August 6, 2025 • 61 mins
In this powerful episode of NFL Players: Second Acts, Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith sits down with hosts Peanut Tillman and Roman Harper and shares why after his legendary shoulder separation game he said, “If I’m gonna die, let me die in Dallas.”
Emmitt opens up about what it meant to be named to the NFL’s All-Time 100 Team—an honor he says holds even more weight than making the Hall of Fame. He reflects on his final two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals and how that chapter helped him find closure and prepare for life beyond the gridiron.
But the conversation doesn’t stop at football. Emmitt shares how he built a successful business empire in real estate and construction, leaning on mentors like Roger Staubach and Magic Johnson, and how a chance encounter with Michael Jordan sparked a lasting connection. He also drops wisdom for current players on why investing in themselves now matters most.
The NFL Players: Second Acts podcast is a production of the NFL in partnership with iHeart Media.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Bro, I try to knock my shoulder completely out of
place because it was I was in that much pain.
I fell asleep and I wake up in a panic
because my heart was racing and just racing. I was like,
this don't feel right. So I'm like it happened twice.
The second time, Kevin O'Neill said, listen, if you want
(00:25):
us to, we can land his plane in Memphis and
get you into the hospital. I said, no, if I'm
gonna die, let me die in Dallas.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
What's up, everybody? I'm peanut to him.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
And this is the NFL Player's Second Act podcast, and
with me is always my trusty co host, Roman Plan,
just tight short Harper, and.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
They don't see that, but that's only because I'm trying
to do things after this. But man, I'm really excited
about this next guest. I mean, he is Literallynsidered, the
greatest of all time at a position, literally and he
is the what you think about when you think of
Dallas and the Cowboys and everything that they were able
to create. And I've been around this man before and
just really really looking forward to him and and and
(01:14):
just getting this vibe because we don't always get the
greatest with us.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
But this is gonna be awesome. Go ahead, the Proud
of Prince Cola, Florida. First ball Coola Pea.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Cola, that's what we call it.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Yeah yeah, pea colon col Yeah, yeah yeah, peacock.
Speaker 5 (01:26):
Okay, first Battle, Hall of Famer, NFL are, all time
leading rusher, three time super Bowl champion, on the NFL's
all time top one hundred.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
I mean he got one of them wine jackets. Oh
that's a different jazz.
Speaker 5 (01:39):
That's a that's a Marlowe. Okay, I didn't know. That's
old folks say burgundy. Okay, he got one of them,
and he's still just he got a ton of businesses.
I'm any ladies, gentleman, Emmon Smith, welcome to the pot.
Damn resume too long. I couldn't even read it. Man,
we've been here about ten minutes. If I had to
read the whole resume, that's a lot.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
We want to cut into the show.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
To the show.
Speaker 5 (02:02):
How is it having the Like, it's cool to have
the gold jacket. I think that's that's pretty cool. I
started to have one one day. But you got the
you got the mar Lowe, you got that that burgundy.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Yeah, how's that that's very unique. NFL Hall of Fame
has over three hundred people in it. Yeah, NFL one
hundred only has one hundred. Yes, and so that sets
that that drunk, that drill that's down to even smaller.
And so uh, that unique class of one hundred is
pretty special.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
So what if you get a jacket all of a
sudden somebody plays in like, are we do you get
to get removed out of the one hundred? As this
thing continues to grow, I know.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
You want what you in it. I don't think you
can get removed.
Speaker 6 (02:43):
Okay, okay, okay, okay, next one hundred, okay, okay, okay,
because that was I mean NFL top two hundred, you know,
because you know, just like the NFL rosters, you know,
you always feel safe when you're in the.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
Top thirty, when you like that fifty something guy you
right there on the friend you never really safe. Yeah,
the last one out right, And so I don't want
to be, you know, number ninety nine on that list
of one hundred.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
It's the next two hundred. It's the next hundred that
trying to figure out where they fit.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Okay, okay, good. I like that. I didn't know how
y'all was gonna do it.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
So I'm because I'm not gonna be around in one
hundred years, I ain't gonna really care. All I can
say is I was part of the first one.
Speaker 5 (03:21):
It makes sense, makes sense. So I grew up. I'm
in Texas Cat. I'm from the Central Texas area, Coppers,
cove Clean and all my uncles and Auntie's every krip
excuse me. Every Thanksgiving we drive up to Sherman, Texas.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
We watch the games.
Speaker 5 (03:34):
My dad can't stand in cowboys, but all my uncles
and aunties they just come on in it. You running
the damn ball there, Super Country. When I got to
the league two thousand and three, you were at the
Cardinals and I had an O moment like I'm going
to get Emmons Smith, Like I remember watching you when
I was like the seventh grade, and now I'm finna
(03:57):
go play against this cat.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
You said the seventh Yeah, I think he was trying
to be polite. I was, yeah, like it was. That
was the thing for me.
Speaker 5 (04:06):
It's like, damn mom BOP's like we playing the car
Like I'm gonna go against Emmy right now, like he
is him. He was he was that dude, like, and
I just I had an old moment. I think I
even tackled you one time.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
I was like, I got I had an old moment too,
not necessarily against you. Bright and Tonio Bryant was on
our squad as a wide receiver. Yes, and I'm sitting
in the locker. He comes up. He's sitting there there
next to me, be talking. He said, Man, I've been
watching you ever since I was eight years old. And
I was like, damn, I old. I need to get
(04:41):
out the game.
Speaker 5 (04:42):
But what does it do when when when another player
myself Antonio, like, when it's just like they it's it's
respect though.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
It is respect. It's like, man, and that's I'm a fan.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
And that's what makes it very warming. Yeah, it's a
reminder that you've been here long enough to somebody to
see you play when they were eight years old, which
is a tribute to how long you've been in the
game or the longevity of the game. However, at the
same time, when you have a young player acknowledge or
(05:16):
what you've done and respect what you've done, that's a
wonderful thing because the next thing that I want the
young player to do is ask me the question how,
what and what can you give me to help me
have a long career as well? I think that to
me is what I look forward to and was looking
forward to. When I was with the Cardinals, I had
(05:40):
tremendous teammates. We may not have won a lot of games,
but I had guys that were very, very curious of
what was required to be in the game as long
as I was in the game. And that right there
may being with Arizona Coldoninals Worth the two years that
I was there, and Kwan Bowden, Larry Fitzgerald, Adrian Wilson,
(06:03):
and many others, I mean Marcel Ship and Damien Anderson
and Josh Goby, along with James Hodgens and any of
the defensive players. I spent time with those guys. They
picked my brain and I absolutely loved it.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
Respect Well, it's got to be interesting for you to
come from a place where you guys that had so
much success, then all of a sudden you go somewhere
that traditionally had not had that type of success. You're
the only one in the locker room. They were like, man,
whatever you got, we just we ready to take all
of it.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
But just in the locker room.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
It was the coaches as well, it was the whole organization.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Everybody the organization wanted to know and wanted to get
a feel how the Cowboys did it, and that's respect.
And so to lean on me and to figure out
a pick my brain around things and how things work.
That was perfect. I mean because with that wisdom and
that understanding of being a Dallas Cowboy and going to
(06:58):
the Arizona Cardinals and they try trying to figure out
how to do it themselves, I took, I took. I
was humble by the simple fact that they even requested it,
because most of the times people don't even ask for
that kind of information, and including players, and so when
you have players that are thirsty for knowledge and you
have something to give, which we all have something to give. Absolutely,
(07:22):
I just I just I loved it. I appreciated it.
It made my two years in Arizona worth it's while
it helped me understand that, yeah, it's time for me
to move on, because I was able to have closure
through that moment. But to give a Larry Fitzgerald some
wisdom to give in Quomboden, some wisdom to give the organization,
(07:43):
whatever knowledge I was able to give them and to
see what they did after that. I pat myself on
the back. I smile at it all the time.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
You know, that's crazy, because let everybody here, let it
be heard on the record that Emma Smith actually enjoyed
being in Arizona for those two years, because on the outside,
most people wouldn't think that, you guys, that you probably
had a lot of fun in there because you didn't
have the success that you had at Dallas.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
But it's all the other things. Yeah, it's all the
other things.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
It is all the other little things. Yes, I mean
the little things are very important as well as the
big things. Yes. Granted I wasn't in Dallas, which is
which is fine. I loved Arizona, the state, the city, Phoenix, Scottchdale,
all of that, Roy Green and old heads, self joiners,
(08:32):
those guys. I enjoyed being around all of them. They
were great people, good people, And there's nothing like being
around good people, people that mean well, people that want
you to do well, et cetera, et cetera. And so
that experience trumped any losses, trump any losses. But having
the plan, having an opportunity to get closure, Yeah, closure
(08:55):
is important too. Is oftentimes we don't leave the game
the way we want to leave the game. Were not
always having closure, So having closure was also part of
the whole entire process. So I'm grateful for the opportunity
to not only spend thirteen years with the National Football
League with the Cowboys, but also those two years when
there is on a corner cortinals to get closure and say,
(09:17):
you know what, enough is enough. I'm not going to
move around. I'm not going to go chase after keep
chasing after the dream that's already been realized.
Speaker 5 (09:25):
It was already realized. So I think the thing about
the closure though, is like, it's your choice. Yes, most
people in this league, in this professionalist business, we don't
get to do that.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
I know I didn't.
Speaker 5 (09:37):
I got injured and I was like, all right, my
career is this over and done. I think when you
are at a place, you the player, are at a
place to say, you know what, I'm done, it's my choice.
I'm retiring. You get to make that call, not the
other way around.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
That's important.
Speaker 4 (09:52):
I want to ask you about did you know what
the Cowboys said about you and your draft report?
Speaker 2 (10:01):
Not totally Okay, he's gonna tell you.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
I know they wrote some things up out on the wall.
I did somewhere, but I don't go around reading and
trying to remember it all.
Speaker 4 (10:10):
But go ahead, please, okay, let's focus on the last
statement because it was some it was decent.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
It's pretty good stuff.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
ITMS Smith will someday make Cowboys fans forget about Tony
dor Set.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Read the final and that was Yeah, that was it.
I just totally How do you feel about that?
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Well?
Speaker 2 (10:34):
I thought I had that different.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
It didn't come out the way you wanted.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
He read the note he wasn't supposed to read. Read
the finals. I was supposed to read that.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
But how does that make me feel? You know? I
never came in with the intention of making somebody forget
about Tony dor Set. That was never it. I just
wanted to be the very best version of myself and
if that stacked up against Dorset or anyone else. And
the one thing that I did do when I came
(11:04):
in as a true rookie, and this is something that
my high school coach, Dwight Thomas taught all of us
at a Scamia High School back in Pee Cola, Florida.
He said, John, down your goals, right, down your goals,
because it's only dreaming to you writ it down, and
then it becomes a goal. And once we start doing
those things, we start having success on the football field,
teams start winning, we end up winning championships at the
(11:26):
Centa Center. So I took that philosophy with me to college,
and then I brought it here to the pros. Coming
to hear after the team going one to fifteen, I
didn't want to be one to fifteen, and I didn't
think it was going to be one to fifteen ever again,
because Jimmy Johnson was here, Troy Aikman and Michael and
everything else was here, and so I had this I
(11:47):
you can call me naive, but I just had this
belief that it was going to be better. And so
my goals were to be not only win championships and
do all these things. But when you start stacking it
up against the history of the game self. In the
runner back category, Dorset was in the top, So was
Walter Payton, so was Jim Brown, so was Eric Dickerson,
(12:08):
so was Marcus Allen. All these guys was at the top,
and so I wanted to get to the top. And
if I had got to the top of the top,
then all these things would be added. And so in
Dorset and I are still good friends and we'll remain
good friends. Nothing but respect. I have nothing but respect
for all Cowboys players in history, especially ones who set
(12:30):
the foundation for which we all stand upon. Roger Starback,
that Doomsday defense, that man right, that Tom Landry, and
on and on and on. Everything that they did for
me in my mindset, and I think our team mindset
was to build upon it and extend our legacy and
create our own legacy. And I think we were able
(12:51):
to accomplish that by winning the three Super Bowls in
the first within four years. And if that people still
loved or set, Yeah, they do. That statement is not
a complete true statement, yes, because he is not gotten
and it won't be forgotten. Yes.
Speaker 4 (13:08):
So let's talk about your draft process, because first of all,
you crushed in Florida. You were all SEC multiple years,
all American multiple years. You're the first running back to
one thousand yards in like seven games.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Easy work.
