# Ex-Pro Athlete's worst job? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 4, 2010, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pro-athletes-worst-job/531225 "2010-03-04T01:53:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pro-athletes-worst-job/531225/41 "2010-03-05T22:53:53Z")
In high school I stocked shelves at a grocery store. Our store was bought out by a larger regional chain, remodeled, and given a grand opening as part of the new chain. As part of our grand opening festivities we had Hall of Famer Lou “The Toe” Groza come to our store for a day to sign autographs. I don’t think anyone knew he was coming until that day, and I don’t think anyone at the store even knew who he was. They set up a table for him near the front of the store where he sat for about 3 or 4 hours and I don’t recall anyone approaching him or talking to him the entire time. I ran home on my lunch break to get a football for him to sign and chatted with him for a minute. He seemed rather glum. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pro-athletes-worst-job/531225/42 "2010-03-06T00:45:44Z")
When I was in Oklahoma City a few years ago, I looked in at Mickey Mantle’s steakhouse (“note to self: don’t order the liver”). It was a really high-end, fancy place. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pro-athletes-worst-job/531225/43 "2010-03-06T18:42:04Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > J.R. Richard, a superb pitcher (and former strikeout king) for the Houston Astros in the lates Seventies and Early Eighties, suffered a debilitating stroke, and wound up homeless and sleeping under a highway overpass. > > [http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/sports2000/players/172526.html](http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/sports2000/players/172526.html) I remember seeing him pitch in Tucson while attempting to return to the Astros in 1981. To put it politely, he was not very effective and gave up a lot of runs. Everyone admired him for his spirit, though. He did overcome his homelessness. He joined a local church and soon found work with an asphalt company. He also became a minister in the church. He also worked to get sponsorships for Houston-area youth baseball programs. > **[J. R. Richard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._Richard)** > > James Rodney Richard (March 7, 1950 – August 4, 2021) was an American professional baseball player. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball as a right-handed starting pitcher for the Houston Astros from 1971 to 1980. Richard led the National League (NL) twice in strikeouts and was named an NL All-Star player in 1980. > After graduating from high school, Richard was selected by the Astros as the second overall pick in the first round of the 1969 amateur draft. From the time he made h... ---
**Author:** ![ekweizn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7c8e57/32.png) [@ekweizn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekweizn)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pro-athletes-worst-job/531225/44 "2010-03-06T23:01:02Z")
O.J. Simpson did some bad jobs. ---
**Author:** ![DadWagonDriver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@DadWagonDriver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DadWagonDriver)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pro-athletes-worst-job/531225/45 "2010-03-07T00:28:31Z")
I’ve worked with three people at my high school who were in the NFL. One was a WR for the Bears in the early 1990’s for two seasons and is now a Phoenix police officer (I’m not giving his name out here). Former San Francisco CB Andre Harris was a substitute teacher for us for a few months last year. Former Washington Redskins RB Marcus Dickson still teaches with our charter company, but is at a different high school. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pro-athletes-worst-job/531225/46 "2010-03-07T15:41:05Z")
While an inmate didn’t Mercury Morris work in the food service of the prison? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pro-athletes-worst-job/531225/47 "2010-03-07T17:12:33Z")
> [@TV\_time](#): > > While an inmate didn’t Mercury Morris work in the food service of the prison? You don’t really have to go past “inmate” there. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pro-athletes-worst-job/531225/48 "2010-03-08T19:31:05Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Steve Largent wound up in Congress. Trumped only by Jim Bunning, who ended up demented in the Senate… ---
**Author:** ![Smitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Smitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smitty)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pro-athletes-worst-job/531225/49 "2010-03-08T20:38:39Z")
I knew a former pro football player who was working as an assistant to a behavioral analyst on a psych ward. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pro-athletes-worst-job/531225.md?page=2)