The Miami Dolphins might have surrounded Bob Griese with one of the best-supporting casts of all-time with a stellar defense and running options, but that doesn't take away what he was able to accomplish as a leader of an offense. Without a superior mind taking snaps from behind center, it doesn't matter who you have on your team, some credit deservingly belongs to a quarterback on a successful team and we're here to give Bob Griese his flowers for his efforts on the field. The 6'1 quarterback out of Evansville, Indiana played three different sports out his home state institution of Purdue University. Griese played pitcher on the school's baseball team, guard for the basketball team, as well as quarterback, punter, and kicker for the football team. In 1966, Griese led the Boilermakers to their first-ever Rose Bowl and earned two All-American honors during his collegiate football career.
In the first-ever NFL-AFL merger 1967 Common Draft, Bob Griese was selected 4th overall by the Miami Dolphins where he would play his entire fourteen-season professional football career. Griese had an instant impact as the Dolphins quarterback throwing a touchdown pass on his very first play as a pro to wideout Joe Auer. However, the first three seasons were rough for the up-and-coming Florida-based expansion team. It wasn't until 1971 that Griese would lead the Dolphins to three consecutive Super Bowl appearances. After losing in their initial invitation to the big dance in Super Bowl VI against the Dallas Cowboys, Griese would lead an undefeated 14-0 Dolphins to a Super Bowl victory in Super Bowl VII as well as the following year in Super Bowl VIII. The 6x Pro Bowler also led the league in passing touchdowns in 1977 and was named NFL MVP in 1971 before hanging up his cleats for good after the 1980 season.
When we think of inventors, the image that comes to mind is usually that of a frazzled scientist toiling away in a lab, not celebrities pulled from the pages of Us Weekly. However, a number of well-known public figures hold patents for various innovations. Some are related to the work that made them famous, while others are offshoots of hobbies or just a single great idea.
Part of guitar wizard Eddie Van Halen's signature sound was his two-handed tapping technique, but letting all ten fingers fly while simultaneously holding up the guitar's neck could get a bit tricky. Van Halen came up with a novel way to get around this problem, though; he invented a support (top) that could flip out of the back of his axe's body to raise and stabilize the fretboard so he could tap out searing songs like "Eruption." While Van Halen was obviously interested in improving his guitar work, the patent application he filed in 1985 notes that the device would work with any stringed instrument. Want to tap out a scorching mandolin solo? Find someone selling Eddie's device.
It’s probably not surprising that James Cameron—who designed a submersible to take him to the deepest known part of the ocean—will often invent technology to make his films if what he needs doesn’t exist. He holds a number of patents, including US Patent No. 4996938, “apparatus for propelling a user in an underwater environment,” that he and his brother, Michael, created to film The Abyss and patented in 1989. The device is basically an underwater dolly equipped with propellers that makes it easy for a camera operator to maneuver in the water—and allowed Cameron to capture the shots he wanted for the 1989 film, part of which was filmed in an abandoned nuclear reactor.
In 1987 Jamie Lee Curtis designed and patented a disposable diaper that included a waterproof pocket that held baby wipes. She hasn't profited from her idea yet, though, since she refuses to license the patent until diaper companies make biodegradable products.
You know him as a rock legend, but Neil Young also loves trains—so much that he owns a stake in a model train manufacturing company and has an extensive collection. He also holds seven patents related to model trains, including Patent No. US5441223, "Model train controller using electromagnetic field between track and ground."