Bruce Jenner: The Last American Hero?

Fifteen years ago tonight, Bruce Jenner and I sipped beers and ate giant steaks as we watched Cal Ripkin, Jr. break "Iron Man" Lou Gehrig's record by playing in his 2,131st consecutive major league baseball game.

Then, I was running a software business for Discovery Channel, and had traveled to the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel for the 1995 RetailVision sales conference to pre-sell new CD-ROMs and videogames to the trade.

Typically we would commission a developer to produce our titles, but in this instance we had out-bid the competition to pick up North American rights to the IOC's "official" history of the Summer Olympic Games - a multimedia encyclopedia of facts and highlights that would be introduced in March, ahead of the Atlanta Olympics.  This was our chance to demo the title for buyers and meet the press reviewers.  Through his wife Kris, my teammate Val had lined up Bruce to pitch the title and he was gung-ho to do it.

Our pitch spot was 7:30 - 7:55am, the morning of September 7 - so the night before, we'd agreed to meet at The Cliff restaurant, with a gorgeous lookout view over the Pacific.  It was a perfect SoCal night, and the indoor/outdoor restaurant was packed with people.  All heads turned as Bruce moved through the room, smiling and waving.  The guy was clearly in his element - the center of attention.  Still fit nearly 20 years after winning the '76 Olympic Decathlon in Montreal, full of charm and all smiles.  We settled in at a table with a view of the ocean as well as large screen coverage of the historic Orioles game getting underway, and we talked about Bruce's career from HS to Graceland College in Iowa, to the Olympics.

Jenner 2012 - Still Got It !

What a thrill to hear about the 1976 Olympics from the Wheaties Champion himself - and when he learned I had spent the summer of '76 wearing a paper hat at McDonald's and handing Olympic scratch-off cards to customers who hoped to win a Big Mac, he actually grabbed a handful of fries off my plate and shook them at me, hooting while he cited the promotion: "Gold medal: Big Mac - Silver medal: a MEASLY BAG OF FRIES!!!"

Well, Cal's feat became official the moment that the game passed 5 1/2 innings.  We all stood and cheered in  the deafening din - and Bruce led those around us in a clapping exercise, beaming and nodding approvingly.  Cal tipped his hat.  "Good job, Cal!" said Bruce.  The cheering continued a minute or two, Cal repeatedly tipping his hat and waving.  "Yeah, this is your moment, buddy" added Jenner, slowing his clap tempo noticeably.  Long, loving panning shots of the stadium. Still the clapping continued.

Cal broke into a loping lap around the perimeter of the park, and the fans went wild.

"Yeah, this is all great, but, you know, it's going on a little bit, don't you think?" said the smiling Jenner, his gleaming teeth now gritted.  "Little bit long??"

Cal finished his victory lap, and the place was still going up in flames.

By now Jenner's eyebrows had that distinctive "V" shape.  "Cal's not likin' this - Yeah, I know what its like.  He's gettin' a little TIRED of this!  'Cause I know I sure am!"

Eventually after the fervor subsided, and the game resumed, Bruce was able to resume a calm state too.

Reality Check (l to r): Decadent & Decathlete...

We made a number of appearances together over the next many months - Bruce still sporting the same blown-dry 70's bowl cut that had shamed Jimmy Conners and left Pistol Pete Maravich in the dust, back when.  Bruce did a great job, always stoked, and always a lot of fun.  He was a class act, and distinguished by his positive vibe, high energy, and focused professionalism. We had a lot of laughs... and coming out of our discussions I was able to piece together the amazing interlock of relationships connecting the Jenners, Michael Jackson, Elvis, OJ, and - a name no one yet knew - Bobby Kardashian.  When the darn thing turns up I will mind-map it and update this post.

Of course the Kardashian girls were just budding Marymount High Schoolers then...

September 6, 1995: I watched one great athletic hero have his "moment," in the company of another great whose moment lives on for me, ... and maybe for you too?