Remembering Football Great Cookie Gilchrist [AUDIO]
December 27, 2011 11:48 AM 
On Wednesday, December 21st, Chris Garbarino joined Sportstalk on the Village Inn Hotline to discuss a new autobiography on football great Cookie Gilchrist. Garbarino, a retired New York City police officer, began an unlikely friendship with Gilchrist through Facebook. From there, the two became extremely close until Gilchrist’s death earlier this year.
Garbarino recalled how the former Candian Football League and American Football League star was one of the best running backs in professional football, as well as one of the most outspoken. Gilchrist was also one of the early civil rights leaders for black athletes as Garbarino recalled.
“New Orleans was hosting the (1964 AFL All Star) game with hopes it would be getting a profesional franchise. When Cookie and the other African American athletes went down there, they weren’t able to geet taxicabs, weren’t able to eat in restaurants, and were turned away from nightclubs. Cookie called a meeting of all the African American players and caled for a boycottt and forced the game to be moved to Houston.”
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