Speaker 4 (13:20):
Yeah, I mean his first start came against Alabama. He
had thirty nine cares for two hundred and twenty four
yards two touchdowns. At the time, that was a single
game record for Florida until the following year he broke
it versus New Mexico, where he had three hundred and
sixteen yards in the game.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
I don't know how they didn't put ten people in
the box.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
I don't know, but it was I mean, what you
did in college was a crazy amount of success, and
so for you to come in be Freshman of the
Year in college then all of a sudden come into
your rookie year and be offensive player of the Rookie
of the Year as well. Like I know, it probably
shouldn't have shocked you. It didn't shock you, But I
want to talk about your draft process, what that was
(13:59):
like being a running back knowing that I think Steve
Spurry was coming into Florida at the time. You knew
it was more of a wide open offense, and so
you That was the first time the NFL allowed players
to leave early.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
It was the second year, second year, I think because
Barry was the first year.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Okay, okay, yeah, Barry was the.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
Year ahead of me. I don't know if they did
it with Mike and Prime. It was read around that
time for it was starting to live.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
Yeah, what was up with that? I don't even I
didn't even know that was a thing.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
That was a thing that was before nil and everything
else that we know of today. Now, back in the day,
if you are a true junior, you can actually leave school.
Back then you could. You couldn't leave school unless you
was a red shirt junior. So that meant that you
had four years four years. And so once that door
opened up, it afforded me the opportunity to leave after
(14:52):
my junior year. And so I'll never forget my last
game in Anaheim, California. We were playing against the Washington Huskies.
Against getting beat, Coach Whitey Jordan came up to me
at halftime. He said, listen, son, you're done. I'm not
putting you out there on the football field. Get ready
to go to the next level because you don't have
(15:12):
nothing else to prove at this level. He shared that
with me in the middle of a game, and I
didn't play anymore. And so and after that game, the
whole entire staff got fired. And so when they got fired,
I'm sitting there like, who's going to be the coach?
And I'm stuck in limbo because I'm about to be
a senior now about to learn a brand new offense.
After learning three new offenses all three years I was
(15:34):
in college, so we never really had a chance to grow.
You know how, chemistry and growth and learning the system
and mastering the system becomes important to the confidence of
the individual players. I'm about to learn another one and
not knowing who was coming in and the risk that
I would be taking if I played another year could
(15:57):
impact what happens going forward. I was forced to make
that decision. I made that. That was the first business
decision I had to make, and I made it knowing
that my teammates my freshman class. So I'm about to
play with my freshman class now, Godfree Miles Shane Matthews
(16:17):
was out there as the quarterback. He had a quarterback
in for Spurry, and on and on and so, and
they ended up having success built off of my freshman class.
The success that built the Gators organization throughout the nineties
was built off of that freshman class in nineteen eighty seven.
Freshman class. Go look at the names on that and
go back and look at who all was on that
football field that set the foundation for Steve Spurry to
(16:39):
come in and do what he did. He just it's
a tribute to great coaching, putting players in the position
to be successful. That's really what it's a tribute to.
But it's also a tribute to him being able to
go and bring in other players to match that with
those quality players. But for me, I had to leave.
I had no choice, and the ultimate goal was to
(17:01):
become a professional athlete anyway, and I had done if
you go look at my school records and everything else
in three years. In three years, so that decision became
fairly clear that it was time for me to go
and draft. That's a whole other animal, because you just
don't know where you're gonna go. Teams will draft and
(17:24):
select players that they absolutely need, regardless of what people
may say or think. And so the one thing I
did not want to do was go to New York
and be sitting there for days wondering whether or not
I'm gonna be drafted by the team that I want
to go to. So I stayed home, stayed in Ponstacola,
Peak Cola, and my mom them had a party, which
(17:49):
I was not expecting a big party, but they invited
everybody you can possibly freaking imagine. Food is everywhere, and
my anxiety is extremely high because I don't know where
I'm going and what's gonna happen. So the first ten
picks go by, and I thought I was gonna be
a top ten pick. I was nervous as hell. I
start second guessing myself whether or not I made the
right decision to come out of school early. And before
(18:12):
you know it, I got a call Cowboys about to
draft me. I'm like, what Jarry Jones and Jimmy call
asked me, how would I like to wear star my helmet?
Speaker 2 (18:24):
Shit?
Speaker 1 (18:26):
Bro, what was that feeling?
Speaker 2 (18:29):
What was that feeling?
Speaker 1 (18:29):
My gosh, I mean, first and foremost, the Cowboys have
always been my favorite football team ever since I was
a kid, and I wanted to play for the Boys.
I didn't think I would have a chance to play
for the Boys because they had the twenty something pick,
and so when they traded up to get me, I
was ecstatic because I was going back to my roots. Yeah,
(18:54):
going back to the team that I love. And then
I realized I'm playing with Jimmy from the University of Miami,
playing erv Miami. All these guys from Miami now have
migrated to Texas, and I knowing Jimmy, Jimmy's mind I
knew what he built in Miami. I knew what he
built in Miami, and so when I got here and
(19:14):
I saw how he was operating and moving, I'm like, yeah,
this is like my high school coach, Dwaighten Thomas. I'm
back at home. And then that first year went by,
Jimmy let go to the offensive coordinator and he said
this to me, I'm gonna get somebody here to get
you the football. That's all he said. I didn't know
(19:35):
who it was gonna be. I'm gonna get somebody here
to get you the football. North Turner comes in and
north Turner tells me, he said, these are the only
things you need to learn. Check swing. I said, what's that?
Check out the back swing. I tag you on everything else.
I want you to run a pass right on period.
Learned you're gonna block either the Mic or Willie on
the east. But made it very simple, simplified offense. And
(19:58):
when I looked at his numbering system some of the
pass routes, it was the same numbering system that I
had in high school my freshman year. All four years
I was in high school, our office was pretty much
the same offense I ran in high school. Lee, draw power,
this and everything else downhill running yeah, right back home,
right back home, back to the roots, right back to
the roots.
Speaker 4 (20:18):
It's amazing what timing situation like all these things, and
even in the most successful people in life, how it's
all about still timing the situation you're in, the environment
right that you're ultimately put in.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
But it's also about finding the right system for the
players that you actually have.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
We have that part too.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
That part is the brilliance of it all. I mean,
because Jimmy could have stayed my rookie year here. Our
offense was probably in twenty eight raided offense. We didn't
run the ball effectively because we didn't focus on running ball.
We ran. I guess he thought he had Damn Marino
(20:59):
at quarterback and didn't have no running backs, and so
but Jimmy saw something different, and when he saw saw
what he had, He's like, shoot, I gotta figure this
one out. He went right to north Turner, and north
Turner brought that offense that Erd Dickenson rushed for over
two thousand yards in that same offense that John was
(21:21):
the coach from USC, he coached Marcus and uh USC's
head coach somebody help me out. John Robinson brought that offense,
that same offense, North Turner, Ernie Zampez, all of that.
They brought that wreck to Dallas.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
And what did that do to for your confidence? What
your second season?
Speaker 1 (21:44):
What did the first thing they did for my confidence?
There was a commitment to me as a running back.
We're gonna get you the football. That commitment means a lot.
That commitment tells a player that number one, Okay, I'm
gonna be a focal point. This is my job. I
got to get ready for this. And if I'm gonna
(22:05):
get ready for it, I'm gonna be ready. I got
to learn how to train, I got to do extra work.
I gotta do all the things I need to do.
Then I got to learn how to take care of
this body because I want this. I want this for
a long time. So that commitment, if someone committed to you,
how much are you gonna give to them?
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Everything?
Speaker 1 (22:22):
My point, They were committed to run the rock. They
were committed to having a balance, and Troy and me
and Michael balance for everybody to have success. And the
way we started having success was being balanced, being balanced.
If they dropped eight in the bucks, Michael was gonna
eat you up. You stayed back and cover too. I'm
(22:43):
going down your throat. That's just the way it was.
And so and that that offensive line got better and better,
massive massive.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
Some people let to say I help it get better,
but yeah, but they were good.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (23:00):
So when I was in Chicago, we were the I
guess you could call us the defensive triplets, myself, Brian
ar lacro and Land Spriggs.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
And it was it was cool.
Speaker 5 (23:09):
I was like the third the third triplet. You know,
I got I got some love. I didn't get all
the love, but I was cool with it.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
I played my part. I knew my role. So was yourself.
Troy Aikman, Mark l Irvin. What was your relationship like?
Speaker 5 (23:24):
Because we could say officer players the divas at times, right,
some guy gets a wide receivers more, wide receivers more,
but you know, some people want a little bit more attention. Right,
So you got three Hall of Famers, three monsters, three dogs.
What was the relationship like, did y'all ever feel two questions?
(23:45):
What was what was the relationship like? And then second
one is did y'all ever feel shaded?
Speaker 1 (23:50):
Like?
Speaker 2 (23:50):
I wasn't getting enough attention.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
Never felt that, never felt that latter part. However, the
relationship was beautiful, Yeah, beutiful. There was mutual respect, and
that mutual respect was earned because the value that Troy
had for Michael, and the value that he had for
(24:14):
what I did in the running game, and the value
that we both had, and Troy aateman, Michael and myself
with his leadership all the things that was required of him.
He got better, We got better. It made everybody better
because now people became more accountable because they understood that
with that that three headed monster, we get rolling. We
(24:39):
all get to enjoy in this success. We may not
get get all the attention, but that wasn't even the
problem on the team. That the problem is everybody got
attention on the team. Everybody had their own shows. Even
Kenny Gint had his own show. He was on the
special teams, Bill Bates had his own show, Troy Michael,
everybody enjoyed in the success of everything that we and
(25:00):
so there was no animosity amongst players business wise. If
there was any discrepancy, it was with ownership. It wasn't
with players. And players are never disappointed at another player
get paid. Never I want you to get your money.
But at the end of the day, I don't want
them to mistreat you neither. I want them to treat
you like you deserve to be treated. And it ain't
nothing against the players. Sometimes it's against the against the
(25:22):
organization absolutely how they treat players. And so for us,
I think that's why we still have such a strong
bond right now to this day, because there was never
any animosity amongst us. And I saw Derrel Johnson yesterday,
so you know, yeah, so that love that we share
(25:42):
for each other, it is this still to this day.
Speaker 5 (25:45):
At what point did you realize the three of you,
like yo, we could be iconic like this, we could
be a three headed monster. At what point was there
was there a play was there a season? At what
point did you just know that we we.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
You know, you talk about we talked about it early,
building the confidence and everything else. I think our our
first year with North Turner, we go eleven to five.
After going seven and nine, we go eleven to five,
make the playoff, play the Bears in Chicago first round
(26:22):
of playoffs. We went out of their first playoff game.
We go to Detroit and get beat by Barry Sanders
and he make this crazy run against us and everything
else close the game out. But I don't think we
felt disappointed. I think we felt encouraged and empowered. I
think when as we came back, when we came back
(26:45):
from Detroit, you can hear the murmuring on the plane,
this won't happen next year. We're going all the way.
We know what we're doing now. And I think that
is what was building, was that confidence within the team.
We knew what we had to do because they had
seen they seen the running game lead the league in Russian,
(27:09):
They seen Troy and Michael do what they did in
the air. They seen the number of Pro Bowlers that
we started to have. So when you start to see
these things starting to happen, you're like, Okay, something special
is happening right now, and we don't want it to change.
So every man on that team felt an obligation to
be physically ready.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Yeah, a little bit better, It'll be a little bit better.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
Let's go make it better. And so the next year,
because we did, went to the NFC Championship game and
what and they went to the Super Bowl and what.
So things were starting to happen. And when you recognize
and Unfortunately, some of us believe that these moments like this,
it's gonna last forever.
Speaker 2 (27:50):
We got it because it happened fast. It happened fast.
Speaker 4 (27:54):
I don't think I realized it happened that fast. I
didn't either, like you're one, uh, then your two's like
boom oh, and then your three super Bowl and now
we're rolling.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
We're gone off and rolling. It happened just that quick.
But look at the strategic changes and moves that were made.
First one bringing on Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones in
eighty nine, going through that one and fifteen season, Jimmy
trying to figure out what he has. This is the
mark of a mergers and acquisition guy. This is a mindset.
(28:28):
Change the environment, change the culture. We want to win,
and we got to win at all costs. Fifteen did
not say winning. So revolving door start to happen, playing
b free agency, rolling around, Tredy, Herscha Walker, get all
these picks, boom. We got to pick right. We got
to make good decisions. They made great decisions. They brought
(28:48):
in players, and they worked out with the drafts and
everything else. Traded picks away, get more picks, Boomo Boom
still had a revolving door around going around. In ninety Boom,
make another change. Let's get the offensive coordinated and to
get these guys the ball strategic moves that stabilized everything.
Once that got stabilized, you didn't see many more moves.
(29:10):
It was like, Okay, we got what we gont got now.
I don't think we can do is upgrade through the
draft and improve in certain areas. Blah blah blah blah blah.
