On the latest NFL Players: Second Acts podcast, former Miami Dolphins receiver OJ McDuffie joins Peanut Tillman and Roman Harper for a wide-ranging conversation about football, baseball, legendary coaches, and life after the game.
OJ shares being named after OJ Simpson, those they don’t have the same exact names, his original passion for baseball at Penn State, and how Joe Paterno’s unique approach allowed him to play both sports. He reflects on his place in the Penn State baseball record books, and his “Welcome to the NFL” moment.
The conversation dives deep into OJ’s NFL career with the Dolphins, including his experience playing for Don Shula, the stark transition to Jimmy Johnson, and what made Dan Marino one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. OJ also shares the incredible story of catching Marino’s 399th, 400th, and 401st career touchdown passes in the same game.
OJ gets candid about the foot injury that ended his career, the difficult transition away from football, and how leaning on friends helped him find his footing. Today, he’s found a second act in media through The Fish Tank podcast, continuing to stay connected to the game and the city of Miami.
It’s an honest, funny, and insightful look at a career shaped by legends—and what comes next when the game ends.
The NFL Players: Second Acts podcast is a production of the NFL in partnership with iHeart Media.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Dann Reno. Let's talk about that.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Danny boy, how was it catching passes from him? Because
when you got here, you quickly became his favorite target.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
But I always joke about Danny and I always had
a problem with each other because you know, he went
to pitt I went to Penn State, and we just didn't.
I said, Danny, Man, we we're on the same team. Now, man,
you gotta let that stuff go. You know, you gotta
start throwing me the rock a little bit. And so
halfway through my rookie season, I got a little bit
of opportunities with the team. And then that second year, man,
it was just like we were clicking. And that was
that was always a lot of fun Dan. You know,
(00:31):
Dan always said get your head around like Linda Blair,
you know, like from the Extra system, because because the
ball's coming, bro, and it was it was coming.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
Man, what up, everybody? I'm peanut to him.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
And this is the NFL Player's Second Acts podcast and
with me as always as my trustee co host Roman Coovid.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Harper, I was trying to make us something.
Speaker 5 (01:00):
So I was like, okay, I got admit, I think
this is the first time I love Peanuts shirt more
than my own shirt.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
And it's beautiful, you know, And.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
It's like the third compliment I got on my shirt.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
I love that.
Speaker 5 (01:12):
And I'm really excited about our guest that we have
on right now. I know I hate saying this, but
I grew up big fan of this and loved watching
him play and compete, and he's some of Miami's own
and finest players of all time. So we talked about
this in the car and you was like, yo, I
was a huge, huge fit this guy. Yeah, first round
(01:33):
pick out of Penn State in the ninety three draft,
eight year vet for the Dolphins. He's in the Dolphins
Walk of Fame, and he is the host of the
podcast The Fish Tank.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the pot mister oh
J mcdutin.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Hey, thank you, Thank you man. I appreciate that now.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
You guys know, though it's officially nine years when it
comes to my tenure in the league, because that extra
year it means a lot when that pinch comes.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
Absolutely, so I apologize single if you won't apology.
Speaker 6 (02:06):
He got his nine years, don't. I'm sure it doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Anybody that tells me, like, oh man, you played ten
years in the league. I'm like, actually was eleven, right.
Speaker 4 (02:14):
Oh yeah, you just let me get that.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
You can't get there.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
I mean he was I meant everything I said, though
he was he was like, oh man, I was a
huge old like he was just he was a guy.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
He's I was like, I didn't.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
I was in Germany at that time, so you didn't
watching a lot have the football.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
So man, that's yeah, well you know what you see
what's going on now trying to expand it over there.
But you know, when I was playing, they were you know,
they went over that. I think in the preseason. Maybe
Now there's a lot of regular season games you know
that are overseas.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Man.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
But you know, I think what's what the NBA has
done going overseas. What the NBA, I mean, what the
NFL is trying to emulate, and I think that's worked
out really well for them.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
It has.
Speaker 5 (02:56):
There's more games played over there now than ever, and
every single they trying, it seems like they try and
go to a different location and continue to spread. At
first it was just London, you know, back in your day.
