Above is a picture of John Fuqua sporting gridiron greatness (George Von Benko/Twitter).
When you hear the name John Fuqua, your first thought might not be fashion, but it should be. We all think about his role in the “Immaculate Reception.” Or maybe his presence on the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers team in general.
However, anyone who watched live 1970s football knew that John Fuqua was as good at fashion as he was at football. He was the Dennis Rodman of the 1970s. The Cam Newton 50 years before his time. Fuqua was an attention grabber as a successful running back on the field, but he garnished just as much off the field with his flashy fashion.
John “Frenchy” Fuqua was a fashion warrior off the field and had his own army of fans on the field. They were named “Frenchy’s Foreign Legion,” which is a play of words on the actual French Army called the French Foreign Legion. His fans were in the stands with Franco’s Italian Army.
Fuqua would answer to Frenchy, but his favored nickname was the French Count. As John would tell the story, he was a count who was “turned black” by nuclear test fallout. He had a specific Count outfit that consisted of his suit, musketeer hat, gold cane, lavender cape, wine-red knickers, and his high-heeled clogs with fish inside them. He would also always have a valet in this outfit, Franco Harris. Franco’s job was to keep the cape off the ground at all times.
Some of his other fashion favorites included a look nicknamed “Caveman” that featured a fur poncho and bow tie. Another nameless look was his skin-tight jumpsuit that he wore with a black sombrero.
I know you have a burning question at this point. high-heeled clog with fish? Oh yes. A friend of Fuqua’s saw a pair of fiberglass clogs with three-inch heels that were designed to hold fish and knew they would be perfect. John agreed; he knew he had the look for it. His Count outfit, of course. He originally tried the look with gold fish but switched to tropical fish for a more fitting, vibrant look.
Something Fuqua understands is that beauty is pain. He said it was difficult to walk in the fish shoes because they were glass. They would get a little slippery, either from foot sweat or fish water. You had to get handsy with the railing if you wanted to make it down a set of stairs in one piece.
The hardest part about the fiberglass high heels? The fish kept dying. I figured they would be highly concussed like their owner from bouncing around in glass shoes, but no, the issue was water levels. The socks didn’t hold water well. John would run and refill the shoes, but it would just get his socks wet. He actually tried a small pump that ran up his leg, but that was too uncomfortable for Fuqua. Not the wet socks. Not the stairs. The pump.
Eventually, John gave up on the fish. He then put his clogs in a terrarium. If you knew Frenchy, you would know this is par for the course. He was his own man in his own world who would prep for football games by tapping his foot to music no one else could hear. The running back was also meticulous about his football uniform – no smudges or lint for Fuqua.
John Fuqua was an exciting character on and off the field, and it’s fun to celebrate that. The NFL is full of so many past and present characters. The diversity of individuals adds to the unique culture of the league, which wouldn’t be the same without them. Frenchy is one of the coolest to ever do it!
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