August 15, 2022 • 36 mins
Ron welcomes father-son football duo Dave and Justin Wilcox to the show to discuss their careers and relationship. Justin is a former University of Oregon football player and current head football coach of Cal's Golden Bears. Dave Wilcox is a retired NFL linebacker who played his entire 11 year career with the San Francisco 49ers. He was selected to play in seven Pro Bowls, was named All-NFL five times during his career, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Ron Bar and this is today's edition of
Ron Bars Sports Byline USA podcast on the eight Side Network.
Justin Wilcox joins us on Sports Byline. He's the head
football coach at the University of California after being the
defensive coordinator at Wisconsin, USC, Washington Tennessee, and Boys State.
And he grew up as the younger of two sons
(00:21):
on a family farm in Junkson City, Oregon. And he
played quarterback at Junction City High School and then went
on to play his college ball at the University of
Oregon for Mike Bellotti as well as his brother did
the same thing and his dad also as an Oregon
grad and he played not only for the Ducks, but
he went on to have a Hall of Fame career
playing eleven years for the San Francisco forty Niners. Take
(00:45):
me back for just a moment, justin to a Junction
City up in Oregon. Yeah, it was a great place
to grow up. Um really learned a ton, you know,
just from growing up there from my family, my mom
and dad, my brother, and then the coaches and teachers
that I was able to be around. It was a
small community, very tight knit and a lot of the
(01:07):
core values that I have learned. I learned there. I
know your dad told me when I was talking to him,
he's coming up a little bit later on. He said
that you had to go out and you had to
do your chores, you had to get up very early
in the morning. And he said that gave him a
real work ethic. That was really something that was the
foundation of his life. Was it the same way for
you to justin Yeah, I think just the accountability factor
(01:30):
and being, you know, a guy that you can depend on,
a person you can depend on. And I think you
learned that really at home and and uh the people
you're around, whether it's you know, your family, which I
was so fortunate to have a real strong family, and
then the coaches that I was able to come up under.
(01:51):
And I think that's just part of you know, being
a to have a chance to have some success in life.
You know, being accountable to being a dependable person is
a huge part of that. And I think growing up
where I did and and with the people that I
grew up with and still that in me. Yeah. I know,
you said, my dad is in the Hall of Fame,
but before that, he was a Hall of farmer, and
(02:12):
I love that particular line. Did he ever talk much
about football at the house in the off season or
or after his career? No, not really. We didn't grow
up that way. Um he was. He's a real humble guy.
Wasn't ever about him in that regard, and so we were.
I was born after he was done playing. I knew
that he had played football for the forty Niners and
(02:33):
was supposedly pretty good, but he'd ever talked much about it.
We got a chance, I think once every few years
we would get to go to a game, you know,
I think maybe a couple of times, and growing up
we went to a forty Niners game, So we knew
that he played, but it wasn't something that we spent
a lot of time talking about. To be honest with you,
it was really more about just the family and and
(02:56):
working hard and living right and and trying to do
the best you can. And you know, the the accountability
and the work ethic that it takes to be a
successful person would be you know. I just think that
was really more of the you know what he was
trying instill in us, And it wasn't about his trophies
or highlights or you know, the Pro Bowls that he made.
(03:17):
Did you or your brother ever seek his advice about
anything from a playing standpoint when you were, you know,
at the University of Oregon, or and when you were
a coach at USC Wisconsin, Washington, any of the stops
along your way. I really think it goes back to more.
It's just there was so much more than football that
was But these life skills that you learn, these values really,
uh they they aligned with football. It's work ethic and
(03:41):
toughness and perseverance and never giving up and all those
intangible things that really, you know, make or break your
your life and your football career. And so that's probably
really more what we learned as opposed to technique. And
you know, he would once in a while and you know,
just talk about the importance of fundamentals things like that,
(04:03):
but very rarely did we talk about, you know, the
schematics of the techniques of football is much more of
the intangible things that it took to be a good
player and a uh person. So, I know, I mentioned
that Mike Blotti was your coach up at Oregon, and
Mike had this quote, he said, he's got a piercing
I vision. When you meet him, you know, it's more
than just a happy face. He's a guy who is
(04:24):
looking through you to take a gauge of who you
are and what you are. But he's got a folksy charm.
He's just unassuming until you get into the heat of battle,
and then you want to be on his side. Referring
to you, of course. Uh, you know Mike Blotti. I've
known Mike for a long time. Why is it that
made that program so successful up there? Oh? I think
(04:45):
I think I learned a ton from Coach Blotti and
the coaches that were around at that time. Um. I
think just that everybody was moving in the same direction.
Everybody knew what the goal was. Everybody knew what the
expectations were in terms of how we acted on a
daily basis, whether it was a workout, a position meeting,
how we approached our school work, how we how we played.
(05:09):
I just think that was the biggest piece of it,
you know, having a uh, you know, a common vision
for every guy in there. Uh. The type of people
that were involved in the program, you know, and we
weren't perfect, believe me, but there but there was a
you know, there was a core there was a value
set to the team, and I thought that, you know,
I I learned. I think we all learned some of
(05:30):
the intangible things that are so important as you go,
you know, work through your football career, but also just
as it applies to the rest of your life. And
I think that was the biggest thing second time for you.
At TAW you were a linebackers coach under Ted ted
Fern and now you're the head coach at the University
of California, But your leanings have been on the defensive
side as a coordinator and everything. When you take a
(05:52):
look at the direction of college football today, the wide
openness of it and everything, what have you seen as
far as the change the way the game is being
played today? Justin yeah, it's the game is I guess
more loose. It's spread out. The formations that you see
from offenses typically create a lot more space than even
(06:12):
fifteen years ago. Um, the pace of play has changed dramatically.
The number of plays that you UH see during a
game as significantly increased. Uh So, I think you know
a lot of these the spread offenses that incorporate the
quarterback runs, which changes the math in a in a
lot of ways. In the in the game how you
(06:33):
defend people. Um, so there's been pretty significant changes. I don't.
I think a lot of it is option based. You know,
where the single wing teams were doing this how many
every years and years and years and years ago, you know,
way back when when the game first begin being played.
So I don't. I just think it's different formations how
people are getting to it differently. Obviously, the speed has increased,
(06:56):
not only the tempo in the pace of play, but
the players themselves are the training. We're more informed now
than ever on how to try and help players be
at their best. So I think it's just gotten faster.