I got my guys, we're rolling win the Super Bowl.
You solidified that you have your guys, you have your team,
you have your coaches, you have your office, you have
everything that you need. Why change keep it going. So
(29:34):
that's the way I look at it.
Speaker 5 (29:35):
We're gonna take a short break and we'll be right back.
Speaker 4 (29:38):
I want to ask you about a game that sticks
out to a lot of people, and that is the
shoulder separation game, where you you separate your shoulder, you
go out the game. I don't know if you got
shot up.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
I did care, I didn't.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
You was like no, I'm good, and then you went back.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
I didn't learn about tour it all till my last year.
There's on the.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
Cardinals late in the game.
Speaker 4 (30:03):
Was so late late in the game, so best thing
since sliced bread. I didn't know that, but yeah, talk
to me, go about that, Explain what happened to hit,
what caused it, and then I got to get back
and then eventually you guys going to win the game.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
Well, this was January, the second last game of the season,
I believe in ninety three something like that, last game
of the season, and it was an important game for
us to win to secure home fill. Event there we
go and so and I'm trying to get this this
(30:47):
Russian director listen, but Letsten not make any bones by
this would be like rushing title number two. And so
after missing the first two games of the season, I
didn't want I mean, period, this is this was an
important game. So all of that was on the line.
Right before the half, probably five or six minutes before
the half, we do what we call the inside draw
(31:10):
trap or something like that. Put my bus set open
for long twenty five thirty forty yard run and I'm
getting tackled and it's cold up in the meadow lands.
I land on my shoulder, boom on that astra turf.
Immediately I feel something just my arm pop up like this,
(31:33):
and I know I'm hurt. I just don't know how
badly I'm hurt. So I come to the sideline and
they fill in and everything and like we gotta go
get an X ray. I'm like, okay, so we go
get X ray. Just ready before the half, I'm leaving
the field. They still playing the game. Get in, get
all my X rays and everything else. They assessing my shoulder, like, dude,
(31:56):
you got a grade two separation, maybe a grade three separation.
I said, so, what does that means? It means that
your clavicle is running high, riding high.
Speaker 4 (32:08):
Grade one is the least, Grade two is middle, and
grade three is the worst. Yes, that is to Layman's terms.
Speaker 1 (32:14):
So Kevin O'Neill looks at me. He said, now I
don't need to tell you how important this game is.
I said, okay, I understanding. He said, now you can't
hurt it any worse. That's one of the things he says.
I'm like, okay, cool, if I can't hurt it any worse.
He said, now, are you willing to go out here
and try and see what you can do? I said, yeah,
(32:36):
I can do that. He said, now, do you need
any you want us to shoot it. I'm like, nope,
I don't want to shoot it because if anything goes wrong,
I want to I want to know what's wrong. However,
I will take some kind of medication. I take something.
So they gave me, gave me some stuff to take.
(32:57):
I said, so what are we gonna do? He said,
here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna take two knee pads.
We're gonna tape them together, and we're gonna cut a
donut and make a donut in the middle of it,
make a hole. And so we're gonna set it on
your shoulder and we're gonna tape it to your shoulder
so that give you a little bit more cushion. I'm like, okay,
So they do that, put my shoulder pads on. I
(33:18):
come back out and they say, listen, matter of fact,
I'm taking a step back while while I'm getting assessed.
North comes in, Mike comes in, and everybody comes in
and says, oh, we need you in this game. We
need you in this game. And they like Mike's like,
we need you to be the decoy. We ain't gonna
get you the ball, which need you. We want you
to be a decoy. They're gonna follow you and everything else.
(33:40):
I'm like, okay, something, I'm gonna be a decoy. I
go out there first play, they call us a run play,
and I'm looking to the side. I thought I was
gonna be a decoy. They have you the ball. I'm like, okay,
let's give it a shot.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
I get it, take off.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
Running, picking up three four yards. I get hit, hit
the ground, and I'm feeling everything everything you can possibly imagine.
My chest is popping like knuckles just like this. I'm bruising.
I bruised my sterner. I mean just I mean just
feeling everything. Finally, I get to the point where I'm
(34:23):
not coming out the game. I make up my mind
I'm not coming out the game, and they just study
giving me the football, and I just get into the
state of mind to where I don't hear the crowd.
I only hear Troy, I hear Michael. Those only two
voices I hear and and Michael just hanging there. Troy
(34:44):
called Troy. I'm biting on my mouthpiece. I even got
a tear coming out of my eye, and and Troy
looked at me and say, all right, I said, just
call the play, Just call the play. And he just
kept calling the plays, and I just kept running, kept running,
kept running because I can only I took myself back
to when I was like six or seven years old,
(35:06):
playing in the park right across from my grandparents' house
with my cousins who taught me the game of football itself.
And I will never forget when I fell down, I
scarred my mom. You know, you see blood running out.
Some kids that young, they start crying. Oh, I'm believing.
My cousins used to say to me and say to
all of us, if you can't play with pay, you
can't play the game. And I just kept reciting that
(35:28):
in my mind the whole entire second, third, and fourth quarter,
all the way through the through through the fifth quarter,
because we went over to and I just kept running.
Then all of a sudden, you started seeing your teammates.
I started hearing Nate Newton say, hey, they're piling on them,
get them off them. And so when I hit the ground,
(35:50):
I go back and look at the table and see
some of my teammates snatching the giants off, and Lawrence
Taylor's on the field too. I got Pepper Johnson out
do on the field. I got Leonard Marshall, all of
them on the field. They got to kill me. Dag.
They coming at me. I mean they piling on, laying
heavy and everything else. And I'm I'm just in my
own zone, in my own zone, just making it through.
(36:12):
And then finally get to the point where I couldn't.
I did all I could do. I was like, and
this is over time. I'm like, man, y'all better kick
this fielder. So I come off the field and I'm
in pain. Uh And and Eddie Murray kicked that ball
through team celebrating I could. I was like, yes, finally
(36:36):
it's over. Get in the locker room. Everybody's celebrating. I'm like, yes,
we won playoff. I got ten days to get back ready,
not knowing how bad it was. The plane ride back
was the worst. Was the worsted getting cold, bro I
(36:57):
try to knock my shoulder complete out of place because
it was in I wasn't that much pain. I fell
asleep and I wake up in a panic because my
heart was racing and just racing. I was like, this
don't feel right. So I'm like it happened twice the
second time. Kevin O'Neil said, listen. If you want us to,
(37:20):
we can land this plane in Memphis and get you
into the hospital. I said, no, If I'm gonna die,
let me die in Dallas. Made it back to Dallas.
Took me straight to the hospital from the airplane. I
got checked in. They put the ivs in me, and
I'm starting to feel a little bit better, and I'm like, yes,
(37:43):
I can't wait to see Sports Center. Just about ten
fifty five, ten fifty nine rolls around. Then in it
I'm out said, don't even see nothing. Don't see nothing
till the next morning. Yeah. I get up the next morning.
I couldn't even see my traps, couldn't see my traps,
barely can see my chest full of fluid, full of fluid.
(38:07):
And then I started the whole process. Yeah. And they
they're like, yeah, you got a grade two, grade three
separation and you're gonna knee surgery. Yeah, but not right now.
We're gonna make it through this. And so ten days
went by, took the swelling down. We're getting ready to
(38:30):
play Green Bay here in Dallas. Go in, don't take
a shot. I'm on the football field. I get hit
the very first time. He's tossing to me to the
left side. I make it through. I'm like, okay, they
tossing to me again. Get it first down. I get
hit on the other side. I'm like, ooh, I'm not
on the ground like this. I'm leaning up. I look
(38:52):
Kevin O'Neal in the eyes. He looked me scared in
the eyes, turned his head and walked the sideline.
Speaker 2 (38:57):
I ain't trying to hear it.
Speaker 1 (38:58):
I ain't trying to hear it.
Speaker 2 (38:59):
I ain't trying to hear it.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
Went back to the huddel called the next play played.
I played for about a quarter and a half and
I got caught by Bryce Pup safety. Yeah, the outside linebacker.
He blitzed, got caught on the wrong shoulder. Hit that shoulder.
I was out. Blair Thomas, I believe came in or
(39:20):
somebody came in to back me up. After that, we
end up winning the game, thank goodness we did. The
next week, we end up playing NFL uh playing in
the NFC Championship game against San fran here in Dallas.
I said Kevin O'Neil, I got two games left. Shoot
his mother brother up. Shoot it up. I know what
I felt last week. Shoot it up. He shot it up.
(39:42):
They shot it up and boom. It was feeling good.
I think whatever they shot it with, the information in
the joint calmed down so much to where I was like, Okay,
I can make this. Yeah, and even after the game,
it wasn't that bad. Go to Super this last game,
(40:02):
shoot it up, shout out one more time when out there.
Play the Bills in that second Super Bowl in Atlanta,
end up being MVP. Two days later, I'm in Birmingham
with doctor James Andrews getting cut on getting cut on
getting the show to fix. That's how all that went down.
Speaker 2 (40:19):
Man, what an adventure. There was an adventure, a journey
the super Bowl. Yeah, grats of the Super Bowl and
the mindset though, I like how you just not took
it back to the childhood. Eh, you can't play with pain. Yeah,
that's what I did to play again.
Speaker 1 (40:34):
I mean literally, I went back to my childhood and
went back to that moment. And the funny thing about
it my cousins who taught me the game. Yeah, three
of them were in the stands that day.
Speaker 2 (40:47):
Now have you have you ever expressed that to them?
Speaker 1 (40:50):
Like what I talked to them recently because I was
at their mom's funeral, and we were over at one
of my cousins house and we were sitting around talking
and they were we were reminiscent. Yeah and uh, And
I told them told them about that game. We talked
about it and everything. They was there, They remember it
(41:10):
and I told them what I went through. They couldn't
believe it. Wow, because I don't tell that story that often. Yeah,
but when people ask, yeah, it was one of my
most defining moments in the game of football.
Speaker 2 (41:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (41:23):
I like that.
Speaker 5 (41:23):
I want to get into your second act now, So
real estate, construction, solar tech, NASCAR. Can I get a
general overview of just the businesses that you're you're involved in?
Like how do you pick the businesses that you want
to be a part of.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
First and foremost. I'm gonna start with the real estate
and construction because that platform itself is a vertically integrated
platform through four and three solutions, which is the development
arm of what I do, along with the energy component
of what we do and the brokers services component. When
(42:06):
I retired in five, I started in the real estate
development business, UH with the company that was associated with
the Starback Company. Roger Starbuck ushered me into this relationship
through that platform, Starback was on the broken services side
tenor rep business, and I learned that business by being
(42:29):
associated on the development side, because everything that we developed,
the Starback company came back in and filled it up
with the tenants. So there was a complete relationship between
the two brokers. You on one side, development on the
other side. And so I was on the development side
where Roger wanted me to be on the broken side,
(42:50):
and I did. I just wanted to build things, and
so learning that and putting together pro former for retail
shopping centers, learning mixed use before mixed use started to
become as popular as it is right now. Through that relationship,
as well as understanding how a real estate salesperson interact
(43:12):
with these type of things, I started putting together performers.
I start looking at the construction numbers, what is going
to cost to build these things? I started looking at
the highways and byways and having right here in Dallas
from the construction standpoint that we talked about earlier, all
the way up here to Prosper and everything else. And
I saw a tremendous opportunity on the construction side as well,
because there weren't many minority people playing in that space,
(43:36):
and so I wanted to play in that space because
of what I was doing on the development stuff and
what I was seeing on the construction stuff. So I
developed a vertically integrated solutions company that does development broker
services as well as solar energy and a construction company.
(43:58):
So I'm touching every vertical that's in the real estate
space just about because everything that you do and everything
that you touch has a form of real estate to it,
and everything that has a form of real estate to
it has to have some kind of infrastructure on it. Now,
if you're in the rural lands, you just got cows
(44:18):
and so forth, but you still don't have to have
a barn or something that has to be built some
kind of way, shape, or form. So construction is going
to play a part and just about everything that we do,
every building has a form of construction tied to it
one way or the other. And so I wanted to
build a platform to where if you said no to me,
you said no because you didn't want to.
Speaker 2 (44:37):
Do business with them, and Smith what we didn't have
the service.
Speaker 1 (44:40):
It's not because we didn't have the service or we
did not have the capabilities. And so doing that part
of it made all the sense in the world to me,
and that was one way to control my own destiny. Now,
hiring the right people is key to anything. Like I
talked about North Turner coming in and bringing in that
system that allowed us to develop as players and win
(45:05):
Super Bowls and become the Triplets, It's the same thing
that's required whether I'm on the development side, whether I'm
on the broker services side, or whether I'm doing energy
or what I'm doing construction. All those things required in
every aspect of what you do. Processes and procedures, Just
being able to plan right, evaluating every opportunity, coming to
(45:29):
a go no go decision, All of that's part of
the ingredients that goes into making things work. And so
that's how I got into the business. I was looking
at real estate way before I actually started it. I
leaned on Roger and I leaned on Magic to help
(45:50):
me understand because Magic was doing urban stuff back when
I was playing. And so I took two Titans, if
you will, and I got a chance to spend a
lot of time with those two.
