THE NFL / BILL PLASCHKE : He Loved ‘Song’ . . . and So Did You

Admit it. It is the only guy movie that has ever made you cry.

It has been more than two decades. You don’t remember most of the characters. You only vaguely remember the plot. And you have never really liked football.

But darned if you can’t still recite bits of the dialogue.

“I love Brian Piccolo . . . [sobs, stammering] . . . and I’d like all of you to love him too.”

Right about now, a tune has entered your head. You have just hummed the first five notes. You can admit that too.

On the 25th anniversary of the death of its main character, the movie “Brian’s Song” has become a cornerstone of NFL lore.

And the memory of Brian Piccolo, the former Chicago Bear who died of cancer in 1970 at 26, has become a league treasure.

“I have been overwhelmed,” said Joy O’Connell, Piccolo’s widow who has since remarried. “The impact of Brian’s death has been enormous.”

--A cancer research fund in his name has led to a 95% cure rate for the embryonal cell carcinoma that killed him.

--A high school stadium has been named after him in Florida, and football awards are presented annually in his memory in Chicago.

--Two books have been written about his life.

And then, of course, there was that 74-minute TV movie of the week that has since become a classic for its music, its acting (James Caan and Billy Dee Williams) and its tears.

Not a bad legacy for an undrafted free agent who never gained more than 450 yards or scored more than three touchdowns in any of his four seasons.

If Piccolo played today, he would be an Earnest Byner-type of back, a runner-receiver who didn’t fit so well in the days of limited substitution.

“He was just another guy,” said Don Pierson, the Hall of Fame football writer for the Chicago Tribune who covered Piccolo. “A great backup, played real hard, a really good guy. . . . But nobody had any idea it would turn out like this.”

Most fans were unaware of Piccolo’s humor, courage and groundbreaking interracial friendship with Gale Sayers until the movie was shown a couple of years after his death.

Today the video is hard to find. But considering it is the best football movie ever made, its worth the look.

A companion guide. . . .

THE REAL WIFE

Joy O’Connell has seen the film only twice, during its premiere and about 10 years ago with the three daughters she and Brian had together.

“I felt the girls were old enough, and they had been asking about it for years, so we all sat down to watch,” O’Connell said. “But they couldn’t take it. One by one, they left the room. In the end, I was the only one left.”

O’Connell said she will probably never watch it again.

“You can guess why,” she said.

THE MOVIE WIFE

The actress who played O’Connell in the movie has since achieved sitcom fame as a different sort of football wife.

Would you believe Shelly Fabares?

“You know, even after all these years, I’ve never met her,” O’Connell said. “But isn’t it ironic that she’s doing ‘Coach?’ ”

THE MOVIE RIP-OFF

No one in Piccolo’s family made a penny off the film. The producers, now-defunct Screen Gems, did not even contribute to the cancer fund as promised.

“Hollywood got us,” said Bear owner Ed McCaskey, who was close to Piccolo.

THE MOVIE RIP-OFF II

The producers added something important to Piccolo’s death scene--Sayers.

While Piccolo was dying at the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, Sayers was in a Chicago hospital battling another illness.

McCaskey was in Piccolo’s room during his final hours.

“Brian was gasping for air, but he whispered, ‘Don’t worry, Big Ed, I’m not afraid of anything, only Nitschke,’ ” McCaskey said.

It is a quote that never appears in the film.

Instead, the writers chose to have Piccolo tell Sayers, “It’s fourth and eight . . . and they won’t let me punt.”

THE BOOK RIP-OFF

According to the closing credits, the movie is based on the book, “I Am Third,” by Sayers.

However, the portions of that book about Sayers and Piccolo’s relationship--the basis for the entire movie--were derived from Jeannie Morris’ book, “Brian Piccolo, a Short Season.”

Yet, like the Piccolo family, Morris never received a penny.

OH YES, THAT SONG

The haunting melody that is played throughout the film was written by Michel Legrand, the French composer currently living in Paris who also wrote the score to the “The Summer of ’42.”

“It sounds crazy, but this guy was always one of Brian’s favorites,” O’Connell said.

WHEN YOU STARTED TO CRY

Here’s what actor Williams, playing Sayers, says during his acceptance speech for the “Most Courageous Player Award”:

“I’d like to say a few words about a guy I know, a friend of mine. His name is Brian Piccolo, and he has the heart of a giant and that rare form of courage which allows him to kid himself and his opponent, cancer. He has a mental attitude which makes me proud to have a friend who spells out courage 24 hours a day, every day of his life.

“Now you flatter me by giving me this award, but I say to you here and now, Brian Piccolo is the man of courage who should receive the George S. Halas Award. It’s mine tonight, and Brian Piccolo’s tomorrow.

“I love Brian Piccolo, and I’d like all of you to love him too. And tonight when you hit your knees, please ask God to love him.”

