I referred to Bobb McKittrick in a column recently, and I just got this letter in the mail about it. I’d like to share it with you.
Grant,
I can’t find your e-mail address so I’ll mail this to you…..probably more my style anyway.
I usually read your column to get my blood going in the morning, being a generation or two ahead of you we usually disagree. HOWEVER……..this morning you knocked me on my butt.
I had the pleasure, joy and privilege to play with Bobb McKittrick. After playing in the Rose Bowl in 1957 Bobb joined the Marine Corps and in 1959 played on the 11th Marines, a team I had played for the previous year. We became more than teammates, besides being a friend he was a coach on the field and in life, being somewhat older than me he was more like a big brother.
You are right about him being unassuming, he once told me the only reason he got to play in the Rose Bowl was the two guys ahead of him were hurt. The 11th Marines had only lost one game the two previous years but the year Bobb joined us we were a .500 team (besides losing some good players we lost our head coach) but that year was my most memorable because of Bobb. We had a lot of interaction on the field as he was left guard and I was right guard on offence and he was middle guard and I was middle linebacker on defense, yes we went both was in those days, ask your father. I often wondered if some of the trap plays the 49ers ran were not the same ones we were running in the ‘50s.
I can sum up Bobb with this…….he was an officer and I was an enlisted man but you would never have known it.
T.C. LaTorre
P.S. What is your e-mail address? I’m retired and can’t stand buying stamps.
My e-mail address is grantcohn@gmail.com
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