ProCase Sports

I photographed eight Pro Bowls back when they were held in Hawaii. I love Hawaii and photographing the ProBowl was a great excuse for a trip to Hawaii in February! I loved the bright colors of the Pro Bowl jerseys back then; Hawaii’s bright sun and those colorful jerseys were made for great pictures. I started going to the Pro Bowls with Brian Urlacher, and it was a great opportunity for me to meet many star players across the league.

Olin Kreutz was a regular at the Pro Bowl and was also born in Hawaii, so I wanted to make sure I took a lot of photos of him while I was there. His family and relatives were always there hanging out at practice, and I’d often talk to his wife about the pictures I had of Olin. I let her know that if she ever wanted them, all she had to do was give me a call. Every time Olin saw me talking to his wife, he’d come over and cuss me out. He said that he didn’t like pictures and would never want my pictures. I couldn’t tell if he was serious or just joking around, but I always told him that he would want them someday… maybe when he is an old man and sitting in his rocking chair!

Back at Halas Hall, many of Olin’s teammates would say that Olin was in charge of the locker room. He was the enforcer, and you didn’t want to get on the wrong side of Olin! He was known for throwing guys in the cold tub in the locker room, I could never figure out if he was having fun with the guys or if he was actually mad at them.

One day I bumped into Olin in the hallway at Halas Hall. I joked with him that he still hasn’t looked at any of the photos I’ve taken of him. He said, “How many times have I told you? I don’t want to see those **** photos! He put his arms around me and said, “I’ve heard enough from you!” The stern way he escorted me down the hallway made me feel like I was being arrested. Where was Olin taking me? We were headed to the cold tub, he was going to throw me in! While I was being brought down the hallway, I thought to myself, “I sure hope Tony Medlin (Bear’s equipment manager) will be willing to give me some sweats or something to wear when this is over.” I knew I was going to be wet within the next minute or two, so I began to empty my pockets. The last room we passed before the cold tub was Tim Bream’s office. I threw my wallet and keys on Tim’s desk as Olin was forcefully escorting me to the tub. Even though I knew I was going to get wet, I knew this would be a hilarious story that I could share with my friends for a long time. I was about to become another one of Olin’s victims! As we got to the edge of the tub, Olin said: “If I hear you talking about pictures one more time to me, this is where you’re going to end up!” Then he turned around and walked away. To tell the truth, I felt a little disappointed, he didn’t toss me in and I wasn’t going to have a story to tell.

Years after Olin had retired from professional football, I ran into him in Bass Pro Shop in Gurnee Mills. He was pushing a baby stroller and was with his family. We started talking and he was so nice, I thought “What happened to this guy?” When we were talking I brought up the time he almost threw me in the cold tub and admitted that I was disappointed he didn’t actually throw me in! I told him he ruined the story I was going to have, but he said I still have a story. He told me I could tell everyone that I’m the only guy he brought to the tub and didn’t throw in! He gave me grace! By the end of the conversation, Olin told me he’d like to come and look at pictures some time. His daughters had been bugging him about seeing pictures of their dad when he played for the Bears!

Olin Kreutz…what a great guy!