Dawson Takes A Drag
Go ahead and take a nice long look at this photo of legendary Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson taken by photographer Bill Ray for Life Magazine. Ray got the shot at halftime of Super Bowl I held Jan. 15, 1967 at the Los Angeles Coliseum. What stands out? Well, likely for starters it's the cigarette Dawson's dragging on. Most athletes don't smoke today (not cigarettes, at least), and if they don't do it around photographers. But what else do you see? There's a bottle of something resting between Dawson's feet. My first thought was, "Is that a beer?" Nope. Turns out it's even more shocking. It's a Fresca. What's a Fresca, you ask. Folks of a certain age (me, for example) know that a Fresca is a lightly carbonated grapefruit soda that, depending on your tastebuds, is either a pretty smooth beverage or something that goes spewing back out the moment it hits your mouth. Anything else jump out? How about the folding metal chairs or...