Speaker 5 (46:03):
Now you sat with Jerry too, though I heard I
sapt my whole thirteen years and my whole entire career
has been with Jerry.
Speaker 1 (46:10):
Yeah, the whole entire thing. And so even when you
think about the Cowboys, people think about the Cowboys as
been the most valuable franchise on the planet, which it is.
Speaker 2 (46:22):
What makes it valuable, it's all the everything that you get.
Speaker 4 (46:25):
It's the stateum in Arlington. Yes, it's right here where
we're at, right now, where the Star is. It's those
decisions that's what's made it.
Speaker 1 (46:32):
Yes, because of you talking real estate plays. Yeah, you
talking about construction plays. Things that involve construction and real estate.
So you can't build that billion dollar stadium over there
with I have in some kind of construction numbers tied
to it in concrete and steel and everything else that's required.
You cannot build this the Star right here that has
(46:52):
nothing but mixed uses where you have doctor Pepper behind
you in the office. That's probably about it, close to
about a million square feet, if not half a million
square feet. I think it's about a million square feet.
And you got the headquarters, and you got everything else
that's tied to the Ford Center and everything else around it.
All of the infrastructure, roads and everything else requires concrete, steel, rebar,
(47:12):
all kinds of stuff. And so when you break it
down and you're looking at the numbers from land acquisition,
architecture renderings, the construction budgets to build what you just architect,
which you just designed, there's a profomer for it and
(47:32):
there's a model for it. And so it's the same
model that we use on the offensive side of the ball.
We run and we passed.
Speaker 4 (47:41):
I want to know this though, because you you name
drop Magic Johnson, and I mean Magic was doing great things.
I mean he had all the movie theaters, Starbucks, Starbucks
with the Applebee's or he had enough. Yeah, and now
he's the face of a couple of different organizations at
(48:01):
the Dodgers and also the Commanders, and being a part
of that whole group, how did you guys like get
to know each other?
Speaker 2 (48:08):
How did that relationships? I reached out, Okay, I reached out.
Speaker 1 (48:12):
Of course. The second Super Bowl, we're playing in Atlanta,
and it's like on a Wednesday night, I believe it was,
there's a party hosted at the hard Rock or something
like that, or playing in Hollywood.
Speaker 4 (48:27):
Because football and basketball players don't really cross past that
much and those people don't.
Speaker 2 (48:31):
Know that well.
Speaker 1 (48:34):
My paths crossed with a.
Speaker 5 (48:35):
Lot of Okay, you want a different listen me on
a different level, but your celebrity is like way higher
than me, and we ain't that ain't us.
Speaker 1 (48:44):
Here's the funny part. So we're in Atlanta week of
the Super Bowl, get me to play the Bills, and
it's like on a Wednesday night and there's a party
going on at the Planet Hollywood or something like that.
So I'm walking the red carpet by myself and I'm
talking to the press and all of a sudden, I
hit this commotion coming up behind me. I turn around
and it's both MJ's. It's Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan
(49:08):
coming down and I'm like, oh snap, and I'm like cool,
we dap up. They said, man, congratulations, I want to
see you run that rock. So they said let's go in.
So I walk in with them, and I started a
relationship right then and there with those guys. And then
I were running to Michael every now and then. A
couple of golf tournaments out in the not Tall Hope
(49:29):
but Palm Springs, the Bob Hope. We used to play
in the bib Hole Classic and all that stuff, and
I run into Magic every now and and now and
again to in La and we just just became friends.
And so when I needed something, I called him to
want to talk to him. I need your advice, I
need your wisdom. And so you seek what you want.
(49:50):
You want information normally seek it. A person that's seeking
it is fertile ground. That's why athletes need to humble
themselves and just be able to go in ask people
for help and for information because they've been there, they've
done it, and they then made mistakes, and they trying
to help you not make or repeat the same mistakes
(50:11):
that they make. That's really what the intent is. And
most of these, most of us athletes are giving people anyway.
You grew up with the whole notion, never forget where
you come from. Always give a help in hand to
someone else, reached back. Right, That's the way we grew up.
So why would you think any otherwise. That's our superpower.
(50:36):
And that's what I'm talking about. When I was with
the Cardinals for those two years, exactly for those two
years giving back because I can't take all of this
knowledge with me, and if I do take it with me,
it's going in the ground with me. It ain't gonna
do the ground any good. The ground is not gonna
talk to you, but I can, and I can give
you some of the things that I've gone through. And
that's with Magic and Michael and Roger Starback, Includingarry Jones.
(51:00):
That's what they've done for me.
Speaker 2 (51:02):
That's awesome. Yeah, I got one for you.
Speaker 5 (51:05):
Investing in yourself after football is more critical than investing
in others while you're playing football.
Speaker 1 (51:12):
You're absolutely right expand upon that because when you're investing
in yourself, you know what I mean, I ain't talking
about buying new Lamborghini. When you're investing in continuing continuation
of education or you're going to get a certificate in
(51:33):
a certain skill set. You put in that time, you
put in that work, you put it that effort, and
you expect something to come back. You are in control
of what comes back. Learning the real estate game, I
had to go immerse myself into the business, and I
had to immerse myself through ccim TO, which is the
(51:55):
institute that taught me about the hours, the time, value money,
how to put deals together, how to analyze trade areas
and everything else. I had to immerse myself in it
to understand now when I look at a site, how
to evaluate the site, how to get to a go
no go decision. That's me. That's me putting time in.
(52:17):
That's me going back to the University of Florida. That's
me going to get this education and everything else. And
with the NFL programs that they have today, whether you
can go to Harvard or whether you go to Warden's
Business School, all those things are accessible if they were
accessible in the nineties. To me, I probably have done
it in the nineties. So if I can go if
I knew then what I know now, who claude have
(52:42):
mersed it? And here's a beautiful thing. We have the
ability to parlay each other and come together on some
of these things. Access is really the key to a
lot of this. Access to information, access to people, access
to opportunities, access access, that's what we talk ab about.
Access and exposure. You put those two things together with
(53:04):
the right people, you can accomplish a lot. And so
to me, that's what I mean by investing in oneself
because and I was just talking to a guy last
night at dinner about this cash flow. Will you share
your cash flow with families? That's a different thing because
(53:25):
you're not touching your principle. It's true, you're going to
always have your principle, but cash flow itself is extremely
critical to any one's success.
Speaker 5 (53:37):
So with all the access and information and exposure that
you've been exposed to, if you had four people to
put on Mount Rushmore, four people of influence from the
day you were born till today right now, just.
Speaker 2 (53:52):
Four, just four, that's it. Yeah, it's not an easy question.
Speaker 5 (53:56):
It's like the top one hundred. It wasn't easy for
them to get to pick the top one hundred, but.
Speaker 1 (53:59):
You had one hundred to go to in the entire world.
That's impacted my life in Okay.
Speaker 5 (54:07):
Yeah, you get four and have impacted your life. That
has given you access and information and just knowledge. Who
would those four people be? Now's your Mount Rushmore is yours?
Speaker 1 (54:17):
Yeah? I get it. I get it, But all due respect,
I have to put my parents there first. And the
reason why is because one they taught me what I knew.
Then they also gave me the drive and the motivation
(54:40):
to pursue things that I wanted to pursue. My mom
told me I can accomplish almost anything in the world
if I just put my mind, body, and soul to it,
which I truly believed, and they gave I got the
appreciation of what lack was and how to earn what
(55:02):
I want, So I will put them there.
Speaker 2 (55:05):
That's important. That's very important, so important that that is.
Speaker 1 (55:08):
The foundation of drive, that's the foundation of will, that's
the foundation of prayer, that's the foundation of spirituality, and
everything is in all how seeing how it all comes together.
The other one, I would say Dwight Thomas, because he
set the foundation for goal setting and talk to us
(55:31):
about seeing yourself being with who you want to become,
visualizing the things that you want to do, putting all
those things into practice, working hard and all that. He
set that foundation. I would say Jerry Jones. And the
(55:52):
reason why because he was so open with everything and
I got a chance to learn, earn and see how
the Cowboys capitalize on leveraging who the Cowboys was the
king of leverage.
Speaker 4 (56:11):
And then.
Speaker 1 (56:13):
From Jerry the fourth person, I would say Roger Startback.
And the reason why I would say that is because
Roger in that environment showed me how these things can
actually work together, how they all.
Speaker 2 (56:34):
He helped complete the roadmap for He.
Speaker 1 (56:36):
Helped complete the road map, complete it, and now it's
about execution. Now. You only gave me limits. Now, Jordan,
Jordan has given me the ability to say, Okay, I'm
gonna give wisdomhere, wisdom wants. I'm not gonna be chasing
to give information to people that don't want it. Magic
(56:58):
helped me negotiate my deal with the Stop that company.
He helped me negotiate that one. And Magic has been
an influence.
Speaker 4 (57:06):
What was that conversation? Like, like, what what was something
he told you that was like I probably never even
thought about what do.
Speaker 1 (57:11):
I need to have. I don't know what to ask for.
Make sure that you have equity, all of the equity
that you can get personally. Then make sure that you
have h investment capital on the side, so whenever you
find a deal, the money's already there. And make sure
(57:33):
this this and this and other couple of other things.
So but I think that wisdom that he shared with
me and all of them has helped me be in
a position that I'm in right now. That's awesome.
Speaker 2 (57:47):
That's a great group to be around.
Speaker 4 (57:48):
That's yeah, I can't even Yeah, you naturally get better
when you around that group.
Speaker 1 (57:55):
You can't help but get better. You naturally get help,
but learn. I mean, as as I heard, I think
it was Pittbull says, you show me the company you keep,
I'm gonna show you the knowledge that you actually have.
Pretty much it was it was I'm paraphrasing, it's something
of that, not that that that nature, and so that's
(58:16):
important to be around people that are going places, uh,
and people that don't necessarily think like you think outside
the box. Because you're around the same people that's thinking
the same way, you're gonna get the same things. But
the challenge ones thought, including my own thoughts and challenging
other people thoughts, uh, is really what iron shopping and
(58:37):
iron is all about. It's what football is all about.
I mean safety corner however you want to look at it.
Two different roles, but they both are very meaningful information
that shared between the two. Hey, I'm about the corner crash. Well,
I'm blissing you on your own.
Speaker 2 (58:56):
I did talk to you though, you know what I'm saying.
We are a communications man.
Speaker 4 (59:00):
Thanks so much for sharing and giving us all these stories. Man,
this was beautiful.
Speaker 2 (59:05):
I mean, we don't.
Speaker 4 (59:06):
It's just not every so often when you get to
meet legendary football players greatness and then get to really
focus and hear their whole journey about what they're doing
their second acting. It's been just as great, and not
everybody gets to know that, but we all do and
shout out to you as well for you know, for
all the records that you have and all the other
success you had that really and truthfully you have really
(59:29):
affected the NFL game forever because you started the whole
not taking off your helmet rule so because we just
couldn't get enough of em Smith's face.
Speaker 2 (59:38):
So we're gonna pull the helmet off and make sure
everybody knows.
Speaker 4 (59:41):
Who Emma Smith is, who now became later on the
Dancing with the Stars star and all the other great
things that you got to accomplish in your life.
Speaker 1 (59:49):
Hey man, thank you. But like I started when I
was a kid, people Roger and Rogers st backing on
that TV too. I saw Roger so magic and that's
our MJ transition from the game people that we know
and so they showed us how, and they have shown
us how, and now people around NFL, NBA, MLB people
(01:00:15):
are doing great jobs in terms of transitioning and taking
advantage of the platform. We just need to do more
things together.
Speaker 2 (01:00:22):
Yeah, absolutely absolutely. We appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (01:00:25):
No, thank you guys, thank you very much.
Speaker 4 (01:00:27):
All right, man, We'll look for all of our viewers
and listeners out there, man, especially all our big Cowboys fans.
I know you guys are loving this one. Make sure
you give us a five star rating. Wherever you pick
up your podcast with this Apple podcast iHeartRadio app. Make
sure you give us a rating, review, comment, like, share, subscribe,
follow everything.
Speaker 2 (01:00:44):
That Peanut just said.
Speaker 4 (01:00:45):
Man, make sure you tell a friend to tell a
friend to do what you tell a friend, and listen
to us, man, check out check out our NFL.
Speaker 2 (01:00:51):
YouTube channels we can catch all to get us out.