I think they went to Tokyo, I think preseason game
and then all of a sudden next to you know,
you know, then they had NFL Europe where it really
started to expand in the off season.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Yeah, of course that was after your time.
Speaker 5 (03:18):
But you know, but and then from there, you know,
you see him go to Mexico City and now they're
going to Germany.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
They continue to expand.
Speaker 5 (03:25):
It just ruled Spain next, They're going to Spain next. Yeah,
I think one of our guys is I think film
is gonna call a game in Spain. But now, the
one thing I didn't know, Oj, was that your real name,
because nobody knew that. Uh otis James correct? Okay, so
is that a family name?
Speaker 1 (03:46):
No, so.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Otis James McDuffie. I was named after O. J. Simpson. Okay.
My grandmother was a big fan. She didn't like his
first name were Reenthal, so she won the OJ nickname.
So she named me otis James mcduffietead. So that's how
I got you know, O. J. McDuffie had. So it
was we talked about.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
I started to say it like, oh damn, I was right.
Speaker 5 (04:09):
Okay, yeah, okay, okay, I want to talk about your
college career, all right.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
You know, back in the day I don't think we
all knew. I just knew you had Miami Dolphins.
Speaker 5 (04:19):
I didn't know that you actually were an all time
great at Penn State.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Not only that, not in football, but also in baseball.
Speaker 5 (04:26):
You you know, you hit three thirty six, you were
twenty for twenty one and stolen bases. You were actually
drafted in the forty fourth forty first round in baseball
and the ninety one draft. Yeah, so let's talk about that.
How was your baseball career? Would you just grow up
playing it or or was this something you picked up later?
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (04:45):
You know, baseball was the first thing I could actually
play officially when I when I when I grew up
in Ohio, Central Ohio, I grew up in Marion, Ohio,
and we couldn't play tackle football two or ten years old.
So I played baseball from five years old on. Played
football from five years but it was only flag football.
So baseball's always been a passion of mine. My mom
(05:06):
loved me playing baseball because she didn't like me getting
hit playing football, and so I played baseball from five
years old all the way until my sophomore year at
Penn State. And part of my decision even to go
to Penn State was whether they're gonna let me play
baseball or not. And there were a few schools that
I was talking to, four all the five that of
my last five so that I could play baseball, and
once Joe paternal so that I could play baseball. That
(05:28):
became pretty much the nail on the coffee for me
to go to Penn State. And so playing baseball my
whole life. Playing eighty games this summer from age thirteen
to age you know, eighteen, get an opportunity to go
to Penn State and play baseball as well. They had
me as a lead off hitter playing center field, and
you know, it was it was great that I did
(05:51):
get drafted by the Angels, but you know, when they
came and told me what the signing bonus was, I
decided focus mostly on football. But that's a different story.
But yeah, baseball has always been a passion of mine.
It's still a passion of mine. My kids that are
seventeen and twenty three now, they played baseball. They didn't
play any football at coached them in baseball. So yeah,
baseball has always been a big part of my life.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
What's harder out of the two sports? Hitting a fastball
at one hundred miles an hour, or catching a bomb
ninety yards down the field from Dann Reno like with
some tight coverage, right, what's the hardest one.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
But you know I didn't I didn't face No, I
didn't face one hundred yet. I didn't get to that
point in my career in baseball so hot. The fastest
fastball I saw it was probably about ninety three ninety four. Still, yeah,
you know, it depends if there's any movement on them.
That's a figure the problem. Yeah, if there's a movement,
this's problem. If it's you know, if it's it's a
flat fastball, man, that's that's easy hitting, right, that's batting
practice right there. So for ninety yards, I would never
(06:48):
catch a ninety yard pass from Danny.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
I wouldn't fast enough to get down to that ball.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
That goes to the Dupers and the Clayton's and those
guys that were able to get down the field that way.
But you know I'll catch it, you know, fifteen to
twenty yards square in Cisler tight coverach.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
I loved it.
Speaker 5 (07:03):
So do you know you're still are you aware that
you're still in the record books for Penn State Baseball.
