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"The Kissing Bandit" |
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Forever famous for providing lip service to sport’s most famous superstars, Morganna “The Kissing Bandit” applied her trade with emphasis on flair. She would suddenly appear on baseball fields running straight to her prey (usually a future Hall of Fame player), throw her arms around them and plant a big kiss. Her entrance might have been a surprise but the approach was anything but stealth. All this might not have achieved all that much attention had it not been for her well-endowed physique and her unbridled enthusiasm. She was poetry in motion.
It all began in 1972 when Morganna was attending a Cincinnati Reds game at Riverfront Stadium. Taking a friend up on a $5 bet, she bolted onto the field and planted a kiss on first baseman Pete Rose. Rose is reported to have blurted expletives at her but Morganna later gave this retort to The St. Petersburg Times: “I tell people my career started with a bet and Pete’s ended with one.”
The media took immediate notice and Morganna knew she had something. A kissing crusade took off and everyone was wondering where the Kissing Bandit would strike again. Some of the next victims included Nolan Ryan, Cal Ripken, Jr., Don Mattingly, Johnny Bench, Steve Garvey, George Brett (twice) and Frank Howard. She even stalked the NBA basketball courts and laid claim to Kareem Adul-Jabbar, Charles Barkley and coach Frank Layden.
It was a quest that was not always without its dangers. Morganna showed great moves getting to her target but after causing that much attention her escape could not be as easy. On 19 occasions she was arrested. Eventually her antics caused demand and teams started paying her to attend their games where she would pay her special homage to one of their players or coaches.
Her movie credits include a cameo in Kingpin. On national TV, she kissed off Johnny Carson, Geraldo Rivera and Arsenio Hall. She appeared in an ESPN SportsCenter commercial and planted one on Dan Patrick.
Morganna is one for the history books. With security concerns heighten (as well as stadium fences) such innocent frolics would not flourish in these times. After her retirement in November of 2000 she released this statement:
"There has been quite a change of behavior in the world in the last few years. During my career I was known for my special way of showing appreciation to players. However, I got arrested for simply putting a kiss on the cheek of athletes. Times were much better then. People should know that the consequences for running onto the playing field today are much more serious. Athletes have been attacked recently and the response from players, security and police should make everyone realize that going onto the field is a bad decision today."
SRO Productions was honored to have worked as the booking agency for Morganna before her retirement. We can happily report that she is enjoying life to the fullest and loving just being at home in Ohio. She added some fun pages to the history of baseball that won’t be repeated and never forgotten.
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