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Rob Ninkovich Shares His Own 20 Year Old 69 Joke with Gronk

#tbt Ignore the team! @gronk what u think of that number? #slickhair #beast

A post shared by Robert Ninkovich (@nink50) on

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Young Rob Ninkovich, you animal! That is the mark of a true future champion. Of the early stages of greatness. The legend that was to become, still in the pupa stage.

What do you do when you’re a kid growing up in Illinois and have life deal you the bad hand of assigning you to the Jets? You ask for No. 69. You get out the product and slick that ‘do back and become a total chick magnet. You do it with the knowledge that maybe half the kids on the roster will get it, but they’ll be the cool kids. And maybe, just maybe, someday you’ll grow up and be teammates with the world’s greatest 69 joke aficionado. And 20 years or so down the road, he’ll laugh about it like it was the first 69 joke ever told.

I wouldn’t surprise me to find out Belichick and his staff found this picture when Ninkovich was laboring in obscurity for New Orleans and Miami and knew right then and there he was born to be a winner. It’s a short shot from that look to two time Super Bowl champion and my close, personal friend. Damn, I miss this guy.

Me & Ninkovich

@jerrythornton1