There's more plays, the spacing on the field has really
come into play. This run pass option with the quarterback
run game is really kind of evolved. So yeah, it's
(07:17):
a challenging game. On defense, it's a it's wide open,
I know, on offense, and at the end of it,
it still comes back to fundamentals. You know, it's playing
with good technique and blocking and tackling and all those
fundamental things that really give you a chance to have
some success. And that's where you really want to spend
a lot of your time. No matter what scheme. You
may be on offense or defense. And I would have
(07:38):
supposed that you've thought about this, about the changes that
come for you because you're no longer a coordinator, you're
the man. Uh And and for coaches today, it's a
different dynamic that's come into play. How have you seen
to change there? Yeah, I think there's just uh, everybody's
got a job to do. Um. You know, everybody in
our program has a responsibility to our program. Um, everybody's
(08:02):
I don't see myself as anymore or less important than
any other person in our program. I just I have
a more decisions to make. And I'm fortunate to be
surrounded by great people from our equipment room, to our
support staff and our academic support and all these people
on our campus who are who have been so who
are who are so critical critical to our success, and
(08:24):
then obviously our coaches and players and so we're all
a piece of it, um, you know. And I'm honored
and humbled to be in this position and really excited
to to move forward with it. Justin when you take
a look at yourself and the experience as you've had,
who were the people that were important for for you
from the football standpoint. Oh, that's a that's such a
good question. It's a hard one for me to answer
(08:44):
because there's so many I mean, I can name them all,
just take me a while. But so many players that
I played with, UH, coaches that I've played for or
coached with. And I'm talking about head coaches. I'm talking
about guys on the other side of the ball, guys
on the same side of the ball. UM. I've met
a ton of great high school coaches and small college
coaches who are as good as anybody out there, and
(09:07):
UH learned from them. You learn from players, you know,
every time every year you have a new experience, and
the players are kind of constantly evolving, and you're learning
how to communicate better with them, how to teach them, UM,
certain situations that come up, how to best you know,
maximize UH their potential. So I think you just constantly
are evolving. And that's the fun thing and the challenging
(09:28):
thing about our our job. And I know it's one
that I've always enjoyed. So to pick one person would
be really hard for me. There's just so many people
and in so many different ways that have impacted me
along the way, which I'm fortunate for we only have
thirty five seconds left. But you've of course coached in
the Big Ten, in the Pack twelve and everything. What's
the personality of the Pack twelve conference. Well, it's an
(09:51):
exciting brand of football, um. Year. The athletes are dynamic.
I would you know, there as good as any in
the country. Um, there's excellent coach is and you get
different challenges each week. You know, everybody you know you have.
I think the people use the term spread, but what
does that really mean. I mean there's different versions of
all these offenses that are getting in the gun and
(10:11):
spreading the field on you. Some of the running the quarterbacks,
some aren't, some are using tempo, some are using shift
in motion. You have the teams that are more traditional
in Stanford, who does a great job. So it's you
just have all these different challenges, great coaches, verily, really
talented players and athletes, and I think it's as good
as it's ever been. I want to thank you justin
congratulations on getting the head job at cal Take care
(10:33):
Justin Wilcox again head coach at the University of California.
His dad Dave Wilcox, Hall of Famer. When we come
back on the other side. We're gonna be talking to
Dave as we continue across the country and around the world.
It's good to have you here on America's sports talk show.
You're listening to Ron Bars Sports Byline USA podcast. Dave
Wilcox joins us on Sports Byline, the Hall of Fame
(10:56):
linebacker who played his entire eleven year career with the
forty Niners. He played in seven Pro Bowls and was
an All Pro five times. And this is the thing
that blows me away. He missed only one game during
his career because of injury. And I want to talk
to you about that in just a second day. But
you grew up in Oregon. Take me back and tell
me what it was like growing up in rural Oregon.
(11:17):
I grew up in the eastern Oregon and a place
called Vale, which is about seventy five miles some boys
idaholl My parents moved out from Oklahoma, n and homes
this place. Uh. I had six brothers, one sister. There
was four brothers that were born in Oklahoma and my
(11:37):
sister and that three other boys were Oregonians and we
lived ten miles from town. Uh. If you wanted to eat,
you got up and did your chores. That was important. Uh.
My eighth grade class, there's eight kids. Uh, and that
we were ten mile. That was in Willow quite great
(12:00):
school and U he had two classes in each room.
I don't know how many was in the seventh fool,
but couldn't have been too many. And then UH went
tout Vale High School. While I was in Vale High School,
we won the state championship twice, many second once and
finished the fourth month. That's that's when football came into
(12:20):
your life. Was it a smaller squad playing football or
was it eleven man squad? Oh? We were We had
eleven man and actually I graduated in high school nineteen sixty.
I think it started about nine. Uh. Vale started winning
football games and we were playing eleven man football. Uh.
(12:42):
When I was in high school nineteen fifty six to
nineteen sixty, we were classified as A two, which was
the second biggest school. The biggest school was A one
and the team that used to win all of A
one championships was in Jefferson in Portland, and they had
a guy named mel Renthroll. And so anyhow, we wanted
(13:07):
to keep up with the rin Froze and the Jefferson
and uh we we decided to win. But anyhow, growing
up in a small community like that, um was just incredible.
And we we we we had chores, like I said,
and uh we we'd laugh about this all the time too.
(13:29):
Where I grew up, I had a brother was blind.
He raised German shorthair bird dogs and we used to
go pheasant hunting. And during football season, somebody out where
we lived had a car, I guess, or a pick
up and we would take our shotguns school with us.
Uh and after football practice we'll drive home and there
was a gravel road we drive around and he would
(13:52):
a neighbor would drive us round, would shoot peasants on
the way home. But while while the pickups at school,
the shot guns are hanging in the back window with
the keys in the pickout. So things have changed a
little bit. I would say, So, were you were a
big kid on that football team? Because I know your
stature today and I was just wondering, were you big
(14:13):
at a young age? Yeah, I guess. I think when
I was in high school, I waited about to to ten,
was six three. My whole family I had, like I said,
I gotta count my brothers here but there was four
brothers that I had. One brother was six five. He
played with Philo gelf Eagles inten sixty UM. And then
(14:34):
I had a couple of other brothers who were big,
big people. My my mother was a big lady. My
sister is six feet tall, so we come from a
big family. You played a couple of years at j
C Ball, and then you transferred to the University of Oregon.
You also had a brother that played in Oregon, and
he played on on Oregon's nineteen fifty seven Rose Bowl
team as well. Were you real comfortable or did you
(14:57):
have a chance to go someplace else and play your
college follows last two years, I had offers from USC, Washington, UM, Utah, Colorado.
I forget all the school, but my brother John actually
went to UH one you're talking about. I went to
boy University of Oregon in eighteen fifty six as a freshman,
(15:22):
and he struggled a little bit and came back and
went to Boys to Junior College, and then he went
back to University of Oregon. And I'll tell you about
Boys of Junior College here in this second. But anyhow,
I thought, you know, I better go to junior college first.
Because I don't necessarily want to transfer like my brother did.
But my brother was great play played in a shrine game,
(15:44):
played to Oregon, and then he played with the Eagles
for one year and decided didn't want to live in Philadelphia,
so became a coach. But anyhow, last year UH in
about two weeks from from I think it's a tenth
of March. Last year, my brothers and a bunch of
other people showed up at vois UH at this birthday
(16:07):
party for a guy named Lyle Smith. He was a
hundred and he was our coach and we went over
and had a birthday party for him. I just talked
to him last week. It will be a hundred and
one and he says it's tough to get around now.
The guy's an incredible man. And one of the things
(16:28):
through my whole career I had great coaches. In high school,
we had great coaches fundamentals, we didn't have a lot
of plays, we just ran him really well. And junior
colleague the same thing. And then when I was at
University of Oregon has a pretty good athlete there again,
a guy named mel Renthroll. You and Bob Barry and
(16:48):
those guys so anyhow, I'm kind of lucky to hang
out with the right guys, and you know, I have
great coaches. I know that you were a guard on
offense and end on defense when you were at Oregon.
But the thing I want to talk to you about
is that most people don't remember this, but after your
senior season, you played in the nineteen sixty four College
(17:10):
All Star Game. Now, the College All Star Game was
a game in which the College All Stars would go
up against the NFL champions and the year before you played,
you played in nineteen sixty four the College All Stars
beat Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers, who had
won the NFL championship. And you played in the game
in sixty four where the Bears came from behind to
(17:30):
beat the All Stars to seventeen. Tell me about that
game and that experience. I'll tell you what it was.
