Remember the time that Gondo . . . ?
That always was one of former Nuggets forward Glen Gondrezick’s talents. He could make you break out in stories, including about how he came out of the luggage chute at an airport on the road, setting off trainer-traveling secretary Bob “Chopper” Travaglini, the Runyonesque character who was both friend and foil for Gondo, in a fit of sputtering.
Gondrezick played four seasons under Doug Moe, from 1979-83, averaging 6.3 points. His jersey number (22) won’t make it into the Pepsi Center rafters. Yet Gondo, who died at age 53 Monday in the Las Vegas area because of post-heart transplant complications, will be remembered in many other ways.
Moe, now a Nuggets consultant, got the bad news when former Nuggets center Kim Hughes called. “I thought that if you got a heart transplant, it either took right away or it didn’t,” Moe said. “It was a shock.”
Gondrezick, from Boulder High, was on UNLV’s Final Four team in 1977. I first talked with him for a story when we were in college, and during his time with the Nuggets and my tenure on the beat, we could end up playing cards in Chopper’s room. Center Dan Issel was closer to Chopper than was Gondo; but Gondo and Chopper put on a show.
“We had training camp in Alamosa,” said Bill Ficke, who was Moe’s assistant. “Gondo took all the furniture out of Chopper’s room. He came back to an empty room. And was Chopper ever mad.”
At 6-feet-6 and 218 pounds, Gondo was a great athlete and energy player. He could have played linebacker or tight end in the NFL if he had given football a shot. I saw him play softball and volleyball, and even during his career, he treated co-ed softball games like the seventh game of the NBA Finals. In the NBA, he took more charges than today’s Europeans and didn’t need to flop to do it.
Moe’s favorite Gondo story also involved Chopper. During the notorious 1982 snowstorm that shut down Denver and ultimately prevented the Nuggets and their traveling party — including Rocky Mountain News beat writer Kevin Simpson and me — from getting home for Christmas, Gondo kept calling Chopper’s room, pretending to be a United Airlines executive.
Each call, Gondo cut the number of seats he had rounded up. Moe, who was in on the joke, kept grilling Chopper about who should get the seats. It went on for a while before Gondo confessed.
Now, I can hear Gondo and Chopper arguing already.
Terry Frei: 303-954-1895 or tfrei@denverpost.com