I did not know that. All right, let's let's help
you out here. Let me let me give you something
to take on you. You, you and one other player
are still the only two players in Penn State history
to have four stolen bases in one single game.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
All right, do you remember doing that? I do? Okay,
tell me the game? Well, I don't. I don't know
the game, but was it?
Speaker 3 (07:31):
It wasn't West Virginia, because that's the one that's West
Virginia is the one game I got thrown out and
I think I was still safe on that one room.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
I think it was twenty one out of twenty one.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
But you know, yeah, there was no replay back.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
They called me out. They called me out, it right.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
I'm not sure the team though, it seemed like it
was like a Saint Boni Miture team or something like that.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Who was it? Oh, I don't know. I didn't.
Speaker 5 (07:55):
I couldn't find that part. But just know I was over.
You can feel in the play. I like Saint Bonaventure
has to answer though.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
I like that answer.
Speaker 4 (08:02):
It's gonna go with that.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
We'll go with that one, all right.
Speaker 5 (08:05):
Your twenty stolen bases is still time fourth fourth most
in school history. All right, uh, your eighteen game hitting streak,
it's still tied for fifth most really in school history.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
That's the name of the school. How you said that?
Speaker 5 (08:19):
Oh, Ducaine, Ducaine, Okay against the Cave, Yeah, okay Ca.
So yes, that's quick, peanut, good pool.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
I couldn't say that.
Speaker 6 (08:28):
I was like, wait, what's that.
Speaker 5 (08:30):
I watched a lot of n c DOAA basketball tournaments,
so yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:36):
So that is you.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
Congratulations that did not know that you had a great
baseball career as well.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
I love baseball, like I said, man, and it's amazing.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Not much has changed, especially at Penn State.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
You know, we played a nice little field with like
some raggedy bleachers out there. Now they're playing a little
minor league stadium that's right on campus, right by the
football stadium, and the program has grown. They moved into
the Big Ten since I played, which is great because
the competition is serious in the Big Ten and they've
gotten better. They might play Ducaine, but they're still playing
the Indiana's, the Michigans and the USC's UCLA's who were
real big baseball powerhouses and stuff like that. So yeah,
(09:08):
it's it's it's nice see the way the program has grown,
and it's amazing that, you know, some of those some
of those records still stand, considering they played twice as
many games as we played. You know, when I played
so uh the eighteen game Hidden Street. That's something different
compared to all the other numbers that you know, I'm
fourth and fifth one because we only played half as
many games.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Tell me this.
Speaker 5 (09:26):
Though, when you're playing in somewhere like Penn State where
it's cold, yeah, like, how do you guys get around
the weather in these places? Like I always wonder like, man,
why would you go play baseball where it's cold. I
know you didn't choose, you know, that was just part
of your decision, but you know, playing baseball in the
(09:46):
cold because you guys are out there right.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Well.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
I grew up in Ohio, so we always played a
little bit of baseball in the cold. But I tell
you this role, and that's the reason I actually stopped
playing baseball because I was in center field. It was
March and it was snowing, and I looked at my
I was just thinking to myself, what the hell am
I doing out here?
Speaker 1 (10:04):
You know, really, what am I doing out here? You know?
Speaker 3 (10:06):
And you talk about that one hundred mile an hour fastball.
I didn't see that, but you see ninety four You
get that off the end of the bat or on
the handle. Man, you talk about stinging for a long time.
That's when I was like, you know what, this this just.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Isn't for me, man.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
And uh, you know, the reason I really started playing
baseball Penn State was because you know, I didn't want
to go through spring ball. You know, spring ball can
be for football, and so I was like, you know what,
I'm gonna try baseball, see if it works out for me.
So Joe made me play baseball, I mean play football
and spring my freshman year and then the next year.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
A couple of years after that, I was able to
play baseball. But I was out there it was snowing.
