At the end of the first edition of NBC's For Love or Money, bachelorette Erin Brodie, one of Rob Campos' final two choices along with Paige Jones, told Rob that she needed the money that the winner would get "for her parents." Was that true, or was that just part of her effort to get Rob to choose her?
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Erin's father did indeed suffer a severe stroke in fall 2000, and, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, he is still suffering lingering aftereffects of the stroke nearly three years later. For example, his speech is severely limited. However, if anyone short of Bill Gates should have been financially able to withstand such a long-term problem, it would be Erin's father, John Brodie, a star at college and pro football, sports broadcasting, and pro golf.
John Brodie, a San Francisco native, was a Bay Area football legend. He first starred at quarterback for Stanford, where he led the nation in passing in 1956 and established a tradition of great Stanford quarterbacks that continued through multiple-Super Bowl-winning QBs Jim Plunkett and John Elway.
He then was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers, for whom he played from 1957 to 1973. His 17 seasons are still the team longetivity record, and he was selected as NFL Most Valuable Player in 1970. At one point in his career, he was also the highest-paid player in the NFL.
When John finally retired from pro football, he became part of the top sports announcing team on NBC. However, despite his success as an announcer, he decided to give it up after 12 years and join the Senior PGA Tour when he turned 50 in 1985.
For the next 15 years, until his stroke, John Brodie became the rare professional athlete from another sport who was able to succeed as a professional golfer. Although he only won one senior tournament (the 1991 Security Pacific in L.A., in a playoff against Chi Chi Rodriguez and George Archer), he was always competitive. In addition, since he had one of the most recognizable names and faces on tour, he was in demand for lucrative corporate outings and promotions.
In 1997, at age 61, John Brodie was one of the founding members of the "Celebrity Players Tour." Despite his age, and even though he hasn't played since his 2000 stroke, he still rates as the seventh-leading all-time money winner on the CPT.
In addition to John Brodie's own ample earnings, his eldest daughter Kelly is married to famous tennis coach Larry Stefanski, who has coached a number of top players beginning with John McEnroe, and his daughter Diane ("DiDi") is married to Chicago Bears QB Chris Chandler, who has played in the NFL for 15 years and led the Atlanta Falcons to Super Bowl XXXIII after the 1998 season -- an achievement his father-in-law never matched.
And Erin needs NBC's measly $465,000 lump-sum grand prize to help her dad? We think not. Nevertheless, we applaud her willingness to do whatever it takes to win --- a prime display of the competitiveness that seems to run in her family. We hope to see more of it in For Love or Money 2.
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