Six Degrees of Vinny Testaverde

With Jake Delhomme out for the season following elbow surgery and David Carr experiencing some bumps and bruises of his own, the Carolina Panthers have turned to the NFL’s version of Samuel L. Jackson – Vinny Testaverde. Seriously, this guy just can’t say no to a gig.

On Wednesday, the Panthers signed the 43-year old Testaverde, joining Cleveland/Baltimore, Dallas, New York Jets, New England and Tampa Bay as stops on the Wild World of Vinny. Testaverde first got his start in the NFL in 1987 with Tampa Bay. Yes, 1987.

That’s the year that brought us the birth of the cassingles (singles on cassette tapes) and the debut of Guns N’ Roses. The Edmonton Oilers were winning Stanley Cups, Indiana University won its most recent national title and Michael Douglas was killing with “Wall Street” and “Fatal Attraction.”

With all of Vinny’s former stops and his 20 years in the NFL, I got to thinking of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. If you have the time, and luckily for you I do, you can connect Testaverde to almost anything. From the Civil War to the Golden Age of American television and one great 80s style-mullett, Vinny is all encompassing.

Scenario One: Estelle Getty

- Estelle Getty starred in “The Golden Girls” as Sophie Petrillo, Bea Arthur’s wise ass mom from 1985-1992.

- George Clooney played Bobby Hopkins in the first episode of the 1987 season, “To Catch a Neighbor.”

- Clooney’s appearance with the Golden Gals came on the heels of his 17-episode run on “The Facts of Life,” where he co-starred with Lisa Whelchel.

- Whelchel, who played snobby Blair on “Facts,” got her start in showbiz on Disney’s “The Mickey Mouse Club.”

- Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera, along with everyone’s Mom of the Year, Brittney Spears cut their teeth in the business as a Mousketeer and both Timberlake and Aguilera won Grammys in 2004. OutKast also picked up a Grammy that night.

- OutKast’s Andre 3000, or Andre Benjamin, starred in John Travolta’s unfunny “Be Cool” alongside Dwayne Johnson.

- Johnson, or The Rock, if you must, played Elliot Wilhelm, who I think was a gay bodyguard, in “Be Cool” with Benjamin.

- The Rock played football at the University of Miami and was a member of the 1991 national championship team where Testaverde starred and won the Heisman Trophy in 1986.

Scenario Two: Teddy Roosevelt
- Teddy Roosevelt, this nation’s 26th president worked closely with Grover Cleveland in 1882 after Cleveland was elected governor of New York and Roosevelt was a state legislator.

- Cleveland went on to become president twice in non-conseuctive terms and appointed former South Carolina governor Hugh Smith Thompson Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in 1886.

- Thompson graduated from The Citadel in 1856 and instructed at the Arsenal Academy from 1858 to 1861. On Jan. 9, 1861, Thompson led a battalion of Citadel cadets and fired the first shots of the Civil War when they opened fire on a Union ship entering Charleston’s harbor.

- Al Davis coached at The Citadel from 1954-55 and was the academy’s chief recruiter. Davis went on to become the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders coach, general manager and eventually owner.

- Jim Plunkett played quarterback for Davis’ Raiders from 1978-86 and won the 1980 Super Bowl MVP.

- When Plunkett left San Francisco for Oakland in 1978, Steve DeBerg took over Plunkett’s vacant starting job with the 49ers.

- DeBerg, whose career spanned three decades, lost his starting job in Tampa Bay to second-year player Vinny Testaverde in 1988 and watched as The Vin subsequently threw 35 interceptions.