Boes on Peanut, that's wrong. That's it. And this is
the NFL Player's second act pole past we Out
Speaker 1 (01:01:03):
Loses
Bro, I try to knock my shoulder completely out of
place because it was I was in that much pain.
I fell asleep and I wake up in a panic
because my heart was racing and just racing. I was like,
this don't feel right. So I'm like it happened twice.
The second time, Kevin O'Neill said, listen, if you want
(00:25):
us to, we can land his plane in Memphis and
get you into the hospital. I said, no, if I'm
gonna die, let me die in Dallas.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
What's up, everybody? I'm peanut to him.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
And this is the NFL Player's Second Act podcast, and
with me is always my trusty co host, Roman Plan,
just tight short Harper, and.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
They don't see that, but that's only because I'm trying
to do things after this. But man, I'm really excited
about this next guest. I mean, he is Literallynsidered, the
greatest of all time at a position, literally and he
is the what you think about when you think of
Dallas and the Cowboys and everything that they were able
to create. And I've been around this man before and
just really really looking forward to him and and and
(01:14):
just getting this vibe because we don't always get the
greatest with us.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
But this is gonna be awesome. Go ahead, the Proud
of Prince Cola, Florida. First ball Coola Pea.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Cola, that's what we call it.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Yeah yeah, pea colon col Yeah, yeah yeah, peacock.
Speaker 5 (01:26):
Okay, first Battle, Hall of Famer, NFL are, all time
leading rusher, three time super Bowl champion, on the NFL's
all time top one hundred.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
I mean he got one of them wine jackets. Oh
that's a different jazz.
Speaker 5 (01:39):
That's a that's a Marlowe. Okay, I didn't know. That's
old folks say burgundy. Okay, he got one of them,
and he's still just he got a ton of businesses.
I'm any ladies, gentleman, Emmon Smith, welcome to the pot.
Damn resume too long. I couldn't even read it. Man,
we've been here about ten minutes. If I had to
read the whole resume, that's a lot.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
We want to cut into the show.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
To the show.
Speaker 5 (02:02):
How is it having the Like, it's cool to have
the gold jacket. I think that's that's pretty cool. I
started to have one one day. But you got the
you got the mar Lowe, you got that that burgundy.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Yeah, how's that that's very unique. NFL Hall of Fame
has over three hundred people in it. Yeah, NFL one
hundred only has one hundred. Yes, and so that sets
that that drunk, that drill that's down to even smaller.
And so uh, that unique class of one hundred is
pretty special.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
So what if you get a jacket all of a
sudden somebody plays in like, are we do you get
to get removed out of the one hundred? As this
thing continues to grow, I know.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
You want what you in it. I don't think you
can get removed.
Speaker 6 (02:43):
Okay, okay, okay, okay, next one hundred, okay, okay, okay,
because that was I mean NFL top two hundred, you know,
because you know, just like the NFL rosters, you know,
you always feel safe when you're in the.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
Top thirty, when you like that fifty something guy you
right there on the friend you never really safe. Yeah,
the last one out right, And so I don't want
to be, you know, number ninety nine on that list
of one hundred.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
It's the next two hundred. It's the next hundred that
trying to figure out where they fit.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Okay, okay, good. I like that. I didn't know how
y'all was gonna do it.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
So I'm because I'm not gonna be around in one
hundred years, I ain't gonna really care. All I can
say is I was part of the first one.
Speaker 5 (03:21):
It makes sense, makes sense. So I grew up. I'm
in Texas Cat. I'm from the Central Texas area, Coppers,
cove Clean and all my uncles and Auntie's every krip
excuse me. Every Thanksgiving we drive up to Sherman, Texas.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
We watch the games.
Speaker 5 (03:34):
My dad can't stand in cowboys, but all my uncles
and aunties they just come on in it. You running
the damn ball there, Super Country. When I got to
the league two thousand and three, you were at the
Cardinals and I had an O moment like I'm going
to get Emmons Smith, Like I remember watching you when
I was like the seventh grade, and now I'm finna
(03:57):
go play against this cat.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
You said the seventh Yeah, I think he was trying
to be polite. I was, yeah, like it was. That
was the thing for me.
Speaker 5 (04:06):
It's like, damn mom BOP's like we playing the car
Like I'm gonna go against Emmy right now, like he
is him. He was he was that dude, like, and
I just I had an old moment. I think I
even tackled you one time.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
I was like, I got I had an old moment too,
not necessarily against you. Bright and Tonio Bryant was on
our squad as a wide receiver. Yes, and I'm sitting
in the locker. He comes up. He's sitting there there
next to me, be talking. He said, Man, I've been
watching you ever since I was eight years old. And
I was like, damn, I old. I need to get
(04:41):
out the game.
Speaker 5 (04:42):
But what does it do when when when another player
myself Antonio, like, when it's just like they it's it's
respect though.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
It is respect. It's like, man, and that's I'm a fan.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
And that's what makes it very warming. Yeah, it's a
reminder that you've been here long enough to somebody to
see you play when they were eight years old, which
is a tribute to how long you've been in the
game or the longevity of the game. However, at the
same time, when you have a young player acknowledge or
(05:16):
what you've done and respect what you've done, that's a
wonderful thing because the next thing that I want the
young player to do is ask me the question how,
what and what can you give me to help me
have a long career as well? I think that to
me is what I look forward to and was looking
forward to. When I was with the Cardinals, I had
(05:40):
tremendous teammates. We may not have won a lot of games,
but I had guys that were very, very curious of
what was required to be in the game as long
as I was in the game. And that right there
may being with Arizona Coldoninals Worth the two years that
I was there, and Kwan Bowden, Larry Fitzgerald, Adrian Wilson,
(06:03):
and many others, I mean Marcel Ship and Damien Anderson
and Josh Goby, along with James Hodgens and any of
the defensive players. I spent time with those guys. They
picked my brain and I absolutely loved it.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
Respect Well, it's got to be interesting for you to
come from a place where you guys that had so
much success, then all of a sudden you go somewhere
that traditionally had not had that type of success. You're
the only one in the locker room. They were like, man,
whatever you got, we just we ready to take all
of it.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
But just in the locker room.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
It was the coaches as well, it was the whole organization.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Everybody the organization wanted to know and wanted to get
a feel how the Cowboys did it, and that's respect.
And so to lean on me and to figure out
a pick my brain around things and how things work.
That was perfect. I mean because with that wisdom and
that understanding of being a Dallas Cowboy and going to
(06:58):
the Arizona Cardinals and they try trying to figure out
how to do it themselves, I took, I took. I
was humble by the simple fact that they even requested it,
because most of the times people don't even ask for
that kind of information, and including players, and so when
you have players that are thirsty for knowledge and you
have something to give, which we all have something to give. Absolutely,
(07:22):
I just I just I loved it. I appreciated it.
It made my two years in Arizona worth it's while
it helped me understand that, yeah, it's time for me
to move on, because I was able to have closure
through that moment. But to give a Larry Fitzgerald some
wisdom to give in Quomboden, some wisdom to give the organization,
(07:43):
whatever knowledge I was able to give them and to
see what they did after that. I pat myself on
the back. I smile at it all the time.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
You know, that's crazy, because let everybody here, let it
be heard on the record that Emma Smith actually enjoyed
being in Arizona for those two years, because on the outside,
most people wouldn't think that, you guys, that you probably
had a lot of fun in there because you didn't
have the success that you had at Dallas.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
But it's all the other things. Yeah, it's all the
other things.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
It is all the other little things. Yes, I mean
the little things are very important as well as the
big things. Yes. Granted I wasn't in Dallas, which is
which is fine. I loved Arizona, the state, the city, Phoenix, Scottchdale,
all of that, Roy Green and old heads, self joiners,
(08:32):
those guys. I enjoyed being around all of them. They
were great people, good people, And there's nothing like being
around good people, people that mean well, people that want
you to do well, et cetera, et cetera. And so
that experience trumped any losses, trump any losses. But having
the plan, having an opportunity to get closure, Yeah, closure
(08:55):
is important too. Is oftentimes we don't leave the game
the way we want to leave the game. Were not
always having closure, So having closure was also part of
the whole entire process. So I'm grateful for the opportunity
to not only spend thirteen years with the National Football
League with the Cowboys, but also those two years when
there is on a corner cortinals to get closure and say,
(09:17):
you know what, enough is enough. I'm not going to
move around. I'm not going to go chase after keep
chasing after the dream that's already been realized.
Speaker 5 (09:25):
It was already realized. So I think the thing about
the closure though, is like, it's your choice. Yes, most
people in this league, in this professionalist business, we don't
get to do that.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
I know I didn't.
Speaker 5 (09:37):
I got injured and I was like, all right, my
career is this over and done. I think when you
are at a place, you the player, are at a
place to say, you know what, I'm done, it's my choice.
I'm retiring. You get to make that call, not the
other way around.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
That's important.
Speaker 4 (09:52):
I want to ask you about did you know what
the Cowboys said about you and your draft report?
Speaker 2 (10:01):
Not totally Okay, he's gonna tell you.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
I know they wrote some things up out on the wall.
I did somewhere, but I don't go around reading and
trying to remember it all.
Speaker 4 (10:10):
But go ahead, please, okay, let's focus on the last
statement because it was some it was decent.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
It's pretty good stuff.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
ITMS Smith will someday make Cowboys fans forget about Tony
dor Set.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Read the final and that was Yeah, that was it.
I just totally How do you feel about that?
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Well?
Speaker 2 (10:34):
I thought I had that different.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
It didn't come out the way you wanted.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
He read the note he wasn't supposed to read. Read
the finals. I was supposed to read that.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
But how does that make me feel? You know? I
never came in with the intention of making somebody forget
about Tony dor Set. That was never it. I just
wanted to be the very best version of myself and
if that stacked up against Dorset or anyone else. And
the one thing that I did do when I came
(11:04):
in as a true rookie, and this is something that
my high school coach, Dwight Thomas taught all of us
at a Scamia High School back in Pee Cola, Florida.
He said, John, down your goals, right, down your goals,
because it's only dreaming to you writ it down, and
then it becomes a goal. And once we start doing
those things, we start having success on the football field,
teams start winning, we end up winning championships at the
(11:26):
Centa Center. So I took that philosophy with me to college,
and then I brought it here to the pros. Coming
to hear after the team going one to fifteen, I
didn't want to be one to fifteen, and I didn't
think it was going to be one to fifteen ever again,
because Jimmy Johnson was here, Troy Aikman and Michael and
everything else was here, and so I had this I
(11:47):
you can call me naive, but I just had this
belief that it was going to be better. And so
my goals were to be not only win championships and
do all these things. But when you start stacking it
up against the history of the game self. In the
runner back category, Dorset was in the top, So was
Walter Payton, so was Jim Brown, so was Eric Dickerson,
(12:08):
so was Marcus Allen. All these guys was at the top,
and so I wanted to get to the top. And
if I had got to the top of the top,
then all these things would be added. And so in
Dorset and I are still good friends and we'll remain
good friends. Nothing but respect. I have nothing but respect
for all Cowboys players in history, especially ones who set
(12:30):
the foundation for which we all stand upon. Roger Starback,
that Doomsday defense, that man right, that Tom Landry, and
on and on and on. Everything that they did for
me in my mindset, and I think our team mindset
was to build upon it and extend our legacy and
create our own legacy. And I think we were able
(12:51):
to accomplish that by winning the three Super Bowls in
the first within four years. And if that people still
loved or set, Yeah, they do. That statement is not
a complete true statement, yes, because he is not gotten
and it won't be forgotten. Yes.
Speaker 4 (13:08):
So let's talk about your draft process, because first of all,
you crushed in Florida. You were all SEC multiple years,
all American multiple years. You're the first running back to
one thousand yards in like seven games.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Easy work.
Speaker 4 (13:20):
Yeah, I mean his first start came against Alabama. He
had thirty nine cares for two hundred and twenty four
yards two touchdowns. At the time, that was a single
game record for Florida until the following year he broke
it versus New Mexico, where he had three hundred and
sixteen yards in the game.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
I don't know how they didn't put ten people in
the box.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
I don't know, but it was I mean, what you
did in college was a crazy amount of success, and
so for you to come in be Freshman of the
Year in college then all of a sudden come into
your rookie year and be offensive player of the Rookie
of the Year as well. Like I know, it probably
shouldn't have shocked you. It didn't shock you, But I
want to talk about your draft process, what that was
(13:59):
like being a running back knowing that I think Steve
Spurry was coming into Florida at the time. You knew
it was more of a wide open offense, and so
you That was the first time the NFL allowed players
to leave early.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
It was the second year, second year, I think because
Barry was the first year.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Okay, okay, yeah, Barry was the.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
Year ahead of me. I don't know if they did
it with Mike and Prime. It was read around that
time for it was starting to live.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
Yeah, what was up with that? I don't even I
didn't even know that was a thing.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
That was a thing that was before nil and everything
else that we know of today. Now, back in the day,
if you are a true junior, you can actually leave school.
