Favorite son

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, October 6, 2004

The emotional impact of facing his former team might not be enough to break 270-pound Grant Wistrom, but it has fans across the state of Missouri getting emotional this week.

Just ask 14-year-old Kendall Chalmers, a freshman at Neosho High School who once fancied himself a huge fan of the St. Louis Rams.

“I was,” Chalmers stressed Wednesday, making reference to the fact that his favorite player is no longer a member of that team.

Since Wistrom officially changed teams last March, when he signed a multi-million contract with the Seattle Seahawks, his former state feels like it has lost more than just a football star.

“They’re still talking about him down here,” said John Hadley, a St. Louis-based radio personality who used to do a show with Wistrom. “He’s one of those tough losses who might take a while to get over.”

No one has felt the sting quite like Chalmers, a young man who befriended the defensive linemen eight years ago. Then a 6-year-old cancer patient, Chalmers met Wistrom when the football player was at the University of Nebraska and formed a relationship that continues to this day.

Chalmers, now 14 and in such good health that he only requires doctor visits once a year, still follows Wistrom’s career but isn’t so passionate about the Rams. He remains dedicated to the man who once gave him a will to live.

“He helped me realize to stay in there and not give up,” Chalmers said in a Wednesday phone conversation. “It was a real confidence-builder.”

Wistrom’s dedication to Chalmers started when he made the cancer patient an honorary “blackshirt” – the nickname given to Nebraska’s defensive starters – in 1996. The bond came from the fact that both Wistrom (Webb City) and Chalmers (Neosho) grew up in towns just outside of Joplin, Mo. – about 250 miles southwest of St. Louis.

Chalmers wasn’t the only person in Missouri affected by Wistrom’s kindness. The laid-back football player with the blond curls seemed to touch nearly every person he came across.

“He had a great following here,” said Kelly Chase, a former St. Louis Blues player and close friend of Wistrom’s. “The community loved him. I suspect that at some point he’ll come back here because he’s such a big part of the community.”

Wistrom’s impact in St. Louis stretched from the football field to the night clubs to the local hospitals. Sometimes it felt like the entire town had crossed paths with him at some point in his six-year career with the Rams.

“He can carry on a conversation with an 80-year-old woman, turn around and give football tips to a 15-year-old kid, then smash forearms and talk smack with Bubba and the boys,” Hadley said. “More than anything, his ability to interact with people is the key. A lot of athletes have a tough time connecting with the fans. He’s kind of unique that way.”

When he had time between games and practices, Wistrom often made regular visits to Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital to talk to young cancer patients. The cause has been a big part of Wistrom’s life since he met Chalmers eight years ago, and he now runs a foundation that helps children with cancer.

While many athletes are gracious enough to give their time to charitable causes, Wistrom has made it a priority in his life.

“He never brought in a camera crew or any of that,” said Marsha Steffen, a nurse at Cardinal Glennon. “He was very grounded by it. He would tell the kids they were his heroes. That was an awesome thing for them to hear. It really made a difference in their lives.”

The Grant Wistrom Foundation, however, was only part of the star defensive end’s allure. Because of his local roots, Missourians will always have a soft spot for Wistrom.

“He’s a Missouri boy, a hometown boy who succeeded here. And that matters,” said Hadley, the radio broadcaster. “Take-care-of-your-own is still prevalent here, and he took care of his own.”

Perhaps that’s why no one blamed Wistrom for taking the money and running in March. When he signed a six-year, $33 million contract that included a Seahawks franchise-record $14 million signing bonus, fans throughout Missouri were happy for him despite their displeasure at having to see him go.

“Nobody begrudges Grant for making a living and signing a contract,” said Chase, the former Blues player. “It was a great deal for Grant, and for Seattle. He didn’t fit in financially to what they were doing here, so good for Grant and good for Seattle. But people respect Grant and what he did here.”

Wistrom’s first NFL game against the Rams doesn’t have quite the impact because it’s being played in Seattle.

He’s also downplaying the reunion. His two closest Rams friends won’t be in town – Kyle Turley is on injured reserve, while Brian Young is now with the New Orleans Saints – and Wistrom is trying to portray it as just another game.

“You can hype it up all week long as much as you want, but I think everybody’s making a bigger deal of this than I am personally,” Wistrom said Wednesday. “As soon as the opening kickoff happens, you forget about all that stuff, and it’s just another football team, another opponent and a game you have to win.”

Not that everyone believes him.

“My guess is that every Sunday he looks up at the scoreboard and smiles if (the Rams are) doing well,” said Hadley, the radio host. “But if I know that dude like I think I know him, he’ll have nothing but bad intentions Sunday. He’ll do everything in his power to make sure (St. Louis quarterback) Marc Bulger can’t reproduce.

“With him, it’s all about competition, and it’s all about winning. After kickoff, it’s on. He’s not going to be kissing anyone’s cheek like Isaiah Thomas did.”

Wistrom may be giving 100 percent to the Seahawks on Sunday, but part of his heart will always be in St. Louis.

He was so dedicated to the city where he played his first six seasons that Wistrom wrote a letter to the editor in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch thanking the fans before he left town.

“Being from Missouri, and the effort the guy always gave, this town really liked the guy,” defensive line coach Bill Kollar said. “He was one of the favorites of the city. The whole city hated to see him leave. But that’s the way football is now, with free agency and all the player movement.”

The Seahawks may have given Wistrom $9 million more in signing bonus money than the Rams had offered, but the early returns have shown him worthy of the cash. Seattle’s defense has vaulted to the top of the NFL, and the Rams are barely floating at No. 27 in the league in yards allowed per game. Rams safety Aeneas Williams is among the former teammates willing to admit that the defense misses Wistrom’s presence. He said the loss of Wistrom has had “a significant impact.”

Rams coach Mike Martz is also among those who miss the player known for his emotional spark.

“He’s like one of my family,” Martz said. “He’s like one of my kids, so to not have him in the locker room anymore … I just miss him.”

Wistrom is already missed all over St. Louis – not to mention the state of Missouri. Even a high school freshman on the other side of the state is still coming to grips with his friend heading to the Pacific Northwest.

“It was pretty hard,” Chalmers said. “But we’ll still get to see him play sometimes.”