After I graduated from Oregon. Well, actually, we played in
the Sun Bowl and we left after the Sun Bowl
as Oregon team. I went and played Bill in the
Hula Bowl and Hawaii came back, and then I played
(17:50):
in the Buffalo American All Star Game or something. It
was just college kids, and then we played in the
game in Chicago. Go. But that was rather unique playing
against the Bears, you know, because we'd watched him when
I was growing up. We'd get TV, you know, like
(18:11):
once a month and they would show the Bears playing
the Giants or somebody. So it was and then and
you kind of you know a lot of those guys,
but it was different, and that's for sure. But we lost,
I think instead of going to training camp with the
fort and we spent I think a total of three
weeks back in Chicago. Autogram was our coach. We had
(18:35):
a guy named Joe Don Looney who was from Oklahoma
and he was a printer. Oh how bledsoe played at USC.
Paul Krauss who played with the Vikings. Of course, I
think Paul Warfield was on that team. Warfield, Charlie Taylor,
Pete Bethard, and on the defensive side Carl Eller, mel
(18:55):
renfro you of course, and uh and also Wally Hilgenberg. Yes,
And there was a guy named Bob Brown who was
a tackle who from Nebraska. I think he played in
that game too, who ended up playing with the Raiders
and for a long time. So oh yeah, there was
a matter of fact, I did have a picture of
(19:16):
the Hula Bowl team. Uh, and I think there was
a total of twenty eight players on the team, and
there's five Hall of famers in that picture. There's Warfield,
Carl Ler, myself, Paul Krauss, and I believe mel Rinkle.
You know, you guys lad that game ten seven at
the half, and of course that was against the Chicago Bears,
(19:39):
and Papa Hallis was the coach over there. And after
what had happened the year before, which was only the
I think the eighth or ninth time that the All
Stars College All Stars had beaten the NFL pros, there
was a lot of pressure on the Chicago Bears, I know.
And I can't remember all the players. Well, at Dipko
was playing, I'm sure, and it was Eddie of Wade.
(20:03):
Uh oh, bukit, who are the quarterback? I'm trying to
remember Wade was the quarterback? Okay? And uh then well
I'm trying to think of the linebackers. Oh they who
they had? Well, Nisky was with the with Green Bay
at that time, and I would assume that he probably
(20:23):
played in that game as well. He was hurt the
year before. Oh probably, Yeah, Okay, Uh yeah, anyhow, it's
kind of that's a long a couple of years ago.
Hardly remember all that stuff. And you know there was
always sixty thousand people on hand to watch that game. Yeah,
and we played and sold your field right. And and
(20:45):
then because when I was with the forty Niners, we
used to play at Wrigley Field, and and well most
of the field they they the field included part of
the each dugout and then they put the plywood over
a dugouts. So when you ran at Wrigley Field, if
the guy ran a pattern too deep in the end zone,
(21:05):
he'd run and following the in the dugout. So any yeah,
that was interesting. And also when we played at Wrigley Field,
I'm getting off base here, but the teams were on
the same side of the field. I mean, you know,
the Bears will supposed to stay on one half and
we've stayed on the other half. Hold on just a second.
Dave Dave willcoxes with US Hall of Fame linebacker who
(21:28):
played his entire eleven year career with the San Francisco
forty Niners, played in seven Pro Bowls and was also
an All Pro five times. We'll talk about his career
with the forty Niners in the NFL. As we continue
across the country and around the world on Sports Byeline,
you're listening to Ron Bars Sports Byline USA podcast. Dave
Wilcox has joined us here on Sports Byeline. He played
(21:50):
eleven years in the National Football League, all of those
in the San Francisco forty Niner And Dave, when you
came down here, Uh, you decided to sign and play
in the National Football League. You were drafted in the
third round by the forty Niners, but you were also
taken in the sixth round of the a f L draft.
What was the deciding factor for you to go NFL
over a f L. Well, Uh, when I when I
(22:13):
was staying at the dorm at Oregon and Houston, I
got drafted by Houston and they called me on the
pay phone there at the dorm, and the dorm manager
told me to call him back. But Lynn Casanova, who
was my coach at Oregon at the time, told me
before the draft not to do anything until I talked
to him. He I guess he was must have been
our agent, if you will, And so anyhow, went in
(22:36):
the next day after the forty Niners drafted me and
again named Franklin Newley, who owned the Warriors, was a
Oregon alum and was part of the forty Niners. Was
in town and he took mel renthrow on that and
bought us dinner. But anyhow, Kaz told me that I
needed saying with San Francisco because he knew the owners.
(22:58):
And I said, well, I mean, well, well that's good.
So I got a twelve thousand dollar contract with the
three thousand dollar signed bonus, and they told me that
I took all the money and so they couldn't pay
the rest of the guys. So anyhow, but Lynn Casinoa's one,
(23:18):
I believed everything that that he was my coach and
he knew best for me. You also played, but the
forty Niners at Old keys Are Stadium. Now, I've been
here in San Francisco for a while, I certainly have
gone over there. I wasn't there when you guys played.
How would you describe keys Our Stadium for the listener?
That was a classic place. Uh. One. We used to
(23:42):
stay downtown the night before the game, and then we
would drive down to keys Our Stadium on Sunday and
Matt hazel Tyne and the little linebacker from cal that
played with a long time. He and I would drive
down Hate Street going in to go in Gate Park
and the keys are and that's when all the hippies were.
(24:04):
We're kind of starting there in San Francisco, So I
I'm not sure why we did that other than just
kind of look at the hippies as we're going to
chieve and then once you got the keys are on.
It was really a nice stadium, but there was a
tunnel that ran from the locker rooms out to the
(24:24):
would be the east end underneath the gold post, and
in that tunnel, I don't know how, it seemed like
a long way to probably fifty yards or so, I
don't know, but it was all gravelly, and so early
in the year when they would introduce the teams and
they would introduce the teams from the from the tunnel, well,
(24:45):
we would always go out first and kind of shuffle
around and make sure there was a lot of dirt
tunnel before the visiting team came out. And so anyhow,
we we helped him out like that. But it was great.
Seagulls used to come in towards the end of the
year and play, and I remember one game and we're
(25:06):
playing the Baltimore Colts and Johnny and Nitas and John
Mackie and Lenny Moore of those guys. And one time
I played across from John McK and he wouldn't put
his hand down on the ground, And I told the ref,
isn't that there must be a rule violation or something. Well,
the re he did that is because when all the
(25:27):
seagulls come in, all the worms would come up, and
he didn't want to touch the worm. Gets Now, I
understand that the fans could be pretty rowdy out of
keys are, especially if you guys were losing, because there
were a couple of years when you had some very
tough years with the forty Niners, And I understood they
had to put wire netting over that tunnel area where
(25:47):
you came out on the field because the fans would
throw beer cans at you. Yeah, well I think that
you know, you'll have to ask Dan Founts and and
his dad maybe, but uh, I think people used to
buy season tickets for their beer and the coolers and stuff.
But if you never wanted to walk off the field
(26:08):
by John Brody, if if you lost, because people would
shrow stuff at him and I remember one time they
missed and hit an official and that's when they put
a wire thing over the top. So the people, I
guess they drank too many beers. They couldn't throw the
beers over the top of the fins. There's two other stories,
and maybe you can help confirm them, and and one
(26:30):
of them is the fact that John Brody and Jack
Christiansen really did not get along very well. And the
story one of the stories I heard was the fact
that if the team was trailing when they came out
for the second half, Christiansen would be up ahead of
Brody and as the fans were booing, he turned around
and say, hey, kid, they're really on you today, aren't they.