Speaker 7 (10:38):
Man.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
I'm like, you know what, You're right, this isn't this
isn't for me.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
I'm warnering how you got to Penn State though, even
though you was in Ohio State's backyard.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Yeah, was the one of the four of the five.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
Absolutely, Ohio State was number one for a long time
for me. The reason, yeah, and the reason I didn't
go to Ohio State, I was like I was locked
and loaded I grew up Ohio State. Yeah, I was
my home town of Marrin o'hios, forty five minutes from
from Columbus. I used to watch Ohio State games on Saturday,
wake up on Sunday morning and watch the replay, you
know what I mean, before I watch whatever chat, whatever
(11:11):
game came on or you know, four six and ten,
only three stations that we had at home. And so
my senior year, I'm locked and loaded to go to
Ohio State. In December of that year, they fired Earl
Bruce to bring in John Cooper. And John Cooper comes
to visit. I'm playing basketball at this point, because you know,
you Ohio, you got to go indoors in the wintertime.
I'm playing basketball at this point. John Cooper comes, you know,
(11:34):
I'm living. You know, it's just me and my mom.
He meets us, and my mom and I looked at
each other and said, naw, you know, this is Saint
the right guy for us, you know. And so that
really opened it up for the other schools. I got you,
and that's how I got out of Ohio State. I
visited Michigan. Would never go there being an Ohio State guy.
You know what I mean, being from Ohio, I went
to La so.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Real between documentaries about I'm just glad to even call it.
Speaker 5 (11:59):
If he went to say, you don't use that word
for them, You're right, you tell you.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
You know, I've visited u c l A. Uh. You know,
I just did that.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
That's the first time I was ever on a plan
seventeen years old. So I just took that for the trip.
Never been to California obviously, so and didn't Notre Dame
in Penn State, so that was those are my last
two are Notre Dame in Penn State, and obviously I
went to Penn State.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
So what was your out of all the sports you played,
because we looked you up Wikipedia page and you were
a baller in high school, like football, basketball, track. Out
of all the ones you did was football your favorite one.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
Basketball is my fast We all think we can hoop, man,
you know, every football player thinks they can hoop.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
You know.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
Obviously, I'm hype challenge. So that didn't work out for me.
As much as I like to.
Speaker 5 (12:45):
Still looked like you could yoke that thing. You know
what at fifty six. Now I'm almost fifty six, and
it's just not happening.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
The way it used to.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
I had to show my kids are filming me dunking
the other day and they're like, yah, whatever, this Ai
is incredible, they said, you know, So that's that's where
it's at with me now. But basketball is always my
favorite football obviously second baseball. I just did track. Honestly,
I did track just to qualify for state. So I
play a double header in baseball. Between games, I go
get some jumps in and track, and then I go
(13:13):
back and play the second game with double header, so
just so I could qualify for the States for the
state event.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
And that worked out really well for me too, just
a superior athlete.
Speaker 4 (13:23):
Okay, So now Hyle's own very own bo Jackson over here.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
I had a nickname of boj but I couldn't live up.
He was incredible. He was incredible.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
I like that, all right.
Speaker 5 (13:38):
So you get out of college, you're drafted to the Dolphins.
What was your first welcome to the NFL moment?
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Oh man?
Speaker 3 (13:49):
I mean when they sent the uniform to Penn State
to do a you know, a photo shoot next to
the lion. It was too big, it was sloppy. I
see that card now, I just want to burn it.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
But I think my first welcome to the NFL moment
probably was when I got my signing bonus check and
I realized that the million dollars I got was in
the actually like six hundred and some thousands. Now I
learned about taxes. That was my welcome to the NFL moment,
you know, and you know what you know what I mean.
So and also, you know, just a surreal moment walking
(14:21):
in the locker room when you know you're playing mad
in your dorm room or you're in my apartment back
of Penn State. You walk in that locker room as
your first time as a professional. You see Dan Marino,
you see Keith Jackson, you see Irvin Fryar, you meet
Coach Shuler. It's like, man, that was that was that
welcome to the league moment, Like, dude, you know I
made it.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
That childhood dream.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
We all dreamed of playing the league, you know, and
then you dream of playing you know, junior high and
you dream playing high school. You get a chance to
be in college, you get the college, realize that you
got a chance to play in the league, and you
finally make it. I mean, that was like a dream
come true to be in that locker room with that
group of guys, you asked something.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
You said something. I gotta know because you grew up
in that time.
Speaker 5 (15:01):
For real, it was like like Madden was just coming out,
Like madd ninety two was like one of the first Maddens.