Back then you could. You couldn't leave school unless you
was a red shirt junior. So that meant that you
had four years four years. And so once that door
opened up, it afforded me the opportunity to leave after
(14:52):
my junior year. And so I'll never forget my last
game in Anaheim, California. We were playing against the Washington Huskies.
Against getting beat, Coach Whitey Jordan came up to me
at halftime. He said, listen, son, you're done. I'm not
putting you out there on the football field. Get ready
to go to the next level because you don't have
(15:12):
nothing else to prove at this level. He shared that
with me in the middle of a game, and I
didn't play anymore. And so and after that game, the
whole entire staff got fired. And so when they got fired,
I'm sitting there like, who's going to be the coach?
And I'm stuck in limbo because I'm about to be
a senior now about to learn a brand new offense.
After learning three new offenses all three years I was
(15:34):
in college, so we never really had a chance to grow.
You know how, chemistry and growth and learning the system
and mastering the system becomes important to the confidence of
the individual players. I'm about to learn another one and
not knowing who was coming in and the risk that
I would be taking if I played another year could
(15:57):
impact what happens going forward. I was forced to make
that decision. I made that. That was the first business
decision I had to make, and I made it knowing
that my teammates my freshman class. So I'm about to
play with my freshman class now, Godfree Miles Shane Matthews
(16:17):
was out there as the quarterback. He had a quarterback
in for Spurry, and on and on and so, and
they ended up having success built off of my freshman class.
The success that built the Gators organization throughout the nineties
was built off of that freshman class in nineteen eighty seven.
Freshman class. Go look at the names on that and
go back and look at who all was on that
football field that set the foundation for Steve Spurry to
(16:39):
come in and do what he did. He just it's
a tribute to great coaching, putting players in the position
to be successful. That's really what it's a tribute to.
But it's also a tribute to him being able to
go and bring in other players to match that with
those quality players. But for me, I had to leave.
I had no choice, and the ultimate goal was to
(17:01):
become a professional athlete anyway, and I had done if
you go look at my school records and everything else
in three years. In three years, so that decision became
fairly clear that it was time for me to go
and draft. That's a whole other animal, because you just
don't know where you're gonna go. Teams will draft and
(17:24):
select players that they absolutely need, regardless of what people
may say or think. And so the one thing I
did not want to do was go to New York
and be sitting there for days wondering whether or not
I'm gonna be drafted by the team that I want
to go to. So I stayed home, stayed in Ponstacola,
Peak Cola, and my mom them had a party, which
(17:49):
I was not expecting a big party, but they invited
everybody you can possibly freaking imagine. Food is everywhere, and
my anxiety is extremely high because I don't know where
I'm going and what's gonna happen. So the first ten
picks go by, and I thought I was gonna be
a top ten pick. I was nervous as hell. I
start second guessing myself whether or not I made the
right decision to come out of school early. And before
(18:12):
you know it, I got a call Cowboys about to
draft me. I'm like, what Jarry Jones and Jimmy call
asked me, how would I like to wear star my helmet?
Speaker 2 (18:24):
Shit?
Speaker 1 (18:26):
Bro, what was that feeling?
Speaker 2 (18:29):
What was that feeling?
Speaker 1 (18:29):
My gosh, I mean, first and foremost, the Cowboys have
always been my favorite football team ever since I was
a kid, and I wanted to play for the Boys.
I didn't think I would have a chance to play
for the Boys because they had the twenty something pick,
and so when they traded up to get me, I
was ecstatic because I was going back to my roots. Yeah,
(18:54):
going back to the team that I love. And then
I realized I'm playing with Jimmy from the University of Miami,
playing erv Miami. All these guys from Miami now have
migrated to Texas, and I knowing Jimmy, Jimmy's mind I
knew what he built in Miami. I knew what he
built in Miami, and so when I got here and
(19:14):
I saw how he was operating and moving, I'm like, yeah,
this is like my high school coach, Dwaighten Thomas. I'm
back at home. And then that first year went by,
Jimmy let go to the offensive coordinator and he said
this to me, I'm gonna get somebody here to get
you the football. That's all he said. I didn't know
(19:35):
who it was gonna be. I'm gonna get somebody here
to get you the football. North Turner comes in and
north Turner tells me, he said, these are the only
things you need to learn. Check swing. I said, what's that?
Check out the back swing. I tag you on everything else.
I want you to run a pass right on period.
Learned you're gonna block either the Mic or Willie on
the east. But made it very simple, simplified offense. And
(19:58):
when I looked at his numbering system some of the
pass routes, it was the same numbering system that I
had in high school my freshman year. All four years
I was in high school, our office was pretty much
the same offense I ran in high school. Lee, draw power,
this and everything else downhill running yeah, right back home,
right back home, back to the roots, right back to
the roots.
Speaker 4 (20:18):
It's amazing what timing situation like all these things, and
even in the most successful people in life, how it's
all about still timing the situation you're in, the environment
right that you're ultimately put in.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
But it's also about finding the right system for the
players that you actually have.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
We have that part too.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
That part is the brilliance of it all. I mean,
because Jimmy could have stayed my rookie year here. Our
offense was probably in twenty eight raided offense. We didn't
run the ball effectively because we didn't focus on running ball.
We ran. I guess he thought he had Damn Marino
(20:59):
at quarterback and didn't have no running backs, and so
but Jimmy saw something different, and when he saw saw
what he had, He's like, shoot, I gotta figure this
one out. He went right to north Turner, and north
Turner brought that offense that Erd Dickenson rushed for over
two thousand yards in that same offense that John was
(21:21):
the coach from USC, he coached Marcus and uh USC's
head coach somebody help me out. John Robinson brought that offense,
that same offense, North Turner, Ernie Zampez, all of that.
They brought that wreck to Dallas.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
And what did that do to for your confidence? What
your second season?
Speaker 1 (21:44):
What did the first thing they did for my confidence?
There was a commitment to me as a running back.
We're gonna get you the football. That commitment means a lot.
That commitment tells a player that number one, Okay, I'm
gonna be a focal point. This is my job. I
got to get ready for this. And if I'm gonna
(22:05):
get ready for it, I'm gonna be ready. I got
to learn how to train, I got to do extra work.
I gotta do all the things I need to do.
Then I got to learn how to take care of
this body because I want this. I want this for
a long time. So that commitment, if someone committed to you,
how much are you gonna give to them?
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Everything?
Speaker 1 (22:22):
My point, They were committed to run the rock. They
were committed to having a balance, and Troy and me
and Michael balance for everybody to have success. And the
way we started having success was being balanced, being balanced.
If they dropped eight in the bucks, Michael was gonna
eat you up. You stayed back and cover too. I'm
(22:43):
going down your throat. That's just the way it was.
And so and that that offensive line got better and better,
massive massive.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
Some people let to say I help it get better,
but yeah, but they were good.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (23:00):
So when I was in Chicago, we were the I
guess you could call us the defensive triplets, myself, Brian
ar lacro and Land Spriggs.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
And it was it was cool.
Speaker 5 (23:09):
I was like the third the third triplet. You know,
I got I got some love. I didn't get all
the love, but I was cool with it.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
I played my part. I knew my role. So was yourself.
Troy Aikman, Mark l Irvin. What was your relationship like?
Speaker 5 (23:24):
Because we could say officer players the divas at times, right,
some guy gets a wide receivers more, wide receivers more,
but you know, some people want a little bit more attention. Right,
So you got three Hall of Famers, three monsters, three dogs.
What was the relationship like, did y'all ever feel two questions?
(23:45):
What was what was the relationship like? And then second
one is did y'all ever feel shaded?
Speaker 1 (23:50):
Like?
Speaker 2 (23:50):
I wasn't getting enough attention.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
Never felt that, never felt that latter part. However, the
relationship was beautiful, Yeah, beutiful. There was mutual respect, and
that mutual respect was earned because the value that Troy
had for Michael, and the value that he had for
(24:14):
what I did in the running game, and the value
that we both had, and Troy aateman, Michael and myself
with his leadership all the things that was required of him.
He got better, We got better. It made everybody better
because now people became more accountable because they understood that
with that that three headed monster, we get rolling. We
(24:39):
all get to enjoy in this success. We may not
get get all the attention, but that wasn't even the
problem on the team. That the problem is everybody got
attention on the team. Everybody had their own shows. Even
Kenny Gint had his own show. He was on the
special teams, Bill Bates had his own show, Troy Michael,
everybody enjoyed in the success of everything that we and
(25:00):
so there was no animosity amongst players business wise. If
there was any discrepancy, it was with ownership. It wasn't
with players. And players are never disappointed at another player
get paid. Never I want you to get your money.
But at the end of the day, I don't want
them to mistreat you neither. I want them to treat
you like you deserve to be treated. And it ain't
nothing against the players. Sometimes it's against the against the
(25:22):
organization absolutely how they treat players. And so for us,
I think that's why we still have such a strong
bond right now to this day, because there was never
any animosity amongst us. And I saw Derrel Johnson yesterday,
so you know, yeah, so that love that we share
(25:42):
for each other, it is this still to this day.
Speaker 5 (25:45):
At what point did you realize the three of you,
like yo, we could be iconic like this, we could
be a three headed monster. At what point was there
was there a play was there a season? At what
point did you just know that we we.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
You know, you talk about we talked about it early,
building the confidence and everything else. I think our our
first year with North Turner, we go eleven to five.
After going seven and nine, we go eleven to five,
make the playoff, play the Bears in Chicago first round
(26:22):
of playoffs. We went out of their first playoff game.
We go to Detroit and get beat by Barry Sanders
and he make this crazy run against us and everything
else close the game out. But I don't think we
felt disappointed. I think we felt encouraged and empowered. I
think when as we came back, when we came back
(26:45):
from Detroit, you can hear the murmuring on the plane,
this won't happen next year. We're going all the way.
We know what we're doing now. And I think that
is what was building, was that confidence within the team.
We knew what we had to do because they had
seen they seen the running game lead the league in Russian,
(27:09):
They seen Troy and Michael do what they did in
the air. They seen the number of Pro Bowlers that
we started to have. So when you start to see
these things starting to happen, you're like, Okay, something special
is happening right now, and we don't want it to change.
So every man on that team felt an obligation to
be physically ready.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Yeah, a little bit better, It'll be a little bit better.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
Let's go make it better. And so the next year,
because we did, went to the NFC Championship game and
what and they went to the Super Bowl and what.
So things were starting to happen. And when you recognize
and Unfortunately, some of us believe that these moments like this,
it's gonna last forever.
Speaker 2 (27:50):
We got it because it happened fast. It happened fast.
Speaker 4 (27:54):
I don't think I realized it happened that fast. I
didn't either, like you're one, uh, then your two's like
boom oh, and then your three super Bowl and now
we're rolling.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
We're gone off and rolling. It happened just that quick.
But look at the strategic changes and moves that were made.
First one bringing on Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones in
eighty nine, going through that one and fifteen season, Jimmy
trying to figure out what he has. This is the
mark of a mergers and acquisition guy. This is a mindset.
(28:28):
Change the environment, change the culture. We want to win,
and we got to win at all costs. Fifteen did
not say winning. So revolving door start to happen, playing
b free agency, rolling around, Tredy, Herscha Walker, get all
these picks, boom. We got to pick right. We got
to make good decisions. They made great decisions. They brought
(28:48):
in players, and they worked out with the drafts and
everything else. Traded picks away, get more picks, Boomo Boom
still had a revolving door around going around. In ninety Boom,
make another change. Let's get the offensive coordinated and to
get these guys the ball strategic moves that stabilized everything.
Once that got stabilized, you didn't see many more moves.
(29:10):
It was like, Okay, we got what we gont got now.
I don't think we can do is upgrade through the
draft and improve in certain areas. Blah blah blah blah blah.
I got my guys, we're rolling win the Super Bowl.
You solidified that you have your guys, you have your team,
you have your coaches, you have your office, you have
everything that you need. Why change keep it going. So
(29:34):
that's the way I look at it.
Speaker 5 (29:35):
We're gonna take a short break and we'll be right back.
Speaker 4 (29:38):
I want to ask you about a game that sticks
out to a lot of people, and that is the
shoulder separation game, where you you separate your shoulder, you
go out the game. I don't know if you got
shot up.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
I did care, I didn't.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
You was like no, I'm good, and then you went back.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
I didn't learn about tour it all till my last year.
There's on the.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
Cardinals late in the game.
