University of Virginia Library

'The Animal'

Mr. Plimpton suggested that
he wasn't afraid to "cross over
the box railings," referring to
the fan who attempted to steal
the football in a Baltimore
Colt-Miami Dolphin game a
few years ago. The fan was
leveled by a vicious tackle from
Colt linebacker Mike Curtis.

"On the Colts, Mike Curtis
is called 'The Animal.' Even his
wife calls him 'The Animal,'"
quipped the former editor of
The Paris Review.

"It is part of his psyche to
separate the ball from the
person who is carrying it. It is
instinctive."

He spoke of his days as a
writer for the Harvard

Lampoon. "For my initiation,
I had to run in the Boston
Marathon. So I waited in the
crowd about 200 yards from
the finish, and when the
first-place runner came by, I
stepped out of the crowd and
started running after him."

In spite of the fact that he
was chasing a man who had run
26 miles, Mr. Plimpton was
unable to catch the leader and
crossed the finish line second.
"The officials came out and
wrapped blankets around us. I
really didn't need a blanket
because I had hardly broken a
sweat."

The "amateur pro" got his
big break when he talked to
the sports editor of Sports
Illustrated magazine, Sidney
James. "He was a
daydreamer," said Mr.
Plimpton.