Ask American Profile

Eddy Arnold, Jack Del Rio, Jerry Bruckheimer

I’d like to know about country music’s first superstar—living legend Eddy Arnold.
—Jill B., Alabama

“I don’t do much these days,” says Eddy Arnold, 85, who retired from performing in 1999. “I come to the office every day and I answer mail every day and obviously I have some investments that I take care of. And that is about it for me.” Arnold, as usual, is being modest. After all, this is the man who helped bring country music to the city during his seven-decade career as a songwriter and singer. Arnold’s I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) was the No. 1 single of the decade in the 1940s. He received the Country Music Association’s first Entertainer of the Year award in 1967. President Clinton awarded the National Media of Arts to Arnold in 2000 for his contributions to American culture. He made another great contribution to American culture in 2003 when he donated a collection of memorabilia related to his life and career to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tenn. “I had so much stuff and I wanted my memorabilia to be in a good place. You know, you can do so much more with it while you’re alive. That made me want to make the move. I just thought the Hall of Fame should have it.” Arnold, who grew up in Henderson, Tenn., recently had a very low-key 60th anniversary celebration with his wife, Sally. “We are very quiet people,” he says. “We just do simple things, like everybody else.” The couple, who has two children, two grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren, live in Brentwood, Tenn., and enjoy boating in their spare time. Does he miss singing? “I guess a little,” he says. “I’ve gotten older and I just stay home. I’m living a very quiet life.”

I’d like to know more about Jack Del Rio, the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguar football team.
—Jack S., Pennsylvania

The 39-year-old Del Rio was a baseball hero in high school and was drafted as a catcher by the Toronto Blue Jays when he graduated. He opted for college, attending the University of Southern California, where his baseball teammates included Randy Johnson and Mark McGwire. But Del Rio also excelled as a football player at USC, where his skill as linebacker earned him All-American honors in his senior year. He went on to an 11-year NFL career, first with the New Orleans Saints, then the Kansas City Chiefs (where he finished his college education, earning a degree in political science from the University of Kansas), then the Dallas Cowboys, finishing his playing days with the Minnesota Vikings. As a player, he wasn’t afraid to speak out when something upset him, and he gained attention for criticizing Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. He moved into coaching in 1997, returning to work with the Saints as assistant strength coach and moving into linebacker coach the following year. He went on to work with the Baltimore Ravens as linebacker coach, helping the team win the Super Bowl in 2000, and then to a job as defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers. Del Rio won the job as head coach of the Jaguars over many men with more years of experience—he’s the second-youngest head coach in the NFL. He’s also a real family man who has said he’d love to eliminate training camp because it takes him away from his wife, Linda, and their four children.

One of my favorite TV shows is The Amazing Race. Can you tell me anything about the man who produced it? I think his name is Jerry, but that’s all I know.
—Christina, Indiana

You are thinking about Jerry Bruckheimer, who is amazingly successful in both movies and television. Bruckheimer, a top-grossing movie producer of films such as Beverly Hills Cop, Armageddon, Top Gun, and Pearl Harbor, also has three hit television shows on CBS—CSI, CSI: Miami, and Without A Trace. The reality show The Amazing Race, in which contestants race around the globe for a cash prize, returned this summer for its fourth series. Bruckheimer, 57, is not resting on his laurels, though. His recent movies include Pirates of the Carribean, Bad Boys II, and Veronica Guerin. Bruckheimer, who grew up in Detroit, is married and has a horse farm in Kentucky. He broke into movies with the surprise 1983 hit Flashdance, which he produced with his late partner, Don Simpson.

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