Speaker 4 (30:03):
Was so late late in the game, so best thing
since sliced bread. I didn't know that, but yeah, talk
to me, go about that, Explain what happened to hit,
what caused it, and then I got to get back
and then eventually you guys going to win the game.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
Well, this was January, the second last game of the season,
I believe in ninety three something like that, last game
of the season, and it was an important game for
us to win to secure home fill. Event there we
go and so and I'm trying to get this this
(30:47):
Russian director listen, but Letsten not make any bones by
this would be like rushing title number two. And so
after missing the first two games of the season, I
didn't want I mean, period, this is this was an
important game. So all of that was on the line.
Right before the half, probably five or six minutes before
the half, we do what we call the inside draw
(31:10):
trap or something like that. Put my bus set open
for long twenty five thirty forty yard run and I'm
getting tackled and it's cold up in the meadow lands.
I land on my shoulder, boom on that astra turf.
Immediately I feel something just my arm pop up like this,
(31:33):
and I know I'm hurt. I just don't know how
badly I'm hurt. So I come to the sideline and
they fill in and everything and like we gotta go
get an X ray. I'm like, okay, so we go
get X ray. Just ready before the half, I'm leaving
the field. They still playing the game. Get in, get
all my X rays and everything else. They assessing my shoulder, like, dude,
(31:56):
you got a grade two separation, maybe a grade three separation.
I said, so, what does that means? It means that
your clavicle is running high, riding high.
Speaker 4 (32:08):
Grade one is the least, Grade two is middle, and
grade three is the worst. Yes, that is to Layman's terms.
Speaker 1 (32:14):
So Kevin O'Neill looks at me. He said, now I
don't need to tell you how important this game is.
I said, okay, I understanding. He said, now you can't
hurt it any worse. That's one of the things he says.
I'm like, okay, cool, if I can't hurt it any worse.
He said, now, are you willing to go out here
and try and see what you can do? I said, yeah,
(32:36):
I can do that. He said, now, do you need
any you want us to shoot it. I'm like, nope,
I don't want to shoot it because if anything goes wrong,
I want to I want to know what's wrong. However,
I will take some kind of medication. I take something.
So they gave me, gave me some stuff to take.
(32:57):
I said, so what are we gonna do? He said,
here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna take two knee pads.
We're gonna tape them together, and we're gonna cut a
donut and make a donut in the middle of it,
make a hole. And so we're gonna set it on
your shoulder and we're gonna tape it to your shoulder
so that give you a little bit more cushion. I'm like, okay,
So they do that, put my shoulder pads on. I
(33:18):
come back out and they say, listen, matter of fact,
I'm taking a step back while while I'm getting assessed.
North comes in, Mike comes in, and everybody comes in
and says, oh, we need you in this game. We
need you in this game. And they like Mike's like,
we need you to be the decoy. We ain't gonna
get you the ball, which need you. We want you
to be a decoy. They're gonna follow you and everything else.
(33:40):
I'm like, okay, something, I'm gonna be a decoy. I
go out there first play, they call us a run play,
and I'm looking to the side. I thought I was
gonna be a decoy. They have you the ball. I'm like, okay,
let's give it a shot.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
I get it, take off.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
Running, picking up three four yards. I get hit, hit
the ground, and I'm feeling everything everything you can possibly imagine.
My chest is popping like knuckles just like this. I'm bruising.
I bruised my sterner. I mean just I mean just
feeling everything. Finally, I get to the point where I'm
(34:23):
not coming out the game. I make up my mind
I'm not coming out the game, and they just study
giving me the football, and I just get into the
state of mind to where I don't hear the crowd.
I only hear Troy, I hear Michael. Those only two
voices I hear and and Michael just hanging there. Troy
(34:44):
called Troy. I'm biting on my mouthpiece. I even got
a tear coming out of my eye, and and Troy
looked at me and say, all right, I said, just
call the play, Just call the play. And he just
kept calling the plays, and I just kept running, kept running,
kept running because I can only I took myself back
to when I was like six or seven years old,
(35:06):
playing in the park right across from my grandparents' house
with my cousins who taught me the game of football itself.
And I will never forget when I fell down, I
scarred my mom. You know, you see blood running out.
Some kids that young, they start crying. Oh, I'm believing.
My cousins used to say to me and say to
all of us, if you can't play with pay, you
can't play the game. And I just kept reciting that
(35:28):
in my mind the whole entire second, third, and fourth quarter,
all the way through the through through the fifth quarter,
because we went over to and I just kept running.
Then all of a sudden, you started seeing your teammates.
I started hearing Nate Newton say, hey, they're piling on them,
get them off them. And so when I hit the ground,
(35:50):
I go back and look at the table and see
some of my teammates snatching the giants off, and Lawrence
Taylor's on the field too. I got Pepper Johnson out
do on the field. I got Leonard Marshall, all of
them on the field. They got to kill me. Dag.
They coming at me. I mean they piling on, laying
heavy and everything else. And I'm I'm just in my
own zone, in my own zone, just making it through.
(36:12):
And then finally get to the point where I couldn't.
I did all I could do. I was like, and
this is over time. I'm like, man, y'all better kick
this fielder. So I come off the field and I'm
in pain. Uh And and Eddie Murray kicked that ball
through team celebrating I could. I was like, yes, finally
(36:36):
it's over. Get in the locker room. Everybody's celebrating. I'm like, yes,
we won playoff. I got ten days to get back ready,
not knowing how bad it was. The plane ride back
was the worst. Was the worsted getting cold, bro I
(36:57):
try to knock my shoulder complete out of place because
it was in I wasn't that much pain. I fell
asleep and I wake up in a panic because my
heart was racing and just racing. I was like, this
don't feel right. So I'm like it happened twice the
second time. Kevin O'Neil said, listen. If you want us to,
(37:20):
we can land this plane in Memphis and get you
into the hospital. I said, no, If I'm gonna die,
let me die in Dallas. Made it back to Dallas.
Took me straight to the hospital from the airplane. I
got checked in. They put the ivs in me, and
I'm starting to feel a little bit better, and I'm like, yes,
(37:43):
I can't wait to see Sports Center. Just about ten
fifty five, ten fifty nine rolls around. Then in it
I'm out said, don't even see nothing. Don't see nothing
till the next morning. Yeah. I get up the next morning.
I couldn't even see my traps, couldn't see my traps,
barely can see my chest full of fluid, full of fluid.
(38:07):
And then I started the whole process. Yeah. And they
they're like, yeah, you got a grade two, grade three
separation and you're gonna knee surgery. Yeah, but not right now.
We're gonna make it through this. And so ten days
went by, took the swelling down. We're getting ready to
(38:30):
play Green Bay here in Dallas. Go in, don't take
a shot. I'm on the football field. I get hit
the very first time. He's tossing to me to the
left side. I make it through. I'm like, okay, they
tossing to me again. Get it first down. I get
hit on the other side. I'm like, ooh, I'm not
on the ground like this. I'm leaning up. I look
(38:52):
Kevin O'Neal in the eyes. He looked me scared in
the eyes, turned his head and walked the sideline.
Speaker 2 (38:57):
I ain't trying to hear it.
Speaker 1 (38:58):
I ain't trying to hear it.
Speaker 2 (38:59):
I ain't trying to hear it.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
Went back to the huddel called the next play played.
I played for about a quarter and a half and
I got caught by Bryce Pup safety. Yeah, the outside linebacker.
He blitzed, got caught on the wrong shoulder. Hit that shoulder.
I was out. Blair Thomas, I believe came in or
(39:20):
somebody came in to back me up. After that, we
end up winning the game, thank goodness we did. The
next week, we end up playing NFL uh playing in
the NFC Championship game against San fran here in Dallas.
I said Kevin O'Neil, I got two games left. Shoot
his mother brother up. Shoot it up. I know what
I felt last week. Shoot it up. He shot it up.
(39:42):
They shot it up and boom. It was feeling good.
I think whatever they shot it with, the information in
the joint calmed down so much to where I was like, Okay,
I can make this. Yeah, and even after the game,
it wasn't that bad. Go to Super this last game,
(40:02):
shoot it up, shout out one more time when out there.
Play the Bills in that second Super Bowl in Atlanta,
end up being MVP. Two days later, I'm in Birmingham
with doctor James Andrews getting cut on getting cut on
getting the show to fix. That's how all that went down.
Speaker 2 (40:19):
Man, what an adventure. There was an adventure, a journey
the super Bowl. Yeah, grats of the Super Bowl and
the mindset though, I like how you just not took
it back to the childhood. Eh, you can't play with pain. Yeah,
that's what I did to play again.
Speaker 1 (40:34):
I mean literally, I went back to my childhood and
went back to that moment. And the funny thing about
it my cousins who taught me the game. Yeah, three
of them were in the stands that day.
Speaker 2 (40:47):
Now have you have you ever expressed that to them?
Speaker 1 (40:50):
Like what I talked to them recently because I was
at their mom's funeral, and we were over at one
of my cousins house and we were sitting around talking
and they were we were reminiscent. Yeah and uh, And
I told them told them about that game. We talked
about it and everything. They was there, They remember it
(41:10):
and I told them what I went through. They couldn't
believe it. Wow, because I don't tell that story that often. Yeah,
but when people ask, yeah, it was one of my
most defining moments in the game of football.
Speaker 2 (41:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (41:23):
I like that.
Speaker 5 (41:23):
I want to get into your second act now, So
real estate, construction, solar tech, NASCAR. Can I get a
general overview of just the businesses that you're you're involved in?
Like how do you pick the businesses that you want
to be a part of.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
First and foremost. I'm gonna start with the real estate
and construction because that platform itself is a vertically integrated
platform through four and three solutions, which is the development
arm of what I do, along with the energy component
of what we do and the brokers services component. When
(42:06):
I retired in five, I started in the real estate
development business, UH with the company that was associated with
the Starback Company. Roger Starbuck ushered me into this relationship
through that platform, Starback was on the broken services side
tenor rep business, and I learned that business by being
(42:29):
associated on the development side, because everything that we developed,
the Starback company came back in and filled it up
with the tenants. So there was a complete relationship between
the two brokers. You on one side, development on the
other side. And so I was on the development side
where Roger wanted me to be on the broken side,
(42:50):
and I did. I just wanted to build things, and
so learning that and putting together pro former for retail
shopping centers, learning mixed use before mixed use started to
become as popular as it is right now. Through that relationship,
as well as understanding how a real estate salesperson interact
(43:12):
with these type of things, I started putting together performers.
I start looking at the construction numbers, what is going
to cost to build these things? I started looking at
the highways and byways and having right here in Dallas
from the construction standpoint that we talked about earlier, all
the way up here to Prosper and everything else. And
I saw a tremendous opportunity on the construction side as well,
because there weren't many minority people playing in that space,
(43:36):
and so I wanted to play in that space because
of what I was doing on the development stuff and
what I was seeing on the construction stuff. So I
developed a vertically integrated solutions company that does development broker
services as well as solar energy and a construction company.
(43:58):
So I'm touching every vertical that's in the real estate
space just about because everything that you do and everything
that you touch has a form of real estate to it,
and everything that has a form of real estate to
it has to have some kind of infrastructure on it. Now,
if you're in the rural lands, you just got cows
(44:18):
and so forth, but you still don't have to have
a barn or something that has to be built some
kind of way, shape, or form. So construction is going
to play a part and just about everything that we do,
every building has a form of construction tied to it
one way or the other. And so I wanted to
build a platform to where if you said no to me,
you said no because you didn't want to.
Speaker 2 (44:37):
Do business with them, and Smith what we didn't have
the service.
Speaker 1 (44:40):
It's not because we didn't have the service or we
did not have the capabilities. And so doing that part
of it made all the sense in the world to me,
and that was one way to control my own destiny. Now,
hiring the right people is key to anything. Like I
talked about North Turner coming in and bringing in that
system that allowed us to develop as players and win
(45:05):
Super Bowls and become the Triplets, It's the same thing
that's required whether I'm on the development side, whether I'm
on the broker services side, or whether I'm doing energy
or what I'm doing construction. All those things required in
every aspect of what you do. Processes and procedures, Just
being able to plan right, evaluating every opportunity, coming to
(45:29):
a go no go decision, All of that's part of
the ingredients that goes into making things work. And so
that's how I got into the business. I was looking
at real estate way before I actually started it. I
leaned on Roger and I leaned on Magic to help
(45:50):
me understand because Magic was doing urban stuff back when
I was playing. And so I took two Titans, if
you will, and I got a chance to spend a
lot of time with those two.
Speaker 5 (46:03):
Now you sat with Jerry too, though I heard I
sapt my whole thirteen years and my whole entire career
has been with Jerry.
Speaker 1 (46:10):
Yeah, the whole entire thing. And so even when you
think about the Cowboys, people think about the Cowboys as
been the most valuable franchise on the planet, which it is.
