Author: Julie Miller

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Julie Miller has been a writer at Gridiron Heroics since July of 2022. She is an Epidemiologist with a focus on the intersection between sports and science. In result, Julie writes about sports injuries. She also enjoys writing about the history of football, and football affiliated true crime.

In light of the Serial Killer Sunday series being postponed until a spookier time, we will pick a cheerier topic for the Holiday season – which player is most likely to be the serial killer in your division. This is serious business so take note. This week we will be outing the alleged serial killers hiding in the AFC South and NFC South Divisions. NFC South We all smell the poop and it’s in the Houston Texans head coach office. The suspect of the NFC South isn’t a player, it’s a coach. Which coach? No one is sure – It’s…

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Serial Killer Sunday, a series highlighting when True Crime Meets the Gridiron, will be discussing the Sunday Morning Slasher this week. Although the NFL has many instances of true crime, they have a limited number of serial killers (that we know of!) and so we will traverse to college football. It was the meningitis The Texas native, Carl “Coral” Eugene Watts was born to his mother Dorothy and his father Richard Watts in 1953. His mother was a Kindergarten teacher and his father was in the army. In 1954, Carl would be joined by a sister, Sharon Watts. The following…

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In honor of Native American Heritage Month, Los Angeles Charger Keenan Allen, will be honored. Keenan Allen’s Native American Heritage Keenan Allen is a citizen of the Lumbee tribe of North Carolina. Allen remembers his grandfather of Lumbee descent, Billy Ransom, very fondly. Keenan would watch hours of NASCAR and football with him. Billy Ransom loved watching his grandson play on the gridiron on TV.  Allen dedicated the game on November 19th, 2017 to his grandfather one day after Ransom passed away. Keenan Allen knew Billy was proud of him that day, playing his heart out against the Buffalo Bills. He…

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We all think of different things when we hear the name Lawrence Taylor. Football, debauchery, a rap sheet longer than a CVS receipt. And all of those things are true – but who is the man behind the ball and the bail? For a in-depth look at Lawrence Taylor’s football career, read my co-writer, Ryan’s article here. Little LT Baby Lawrence Taylor was born to his parents Clarence and Iris Taylor on February 4th of 1959. He was the middle child of three boys. Clarence and Iris provided their children with a middle-class lifestyle, working as a shipyard worker and…

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In honor of Native American Heritage Month, I am excited to share all the wonderful things about this team.  The trailblazing, achievements, and skill shown by this talented group. But unfortunately, the men on this team experienced unbelievable prejudice. Part of honoring the legacy and experiences of the team includes that aspect as well. It was hard to write at times, but important. As a note, cute animal photos will be plentiful in this article – animals are wholesome and a recurring theme in the history of this team. The origin story of the team – the Oorang Indians. Another…

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In this week’s edition of Serial Killer Sunday: When True Crime Meets the Gridiron, we will discuss another NFL affiliated serial killer. Where it all began Anthony Smith’s roots are in the south – Elizabeth City, North Carolina to be exact. He was born in 1967 to his mother, Naomi. Smith’s very early formative years were defined by an alcoholic mother, and a violent father figure, James Gallop. James had been referred to by others as the little boy’s father or stepfather. However, Anthony told everyone he never met his dad. Gallop was described as mean spirited, and a family…

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Jim Thorpe, one of the greatest athletes of all time, will be highlighted for the first edition of Native American Heritage Month. Jim Thorpe’s early childhood The chaos surrounding Jim Thorpe’s childhood likely formed the man he grew up to be. No one is quite sure when Jim was born, it was almost certainly in May of 1888. The location of Jim’s birth is unclear as well – it is thought to be what was referred to as a Native American Territory, that later became Oklahoma, in a city near Prague. Thorpe appears to not have a birth certificate. Born…

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It’s a good thing it’s spooky season, because things are about to get scary in this edition of the Injury Corner: the 9 spinal injuries that will leave you feeling paralyzed. If you decide to study sports injury daily like yours truly, particularly looking at the long-term health outcomes of former football players, you will need 3 things. The first thing is the emotional composition of Ted Bundy, the second is the stealy stomach of a youtuber making mukbangs, and thirdly you need to stay hydrated (if anyone asks, it’s always water). You can sing the song: “head, shoulder, knees,…

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At the end of Italian American Heritage Month we will be discussing one of the NFL’s most loved sets of siblings – the Bosa Brothers. Sibling sets We all love a set of siblings in the league together. Some of our favorites (besides the Bosas) include: Back to the Bosas The Bosa brothers were born and raised in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in a tight-knit, football oriented family. Joey was born in 1995 to Cheryl and John Bosa, with Nick following shortly after in 1997. Nick Bosa recalls his father’s NFL mementos around the home, and was described as a “super…

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The NFL is bountiful in many ways and in the second edition of Serial Killer Sunday we will discuss when true crime meets the gridiron in the form of another league affiliated serial killer. The first edition of Serial Killer Sunday discussed Randall Woodfield. He is usually the first in the NFL you will hear about and is covered often. But Randy was the typical remorseless psychopathic serial killer who both hates and loves his mom way too much and takes that out on womenkind (Ed Kemper, Ted Bundy, David Berkowitz, Fred and Rose West, Mary Bell, etc.) This article…

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