The NFL season starts Thursday, and the college gridiron just lit up its season last week with a plethora of big games. But why are we talking gridiron in our opera column? Yes, we have former warriors singing on the opera fields. Kari Barbic wrote about it in The Weekly Standard, "Arias in the End Zone," and we'll share a few of those opera singers.
Former University of Colorado running back Keith Miller, who tried out with the Denver Broncos, is now a well-known rising young bass/baritone on the opera field today.
Lawrence Harris, a former offensive lineman for the now-defunct Houston Oilers, is a heldentenor who also with his wife run a management company for opera singers. Originally a baritone, he credits his skills on the front lines to the mentality of the Wagnerian roles he sings.
Ta'u Pupu'a, a Weber State defensive lineman, was drafted by the Cleveland Browns by Bill Belichick the year before they were suspended in the controversial moves in late 1995. But a foot injury ensured he would never play a down, and became a young tenor on the prowl. Still, he credits a great master with teaching him the mind game. ◙
