The autograph signing featuring the Baltimore Colts at the Towson Center on March 29 turned out to be a final show of warmth for Madison "Buzz" Nutter.
Nutter, the starting center on the Colts' NFL championship teams of 1958 and 1959, died Saturday of complications from heart illness. A resident of La Plata, he was 77.
Though ailing, Nutter insisted on attending the reunion of old Colts and their fans, said his daughter, Lisa Bowie, who accompanied him.
"Dad said, `I wouldn't miss this even if I was in a wheelchair,' " Bowie said yesterday. "He got to see old friends, hear old stories and have his picture taken with fans. He signed for more than three hours and enjoyed it immensely.
"My father went a happy man."
Nutter's death leaves guard Alex Sandusky as the only surviving member of the Colts' rugged offensive line that helped Baltimore win back-to-back titles 50 years ago. Also gone are Jim Parker, Art Spinney and George Preas, who died last year.
Like Preas, Nutter played football at Virginia Tech. He was a 12th-round draft choice of the Washington Redskins in 1953 but failed to make the team and returned to his native West Virginia to work in the steel mills.
A year later, he earned a spot on the Colts' roster and became a solid, if unobtrusive performer on a line starring three All-Pros.
"Let's face it, Buzz didn't get enough credit," teammate Dick Szymanski said. "Buzz was a vastly underrated center and a good pass blocker who never got hurt - and when he did get hurt, he stayed in the game."
Even toward the end, at last month's autograph session, Nutter maintained an old-school stoicism, said Jim Mutscheller, a former Colts tight end.
"I couldn't believe how frail he looked," Mutscheller said. "But Buzz never complained.
"He was down-home, unpretentious and genuine - a raw-boned guy about 6 feet 4 who sort of reminded you of Abe Lincoln. On and off the field, he seemed always to be in control."
The 1958 championship game showed Nutter at his best, Art Donovan said.
"I've watched those films 10 times, and Buzz was the most outstanding lineman on the field," said Donovan, the Colts' Hall of Fame defensive tackle. "He played like a man possessed. He almost beat the passes downfield on his way to block for Raymond [Berry]."
It's what Nutter did after that game that endeared him to Gino Marchetti.