(26:50):
I didn't. I didn't know about that. Uh. And that's possible. Um,
I know that fan. You know they were close and
very die hard fans. Um. And um, you know, towards
the end of the year or the middle of the season.
It's the key story was kind of nasty. It was
(27:11):
cold and rainy and foggy and all of that. Yeah,
the I don't know about that. The other thing I
heard is is that Brody would have a poker party
on Saturday night before the game on Sunday and he'd
called the guys over and he changed the game plan. Well,
you know that's a possibility. Like I said that, I
(27:33):
played defense, so I didn't know what they do. Speaking
of that, let me ask you about the great linebacker
tandem that you had with the forty Niners, Wilcox, Frank Nunley,
Skip Vanderbunt. Uh those you three guys together. What was
the chemistry, What was the reason for the success that
you guys had. Well, I think we really had some
pretty darn good players. And to start with the defensive line,
(27:56):
there was sid Rick Hardman and Tommy Hart, Charlie Krueger. Um,
I can think Jimmy Johnson, who's my best buddy. The
defensive back we had Bruce Taylor. I'm talking about the seventies,
early seventies, late sixties, UM. And then offensively had some
(28:17):
really good players Geene Washington and Brody and then some
running backs and they scored points. When I first got
to San Francisco, the score points. But we defensively, we
weren't very good, and teams used to be this I
think because of our defense. But anyhow, UM, I wouldn't
trade it for anything. Was some wonderful guys and you know, everybody.
(28:40):
It's really interesting. We talked about this all the time,
the personalities of the team. Uh, you know, there's forty
different personalities, But for sixty minutes on Sunday, you put
your personalities aside and and as as a team. And
quite frankly, I think in day's world that is kind
(29:02):
of lost. Sometimes it is a team game. One guy
doesn't win it, and basically one guy doesn't lose it.
You know, somebody, I was telling somebody, the most important
player on the football team. It's not the quarterback or
running back or stuff at the center, because if the
center doesn't snap the ball and nothing happens right, And
(29:24):
the quarterback he didn't want the ball because he throws
it to somebody or hands it to somebody, So he's
at the end of the line as far as I'm concerned.
So it's the alignment and the people up front. But
it does take eleven guys at a time to do it.
So it is definitely a team game. And and that's
the thing. When I quit playing, it wasn't necessarily the
(29:47):
game itself for the but it was your buddies and
your teammates and the things you've gone through, and you know,
you help each other and and all of that. So, uh,
it is definitely a team game. Yeah, it's the comradeship.
A lot of players tell me when they leave their sport.
That's the thing you once said, Dave, what I do
best is not let people block me. I just hate
(30:09):
to be blocked. And following each season, the forty Niners
would rate their players based on their performance. The typical
score for a linebacker was seven hundred and fifty and
your score in nineteen seventy three was one thousand, three
hundred and six. And that season, uh, you recorded a
hundred and four solo tackles, four forced fumbles, and you
tackled opposing ball carriers for a loss on thirteen occasions.
(30:34):
And you were really a true student of the game.
Everybody I've talked to about you said that, what does
that mean fundamentally correct? Well, this goes back to when
I was in high school and junior college and stuff
and it and the coaches that I had, and I
always thought everything started with your feet, if you if
(30:54):
you speak good or in the wrong position, when you
do certain things. And that's comes from the coaches that
I had the top me that and fundamentally, you know,
there's a lot of great athletes planning there. I played
against a dictian John Mackie and guys like that who
are very talented guys. And the only way I'm probably
(31:14):
going to succeed and keep them getting blocked and stuff
was doing the proper technique. Make my sure my theater
in the right spot at the right time, or the
or the leverage that I'm supposed to have. I gotta
make sure I get there. Um. There Again, we used
as as your player got older and played more games,
(31:37):
we would look at films and you pick up the
little things that might tip off a play. A guard
might be his foot might be a six inches behind
on one play and not on another one, so you
wait a minute, why is he doing that? That type
of thing? And then then of course, you know, like
I said, there's so many great athletes in that world. Um,
(32:00):
and there are a lot of them today, of course.
But fundamentally I had to be correct because you know,
maybe I didn't have as much talent as some of
the other guys, but I was gonna work my tail
off to make sure I knew fundamentally I was right
let me ask you about one of the stats I
mentioned a little bit earlier, because it kind of blows
me away, you know as well as I do that
(32:22):
when it came to health and when it came to
doctors back in that period of time, Uh, it just
wasn't the same as it is today. And you missed
only one game during your career because of an injury.
How did that happen? How were you able to do that?
I don't know. Maybe it got hit in the head
too many times. Anyhow, I got it. We were playing
(32:46):
in Miami and the exhibition game I got clipped me
and tore the carlleages in my knee. It was about
the second or third exhibition game. And I played the
whole season with that. Can I get my knee drained?
And it at nice and oh man, they they talked
about a challenge. But I had to play. I mean,
(33:06):
I couldn't couldn't let my teammates down. So I had
to be there and do that. Um And so it
was a matter of our doctor, Lloyd Milburn was our
team doctor. And so long as I wasn't, you know,
hurting breaking something else or creating more problems, he said,
you know, you can play, but it's gonna hurt. And
(33:29):
of course it did, uh quite, And I used to
tape it up and all that. And then after the
nine seventies season, I went back to Oregon and a
guy named Dr Slocum, who at that time was one
of the real workipede people in the country. Uh, fixed there,
operated on and fixed it. But at Carliage at that time,
(33:51):
I mean I was in a hospital for a week
and stuff. And now it's something you go in in
the morning at ten and you're home at noon. So anyhow,
Uh yeah, I wouldn't recommend that everybody to do that,
but it worked out for me. Let me also ask you,
during the course of the eleven years you played in
the NFL, you think back about all the games that
(34:12):
you played in, is there one that is really indelibly
in your mind forever? Every one of them? Uh? You know,
how how fortunate I was to be able to do that,
And looking back, Okay, I said, I my eighth grade
class of eight kids, my high school graduating class. Before
(34:33):
year high school, I think there was fifty one kids
in my graduating class. I grew up in a farm
in eastern Oregon. How in the heck did I ever
end up going to Campton, Ohio. Great coaches had some skill,
I'm sure, a lot of luck, and a lot of
good teammates. When you take a look at all the
(34:56):
great players you played with and you played against as well,
Hall of famers, out standing players, what's the commonality all
of you have. I think it's probably competitiveness. I want
to want to make sure you do everything correctly. Uh,
and you know, working with your teammates. I always stopped
(35:19):
that every team that I was on that was a
good team had half a dozen leaders that took care
of internal problems. When I was in San Francisco, our
coach has never had to discipline players because there was
six or eight guys that took care of that problem.
(35:42):
I remember Dick Nolan one time I wanted to know
where this one kid player was, and the player had
done something they shouldn't have been done, and we had
a team meeting, and he got a little huffy. So
one of our guys took a hold of him and
put him in the hawker and put the lock on
the locker and left him in there and told him
(36:04):
when he was ready to be part of the team,
we'd let him out. So we go out to practice
and coach Smallan wanted more, and so what, well, he's
tied that right now. He'll be with us tomorrow. Dave
Wilcox with us again. Hall of fame linebacker who played
his entire eleven year career with the forty niners, and
that included playing in seven Pro Bowls and was an
All Pro five times. And as I said, the thing
(36:26):
that jumped out at me is the fact that he
only missed one game during his career because of an injury.
