He's not caught up in his football past

Walk into A-1 Comics on Auburn Boulevard and you're likely to encounter a 52-year-old owner with a mysterious past.

At 6-foot-4, Brian Peets is lean and powerfully built. He even has extra long arms and uncommonly large hands that offer a hint of what he did some 30 years ago.

The secret life? The special powers? That's where the similarities end with the superheroes featured in thousands of comics Peets sells.

He's a former pro football player who never emerged from obscurity and never landed a big payday. With all the Super Bowl hype and hoopla of the past week in anticipation of the big game Sunday, Peets is a low-key example that there is a full life after the cheering stops and the shoulder pads are packed away.

In fact, in a comic book shop replete with tall tales and fantasy worlds, Peets may have the best story of all to tell.

The highlight reel:

As a San Francisco 49ers tight end, he once caught a pass from Joe Montana after pretending to fall down. He was hit so hard recovering an onside kick that after the game he couldn't remember his wife's name.

He made so little money as a marginal player he had to find work during the summers.

And when he walked away from the sport after four years, one broken leg and a salary that topped out at $22,000, he landed work in Sacramento as a laborer with Teichert Construction.

These days, Peets is the owner of one of the best comic book shops in the nation.

Though his football days are long past, he appears as fit as ever. He works out regularly. He has completed several 200-mile organized bike rides and next year plans to spend three months cycling across the country with his wife, Rosemary.

The Super Bowl triggers a bittersweet memory for Peets. He played with Montana and the Niners during the 1981 season but was released when an injured player returned several games before the team's triumph over Cincinnati in Super Bowl XVI. Afterward, the team voted to give Peets a share of the playoff bonus earnings, a gesture he appreciates to this day.

"I was pretty bummed out about being on the team that long and not going on to the playoffs," Peets said. "It was a show of respect and class. That was just the way that group of players were."

Peets is modest and low-key about his days in the NFL, referring to himself as "a marginal player" and rarely discussing his football exploits while working at his two A-1 Comics locations.

Several of his friends say they knew him for months before learning he once suited up as a pro receiver. His admirers note that although he never starred on the gridiron, he is at the top of his game as a business owner, providing full benefits and vacation pay to his 16 employees, purchasing the buildings for his stores and, in the sometimes cutthroat world of collectible comics, maintaining a reputation for integrity.

What's more, he has some eye-popping comic books for sale, from the $4 variety arranged in boxes to a spectacular "pedigree" collection worth $500,000 he keeps in a large vault. The 496 comic books in the collection, known as the Central Valley Pedigree, includes a Superman No. 10 that Peets calls the "nicest copy in existence" valued at $35,000.

"His stores are the best stores of any I've ever seen," said longtime collector and comic book seller Dick Swan of San Jose.

"Here's a guy who is making a wonderful living from a business he enjoys, has a great family life and is not a jerk," said longtime friend Whitey Gleason, host of "The Rise Guys" morning radio show on KHTK (1140 AM). "It's a lesson to all of us that you can do that stuff and still be a great guy. He's really an inspirational guy in so many ways."

For two years, Peets was a regular on "The Rise Guys," providing his often cerebral observations during the football season and sharing anecdotes about his playing days.

Peets grew up in the tiny San Joaquin County town of Linden and excelled at football and basketball throughout high school. He started collecting comics at 12 when the cover of "The Fantastic Four" issue No. 68 caught his eye.

About the writer:

• Call The Bee's Blair Anthony Robertson, (916) 321-1099.