And so now what was that like having that video
game in the dorm rooms back then? We're like, you know,
now we all play online, it's easy, right, but like,
(15:21):
tell me all about what was that like back in
the day. Was the first time when the video game
hit in college?
Speaker 4 (15:27):
In college?
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Like what were you guys all? How did you guys?
What was that like? Back then?
Speaker 7 (15:31):
Man?
Speaker 3 (15:31):
It was incredible, man, you know, and it's it's it's
not good for education.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
It really isn't good for education because.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
You can play Madden all day and today's man looks
way better than the Madden I played.
Speaker 7 (15:42):
But when it was at that time, though, it was
it was it was the best thing you would ever seen.
It was absolutely incredible, man. Sixty four bits, yeah, yeah,
exactly right. And then you know, being able to play
with certain teams like that. You know, now you can
put guys on different teams, but you're stuck with that
roster that you had. You played with the Dolphins, you know,
and all you're doing is throwing the rocker round the yard. Man.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
You know, Danny's got seven hundred yards passing this game,
you know. And then you know, then once I got
in the league, I was still playing Madden, and I
all I did was throw it to myself for five.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
Hundred yards a game, you know.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
So, I mean, it really was amazing back then to
see all those guys and playing with these different teams.
And we used to do a random draw sometime to
play the game, you know, so you kids can't pick
the team you want to play with. You just a
random team, and then you have to figure out how
to you know, how to make it happen. And so
that was always fun for us. And then to play
with some of those guys, to play against some of
those guys, man, it was just incredible.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
You got the chance to play for two legendary coaches,
Paternal and Shula. How different were each of those coaches
and how they coached.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
Oh man, they were both very demanding, tough as hell.
You know, everything about them was tough. The difference between
the two is, you know, Paternal never cursed and nobody
was allowed to curse. Really, Shula a little different story.
You know, you have colored for words that I didn't know.
Speaker 5 (16:56):
Joe Paul never cursed. Not everybody talk. I don't think
that's every Yeah, he never never cursed. Nobody was allowed
to curse. If you cursed, you got in trouble. If
a coach curs, they got in trouble. You know, we
called them all by their first names.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
You know, it was Joe, you know, Franny, uh, coach Calwell,
we always call him because he was like he's like
a boss, so we always called We didn't call him Jim,
we called him coach Callwell. But like I'm saying, we
always had and that was one of the main differences.
But you know, you know the thing about it too,
with Shula, he had to coach.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
That's really all his job was was the coach. Joe
had to take these.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
You know, these young men who went to the living room,
told their parents, he's going to take care of him.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
You know.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
Now he's got to worry about the education, he's got
to worry about, you know, the girls on campus. Then
he's got to worry about football, you know. And so
he really took the guys from boys to men. Uh literally,
and you know, to make it, to make it happen.
Once I got to Shula though, she was like, it's
all about business, you know, handling your business and you
know it'll be will be.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Business like here.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
So but they were both very demanding, both both well respected.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Man, I love both of those coaches.
Speaker 5 (17:58):
Eventually, are they how different do you think they were
as far as like on the field versus off the
field or like I could see you saying like Joe
Paul was kind of the same because right, that's just
who he was. What about coach Shuler? Was he like
the same on and off the field? Yeah, so Joe
was not the same on and off the field.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
Joe. You know, here's the thing about Joe.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
You as a freshman, you're really really intimidated by Joe,
you know what I mean? I think, Yeah, I got
a story when I was a friend. What intimidate him though, Well,
just his stature in terms of you know, he's not
a big guy, but just you know who he is,
and like, you know, if he says something, you know
it's like, you know, it's the gospel really, and you
look at him, first of all, you look at him
(18:43):
those glasses and you know, you kind of get messm
rides a little bit. You know, we always joke about
that with Joe man. But when he starts talking, man,
it's like, you know, you don't want to you want
to make sure you do everything that Joe's asking you
to do, Like things like we had at Penn Stateles.
Everybody had to be at breakfast every morning, eight o'clock morning.
