Number 63

Jim "The Rookie" Morris joins the show to talk about #63, what it's like to have Dennis Quaid play you in the story of your life and details on his new book Dream Makers. Plus, we've got a carload of NFL linemen and nearly forgotten baseball players to discuss and a mighty unusual Hall of Shame and Derrick Rose Award you won't want to miss.

Our Guest
Our guest has lived his very own Disney movie. Jim Morris was a high school baseball coach and science teacher who incredibly made the major leagues in 1999 at the ripe old age of 35. The story of his life and his rise to the majors became the blockbuster movie The Rookie, starring Dennis Quaid – A film that won the ESPY for Best Sports Movie in 2002. Since his playing days he’s become a highly sought-after motivational speaker and in 2015 he launched the Jim “The Rookie” Morris Foundation which assists underprivileged children in and around San Antonio, Texas. His new book Dream Makers picks up where The Rookie left off – telling the story of his contentious relationship with his father, his struggles with pain and addiction and the transformative power of surrounding yourself with the best people possible.

1:08 – “I do have some breaking Number News.”
Rudy runs down the delay in Eli Manning’s #10 retirement at Ole Miss and Christian Pulisic donning the coveted #10 with Chelsea.

3:38 – “Glad to be here on Puttin’ Up Numbers. Thank you.”
Jim “The Rookie” Morris drops in to talk about #63, the movie of his life, his new book, Dream Makers and more.

18:48 – “We do go deep."
Rudy quickly rounds up the baseball, basketball and hockey #63’s of note on our way to an extensive discussion of football players with the number of the day.

29:49 – “We’ve got some good ones here.”
An extensive discussion of football players wearing #63 including Hall of Famers Gene Upshaw, Willie Lanier, Dermontti Dawson, Dick Stanfel, Mike Munchak not to mention Ernie Holmes and Mike Singletary, “the college tackling machine” and more.

30:19 – “What time is it, Rudy?.”
Screen Stars returns with three actors wearing #63 on the silver screen:

1. Dennis Quaid as Jim Morris in The Rookie (2002)
2. Marcus Toji as Marcus “The Toe” in Little Giants (1994)
3. Bud Spencer as Bulldozer in Uppercut (1978)

32:02 – “Jocko Maggiacomo . . . a super fun name to say.”
Jocko earns Hall of Shame honors for a crash with NASCAR legend Bobby Allison at Pocono in 1988 that left Allison dead . . . for a while.

33:25 – “We like to make everything about ourselves of course.”
Rudy relates the troubled past of former Raiders center Barret Robbins, our Derrick Rose Award winner. You may recall Robbins turned up missing the day before the 2002 Super Bowl which was only the beginning for him. Rudy and Tom flex about attending the 2002 Super Bowl and a scandalous Playboy party the night before where Hef used human plates.

37:16 – “You could put these guys in a bag.”
The Heat Check List:

1. Brad Marchand 
2. Corey Linsley 
3. Sean Doolittle 
4. Tyler Ennis 
5. Ben Garland 
6. Michael Deiter 

40:29 – “Four of them are NFL Players.”
The Hall of Fame List for #63:

1. Gene Upshaw
2. Willie Lanier
3. Lee Roy Selmon
4. Dermontti Dawson 
5. Jim Morris

Our thanks to Jim Morris for joining us. Get his new book, Dream Makers here: https://www.jimtherookiemorris.com.