| John McClain - Before we start today's chat, I'd like to wish good luck to those Chronicle employees who lost their jobs last week, especially those in sports. Fran Blinebury, Michael Murphy and MK Bower did a terrific job on their beats, and they'll be missed. So will those who worked so hard behind the scenes editing copy and writing headlines for the Chronicle and for Chron.com. They covered my backside many times by catching my mistakes, and I'll always appreciate that. We lost some good people, and good people will land on their feet. Here's wishing them the best of luck and thanking them for everything they did through the decades to make my job easier.
Now, the first time I met Gifford Nielsen was in the 1978 preseason. It was in the Oilers' dressing room. He came to Houston with a big reputation from Brigham Young. He was tall and skinny, and he had a lot of hair. Thirty-one years later, he's still tall and skinny with a lot of hair. His resignation from Ch. 11 caught many of us by surprise, and he's going to be missed, too.
I remembered one preseason when Gifford cried after not getting the starting job. I remember one training camp practice when center Carl Mauck chewed him out for having milkshake breath in the huddle. And if you were an Oilers fan, you'll remember Gifford starting and finishing the greatest victory an NFL team in Houston has pulled off -- the Oilers' upset at San Diego after the 1979 season. Dan Pastorini, Earl Campbell and Kenny Burrough were out with injuries. Gifford and the defense, especially strong safety Vernon Perry, pulled off the upset with a monumental performance.
Goodbye and good luck, Gifford.
Now, on to our chat.
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