Thanks to John Stiegerwald for tipping us off to the fact that yesterday was Bubby Brister’s 51st birthday.
“@colin_dunlap: Bubby Brister turns 51 today. We are all getting old.”One of my all time favorites.
— John Steigerwald (@Steigerworld) August 15, 2013
- What did we do without Twitter?
Although he was a native Louisianian like Terry Bradshaw, Brister could never fill the blonde bomber’s shoe. But he certainly did have fun trying.
Brister was as flamboyant as they come. He had a lot of raw talent, if he did lack the game smarts to make it work on the field. But he enjoyed every minute of it, and would have fit in with the likes of Bobby Layne.
Steelers Nation had a love-hate relationship with Brister and for many reasons. Here are some fun facts about Mr. Walter Andrew Brister:
- Paul “Bear” Bryant recruited him for Alabama, but Brister opted to play in the Detroit Tiger’s minor league system
- Like Joe Montana before him and Neil O’Donnell after him, Brister was a third round pick
- Long before Steelers Nation knew Kordell Stewart, Brister scored 6 rushing touchdowns in 1988
- The United Way once tapped Brister to headline one of its Steelers-oriented public service announcements
- Brister ranks above Terry Bradshaw in career completion percentage (52.5% vs. 51.9%)
- Once Bubby completed 15 consecutive passes vs. Detroit in 1989, then a Steelers record
- With the Steelers, Brister had 3 300 yard games, but not one of them came during his signature 1989 season
- Before Ben Roethlisberger and Mike Wallace re-wrote long passing records, Brister had five 79 yard plus hook ups with Louis Lipps and Dwight Stone
Bubby Brister career in Pittsburgh saw his ups and downs, some fans wax nostalgically about him, others lament that Joe Walton ruined him, and some just hated him, but all can agree that Brister was never dull. Happy 51st Bubby and many health returns!
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