WEST ORANGE – Stashed inside a metal tin that once held butter cookies are black-and-white photos and yellowed news clippings from an overshadowed Rutgers Football Hall of Fame career about to have its lid blown off.
Harvey Grimsley, 93, resides in an assisted living facility, but he moves around better than expected from a former running back, needing only the help of a cane that finally forced its way into his life last year.
Most of the people with whom “Mr. Harvey” shares daily conversation have no clue that he was one of the biggest stars of the so-called “Golden Era” of Rutgers football, scoring 28 rushing touchdowns – still good for the sixth-most in program history – as the team compiled a 28-8 record from 1946-49.