And if you think back about again the medical aspects
of playing professional football, it was not the same as
it is today. We continue with more of you and
Sports Byeline. You have been listening to Ron Barr's Sports
Byeline USA podcast on the eight Side Network
Hi, I'm Ron Bar and this is today's edition of
Ron Bars Sports Byline USA podcast on the eight Side Network.
Justin Wilcox joins us on Sports Byline. He's the head
football coach at the University of California after being the
defensive coordinator at Wisconsin, USC, Washington Tennessee, and Boys State.
And he grew up as the younger of two sons
(00:21):
on a family farm in Junkson City, Oregon. And he
played quarterback at Junction City High School and then went
on to play his college ball at the University of
Oregon for Mike Bellotti as well as his brother did
the same thing and his dad also as an Oregon
grad and he played not only for the Ducks, but
he went on to have a Hall of Fame career
playing eleven years for the San Francisco forty Niners. Take
(00:45):
me back for just a moment, justin to a Junction
City up in Oregon. Yeah, it was a great place
to grow up. Um really learned a ton, you know,
just from growing up there from my family, my mom
and dad, my brother, and then the coaches and teachers
that I was able to be around. It was a
small community, very tight knit and a lot of the
(01:07):
core values that I have learned. I learned there. I
know your dad told me when I was talking to him,
he's coming up a little bit later on. He said
that you had to go out and you had to
do your chores, you had to get up very early
in the morning. And he said that gave him a
real work ethic. That was really something that was the
foundation of his life. Was it the same way for
you to justin Yeah, I think just the accountability factor
(01:30):
and being, you know, a guy that you can depend on,
a person you can depend on. And I think you
learned that really at home and and uh the people
you're around, whether it's you know, your family, which I
was so fortunate to have a real strong family, and
then the coaches that I was able to come up under.
(01:51):
And I think that's just part of you know, being
a to have a chance to have some success in life.
You know, being accountable to being a dependable person is
a huge part of that. And I think growing up
where I did and and with the people that I
grew up with and still that in me. Yeah. I know,
you said, my dad is in the Hall of Fame,
but before that, he was a Hall of farmer, and
(02:12):
I love that particular line. Did he ever talk much
about football at the house in the off season or
or after his career? No, not really. We didn't grow
up that way. Um he was. He's a real humble guy.
Wasn't ever about him in that regard, and so we were.
I was born after he was done playing. I knew
that he had played football for the forty Niners and
(02:33):
was supposedly pretty good, but he'd ever talked much about it.
We got a chance, I think once every few years
we would get to go to a game, you know,
I think maybe a couple of times, and growing up
we went to a forty Niners game, So we knew
that he played, but it wasn't something that we spent
a lot of time talking about. To be honest with you,
it was really more about just the family and and
(02:56):
working hard and living right and and trying to do
the best you can. And you know, the the accountability
and the work ethic that it takes to be a
successful person would be you know. I just think that
was really more of the you know what he was
trying instill in us, And it wasn't about his trophies
or highlights or you know, the Pro Bowls that he made.
(03:17):
Did you or your brother ever seek his advice about
anything from a playing standpoint when you were, you know,
at the University of Oregon, or and when you were
a coach at USC Wisconsin, Washington, any of the stops
along your way. I really think it goes back to more.
It's just there was so much more than football that
was But these life skills that you learn, these values really,
uh they they aligned with football. It's work ethic and
(03:41):
toughness and perseverance and never giving up and all those
intangible things that really, you know, make or break your
your life and your football career. And so that's probably
really more what we learned as opposed to technique. And
you know, he would once in a while and you know,
just talk about the importance of fundamentals things like that,
(04:03):
but very rarely did we talk about, you know, the
schematics of the techniques of football is much more of
the intangible things that it took to be a good
player and a uh person. So, I know, I mentioned
that Mike Blotti was your coach up at Oregon, and
Mike had this quote, he said, he's got a piercing
I vision. When you meet him, you know, it's more
than just a happy face. He's a guy who is
(04:24):
looking through you to take a gauge of who you
are and what you are. But he's got a folksy charm.
He's just unassuming until you get into the heat of battle,
and then you want to be on his side. Referring
to you, of course. Uh, you know Mike Blotti. I've
known Mike for a long time. Why is it that
made that program so successful up there? Oh? I think
(04:45):
I think I learned a ton from Coach Blotti and
the coaches that were around at that time. Um. I
think just that everybody was moving in the same direction.
Everybody knew what the goal was. Everybody knew what the
expectations were in terms of how we acted on a
daily basis, whether it was a workout, a position meeting,
how we approached our school work, how we how we played.
(05:09):
I just think that was the biggest piece of it,
you know, having a uh, you know, a common vision
for every guy in there. Uh. The type of people
that were involved in the program, you know, and we
weren't perfect, believe me, but there but there was a
you know, there was a core there was a value
set to the team, and I thought that, you know,
I I learned. I think we all learned some of
(05:30):
the intangible things that are so important as you go,
you know, work through your football career, but also just
as it applies to the rest of your life. And
I think that was the biggest thing second time for you.
At TAW you were a linebackers coach under Ted ted
Fern and now you're the head coach at the University
of California, But your leanings have been on the defensive
side as a coordinator and everything. When you take a
(05:52):
look at the direction of college football today, the wide
openness of it and everything, what have you seen as
far as the change the way the game is being
played today? Justin yeah, it's the game is I guess
more loose. It's spread out. The formations that you see
from offenses typically create a lot more space than even
(06:12):
fifteen years ago. Um, the pace of play has changed dramatically.
The number of plays that you UH see during a
game as significantly increased. Uh So, I think you know
a lot of these the spread offenses that incorporate the
quarterback runs, which changes the math in a in a
lot of ways. In the in the game how you
(06:33):
defend people. Um, so there's been pretty significant changes. I don't.
I think a lot of it is option based. You know,
where the single wing teams were doing this how many
every years and years and years and years ago, you know,
way back when when the game first begin being played.
So I don't. I just think it's different formations how
people are getting to it differently. Obviously, the speed has increased,
(06:56):
not only the tempo in the pace of play, but
the players themselves are the training. We're more informed now
than ever on how to try and help players be
at their best. So I think it's just gotten faster.
There's more plays, the spacing on the field has really
come into play. This run pass option with the quarterback
run game is really kind of evolved. So yeah, it's
(07:17):
a challenging game. On defense, it's a it's wide open,
I know, on offense, and at the end of it,
it still comes back to fundamentals. You know, it's playing
with good technique and blocking and tackling and all those
fundamental things that really give you a chance to have
some success. And that's where you really want to spend
a lot of your time. No matter what scheme. You
may be on offense or defense. And I would have
(07:38):
supposed that you've thought about this, about the changes that
come for you because you're no longer a coordinator, you're
the man. Uh And and for coaches today, it's a
different dynamic that's come into play. How have you seen
to change there? Yeah, I think there's just uh, everybody's
got a job to do. Um. You know, everybody in
our program has a responsibility to our program. Um, everybody's
(08:02):
I don't see myself as anymore or less important than
any other person in our program. I just I have
a more decisions to make. And I'm fortunate to be
surrounded by great people from our equipment room, to our
support staff and our academic support and all these people
on our campus who are who have been so who
are who are so critical critical to our success, and
(08:24):
then obviously our coaches and players and so we're all
a piece of it, um, you know. And I'm honored
and humbled to be in this position and really excited
to to move forward with it. Justin when you take
a look at yourself and the experience as you've had,
who were the people that were important for for you
from the football standpoint. Oh, that's a that's such a
good question. It's a hard one for me to answer
(08:44):
because there's so many I mean, I can name them all,
just take me a while. But so many players that
I played with, UH, coaches that I've played for or
coached with. And I'm talking about head coaches. I'm talking
about guys on the other side of the ball, guys
on the same side of the ball. UM. I've met
a ton of great high school coaches and small college
coaches who are as good as anybody out there, and
(09:07):
UH learned from them. You learn from players, you know,
every time every year you have a new experience, and
the players are kind of constantly evolving, and you're learning
how to communicate better with them, how to teach them, UM,
certain situations that come up, how to best you know,
maximize UH their potential. So I think you just constantly
are evolving. And that's the fun thing and the challenging
(09:28):
thing about our our job. And I know it's one
that I've always enjoyed. So to pick one person would
be really hard for me. There's just so many people
and in so many different ways that have impacted me
along the way, which I'm fortunate for we only have
thirty five seconds left. But you've of course coached in
the Big Ten, in the Pack twelve and everything. What's
the personality of the Pack twelve conference. Well, it's an
(09:51):
exciting brand of football, um. Year. The athletes are dynamic.
