Willie Fleming on the TEAM
Moderator: Team Captains
-
Soundy
- Hall of Famer
- Posts: 3139
- Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2006 9:51 pm
- Location: Watching on TSNHD.
- Contact:
In case you missed it, Willie Flemming was on The B-Mac & Rintoul show this morning from Las Vegas (where the whole TEAM crew is broadcasting from the last couple days). Worth checking out the podcast - he's a clever, funny, classy guy
What a fantastic start to my morning - listening to Willie Fleming recall his days with the Lions. 
Willie really is a fun, engaging guy and full of lots of interesting stories:
* the player used to have a "celebration" after each home win at the top of a hotel located near Empire Stadium. The wives used to have to drive them home.
* he bonded with Bob Ackles as he was initially shunned by the Leos' vets. Being just a 20-year old from the University of Iowa, he and Bob were about the same age and had some things in common.
* Willie is now retired from the construction business (Detroit) and lives in Vegas, but has often thought of moving back to Vancouver. In fact, he thinks he would have stayed in Vancouver permanently had his career not taken him to Minnesota of the NFL, plus he and his wife didn't have any family here.
* talks to Joe Kapp about once a week and wanted to send his best wishes out to one of the "Headhunters," LB Tom Brown who's in a Vancouver hospital right now. He's really pulling for his former All-American teammate. Best of luck Tom!
* is often recognized by Vancouverites, even today. Spends a lot of time golfing and entertaining friends (such as Bob Ackles) who visit Las Vegas.
* is often asked about "the hit" but holds no animosity toward Angelo Mosca. He got his revenge the following year in the '64 Grey Cup in Toronto and that was good enough for him. Funny story though, Angelo and Willie somehow both ended up being scheduled for a personal appearance at the Bayshore Inn some 10 years after the incident. The tension was still there. His wife's friend (a woman) got into a verbal exchange with Angelo and she socked him!
* Bob Ackles calls the Leos 3 best receivers: Geroy Simon, Merv Fernandez and yes, Willie Fleming. This may confuse many as Willie was a RB, who once had an amazing season average of 9.7 yards per carry
(to show Willie's humble side, Scott Rintoul incorrectly identified the number as 8.4 yards per carry, but Willie never corrected him). The fact of the matter is the Leos just didn't hand the ball off much in those days.
* Willie's first love was actually baseball. His favorite player was the Tigers' Al Kaline. Played high school football in his native Detroit and back-up for Lion Lovell Coleman (1970) who lives in Vancouver. Willie was actually the team's safety.
Thanks to the TEAM1040 for the wonderful interview!
DH 8)
Willie really is a fun, engaging guy and full of lots of interesting stories:
* the player used to have a "celebration" after each home win at the top of a hotel located near Empire Stadium. The wives used to have to drive them home.
* he bonded with Bob Ackles as he was initially shunned by the Leos' vets. Being just a 20-year old from the University of Iowa, he and Bob were about the same age and had some things in common.
* Willie is now retired from the construction business (Detroit) and lives in Vegas, but has often thought of moving back to Vancouver. In fact, he thinks he would have stayed in Vancouver permanently had his career not taken him to Minnesota of the NFL, plus he and his wife didn't have any family here.
* talks to Joe Kapp about once a week and wanted to send his best wishes out to one of the "Headhunters," LB Tom Brown who's in a Vancouver hospital right now. He's really pulling for his former All-American teammate. Best of luck Tom!
* is often recognized by Vancouverites, even today. Spends a lot of time golfing and entertaining friends (such as Bob Ackles) who visit Las Vegas.
* is often asked about "the hit" but holds no animosity toward Angelo Mosca. He got his revenge the following year in the '64 Grey Cup in Toronto and that was good enough for him. Funny story though, Angelo and Willie somehow both ended up being scheduled for a personal appearance at the Bayshore Inn some 10 years after the incident. The tension was still there. His wife's friend (a woman) got into a verbal exchange with Angelo and she socked him!
* Bob Ackles calls the Leos 3 best receivers: Geroy Simon, Merv Fernandez and yes, Willie Fleming. This may confuse many as Willie was a RB, who once had an amazing season average of 9.7 yards per carry
(to show Willie's humble side, Scott Rintoul incorrectly identified the number as 8.4 yards per carry, but Willie never corrected him). The fact of the matter is the Leos just didn't hand the ball off much in those days.* Willie's first love was actually baseball. His favorite player was the Tigers' Al Kaline. Played high school football in his native Detroit and back-up for Lion Lovell Coleman (1970) who lives in Vancouver. Willie was actually the team's safety.
Thanks to the TEAM1040 for the wonderful interview!
DH 8)
Roar, You Lions, Roar
-
TheLionKing
- Hall of Famer
- Posts: 25103
- Joined: Sat Feb 19, 2005 10:13 pm
- Location: Vancouver
Willie Fleming used to own a clothing shop on Granville Street (where Sears is located now). It was named the Lions Den.
Willie mentioned this in the interview. He ended up getting bought out by Hudson's Bay and he never went into haberdashery again.
Did you know Willie Fleming was the last B.C. Lion to be carried off the field by the fans? Given how tight security is today, he'll likely be the last.
DH 8)
Did you know Willie Fleming was the last B.C. Lion to be carried off the field by the fans? Given how tight security is today, he'll likely be the last.
DH 8)
Roar, You Lions, Roar
-
Soundy
- Hall of Famer
- Posts: 3139
- Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2006 9:51 pm
- Location: Watching on TSNHD.
- Contact:
Like I say, well worth checking out the podcast at http://www.team1040.ca - he gets a couple good burns in on the radio jocks as well 
-
Toppy Vann
- Hall of Famer
- Posts: 9794
- Joined: Sat Jul 23, 2005 12:56 pm
I met Willie when I was in high school in North Van at a fashion show he was modelling in for the Nor Westers Track Club. He was funny and a great person to meet. I was introduced to him by my mom who was one of the voluneers for the event. When I shook hands he pulled his hand back and said something like 'man you Canadians have firm hand shakes'. Writing it doesn't make it sound as impressionable and funny as it was at the time as he was a classy person and a great player.
The shunned by the vets surprises me but I guess that was not far from the time that the race issue in pro sports was settled as it is now. It certainly couldn't have been that Fleming was anything but a first-class individual.
It is too bad he didn't stay in BC as he ranks up there as one of the Lion all-time greats.
The shunned by the vets surprises me but I guess that was not far from the time that the race issue in pro sports was settled as it is now. It certainly couldn't have been that Fleming was anything but a first-class individual.
It is too bad he didn't stay in BC as he ranks up there as one of the Lion all-time greats.
"Ability without character will lose." - Marv Levy