Toto Schillaci died last year after a long fight with cancer. When I asked him what kind of cancer he was battling, he laughed and with a smile in his broken English loudly replied – ‘Yerrikay! (his pronunciation of Eric) I no longer have a rectum - I know that much!’ The translator did his thing for the small group that wanted to listen in, and all laughed – just Toto being Toto was definitely the vibe. 

He was one of those people so charismatic that you could get away with that kind of thing. Every question seemed an opportunity. A grin would come across his face as the translator would come to his end – he could not wait to relive a moment, to find humor or irony in an old story, or the warmth felt in recalling an old friend or teammate. 

On he went, just holding court, for me and 5 of his chain smoking  friends that deemed to stay on and listen in. About his youth in Sicily in the 70s where the mafia was all around you, about his long shot of making Serie A with his dream club: Juventus, then the even longer shot at making the national team and then that longest, out of the world, shot – of leading the 1990 World Cup in goals and captivating an entire nation with his play, his goals, and that irresistible smile. He would end 1990 2nd in Ballon D’Or (World Player of the Year) voting:  a ridiculous journey for this kid from the south.

We did our sit at his tennis club, though it was only pickleball that I could see – such are the times everywhere I guess. But I will never forget it – Give the man a listen – I am sure that like me, he will win you over. 

As I talked to Steve Sampson, I was very much reminded of the coaches of my youth in the 80s and 90s. I smirked nostalgically as I heard words like: accountability, preparation, and culture.

If you Google Steve Sampson, of the first 10 articles you see, 9 will be about one event he experienced - a moment where he was coaching the US National Team, prepping for the 1998 World Cup, and was faced with an impossible off-the-field situation. 

He handled it in his way, grounded in his own set of values, which he summarized in that clichéd/old school but very true idea of: can you look yourself in the mirror? 

His decision was hugely unpopular. His career and reputation suffered tremendously, but as he says both then and now, he sleeps just fine at night. 

He talks a lot about that incident with me and how it impacted him. In his words, 'that's the most I've ever talked about that'. And he humbled me by casually adding that, 'he felt in good hands'. 

Of course, there is much more to the man than this single moment. And I hope you enjoy hearing from the man himself: the life and philosophies of 'el profe' , Steve Sampson. 

Freeman Jones was a black, PhD-educated scientist in Jim Crow America, who was the lead of his team. However, when his company opened up the facility for tours for investors or the public, he was kindly asked by ownership to exit the facility and go wait in the yard with the other black employees, most of whom were part of the cleaning crew. 

Freeman would go onto marry Mada Myers, who had marched with Dr Martin Luther King in Mobile, Alabama, and was active in that legendary Civil Rights movement of the 1960s American South. She later taught English Literature for nearly 30 years. Freeman and Mada were married for 62 years.  

It’s not surprising that such people would go on to raise four lovely children – the youngest of whom they named: Cobi N’Gai Jones. As a young man, Cobi was very nervous when he approached his highly educated parents with his desire to put his education on hold to pursue a career in soccer, where there was no established league, hardly any professional players and very little money.  

Surprisingly to Cobi, it was his mother, the educator, who told her son, " Go chase this dream of yours, son, and see where it takes you.”

Cobi went on to have a legendary US soccer career; he is in the Guinness Book for most games played for the US National Team, and the most continuous years played with one MLS club – two records that will never be touched.

So, as he poignantly told me: in the end, he was glad his mother won the argument. 

Cobi was kind enough to host me at the LA Galaxy facility where he will soon join Landon Donovan and David Beckham in the form of a 10-foot-tall bronze statue - soon to be unveiled in the Legends Plaza at the Galaxy stadium entrance. 

It was a pleasure to sit with Cobi Jones and I hope you enjoy it was well. 

Gary Mabbutt is a real legend of that historic club – Tottenham Hotspur of North London – but Gary was quite lucky to get that far as he nearly died as a boy while at his youth club. 

He did not die of course, but was diagnosed with what was then a pretty unknown condition - that of type 1 diabetes – he was told by the doctor that his football career was over and he would have to take a lot of precautions and master his diet moving forward just to insure his life would not be cut short.  

He was 17 and his world was shattered, but given his nature he didn’t give up and with his father, he did what any stubborn teenage boy would do - he went looking for another doctor. 

It took 4 tries, but he found one that walked him through the care he had to take, explained to him the nature of blood sugar and insulin, and all the ins/outs of living with this condition – his pregame meal, his post game meal, his sleep and of course, what to do in case of emergency. 

He would go on to play nearly 500 times for Tottenham, over the course of 16 seasons – 11 as captain. He played with or against the likes of: Enzo Scifo, Dennis Bergkamp, Paul Gascoigne, Jurgen Klinsmann and Johan Cruyff. 

As an aside, the other three doctors that recommended retirement all spoke to Gary over the years – congratulated him on his success, marveled at what he was able to accomplish with his disease - and further that his career would provide a blueprint for all the diabetics that would came after him, something that Gary is very proud of. 

He is a true legend of White Hart Lane, an inspiration for those that share his ailment and a gentleman above all.