September 13, 1987. Not just a day in Brian Bosworth’s NFL career, but the first day of his NFL career.
The number one overall pick in the ‘87 supplemental draft, Bosworth was making his debut for the Seattle Seahawks against the defending AFC Champion Denver Broncos. Bosworth wasn’t just known for his hairstyles and his All-American play (not only did Bosworth win the first two Dick Butkus awards, he’s still the only two-time winner) but he had also become known for t-shirts.
That didn’t change 30 years ago today, when roughly 10,000 Broncos fans purchased “Ban the Boz” shirts with the idea in mind that they’d get into the head of the famed head with the golden mohawk. ‘Cept the person profiting from those sales ... was the Boz himself.
30 Years Ago Today: Fans in Denver buy thousands of "Ban The Boz" shirts ahead of game vs Broncos. Shirts are actually made by Bosworth. pic.twitter.com/nisXEC3GfX
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) September 13, 2017
Boz was not a success in the NFL, as you already know. Though he had four sacks in 12 games as a rookie, after 24 career contests, he had to retire because his shoulders were cans of shredded ham. And yet, The Boz remains one of the most popular and recognized players in Seahawks history. Even yesterday on the podcast, Nick Thune mentioned The Boz. He will emanate throughout Seattle and CenturyLink because of how electric of a personality he was (must-watch: Brian and The Boz doc for ESPN’s 30 for 30) and sometimes, how savvy of a businessperson he could be.
So what do you remember about the Boz? Did you love him or hate him? Would you ask for his autograph today if you saw him?