I would you know, there as good as any in
the country. Um, there's excellent coach is and you get
different challenges each week. You know, everybody you know you have.
I think the people use the term spread, but what
does that really mean. I mean there's different versions of
all these offenses that are getting in the gun and
(10:11):
spreading the field on you. Some of the running the quarterbacks,
some aren't, some are using tempo, some are using shift
in motion. You have the teams that are more traditional
in Stanford, who does a great job. So it's you
just have all these different challenges, great coaches, verily, really
talented players and athletes, and I think it's as good
as it's ever been. I want to thank you justin
congratulations on getting the head job at cal Take care
(10:33):
Justin Wilcox again head coach at the University of California.
His dad Dave Wilcox, Hall of Famer. When we come
back on the other side. We're gonna be talking to
Dave as we continue across the country and around the world.
It's good to have you here on America's sports talk show.
You're listening to Ron Bars Sports Byline USA podcast. Dave
Wilcox joins us on Sports Byline, the Hall of Fame
(10:56):
linebacker who played his entire eleven year career with the
forty Niners. He played in seven Pro Bowls and was
an All Pro five times. And this is the thing
that blows me away. He missed only one game during
his career because of injury. And I want to talk
to you about that in just a second day. But
you grew up in Oregon. Take me back and tell
me what it was like growing up in rural Oregon.
(11:17):
I grew up in the eastern Oregon and a place
called Vale, which is about seventy five miles some boys
idaholl My parents moved out from Oklahoma, n and homes
this place. Uh. I had six brothers, one sister. There
was four brothers that were born in Oklahoma and my
(11:37):
sister and that three other boys were Oregonians and we
lived ten miles from town. Uh. If you wanted to eat,
you got up and did your chores. That was important. Uh.
My eighth grade class, there's eight kids. Uh, and that
we were ten mile. That was in Willow quite great
(12:00):
school and U he had two classes in each room.
I don't know how many was in the seventh fool,
but couldn't have been too many. And then UH went
tout Vale High School. While I was in Vale High School,
we won the state championship twice, many second once and
finished the fourth month. That's that's when football came into
(12:20):
your life. Was it a smaller squad playing football or
was it eleven man squad? Oh? We were We had
eleven man and actually I graduated in high school nineteen sixty.
I think it started about nine. Uh. Vale started winning
football games and we were playing eleven man football. Uh.
(12:42):
When I was in high school nineteen fifty six to
nineteen sixty, we were classified as A two, which was
the second biggest school. The biggest school was A one
and the team that used to win all of A
one championships was in Jefferson in Portland, and they had
a guy named mel Renthroll. And so anyhow, we wanted
(13:07):
to keep up with the rin Froze and the Jefferson
and uh we we decided to win. But anyhow, growing
up in a small community like that, um was just incredible.
And we we we we had chores, like I said,
and uh we we'd laugh about this all the time too.
(13:29):
Where I grew up, I had a brother was blind.
He raised German shorthair bird dogs and we used to
go pheasant hunting. And during football season, somebody out where
we lived had a car, I guess, or a pick
up and we would take our shotguns school with us.
Uh and after football practice we'll drive home and there
was a gravel road we drive around and he would
(13:52):
a neighbor would drive us round, would shoot peasants on
the way home. But while while the pickups at school,
the shot guns are hanging in the back window with
the keys in the pickout. So things have changed a
little bit. I would say, So, were you were a
big kid on that football team? Because I know your
stature today and I was just wondering, were you big
(14:13):
at a young age? Yeah, I guess. I think when
I was in high school, I waited about to to ten,
was six three. My whole family I had, like I said,
I gotta count my brothers here but there was four
brothers that I had. One brother was six five. He
played with Philo gelf Eagles inten sixty UM. And then
(14:34):
I had a couple of other brothers who were big,
big people. My my mother was a big lady. My
sister is six feet tall, so we come from a
big family. You played a couple of years at j
C Ball, and then you transferred to the University of Oregon.
You also had a brother that played in Oregon, and
he played on on Oregon's nineteen fifty seven Rose Bowl
team as well. Were you real comfortable or did you
(14:57):
have a chance to go someplace else and play your
college follows last two years, I had offers from USC, Washington, UM, Utah, Colorado.
I forget all the school, but my brother John actually
went to UH one you're talking about. I went to
boy University of Oregon in eighteen fifty six as a freshman,
(15:22):
and he struggled a little bit and came back and
went to Boys to Junior College, and then he went
back to University of Oregon. And I'll tell you about
Boys of Junior College here in this second. But anyhow,
I thought, you know, I better go to junior college first.
Because I don't necessarily want to transfer like my brother did.
But my brother was great play played in a shrine game,
(15:44):
played to Oregon, and then he played with the Eagles
for one year and decided didn't want to live in Philadelphia,
so became a coach. But anyhow, last year UH in
about two weeks from from I think it's a tenth
of March. Last year, my brothers and a bunch of
other people showed up at vois UH at this birthday
(16:07):
party for a guy named Lyle Smith. He was a
hundred and he was our coach and we went over
and had a birthday party for him. I just talked
to him last week. It will be a hundred and
one and he says it's tough to get around now.
The guy's an incredible man. And one of the things
(16:28):
through my whole career I had great coaches. In high school,
we had great coaches fundamentals, we didn't have a lot
of plays, we just ran him really well. And junior
colleague the same thing. And then when I was at
University of Oregon has a pretty good athlete there again,
a guy named mel Renthroll. You and Bob Barry and
(16:48):
those guys so anyhow, I'm kind of lucky to hang
out with the right guys, and you know, I have
great coaches. I know that you were a guard on
offense and end on defense when you were at Oregon.
But the thing I want to talk to you about
is that most people don't remember this, but after your
senior season, you played in the nineteen sixty four College
(17:10):
All Star Game. Now, the College All Star Game was
a game in which the College All Stars would go
up against the NFL champions and the year before you played,
you played in nineteen sixty four the College All Stars
beat Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers, who had
won the NFL championship. And you played in the game
in sixty four where the Bears came from behind to
(17:30):
beat the All Stars to seventeen. Tell me about that
game and that experience. I'll tell you what it was.