You could have an eleven o'clock class, but you have
to be at breakfast every single morning. And he said
(19:04):
a lot of you guys aren't gonna make it to
the pros, but you're gonna have You're gonna work, and
when you work, you're gonna get up every morning and
go to work. So that was always something that we
you know, he always always preached us. He also said,
you know you're going to class. We go to class.
If you found out you were a skipping class, he'd
have somebody follow you for two or three weeks. Make
sure you're going to every single class, you know, and
things like that. Study hall. Study hall was mandatory for freshmen.
(19:25):
If you're messing up in school as a sophomore, junior, senior,
you're going to study hall as well. You know, things
like that was all that the things that he had
to worry about, and you make sure you didn't want.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
To cross him on any of that stuff, you know, because.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
Joe would not play the best players that they weren't
doing the right things, you know, every day, going to breakfast,
going to class, having their grades up. Some of our
best players didn't even go on bowl trips because you know,
they were eligible, but their grades were not what he
wanted them to be. So that's that's some of the
things that he worried about, and we're more concerned about
than anything when it came to us.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
And then when you know.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
Then you look at I tell you one time, I
went to Joe's office my freshman year and I was
upset about lack of playing time, you know. So I
go and I say, I got I got all this stuff.
You know, I'm sitting outside his office. I got all
these things in my mind that I'm on tell him right.
And so finally is his secretary said, okay, coach, Coach
is ready to see you now. So I go and
(20:15):
I got all this stuff in my mind. Right, I
sit down. All I remember saying is thank you for
your time.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
Coach, say. I didn't get one worded. I didn't get
one worded.
Speaker 8 (20:27):
He told me, like, I know you upset about your
playing time. Yeah, I know that. You know you think
you should be playing right now. I know your grades
are good. But all this stuff he kept saying. I
didn't get anything off that I was going to say.
And all I remember saying is thank you for your time, coach,
And that was it. And so that was just you
know the relationship with Joe. But that was as a freshman.
As a senior, you know, once I decided to you know,
(20:48):
the hanging at Penn State, you know, played in the
Fiesta Bowl, had a great, great game there with the
Joe said, Joe, I want to come back.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
He said, just wait a second, let me see what
we're going to go in the draft. You know, he
saw where I was going to draft his late first,
early second round. He said, You're welcome to come back
if you want. That's why I decided to go back
my last year. It was just a relationship just changed
over time with Joe, who was five years as at
Penn State.
Speaker 5 (21:09):
I love that now you went from Joe Paterno to
Don Shula and then you went from Don Shula to
Jimmy Johnson, another great legendary name in good coaching ranks.
So what was that like because that was a different
experience too. Most people know Jimmy Johnson from the Cowboys,
(21:30):
the young people, as my Son would say, the new
gen don't know Jimmy Johnson from the Dolphins.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
Trying to keep it a buck. Yeah, I hope you do,
all right.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
Yeah, I'm not a big Jimmy Johnson fan, love it
at all. You know, he and I never got along.
We still don't get along, you know. Going from Shula
to Jimmy Johnson was a huge downgrade for the Miami Dolphins.
In my opinion, Don Shula was respected great coach. I
think Jimmy Johnson got along on great talent, got great
(22:00):
town and him had great talent and Cowboys once he
got know, you know, the Hearschel Walker trade. But I
thought it was, you know, just an average coach at best,
you know, so and he and I never got along,
you know, still to this day, like I said, uh,
you know, so, he's not even in the same class
as Joe Paterno and Don Shula.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Man, he's a class way below those guys. And we'll
be right back. Dann Reno.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
Let's talk about that, Danny boy, how was it catching
passes from him? Because when you got here, you quickly
became his favorite target.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
Yeah, I mean, thank goodness that I had that opportunity.
It took a little time. You know, Dupriank Clayton had
just left that same year, Irvin Friar, mark Ingram came
in that year, and so I had an opportunity to
really learn from those guys. Keith Jackson came the year
before that, so I had an opportunity to learn from
all those guys. So I really came in as a
return guy. Yeah for the most part. But I always
(22:55):
joke about Danny and I always had a problem with
each other because, you know, he went to pitt I
went to Penn State, and we just didn't said, Danny, man,
we're on the same team. Now, Man, you gotta let
that stuff go. You know, you gotta start throwing me
the rock a little bit. And so halfway through my
rookie season, I got a little bit of opportunities with
the team, and then that second year, man, it was
just like we were clicking.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
And that was that was always a lot of fun Dan.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
You know, Dan always said get your head around like
Lynda Blair, you know, like from the exorcistem because the
ball's coming, bro And it was, it was coming, man.