Speaker 2 (46:22):
What makes it valuable, it's all the everything that you get.
Speaker 4 (46:25):
It's the stateum in Arlington. Yes, it's right here where
we're at, right now, where the Star is. It's those
decisions that's what's made it.
Speaker 1 (46:32):
Yes, because of you talking real estate plays. Yeah, you
talking about construction plays. Things that involve construction and real estate.
So you can't build that billion dollar stadium over there
with I have in some kind of construction numbers tied
to it in concrete and steel and everything else that's required.
You cannot build this the Star right here that has
(46:52):
nothing but mixed uses where you have doctor Pepper behind
you in the office. That's probably about it, close to
about a million square feet, if not half a million
square feet. I think it's about a million square feet.
And you got the headquarters, and you got everything else
that's tied to the Ford Center and everything else around it.
All of the infrastructure, roads and everything else requires concrete, steel, rebar,
(47:12):
all kinds of stuff. And so when you break it
down and you're looking at the numbers from land acquisition,
architecture renderings, the construction budgets to build what you just architect,
which you just designed, there's a profomer for it and
(47:32):
there's a model for it. And so it's the same
model that we use on the offensive side of the ball.
We run and we passed.
Speaker 4 (47:41):
I want to know this though, because you you name
drop Magic Johnson, and I mean Magic was doing great things.
I mean he had all the movie theaters, Starbucks, Starbucks
with the Applebee's or he had enough. Yeah, and now
he's the face of a couple of different organizations at
(48:01):
the Dodgers and also the Commanders, and being a part
of that whole group, how did you guys like get
to know each other?
Speaker 2 (48:08):
How did that relationships? I reached out, Okay, I reached out.
Speaker 1 (48:12):
Of course. The second Super Bowl, we're playing in Atlanta,
and it's like on a Wednesday night, I believe it was,
there's a party hosted at the hard Rock or something
like that, or playing in Hollywood.
Speaker 4 (48:27):
Because football and basketball players don't really cross past that
much and those people don't.
Speaker 2 (48:31):
Know that well.
Speaker 1 (48:34):
My paths crossed with a.
Speaker 5 (48:35):
Lot of Okay, you want a different listen me on
a different level, but your celebrity is like way higher
than me, and we ain't that ain't us.
Speaker 1 (48:44):
Here's the funny part. So we're in Atlanta week of
the Super Bowl, get me to play the Bills, and
it's like on a Wednesday night and there's a party
going on at the Planet Hollywood or something like that.
So I'm walking the red carpet by myself and I'm
talking to the press and all of a sudden, I
hit this commotion coming up behind me. I turn around
and it's both MJ's. It's Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan
(49:08):
coming down and I'm like, oh snap, and I'm like cool,
we dap up. They said, man, congratulations, I want to
see you run that rock. So they said let's go in.
So I walk in with them, and I started a
relationship right then and there with those guys. And then
I were running to Michael every now and then. A
couple of golf tournaments out in the not Tall Hope
(49:29):
but Palm Springs, the Bob Hope. We used to play
in the bib Hole Classic and all that stuff, and
I run into Magic every now and and now and
again to in La and we just just became friends.
And so when I needed something, I called him to
want to talk to him. I need your advice, I
need your wisdom. And so you seek what you want.
(49:50):
You want information normally seek it. A person that's seeking
it is fertile ground. That's why athletes need to humble
themselves and just be able to go in ask people
for help and for information because they've been there, they've
done it, and they then made mistakes, and they trying
to help you not make or repeat the same mistakes
(50:11):
that they make. That's really what the intent is. And
most of these, most of us athletes are giving people anyway.
You grew up with the whole notion, never forget where
you come from. Always give a help in hand to
someone else, reached back. Right, That's the way we grew up.
So why would you think any otherwise. That's our superpower.
(50:36):
And that's what I'm talking about. When I was with
the Cardinals for those two years, exactly for those two
years giving back because I can't take all of this
knowledge with me, and if I do take it with me,
it's going in the ground with me. It ain't gonna
do the ground any good. The ground is not gonna
talk to you, but I can, and I can give
you some of the things that I've gone through. And
that's with Magic and Michael and Roger Starback, Includingarry Jones.
(51:00):
That's what they've done for me.
Speaker 2 (51:02):
That's awesome. Yeah, I got one for you.
Speaker 5 (51:05):
Investing in yourself after football is more critical than investing
in others while you're playing football.
Speaker 1 (51:12):
You're absolutely right expand upon that because when you're investing
in yourself, you know what I mean, I ain't talking
about buying new Lamborghini. When you're investing in continuing continuation
of education or you're going to get a certificate in
(51:33):
a certain skill set. You put in that time, you
put in that work, you put it that effort, and
you expect something to come back. You are in control
of what comes back. Learning the real estate game, I
had to go immerse myself into the business, and I
had to immerse myself through ccim TO, which is the
(51:55):
institute that taught me about the hours, the time, value money,
how to put deals together, how to analyze trade areas
and everything else. I had to immerse myself in it
to understand now when I look at a site, how
to evaluate the site, how to get to a go
no go decision. That's me. That's me putting time in.
(52:17):
That's me going back to the University of Florida. That's
me going to get this education and everything else. And
with the NFL programs that they have today, whether you
can go to Harvard or whether you go to Warden's
Business School, all those things are accessible if they were
accessible in the nineties. To me, I probably have done
it in the nineties. So if I can go if
I knew then what I know now, who claude have
(52:42):
mersed it? And here's a beautiful thing. We have the
ability to parlay each other and come together on some
of these things. Access is really the key to a
lot of this. Access to information, access to people, access
to opportunities, access access, that's what we talk ab about.
Access and exposure. You put those two things together with
(53:04):
the right people, you can accomplish a lot. And so
to me, that's what I mean by investing in oneself
because and I was just talking to a guy last
night at dinner about this cash flow. Will you share
your cash flow with families? That's a different thing because
(53:25):
you're not touching your principle. It's true, you're going to
always have your principle, but cash flow itself is extremely
critical to any one's success.
Speaker 5 (53:37):
So with all the access and information and exposure that
you've been exposed to, if you had four people to
put on Mount Rushmore, four people of influence from the
day you were born till today right now, just.
Speaker 2 (53:52):
Four, just four, that's it. Yeah, it's not an easy question.
Speaker 5 (53:56):
It's like the top one hundred. It wasn't easy for
them to get to pick the top one hundred, but.
Speaker 1 (53:59):
You had one hundred to go to in the entire world.
That's impacted my life in Okay.
Speaker 5 (54:07):
Yeah, you get four and have impacted your life. That
has given you access and information and just knowledge. Who
would those four people be? Now's your Mount Rushmore is yours?
Speaker 1 (54:17):
Yeah? I get it. I get it, But all due respect,
I have to put my parents there first. And the
reason why is because one they taught me what I knew.
Then they also gave me the drive and the motivation
(54:40):
to pursue things that I wanted to pursue. My mom
told me I can accomplish almost anything in the world
if I just put my mind, body, and soul to it,
which I truly believed, and they gave I got the
appreciation of what lack was and how to earn what
(55:02):
I want, So I will put them there.
Speaker 2 (55:05):
That's important. That's very important, so important that that is.
Speaker 1 (55:08):
The foundation of drive, that's the foundation of will, that's
the foundation of prayer, that's the foundation of spirituality, and
everything is in all how seeing how it all comes together.
The other one, I would say Dwight Thomas, because he
set the foundation for goal setting and talk to us
(55:31):
about seeing yourself being with who you want to become,
visualizing the things that you want to do, putting all
those things into practice, working hard and all that. He
set that foundation. I would say Jerry Jones. And the
(55:52):
reason why because he was so open with everything and
I got a chance to learn, earn and see how
the Cowboys capitalize on leveraging who the Cowboys was the
king of leverage.
Speaker 4 (56:11):
And then.
Speaker 1 (56:13):
From Jerry the fourth person, I would say Roger Startback.
And the reason why I would say that is because
Roger in that environment showed me how these things can
actually work together, how they all.
Speaker 2 (56:34):
He helped complete the roadmap for He.
Speaker 1 (56:36):
Helped complete the road map, complete it, and now it's
about execution. Now. You only gave me limits. Now, Jordan,
Jordan has given me the ability to say, Okay, I'm
gonna give wisdomhere, wisdom wants. I'm not gonna be chasing
to give information to people that don't want it. Magic
(56:58):
helped me negotiate my deal with the Stop that company.
He helped me negotiate that one. And Magic has been
an influence.
Speaker 4 (57:06):
What was that conversation? Like, like, what what was something
he told you that was like I probably never even
thought about what do.
Speaker 1 (57:11):
I need to have. I don't know what to ask for.
Make sure that you have equity, all of the equity
that you can get personally. Then make sure that you
have h investment capital on the side, so whenever you
find a deal, the money's already there. And make sure
(57:33):
this this and this and other couple of other things.
So but I think that wisdom that he shared with
me and all of them has helped me be in
a position that I'm in right now. That's awesome.
Speaker 2 (57:47):
That's a great group to be around.
Speaker 4 (57:48):
That's yeah, I can't even Yeah, you naturally get better
when you around that group.
Speaker 1 (57:55):
You can't help but get better. You naturally get help,
but learn. I mean, as as I heard, I think
it was Pittbull says, you show me the company you keep,
I'm gonna show you the knowledge that you actually have.
Pretty much it was it was I'm paraphrasing, it's something
of that, not that that that nature, and so that's
(58:16):
important to be around people that are going places, uh,
and people that don't necessarily think like you think outside
the box. Because you're around the same people that's thinking
the same way, you're gonna get the same things. But
the challenge ones thought, including my own thoughts and challenging
other people thoughts, uh, is really what iron shopping and
(58:37):
iron is all about. It's what football is all about.
I mean safety corner however you want to look at it.
Two different roles, but they both are very meaningful information
that shared between the two. Hey, I'm about the corner crash. Well,
I'm blissing you on your own.
Speaker 2 (58:56):
I did talk to you though, you know what I'm saying.
We are a communications man.
Speaker 4 (59:00):
Thanks so much for sharing and giving us all these stories. Man,
this was beautiful.
Speaker 2 (59:05):
I mean, we don't.
Speaker 4 (59:06):
It's just not every so often when you get to
meet legendary football players greatness and then get to really
focus and hear their whole journey about what they're doing
their second acting. It's been just as great, and not
everybody gets to know that, but we all do and
shout out to you as well for you know, for
all the records that you have and all the other
success you had that really and truthfully you have really
(59:29):
affected the NFL game forever because you started the whole
not taking off your helmet rule so because we just
couldn't get enough of em Smith's face.
Speaker 2 (59:38):
So we're gonna pull the helmet off and make sure
everybody knows.
Speaker 4 (59:41):
Who Emma Smith is, who now became later on the
Dancing with the Stars star and all the other great
things that you got to accomplish in your life.
Speaker 1 (59:49):
Hey man, thank you. But like I started when I
was a kid, people Roger and Rogers st backing on
that TV too. I saw Roger so magic and that's
our MJ transition from the game people that we know
and so they showed us how, and they have shown
us how, and now people around NFL, NBA, MLB people
(01:00:15):
are doing great jobs in terms of transitioning and taking
advantage of the platform. We just need to do more
things together.
Speaker 2 (01:00:22):
Yeah, absolutely absolutely. We appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (01:00:25):
No, thank you guys, thank you very much.
Speaker 4 (01:00:27):
All right, man, We'll look for all of our viewers
and listeners out there, man, especially all our big Cowboys fans.
I know you guys are loving this one. Make sure
you give us a five star rating. Wherever you pick
up your podcast with this Apple podcast iHeartRadio app. Make
sure you give us a rating, review, comment, like, share, subscribe,
follow everything.
Speaker 2 (01:00:44):
That Peanut just said.
Speaker 4 (01:00:45):
Man, make sure you tell a friend to tell a
friend to do what you tell a friend, and listen
to us, man, check out check out our NFL.
Speaker 2 (01:00:51):
YouTube channels we can catch all to get us out.
Boes on Peanut, that's wrong. That's it. And this is
the NFL Player's second act pole past we Out
Speaker 1 (01:01:03):
Loses
Hosts And Creators
Charles “Peanut” Tillman
Roman Harper
Popular Podcasts
Fudd Around And Find Out
UConn basketball star Azzi Fudd brings her championship swag to iHeart Women’s Sports with Fudd Around and Find Out, a weekly podcast that takes fans along for the ride as Azzi spends her final year of college trying to reclaim the National Championship and prepare to be a first round WNBA draft pick. Ever wonder what it’s like to be a world-class athlete in the public spotlight while still managing schoolwork, friendships and family time? It’s time to Fudd Around and Find Out!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.