Morganna

Morganna Roberts
(The Kissing Bandit)

Morganna Roberts, also known as Morganna Cottrell and usually called only by her first name, was a FF list celebrity in the 1970s and 1980s who would show up at sporting events and "accidentally" fall onto the field by leaning her top-heavy body over the railing and let gravity take its course. Once on the field, she would make her way to a player, plant a kiss on a cheek and scurry off the field. Her first foray into a major league game occurred in 1969 and her target was Pete Rose, according to her recollection.

She performed this stunt at the first night game at Wrigley Field, only to have the game rained out.

When she went to kiss Steve Garvey he ran around home plate away from her to best maintain his squeaky-clean (and phony as it would turn out) image.

Nolan Ryan saw her coming to him and waved her over.

She claims she was arrested 19 times for her antics, and suffered various injuries at the hands of security personnel, including three cracked ribs, a cracked kneecap and a broken tailbone. While baseball was her favorite sport, she also showed up at basketball, football and hockey games.

Further Reading

• Josh Peter: "Morganna 'The Kissing Bandit' still in love with baseball 50 years after debut", USA Today, October 21, 2019. [1]