But in college I played with Kerry Collins for two years.
He threw a ninety five miles out of fastball too,
so I was kind of prepared for Danny's fastball. But
it was it was just great, man. Like I talked
about earlier, being able to walk in that locker room
and see that man, you know, Dan and the man.
(23:37):
You know, he was probably in a year thirteen at
that point, maybe twelve at that point, still in his prime.
You know, it was just incredible. You know, we have
like sixty lockers in the locker room. There's like eighty
guys on the you know, on the team, and Danny
still got two lockers.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
That tells me he's the man, you know.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
And the fact that you know, Dan Marino can sell
Isotna gloves in South Florida, that really told me he
was the And then once I got on the squad
with him, man, I realized that, yeah, Dan's definitely the man.
Speaker 2 (24:04):
But what made him so war made him so good?
The way he threw his ball, Like what made him
Everyone talked I've talked to, We interviewed on Jim Kelly.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
He was like, no, I put like a nice little spar.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
I had this this nail on my my pinky nail,
and I would just kind of like let it roll
off my pinky nail and get the nice spart. Like
what what made Dan such a good quarterback? The way
he threw his ball?
Speaker 1 (24:24):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (24:24):
You know, you know, if you ever look at Danny,
you see some of these quarterbacks, now they got this
big wind up.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
You know, Danny never had a real wind up. He
threw right from the ear.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
You know, he threw right from here, and it was
quick like a you know, a quick release. Danny tell
you this day he couldn't throw the ball with sixty yards,
but he can throw it, you know, fifty on a
rope because he brings them here and it's really tight.
So and one thing that Danny did that was better
than most quarterbacks. This anticipation was unbelievable. You know, if
you're not, like I said, if you're not out of
your break with your head around on a curl route
(24:54):
or an out route, the balls on units or it's
by you. So his anticipation is a bit bility to
recoverage was incredible, and his ability to hold his snap
count to dictate help us and help them on to
see what you know, roll with the defense is playing,
what coverage are they playing? So it hold his snapcount
just enough for those safeties to start rotating, going to
the middle, going to the numbers, whatever it might be.
(25:17):
And hell, we took advantage of that all the time.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
Man.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
So his knowledge of the game, you know, his fire,
his fire is unbelievable. Like how how competitive he was
was unbelievable. We get we're down in the game and
we need to go down there, maybe for a field
goal to win it. Danny said, no, no, we're not
bringing the kicker out here. We're gonna score a touchdown,
you know. And once we got into that, that mode
of going out there, you know, with the game on
(25:39):
the line, we knew we had a great opportunity to
winning football game. So all those things about Danny, this
competitiveness is a natural ability. He had a sixth sense
in the pocket that you know, he's not the most
mobile guy, but hell he can move left or right
or up or back, and man, he just throw that fastball.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
It was. It was just incredible to watch the times.
Speaker 5 (25:58):
He was always really fun because he'd get to the
top the drop kind of slide up because he was Yeah,
he wasn't very fast, but he had really good pocket presence,
I would say, and really stepping up. I gotta ask
you one thing because this was you didn't wear gloves.
I did all the time. Yeah, I tried.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
You know, I tried not to, but I did most
of the time because I wanted to try to control
the surface of my gloves. You know, because you're playing
cold weather, your hands are cold nicy. Playing hot weather,
you get all sweaty. So the gloves kind of kept
everything the same for me. So and plus you know,
I was a block and we blocked so much at
(26:38):
Penn State that I just you know, that's how you
protect your hands more than anything, because face mask to
face masks a rough deal. But yeah, I wore I
wore gloves most of the time.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
Okay, all right, good, I couldn't remember that if it
was I never wore gloves, and I didn't get it.
It was a couple of.
