Rollen Stewart

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Rollen Frederick Stewart (born May 20, 1944), also known as Rock 'n' Rollen and Rainbow Man, was a fixture in American sports culture best known for wearing a rainbow-colored afro-style wig and holding up signs reading "John 3:16" at stadium sporting events around the United States in the 1970s and 1980s.

Apparently at first just in it for the publicity stunts, Stewart became a born again Christian obsessed with "getting the message out" via television.[1]

His first major appearance was at the 1977 NBA Finals; by the time of the 1979 MLB All-Star Game, broadcasters actively tried to avoid showing him.[2] He "appeared behind NFL goal posts, near Olympic medal stands, and even at the Augusta National Golf Club" strategically positioned for key shots of plays or athletes.[3] Stewart's fame led to a Budweiser beer commercial and a Saturday Night Live parody sketch[3], where he was portrayed by Christopher Walken.[4]

Stewart was briefly jailed by Moscow police at the 1980 Olympics.[2] Other legal troubles followed. In the late 1980s, he began a string of stink bomb attacks. Targets included Robert Schuller's Crystal Cathedral, the Orange County Register, the Trinity Broadcasting Network, and a Christian bookstore.[3] The stated intent of an attempted attack at the American Music Awards was to show the public that "God thinks this stinks."[5]

Stewart was arrested in 1992 after a standoff in a California hotel during which he entered a vacant room with two men he was attempting to kidnap and surprised a chambermaid who then locked herself in the bathroom. Reportedly, Stewart believed that the Rapture was due to arrive in six days.[1] During the standoff, he threatened to shoot at airplanes taking off from nearby Los Angeles International Airport, and covered the hotel room windows with "John 3:16" placards.[3]

Rollen is currently serving three consecutive life sentences in jail on kidnapping charges.[2] He became eligible for parole in 2002, but was denied as recently as September of 2005.[3] After this conviction, he was found guilty of four stink bomb attacks.[3]

Stewart ran a blog until the time of his parole denial.[1] He is the subject of a 1997 documentary, Rainbow Man by Sam Green.

[edit] References

  • "End of the Rainbow" People Weekly. New York: Nov 30, 1992.Vol.38, Iss. 22; pg. 97 (703 word profile of Stewart)
  • "Rockin' Rollen, A Fan Only of God, Takes a Message to Every Game" Adelson, Suzanne. People Weekly. New York: Feb 1, 1988.Vol.29, Iss. 4; pg. 45
  • "Russians Meet Gate-Crasher" AP. New York Times. (Late Edition (East Coast)). New York, N.Y.: Jul 22, 1980. pg. B.14 (226 word article on Stewart at Moscow Olympics)
  • "Sports World Specials; Resiliency Under the Rainbow No Relief in Sight Striking Out Give Her Credit Punching Doesn't Pay" Jim Benagh. New York Times (1857-Current file). New York, N.Y.: Aug 18, 1980. p. C2 (10 paragraphs about Stewart and his rainbow wig)
  • "Briefing" James F. Clarity & Warren Weaver Jr.. New York Times (1857-Current file). New York, N.Y.: Nov 27, 1985. p. B6 (4 paragraphs about Stewart, his wig, and his lawsuit for the right to hang his John 3:16 banner)

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c Jeff Gordon. "Favorites for a fan's Hall of Fame", FOX Sports, September 3, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-09-24. 
  2. ^ a b c J. Michael Kenyon. "Real action in '79 was outside the lines", Seattle Post-Intelligencer, July 6, 2001. Retrieved on 2007-09-24.  Note: Article refers to 1984 Olympics, which were in Los Angeles, not Moscow.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "What he preached, he didn't practice", Colorado Springs Gazette, December 14, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-09-24. 
  4. ^ Season 15, Episode 11. SNL Transcripts. Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  5. ^ Gorightly, Adam, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Man". Retrieved on 2008-01-13

[edit] External links

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