After I graduated from Oregon. Well, actually, we played in
the Sun Bowl and we left after the Sun Bowl
as Oregon team. I went and played Bill in the
Hula Bowl and Hawaii came back, and then I played
(17:50):
in the Buffalo American All Star Game or something. It
was just college kids, and then we played in the
game in Chicago. Go. But that was rather unique playing
against the Bears, you know, because we'd watched him when
I was growing up. We'd get TV, you know, like
(18:11):
once a month and they would show the Bears playing
the Giants or somebody. So it was and then and
you kind of you know a lot of those guys,
but it was different, and that's for sure. But we lost,
I think instead of going to training camp with the
fort and we spent I think a total of three
weeks back in Chicago. Autogram was our coach. We had
(18:35):
a guy named Joe Don Looney who was from Oklahoma
and he was a printer. Oh how bledsoe played at USC.
Paul Krauss who played with the Vikings. Of course, I
think Paul Warfield was on that team. Warfield, Charlie Taylor,
Pete Bethard, and on the defensive side Carl Eller, mel
(18:55):
renfro you of course, and uh and also Wally Hilgenberg. Yes,
And there was a guy named Bob Brown who was
a tackle who from Nebraska. I think he played in
that game too, who ended up playing with the Raiders
and for a long time. So oh yeah, there was
a matter of fact, I did have a picture of
(19:16):
the Hula Bowl team. Uh, and I think there was
a total of twenty eight players on the team, and
there's five Hall of famers in that picture. There's Warfield,
Carl Ler, myself, Paul Krauss, and I believe mel Rinkle.
You know, you guys lad that game ten seven at
the half, and of course that was against the Chicago Bears,
(19:39):
and Papa Hallis was the coach over there. And after
what had happened the year before, which was only the
I think the eighth or ninth time that the All
Stars College All Stars had beaten the NFL pros, there
was a lot of pressure on the Chicago Bears, I know.
And I can't remember all the players. Well, at Dipko
was playing, I'm sure, and it was Eddie of Wade.
(20:03):
Uh oh, bukit, who are the quarterback? I'm trying to
remember Wade was the quarterback? Okay? And uh then well
I'm trying to think of the linebackers. Oh they who
they had? Well, Nisky was with the with Green Bay
at that time, and I would assume that he probably
(20:23):
played in that game as well. He was hurt the
year before. Oh probably, Yeah, Okay, Uh yeah, anyhow, it's
kind of that's a long a couple of years ago.
Hardly remember all that stuff. And you know there was
always sixty thousand people on hand to watch that game. Yeah,
and we played and sold your field right. And and
(20:45):
then because when I was with the forty Niners, we
used to play at Wrigley Field, and and well most
of the field they they the field included part of
the each dugout and then they put the plywood over
a dugouts. So when you ran at Wrigley Field, if
the guy ran a pattern too deep in the end zone,
(21:05):
he'd run and following the in the dugout. So any yeah,
that was interesting. And also when we played at Wrigley Field,
I'm getting off base here, but the teams were on
the same side of the field. I mean, you know,
the Bears will supposed to stay on one half and
we've stayed on the other half. Hold on just a second.
Dave Dave willcoxes with US Hall of Fame linebacker who
(21:28):
played his entire eleven year career with the San Francisco
forty Niners, played in seven Pro Bowls and was also
an All Pro five times. We'll talk about his career
with the forty Niners in the NFL. As we continue
across the country and around the world on Sports Byeline,
you're listening to Ron Bars Sports Byline USA podcast. Dave
Wilcox has joined us here on Sports Byeline. He played
(21:50):
eleven years in the National Football League, all of those
in the San Francisco forty Niner And Dave, when you
came down here, Uh, you decided to sign and play
in the National Football League. You were drafted in the
third round by the forty Niners, but you were also
taken in the sixth round of the a f L draft.
What was the deciding factor for you to go NFL
over a f L. Well, Uh, when I when I
(22:13):
was staying at the dorm at Oregon and Houston, I
got drafted by Houston and they called me on the
pay phone there at the dorm, and the dorm manager
told me to call him back. But Lynn Casanova, who
was my coach at Oregon at the time, told me
before the draft not to do anything until I talked
to him. He I guess he was must have been
our agent, if you will, And so anyhow, went in
(22:36):
the next day after the forty Niners drafted me and
again named Franklin Newley, who owned the Warriors, was a
Oregon alum and was part of the forty Niners. Was
in town and he took mel renthrow on that and
bought us dinner. But anyhow, Kaz told me that I
needed saying with San Francisco because he knew the owners.
(22:58):
And I said, well, I mean, well, well that's good.
So I got a twelve thousand dollar contract with the
three thousand dollar signed bonus, and they told me that
I took all the money and so they couldn't pay
the rest of the guys. So anyhow, but Lynn Casinoa's one,
(23:18):
I believed everything that that he was my coach and
he knew best for me. You also played, but the
forty Niners at Old keys Are Stadium. Now, I've been
here in San Francisco for a while, I certainly have
gone over there. I wasn't there when you guys played.
How would you describe keys Our Stadium for the listener?
That was a classic place. Uh. One. We used to
(23:42):
stay downtown the night before the game, and then we
would drive down to keys Our Stadium on Sunday and
Matt hazel Tyne and the little linebacker from cal that
played with a long time. He and I would drive
down Hate Street going in to go in Gate Park
and the keys are and that's when all the hippies were.
(24:04):
We're kind of starting there in San Francisco, So I
I'm not sure why we did that other than just
kind of look at the hippies as we're going to
chieve and then once you got the keys are on.
It was really a nice stadium, but there was a
tunnel that ran from the locker rooms out to the
(24:24):
would be the east end underneath the gold post, and
in that tunnel, I don't know how, it seemed like
a long way to probably fifty yards or so, I
don't know, but it was all gravelly, and so early
in the year when they would introduce the teams and
they would introduce the teams from the from the tunnel, well,
(24:45):
we would always go out first and kind of shuffle
around and make sure there was a lot of dirt
tunnel before the visiting team came out. And so anyhow,
we we helped him out like that. But it was great.
Seagulls used to come in towards the end of the
year and play, and I remember one game and we're
(25:06):
playing the Baltimore Colts and Johnny and Nitas and John
Mackie and Lenny Moore of those guys. And one time
I played across from John McK and he wouldn't put
his hand down on the ground, And I told the ref,
isn't that there must be a rule violation or something. Well,
the re he did that is because when all the
(25:27):
seagulls come in, all the worms would come up, and
he didn't want to touch the worm. Gets Now, I
understand that the fans could be pretty rowdy out of
keys are, especially if you guys were losing, because there
were a couple of years when you had some very
tough years with the forty Niners, And I understood they
had to put wire netting over that tunnel area where
(25:47):
you came out on the field because the fans would
throw beer cans at you. Yeah, well I think that
you know, you'll have to ask Dan Founts and and
his dad maybe, but uh, I think people used to
buy season tickets for their beer and the coolers and stuff.
But if you never wanted to walk off the field
(26:08):
by John Brody, if if you lost, because people would
shrow stuff at him and I remember one time they
missed and hit an official and that's when they put
a wire thing over the top. So the people, I
guess they drank too many beers. They couldn't throw the
beers over the top of the fins. There's two other stories,
and maybe you can help confirm them, and and one
(26:30):
of them is the fact that John Brody and Jack
Christiansen really did not get along very well. And the
story one of the stories I heard was the fact
that if the team was trailing when they came out
for the second half, Christiansen would be up ahead of
Brody and as the fans were booing, he turned around
and say, hey, kid, they're really on you today, aren't they.
(26:50):
I didn't. I didn't know about that. Uh. And that's possible. Um,
I know that fan. You know they were close and
very die hard fans. Um. And um, you know, towards
the end of the year or the middle of the season.
