HOUSTON — Houston Oilers fans will remember him most from the famous "Luv Ya Blue" era, and on Tuesday night, the former quarterback Dan Pastorini will be inducted into the Houston Hall of Fame.
Throw after throw, blow after blow, he built a successful career. But at a price.
“Twelve concussions, broken cheek, two cracked sternums, 38 broken ribs, 4 separated shoulders," Pastorini said. “Those are the ones I can think of right now. Sixteen broken noses, too.”
It’s safe to say Pastorini put his life into his legacy.
“We were fair game. You cross the line of scrimmage, or you have the ball in your hands, you were going to get hit," Pastorini said.
Today, that adored Oiler is almost 70 but not slowing down.
“I tell people what I used to do for warm-ups is now a full workout for me," Pastorini said.
Those hard hits, though, are catching up to him.
“Walking on an uneven ground was just difficult and painful," Pastorini said.
Pastorini had his first hip replacement, the right one, a couple years ago, but it was complicated.
“It took about three months before I could even start walking with that hip," Pastorini said.
So when the left one needed help, he went with something new. Pastorini found orthopedic surgeon Dr. Stefan Kreuzer at Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center and Inov8 Orthopedics, who gave the quarterback the perfect fit for a former pro.
“They’re interested in going back to a high level of activity such as running, doing elliptical, doing hiking in the mountains and so forth," Dr. Kreuzer said.
Dr. Kreuzer calls it the "mini hip."
“The recovery was second to none, I felt like I could walk right out of the hospital," Pastorini said.
“I actually had to slow him down a little bit because he was doing too much too early," Dr. Kreuzer said.
As the first in football to use the infamous "flak jacket," Pastorini has always been a pioneer.
“My golf swing is better than it’s been in years," Pastorini said.
His new hip is just the latest tool he’s tackled.
Pastorini will be inducted into the Houston Sports Hall of Fame Tuesday alongside sports legends Jackie Burke Jr., A.J. Foyt and George Foreman.
