BEST LINES FOR HOUSTON OILER ARE ON
HIS EXCALIBUR

    Houston Oiler middle linebacker Greg Bingham has an obvious affinity for lines. That includes guards, tackles and centers whose opposition helps the burly Chicagoan earn his living on weekends in the National Football league.
    But apart from football, Bingham most enjoys the "lines" of his Series III Excalibur, which he purchased earlier this year from Houston dealer Don Haese. The sleek white machine helps Bingham relax from his full time job of getting to opposing quarterbacks, a trait that he has developed effectively over the seven years he has been with the Oilers.
    And one thing Greg shares with his Excalibur is consistent performance. Bingham has been with the Oilers since they drafted him as a fourth round choice in 1973. Starting the 1979 season, the 230-pound former Boilermaker had started a string of 89 successive games an enviable record in a sport that weekly claims its share of "victims."
    Pointing out that he "liked the way it looked," Bingham said his interest in Excaliburs was heightened when a friend, Golfer Ted Thompson, won one of the Milwaukee-manufactured Classics in a golf tournament. "When I saw that, I figured I had better get me one", the Oiler veteran pointed out. And he has not been disappointed since he has become an owner.
    Bingham's interest in cars comes naturally, since his father is a Chevrolet dealer. This association helped him become a car enthusiast early. While he is aware of how to maintain a car, he usually has others do it. And that relates not just to his Excalibur, but also to the Corvette and Pick-Up truck the huge adopted Texan owns.
    And when he wants all his vehicles washed, it's no problem. You see, Bingham owns a fleet of Car Washes, part of the investment program that he, like so many other professional athletes today, is pursuing.

    In fact, when asked his hobbies, Bingham will respond that "Usually my hobby is looking for investments." He listed real estate as one of the areas he is pursuing. And when you talk about Houston real estate, that's a very sensible hobby.
    Bingham is aware that his Excalibur can be a very good investment. "It's been worth the money so far, and I realize that if I take care of it, I'll be able to drive it for a long time. And Don Haese has been fantastic ... a real pro."
    "I'm sure that if I ever decide to sell my car, it'll still be worth a lot of money."
    Bingham says the one thing that he misses is getting together with other Excalibur owners. They often have their rallies during the football season, and that's a full time job from  July   through

December or January. Last year, for example, the season for Bingham and the Oilers ended January 8th.
    They wouldn't mind ending it that late again, because that would mean a playoff and possible Super Bowl berth for the men of Bum Phillips.
    What's in the future for Bingham when he stops knocking down opposing runners and burying quarterbacks?
    "I'd like to try coaching," he says. "I'm going to try and get enough things together, so I can afford to be a coach. I would enjoy that, since I enjoy working with people. So I hope to get enough accomplished as a player, to be able to do what I want."
    And among things that the aggressive linebacker can do to relax is take wife, Maureen and daughter Stevie for a spin in his gleaming white Excalibur.
    It has the best "lines" of all.