It's the key story was kind of nasty. It was
(27:11):
cold and rainy and foggy and all of that. Yeah,
the I don't know about that. The other thing I
heard is is that Brody would have a poker party
on Saturday night before the game on Sunday and he'd
called the guys over and he changed the game plan. Well,
you know that's a possibility. Like I said that, I
(27:33):
played defense, so I didn't know what they do. Speaking
of that, let me ask you about the great linebacker
tandem that you had with the forty Niners, Wilcox, Frank Nunley,
Skip Vanderbunt. Uh those you three guys together. What was
the chemistry, What was the reason for the success that
you guys had. Well, I think we really had some
pretty darn good players. And to start with the defensive line,
(27:56):
there was sid Rick Hardman and Tommy Hart, Charlie Krueger. Um,
I can think Jimmy Johnson, who's my best buddy. The
defensive back we had Bruce Taylor. I'm talking about the seventies,
early seventies, late sixties, UM. And then offensively had some
(28:17):
really good players Geene Washington and Brody and then some
running backs and they scored points. When I first got
to San Francisco, the score points. But we defensively, we
weren't very good, and teams used to be this I
think because of our defense. But anyhow, UM, I wouldn't
trade it for anything. Was some wonderful guys and you know, everybody.
(28:40):
It's really interesting. We talked about this all the time,
the personalities of the team. Uh, you know, there's forty
different personalities, But for sixty minutes on Sunday, you put
your personalities aside and and as as a team. And
quite frankly, I think in day's world that is kind
(29:02):
of lost. Sometimes it is a team game. One guy
doesn't win it, and basically one guy doesn't lose it.
You know, somebody, I was telling somebody, the most important
player on the football team. It's not the quarterback or
running back or stuff at the center, because if the
center doesn't snap the ball and nothing happens right, And
(29:24):
the quarterback he didn't want the ball because he throws
it to somebody or hands it to somebody, So he's
at the end of the line as far as I'm concerned.
So it's the alignment and the people up front. But
it does take eleven guys at a time to do it.
So it is definitely a team game. And and that's
the thing. When I quit playing, it wasn't necessarily the
(29:47):
game itself for the but it was your buddies and
your teammates and the things you've gone through, and you know,
you help each other and and all of that. So, uh,
it is definitely a team game. Yeah, it's the comradeship.
A lot of players tell me when they leave their sport.
That's the thing you once said, Dave, what I do
best is not let people block me. I just hate
(30:09):
to be blocked. And following each season, the forty Niners
would rate their players based on their performance. The typical
score for a linebacker was seven hundred and fifty and
your score in nineteen seventy three was one thousand, three
hundred and six. And that season, uh, you recorded a
hundred and four solo tackles, four forced fumbles, and you
tackled opposing ball carriers for a loss on thirteen occasions.
(30:34):
And you were really a true student of the game.
Everybody I've talked to about you said that, what does
that mean fundamentally correct? Well, this goes back to when
I was in high school and junior college and stuff
and it and the coaches that I had, and I
always thought everything started with your feet, if you if
(30:54):
you speak good or in the wrong position, when you
do certain things. And that's comes from the coaches that
I had the top me that and fundamentally, you know,
there's a lot of great athletes planning there. I played
against a dictian John Mackie and guys like that who
are very talented guys. And the only way I'm probably
(31:14):
going to succeed and keep them getting blocked and stuff
was doing the proper technique. Make my sure my theater
in the right spot at the right time, or the
or the leverage that I'm supposed to have. I gotta
make sure I get there. Um. There Again, we used
as as your player got older and played more games,
(31:37):
we would look at films and you pick up the
little things that might tip off a play. A guard
might be his foot might be a six inches behind
on one play and not on another one, so you
wait a minute, why is he doing that? That type
of thing? And then then of course, you know, like
I said, there's so many great athletes in that world. Um,
(32:00):
and there are a lot of them today, of course.
But fundamentally I had to be correct because you know,
maybe I didn't have as much talent as some of
the other guys, but I was gonna work my tail
off to make sure I knew fundamentally I was right
let me ask you about one of the stats I
mentioned a little bit earlier, because it kind of blows
me away, you know as well as I do that
(32:22):
when it came to health and when it came to
doctors back in that period of time, Uh, it just
wasn't the same as it is today. And you missed
only one game during your career because of an injury.
How did that happen? How were you able to do that?
I don't know. Maybe it got hit in the head
too many times. Anyhow, I got it. We were playing
(32:46):
in Miami and the exhibition game I got clipped me
and tore the carlleages in my knee. It was about
the second or third exhibition game. And I played the
whole season with that. Can I get my knee drained?
And it at nice and oh man, they they talked
about a challenge. But I had to play. I mean,
(33:06):
I couldn't couldn't let my teammates down. So I had
to be there and do that. Um And so it
was a matter of our doctor, Lloyd Milburn was our
team doctor. And so long as I wasn't, you know,
hurting breaking something else or creating more problems, he said,
you know, you can play, but it's gonna hurt. And
(33:29):
of course it did, uh quite, And I used to
tape it up and all that. And then after the
nine seventies season, I went back to Oregon and a
guy named Dr Slocum, who at that time was one
of the real workipede people in the country. Uh, fixed there,
operated on and fixed it. But at Carliage at that time,
(33:51):
I mean I was in a hospital for a week
and stuff. And now it's something you go in in
the morning at ten and you're home at noon. So anyhow,
Uh yeah, I wouldn't recommend that everybody to do that,
but it worked out for me. Let me also ask you,
during the course of the eleven years you played in
the NFL, you think back about all the games that
(34:12):
you played in, is there one that is really indelibly
in your mind forever? Every one of them? Uh? You know,
how how fortunate I was to be able to do that,
And looking back, Okay, I said, I my eighth grade
class of eight kids, my high school graduating class. Before
(34:33):
year high school, I think there was fifty one kids
in my graduating class. I grew up in a farm
in eastern Oregon. How in the heck did I ever
end up going to Campton, Ohio. Great coaches had some skill,
I'm sure, a lot of luck, and a lot of
good teammates. When you take a look at all the
(34:56):
great players you played with and you played against as well,
Hall of famers, out standing players, what's the commonality all
of you have. I think it's probably competitiveness. I want
to want to make sure you do everything correctly. Uh,
and you know, working with your teammates. I always stopped
(35:19):
that every team that I was on that was a
good team had half a dozen leaders that took care
of internal problems. When I was in San Francisco, our
coach has never had to discipline players because there was
six or eight guys that took care of that problem.
(35:42):
I remember Dick Nolan one time I wanted to know
where this one kid player was, and the player had
done something they shouldn't have been done, and we had
a team meeting, and he got a little huffy. So
one of our guys took a hold of him and
put him in the hawker and put the lock on
the locker and left him in there and told him
(36:04):
when he was ready to be part of the team,
we'd let him out. So we go out to practice
and coach Smallan wanted more, and so what, well, he's
tied that right now. He'll be with us tomorrow. Dave
Wilcox with us again. Hall of fame linebacker who played
his entire eleven year career with the forty niners, and
that included playing in seven Pro Bowls and was an
All Pro five times. And as I said, the thing
(36:26):
that jumped out at me is the fact that he
only missed one game during his career because of an injury.
And if you think back about again the medical aspects
of playing professional football, it was not the same as
it is today. We continue with more of you and
Sports Byeline. You have been listening to Ron Barr's Sports
Byeline USA podcast on the eight Side Network
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