THE REAL STORY

Sayers actually said those words. But the speech was penned by McCaskey, then a team vice president.

“Best thing I ever wrote,” McCaskey said.

BEST MONEY YOU’LL EVER SPEND

Now that they have one form of cancer nearly whipped, volunteers for the Brian Piccolo Cancer Research Fund are attacking breast cancer. Few realize that Piccolo had a mastectomy after the cancer had spread to his breast.

The fund has no paid employees and no permanent office--”We’re just a bunch of friends who got together to do something,” O’Connell said--but they raised several million dollars in previous efforts.

The fund can be reached at the Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center, 1700 West Van Buren, Suite 250, Chicago, Ill., 60612. The toll-free number is (800) 418-6492.

THE NEXT THREE GREAT PRO FOOTBALL MOVIES

--”North Dallas Forty”

--”Heaven Can Wait”

--Whenever Ron Shelton decides to write and direct one, it will go here. He should run out of all those other sports any day now.

NUMBERS, NUMBERS

ELEVEN: The number of sacks recorded by the St. Louis Rams in their first 10 quarters of the season with Sean Gilbert playing defensive tackle.

ZERO: The number of sacks recorded by the Rams in their last 10 quarters while Gilbert has been nursing a knee injury. He is expected to return to the lineup Thursday in their showdown with the Atlanta Falcons.

NINE: The number of third-down conversions engineered by Kerry Collins of the Carolina Panthers in his first professional start last Sunday.

NINE: The number of third-down conversions accumulated in their first three games under Frank Reich.

TEN: The number of years Collins should remain the Panthers’ starting quarterback.

EIGHT: The number of players who have scored the last eight touchdowns for the Bears. OK, so you can guess Rashaan Salaam, Robert Green, Curtis Conway, Michael Timpson and Jeff Graham. Bet you didn’t know Jim Flanigan, Anthony Marshall and Keith Jennings were also on that list.

THREE: The number of inches in Coach Tom Coughlin’s vertical leap, judging from highlights of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ celebration after the franchise’s inaugural victory Sunday.

FIFTEEN BLAST: The name of the play that everyone in greater metropolitan Phoenix thought the Kansas City Chiefs were running on third and inches against the Arizona Cardinals last week--an off-tackle dive by Marcus Allen.

THIRTEEN: The number of seconds it took Chief quarterback Steve Bono to run 76 yards on his incredible touchdown bootleg after faking the “15 Blast.”

TWO: Bono was so slow, according to Allen, “I heard they could have called two TV timeouts,” before he scored.

ZERO: The number of Cardinals who were close enough to Bono to even show up in the television replay of the run. The Cardinals were so fooled, there wasn’t even anyone for tackle Joe Valerio to block, so he simply played traffic cop and waved Bono to the end zone.

“I decided to slow down and let Steve get ahead of me. . . . I didn’t think it would look good for me to outrun the quarterback,” Valerio said.

FORTY-THREE: The percentage of games won by the Cardinals since Buddy Ryan became coach and general manager last season.

ELEVEN: The number of consecutive games that Rich Kotite’s teams have lost to non-expansion opponents.

SIXTEEN: The number of regular-season victories for the Miami Dolphins? Why not? They have the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs at home on Monday nights. Their only difficult road game is at San Diego.

LESS THAN ZERO: The chance that Dave Shula will ever beat his dad at anything but tennis.

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QUICK KICKS

AM NOT . . . AM TOO: After watching several Cleveland Browns collapse with apparent injuries while his team was trying to execute a no-huddle offense last Monday, Buffalo Coach Marv Levy accused the Browns of faking.

Bill Belichick, the Browns’ coach, accused Levy of running his offense like an idiot.

We agree with both of them.

Said Belichick: “Here’s a guy, offensively, who came into the league and tried to run the wing-T offense in Kansas City. That was brilliant. The best thing he did was turn the offense over to Jim Kelly in the second half of the Carolina game and against us. . . . I would much rather go against him than go against Jim Kelly.”

Said Levy: “He said he has no respect for me. I don’t care if he respects me.”

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TYPICAL NFL PLAYER: Bobby Phillips, rookie running back, was married during the Minnesota Vikings’ bye week. Where? Where else?

At a shopping mall.

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NOW YOU KNOW IT’S BAD: Archie Manning, former quarterback and now one of the New Orleans Saints’ broadcasters, said this as he was walking out of the winless Saint locker room last week: “I gotta get out of here. I’m getting flashbacks.”

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WHATEVER WORKS: As part of rehabilitation on his broken right hand, Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Neil O’Donnell spent a couple of weeks slapping the hand against walls and tables.

The reason? He was simulating the snap he will take from center Dermontti Dawson.

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NICE REVERSE: You have to love that Cadillac commercial featuring Barry Sanders.

It’s not often that General Motors gets an employee of William Clay Ford on the payroll.