day and they would not bite even though it WAS Will Smith.

This 'voting awareness event' was in the local papers the next day. I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall when those girls picked up the college paper. Youtube comes to mind. They will probably continue to punish themselves more with each passing day.

I talked to Steve McQueen in his Porsche. I was on a Honda Golden Wing 1000.

Senator Edwards

I saw Arnold Schwarzeneggar outside the Planet Hollywood in Munich - probably the biggest head I've ever seen on a human...absolutely massive. He was all done up in true movie star fashion and played the part well!

Went to high school with Ryan Seacrest (a year behind him)...he can't be as short as people say b/c I was 5'9" then and I swear he must have been my height, or pretty close to it. Kind of "on" all the time, it seemed, but generally seemed like a nice enough guy.

Saw Kanye West at the airport and THAT was a small dude.

For anyone that knows anything about bodybuilding, I saw Gunter Slierkampf (sp?) at an LA Fitness. He was in BeerFest and is in basically any commercial that shows a bodybuilder, it seems. Anyhow, he was a really nice guy when I introduced myself and was absolutely massive.

I have run into Soupy Sales on three different occasions! Kinda funny. He ate at the table next to me at a Macaroni Grill in Livonia, Michigan. I don't remember ever talking to him. I just left him alone. It was cool though.

I met Herschel Walker at NCAAs, I think he took 2nd or third om the 100m and was counting on winning. He was pissed, and was a total prick to me (I was working the meet).

I've met Frank Shorter twice--the nicest, most regular guy ever. He's still my hero.