Tupa: I've covered legends, but local players are real stars of my professional universe

Sometimes fate is kind.

Very, very kind.

The size of daily newspapers at which I’ve worked in my career has varied from the smallest circulation of 2,500 to the largest number of about 12,000 — not exactly cousins to the L.A. Times or even the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

But, even though I’ve never walked onto the “big stage” of national sports, as I think back I’m amazed at some of the personalities I’ve interviewed or at least had some personal contact with.

From a NFL team owner to the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner to one of the most popular pro wrestlers of the 1950s and '60s to one of legendary women’s tennis players of all time to snapping photos of future NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young warming up on the sideline, I’ve extremely grateful for there opportunities.

But to me, the local kids that play on the high school or local teams are the real stars of my professional universe.

I’ve gotten more pleasure and contentment out of covering a game in the Bartlesville 14-and-under baseball league than the two or three NBA games in which I had a sideline photo pass at Arco Arena (Sacramento, Calif.), for for the sideline pass to cover the Holiday Bowl for the 1990-91 season.

During the years, I’ve found more purpose about trying to have a positive impact on community athletes — from the youngest to the feature on 80-year-olds or deceased — than about the occasional communication with the famous movers-and-shakers in sports, or in other areas.

More TupaTalk:More than a playing field

I recall back in 1990 when the Iraq-Kuwait thing broke out, I was in temporary charge of the news section for a small weekly paper in Southern California, and I called the Iraqi Embassy in Washington to get a quote.

I’ve just never felt shy — perhaps a bit awed, at times — about interviewing anyone.

Among my non-sports opportunities as a reporter was to shake Ronald Reagan’s hand, shortly after his presidency; to interview departing troops to Desert Shield/Storm, and covering the returning troops from the same conflict.

But, it’s in the sports realm I’ve made my most memorable brushes with the who’s who of sports.

Back in 1990 or 1991, Archie Griffin visited the California town where I worked in order to address a major sports banquet honoring athletes from Riverside County

Many sports fans know the former Ohio State running back is the only player to win the Heisman Trophy twice.

After the meeting ended, I approached him for a quick interview and used the interview as a basis for an article.

I sent him a copy, and he very kindly wrote back a letter of thanks for the article.

A few years later, while working up in northern central California, someone gave me a tip that Billie Jean King had stopped by the racquet and health club located a few miles out of town in a beautiful, hilly setting. (Of course, that was more than 25 years ago so I don’t know if it’s changed.)

Anyway, I went to the club and met and interviewed the tennis legend while standing out on the court while a soft breeze washed over the facility.

There was the time I “met” Mark McGwire. It took place near the Oakland A’s home dugout at the Coliseum in Oakland. I have scrounged a photo pass and had free run of the corridor that connected, under the front part of the facility, that ran between the two dugouts and into the locker rooms.

As I stood taking photos and enjoying the day, I saw this big man with massive arms — they came as close to telephone poles or elephant’s legs as I’ve ever seen, standing just in front of me, dressed in street clothes and holding his boy in his arms. It turned out to be McGwire, who obviously wasn’t in action that day. I didn’t speak to him, other than perhaps give him a nod when he turned around. He didn’t smile back.

But, I thought to myself, hey, here’s a guy that cared enough about his child to bring him to the game with him. That’s pretty big in my book.

I recall another missed opportunity when I went to Jack Murphy Stadium (San Diego) to cover the Holiday Bowl game between BYU and somebody. (It was either Texas A&M or Florida State. I also went there to the kickoff classic a few months later and I get the two opponents mixed up. I could look it up, but it’s not important to the memory. BYU got zonked in both games.)

I followed some BYU players in the tunnel and on to the field. Less than 10 feet away from me walked legendary coach LaVell Edwards.

An impulse pushed me to go up and say something to him, but I figured his mind was all-in to the game and he wouldn’t want to be bothered by a stranger. So, I remained a short distance away in back of him as he went through the opening and onto the battlefield.

This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Tupa: I've interviewed legends, but local players are the real stars