Ex-Chicago Cardinal, Lion loved to hand out neckties

AGE: 74.

RESIDENCE: Las Vegas.

FAMILY: Wife Louise, son Brad, two grandchildren.

OCCUPATION: Retired executive with Jostens, maker of high schooland college class rings, yearbooks and jewelry.

POSITION: Linebacker.

NICKNAMES: Rocky, The Creeper (from George Plimpton's book PaperLion).

HOBBIES: Playing bridge.

FOOTBALL BACKGROUND: Brettschneider rose from humble beginnings inDundee to become a successful businessman after eight NFL seasons asan undrafted player with the Chicago Cardinals and Detroit Lions(1956-63). Known for his fearless play and necktie tackles,Brettschneider was named the fifth- toughest athlete in the city'ssports history by a veteran Detroit columnist. He's in theChicagoland Hall of Fame.

GROWING UP: "I have eight brothers and sisters. Dad only made $90a month as a night watchman after never having made it past sixthgrade. Our meals were rice and cold oatmeal. We made do with a lot oflove."

SCHOOL DAZE: "There were 77 kids in my high school class. I was76th academically. Stuart Keller was 77th. He's in Who's Who inAmerica as a physics professor, and I made enough money to becomfortable."

DUNDEE SPORTS: "Jim Schuldt was our best athlete. He was great infootball, basketball and baseball. He's the first guy I ever saw makea jump shot. The White Sox offered him a lot of money when he pitchedin a tryout against guys like Nellie Fox and Luke Appling, but Jimhad 100 football scholarship offers. I told him, `Tell them you havea fullback friend when you make your [recruiting] visits.' We went toplaces like Purdue and Illinois, but he finally settled on baseballand basketball at Illinois."

ABOUT IOWA STATE: "Jim showed me an Iowa State letter to playfootball and said, `Here, why don't you go instead?' I went withanother guy we called Parrothead. The school later invited me to comeout for football. I wasn't a good player then. That's why I was neverdrafted."

ARMY BALL: "I had to figure out a way not to get killed in theKorean War, so I went out for the Fort Riley post team and played fortwo years. It matured me as a player and person."

GETTING STARTED: "The 49ers wanted me, but they already hadlinebackers like Matt Hazeltine and Hardy Brown. I was in awe of HughMcElhenny, Y.A. Tittle, Leo Nomellini, Joe Perry and Bob St. Clair. Isaw St. Clair eat a raw chicken while blood ran down his cheeks. TheCardinals remembered me from a good exhibition game against them andsigned me."

GOOD TIMES: "My best years were with the Lions. We always finishedsecond to Vince Lombardi's Packers, but we beat them in a 1962Thanksgiving game for their only loss. I enjoyed playing with AlexKarras. We're in the movie "Paper Lion."

ABOUT JIM BROWN: "Best I ever played against. The Browns had athird-and-two in a Runnerup Bowl game. I prayed, `Please let Jim runtoward Wayne Walker and Dick LeBeau,' but a hole opened up five yardswide, and he came right at me. I stopped him, but he drove my facebar down to my chin and my shoulder went numb. It bothered me for 20years."

ABOUT MIKE DITKA: "Another really tough guy. I thought I'd showhim what the NFL was all about when he was a rookie with the Bears[in 1961]. Instead, I got flagged for 15 yards when a ref saw me hithim. [Assistant coach] Don Shula was really mad, but we won the game.I said hello to Ditka at his restaurant years later. I didn't thinkhe'd remember me, but he told his dinner companions, `See this guy?He was a great player."'

ABOUT GEORGE BLANDA: "A fine quarterback. I saw him a while backand he said, `You're not going to hit me, are you?"'

LIONS' DEN: "I was assistant coach for two years and personneldirector for three. I helped bring in 20 players who started in theNFL, including Mel Farr, Lem Barney, Charlie Sanders, Bill Munson andGreg Landry, but I got fired along with everyone else who worked forgeneral manager Russ Thomas."

MOVING ON: "I got started with Jostens creating and sellingChristmas cards to all the motor companies in Detroit. The first yearI made $400, the next year $30,000 and the next year $180,000. Itsure beat football money."

MEETING LOUISE: "I met her in Chicago, when I was with theCardinals and she was a TWA stewardess. We traveled the world withher job. She still looks like Charlize Theron."

LIFE TODAY: "We're having a great time in Vegas. We play a littleslot poker, go to all the shows and play bridge with a lot of newfriends. McElhenny and I are best of friends. We started an NFL Vegasalumni group."

jgoddard@suntimes.com