The toddler with the spiky black hair, red tank top and oversized shorts had only been walking for about a year, but there he was in the lobby of a recreation center in the San Diego area about 17 years ago, dribbling a basketball without having to look at it as fans cleared space to watch him in astonishment before filing into the gymnasium to watch kids three times his age play with less skill and enthusiasm.

The legend of Bear Bachmeier , who was 2 years old at the time, was born.

“There are a lot of stories out there about Bear growing up and all the amazing things he did,” says older brother Hank Bachmeier , the former Boise State, Louisiana Tech and Wake Forest quarterback, “and all of them are true.”

Special Collector's Issue: "1984: The Year BYU was Second to None" Get an

See Full Page