TAKING IT TO THE MAT
How IHOP placemat inspired Knicks fan’s decades-long quest
IT HAS aged like fine wine.
The artifact lies in Houston, in possession of 63-year-old Knicks fan Rick Wrabel, who obtained it as a 12-year-old living in Norwalk, Conn.
The 50-year-old treasure hass survived 20 house moves, including one to Australia.
This quirky piece of Knicks memorabilia is an IHOP paper placemat. As a Christmas promotion, the pancake house’s tables were adorned by place mats graced by photos of 10 of the 12 active members of the 1969-70 Knicks.
The club went on to win the franchise’s first NBA championship — a team that has since been immortalized. Next season will mark the 50th anniversary season of a feat that has grown in stature as the franchise has fallen on grave times. In the past 18 years, the Knicks have made the playoffs on just four occasions — none in the past six seasons.
“Over the years, I don’t know how in the world it survived,’’ Wrabel told The Post. “But it did.’’
During his travels, Wrabel protected the autograph-laden paper souvenir in a cut-out cardboard box. He plans to place it in a frame. It’s not for sale. “I’d just rather display it,’’ Wrabel said.
WRABEL was enjoying breakfast with his family on Dec. 10, 1969, at their favorite restaurant. With encouragement from his mother, Wrabel brought home the IHOP promotional piece, making sure he did not get syrup on it.
Instead of syrup, Wrabel eventually landed signatures of the 10 championship Knicks players displayed. Donald May, Nate Bowman and Phil Jackson, the latter on injured reserve, were not pictured.
“There was not a lot of extra room on this,” Wrabel said.
The signing mission didn’t begin until Aug. 26, 1996, when he wrote a letter to former head coach Red Holzman. His quest to secure the autographs didn’t end until 21 years later, in 2017, when he finally tracked down former St. John’s guard John Warren.
“It was this useless piece of memorabilia,’’ Wrabel said. “I said, let me give this thing a shot. But it drove my wife crazy.’’
The letter to Holzman asking advice on how to land the signatures did not yield much. Holzman wrote back, instructing the fan to send a correspondence to the Knicks at 2 Penn Plaza. Wrabel, who played Division II basketball at Quinnipiac, did so. And heard crickets.
Without an assist from the
Knicks, Wrabel needed to be creative in his search. He no longer lived in the tri-state area but traveled frequently for his job with Gillette.
The mission featured breaking a law along the way, fearing the worst when the item was not in his possession for nearly a month and many happy beers.
“My biggest regret was not getting Holzman first,’’ Wrabel admitted. Holzman died in 1998. H IS first coup was in 1997: legendary center Willis Reed, then a Nets vice president, invited Wrabel to his East Rutherford, N.J., office. Wrabel spent 45 minutes with Reed, who enjoyed reminiscing about the club that went on to beat the Lakers in seven games despite Reed’s knee injury. “Beautiful guy,’’ Wrabel said.
The most tensionfilled signing came in pursuit of forward David Stallworth, a Wichita State alum. He contacted the college and was told Stallworth stops by frequently and to send it via mail. “I was very leery about it,’’ Wrabel said.
He shipped it to Kansas and heard back from a Wichita State employee. The paper mat got so much reaction, the school asked to keep the placemat on display at the campus’ athletic building for three weeks. Wrabel grudgingly agreed, then was thrilled to receive it back in the mail in mint condition.
The testiest autograph was bestowed by Bill Bradley when he was a U.S. Senator. Wrabel met him in his Washington office in 1997. Everything was going smoothly until Wrabel made an off-the-cuff remark about a legislative bill Bradley was about to ratify.
“He has happy to have me come, until the talk turned to politics,’’ Wrabel recalled. “I said something that the bill sounded like socialism. He got offended. I mean, he really seemed pissed off.’’
If a breaking-and-entering law had to be broken during his passion project, so be it. In attempting to secure Dick Barnett’s penmanship, the Houston resident called St. John’s, where the former Knick was a sports management professor.
When traveling to New York in 2006, Wrabel went to the Queens campus to find Barnett, whose “12’’ hangs in the Garden rafters. As it turned out, Barnett’s school office building was under construction.
A makeshift trailer housed Barnett’s temporary digs with a key card needed to slip inside. Wrabel waited by the trailer door and when another professor exited, he snuck in before it closed. Wrabel stayed by Barnett’s makeshift cubicle for two hours, waiting.
Barnett showed up in a full gray beard, and Wrabel didn’t initially recognize him.
“He looked alarmed,’’ Wrabel said. “I told him I didn’t mean to startle you and I pulled out the IHOP thing. He became less gruff, but gave me the least amount of time. That was a tough one.’’
OTHERS were as smooth as a Cazzie Russell jumper. Wrabel visited Russell when he coached Savannah College of Art and Design in 2010. He sat with Russell and his three assistant coaches after a practice, schmoozing about the glory days.
Bill Hosket was nailed down at an Ohio State game. Shooting guard Mike Riordan was procured over beers at an Irish bar Riordan owned in Annapolis, Md.
Wrabel targeted Dave DeBusschere at a charity event in Queens in 2002. DeBusschere died months later.
Walt Frazier was an easy score. Living then in the Bay Area, Wrabel attended a Knicks-Warriors game in Oakland in 1998. Frazier was in the early stages of becoming a legendary broadcaster for MSG Network. He signed, courtside, while standing next to then-partner Marv Albert.
In the 1969-70 season, Albert called the Knicks on radio and a young Wrabel listened to him
with a transistor radio tucked under his pillow. Of course, Albert said “Yes!!’’ to signing.
THE trickiest score became Warren, the last signee. St. John’s had again proven unhelpful. Wrabel was no longer on the road after opening a senior-care business in Houston. A fiveyear dry spell had ensued as he sought the final “John Hancock’’ from John Warren.
He broke the case due to social media, connecting with Warren’s son’s Facebook page and messaging him.
“Oh, Dad would love to see this and meet you,’’ the son responded.
A dinner at Applebee’s in Queens was arranged. Warren brought his championship ring, his wife, kids and grandkids along for the signing. “He was excited,’’ Wrabel said. So was IHOP. “We’re always touched when guests share fond childhood memories of IHOP, and this one from 50 years ago is particularly special,’’ IHOP spokesperson Stephanie Peterson said. “It’s an honor to be a small part of Mr. Wrabel’s journey to successfully collect all the signatures of his favorite players from the Knicks’ first championship team.”