(June 23, 2016) Sandra L. Unitas, the widow of Colts legend Johnny Unitas, met with Berlin Mayor Gee Williams last Friday to donate a few items to the town.
Among them was a pool table, once owned by “Johnny U,” that the town plans to give to nonprofit Worcester Youth and Family Counseling.
She also offered a custom TV cabinet that the couple commissioned just before he passed away about 14 years ago. Williams said that item could be a good fit in the town’s visitor’s center on Main Street, where videos are shown of different attractions and special events in the town.
The encounter was something of an accident. Unitas was in town shopping and visiting a restaurant, and walked into Town Hall to ask if she was parked in an appropriate space.
“They said ‘no’ and I said, ‘OK, but would you like to have a pool table?’” she said. “I looked up and it was [the mayor’s] office. I didn’t know where I was or what, so it was meant to be!”
Williams was a fan, and said he had met the Hall of Fame quarterback on occasion, including once at M.R. Ducks.
“He was very cordial,” Williams said. “Nobody was bothering him or asking him for autographs, just [saying], ‘hey, it’s good to see you in Ocean City.’”
“If he had a beer in his hand, he was happy,” Unitas said. “He was very down to earth. He was a man’s man. He loved children and he was always approachable.”
Apparently, Johnny also had a connection with “Runaway Bride,” the 1999 film starting Julia Roberts and Richard Gere that was partially shot in Berlin, doubling as the fictional town of “Hale.”
One day during shooting, a part of which also took place in Baltimore – doubling for New York – Johnny was driving near the set when he got caught in traffic. Stopped on the road, he caught the eye of a casting director.
“She looked in and said, ‘Are you Johnny Unitas?’ He said, ‘I am – and you’re holding me up!’” she said.
It just happened to be Director Gary Marshall’s birthday that week and he was a fan. Johnny was asked to sign a football as a gift and present it to him. In return, he asked if he could bring his family to watch some of the filming.
“As time went on, we were all in certain scenes, and if you blinked your eye you wouldn’t see any of us,” she said. “But it was a really special time, just like I’m sure it was here in Berlin when they were all here.”
Johnny filmed a scene, as himself, talking to Richard Gere. It was the last one cut from the film.
“Gary Marshall wrote John a beautiful note and called and said, ‘I am so sorry,’” she said. “[In the film] he was in a bakery in front of Hampden, a suburb of [Baltimore].”
Williams said he would like to host a dedication for both items in the near future, and Unitas promised to return when that happened.
“I’m always looking for excuses to come back,” she said. “This is what John would have wanted.”
Among them was a pool table, once owned by “Johnny U,” that the town plans to give to nonprofit Worcester Youth and Family Counseling.
She also offered a custom TV cabinet that the couple commissioned just before he passed away about 14 years ago. Williams said that item could be a good fit in the town’s visitor’s center on Main Street, where videos are shown of different attractions and special events in the town.
The encounter was something of an accident. Unitas was in town shopping and visiting a restaurant, and walked into Town Hall to ask if she was parked in an appropriate space.
“They said ‘no’ and I said, ‘OK, but would you like to have a pool table?’” she said. “I looked up and it was [the mayor’s] office. I didn’t know where I was or what, so it was meant to be!”
Williams was a fan, and said he had met the Hall of Fame quarterback on occasion, including once at M.R. Ducks.
“He was very cordial,” Williams said. “Nobody was bothering him or asking him for autographs, just [saying], ‘hey, it’s good to see you in Ocean City.’”
“If he had a beer in his hand, he was happy,” Unitas said. “He was very down to earth. He was a man’s man. He loved children and he was always approachable.”
Apparently, Johnny also had a connection with “Runaway Bride,” the 1999 film starting Julia Roberts and Richard Gere that was partially shot in Berlin, doubling as the fictional town of “Hale.”
One day during shooting, a part of which also took place in Baltimore – doubling for New York – Johnny was driving near the set when he got caught in traffic. Stopped on the road, he caught the eye of a casting director.
“She looked in and said, ‘Are you Johnny Unitas?’ He said, ‘I am – and you’re holding me up!’” she said.
It just happened to be Director Gary Marshall’s birthday that week and he was a fan. Johnny was asked to sign a football as a gift and present it to him. In return, he asked if he could bring his family to watch some of the filming.
“As time went on, we were all in certain scenes, and if you blinked your eye you wouldn’t see any of us,” she said. “But it was a really special time, just like I’m sure it was here in Berlin when they were all here.”
Johnny filmed a scene, as himself, talking to Richard Gere. It was the last one cut from the film.
“Gary Marshall wrote John a beautiful note and called and said, ‘I am so sorry,’” she said. “[In the film] he was in a bakery in front of Hampden, a suburb of [Baltimore].”
Williams said he would like to host a dedication for both items in the near future, and Unitas promised to return when that happened.
“I’m always looking for excuses to come back,” she said. “This is what John would have wanted.”