Speaker 4 (26:53):
Guys back then.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
Receivers don't wear gloves, so it just did not wear
it looked a little stink. They got zero swag.
Speaker 1 (27:01):
Yeah. We also like when it would rain down here.
Speaker 5 (27:04):
I don't know if you guys had the good gloves
that could go through like now you got different.
Speaker 3 (27:08):
Those scupa gloves back in the day, you know, but
those things they ripped. You get through you know, a
quarter and those things are all ripped. They had the
ones that had to stick them on them.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
Kind of deals.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
You slide in the grass one time, is full of grass.
They're no good anymore. Nowadays, the gloves are absolutely incredible,
right right.
Speaker 5 (27:23):
They catch anything, They catch anything, everybody and everything, no
matter what the weather is. So was did you ever
feel any pressure as a wide receiver here because you
came here right after Duper and Clayton left.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:39):
I think the fact that we just picked up Urban
Fryar mark Ingram free agency helped me out a lot.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
You know.
Speaker 3 (27:45):
I didn't have that first round pressure that most first
rounds would have for that position. So my gig really
was turn punts and return kicks, you know, So that
helped me out a lot. Some of these other first
rounds they come in and they're like, you know, call
them bus already, and they haven't even you know, taken
a snap for the most part.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
So uh, friar and duper, I mean Friar and Ingram.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
Also, we had Tony Martin on the staff, you know,
so we had a bunch of receivers already where I
wasn't counting on too much to go in there and
make an impact as a receiver. Uh, so that pressure
was alleviated. Now there was a lot of pressure to
return kicks. Yeah, you know, and thank goodness, man, Like
my first kick I took uh preseason was in Atlanta
in the preseason game, and I took that one back
(28:26):
ninety four touchdown. And then I have two part returns
during the regular season for touchdown. So you know that
right there, you did your job. Yeah, whatever I did,
I did Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
Yeah, yeah, you definitely did your job.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
I think we all have a moment in our career
that we're most proud of or that just kind of
stands out. You know, when you get your eleven I
don't want to short stack years, right, Okay, I got
you got your eleven. You got that one player, I
got my thirteen. I got that one play, that one
moment out of your eight years that you played in
the national Sorry than out of the nine you got
(29:01):
in the National Football League, what's the what's the career
moment for you that you could just your your go
to player.
Speaker 6 (29:06):
We're just like, oh man, this so and so, what's
that play for you?
Speaker 3 (29:10):
Yeah, you know what, I think it's more of a
series of plays. You know, I talked about it sometimes
where you know, Dan Marino was sitting on three hundred
and ninety eight touchdown passes, right We're playing the Saints
here at home, and and he comes up to all
the receivers like, yeah, he comes up to all the
receivers like, yo, once I throw my second touchdown pass,
I need that football. Like he already knew he was
(29:31):
going to throw at least two touchdown pass in that game.
That's the confidence that he had. And so I got
three ninety nine in a zone in the end zone,
and I gave that to min Cei, who just came
to her first football game down here to see me
living living in Ohio, living in Columbus, Ohio. Then we're
calling to play. We're down in the five yard line.
(29:51):
A play goes in Coach Robert Ford. Here's the play call.
He substitutes me in and it takes Lamar Thomas out.
It's a five yard out. I scored a touch down
right there and was able to give Danny four hundred,
you know, And so that was that was a special moment.
And then later in that game, I caught four to one.
I gave that one to my mom. Oh's.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
So that was that. That that game right there.
Speaker 3 (30:12):
Would always you know, be in my mind forever, just
because of all the different factors.
Speaker 5 (30:16):
I know, they didn't have fantasy football, but you'd have
been a good pick up that had been great fantasy
you know.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
Well, let me tell you this.
Speaker 3 (30:26):
Me tell you the funny part about it, Broman is that, uh,
you know my wife, you know, she was she's ten
years younger than me, right, and they were doing for
math class, they were doing fantasy football and so so
on on Monday morning, their math teacher would have them
calculate fantasy football points, you know, to to you know,
(30:46):
for a grade basically, you know. And so once her
math teacher found out she was married to me, he
he let her know that you don't even know this,
but you were calculating this stats when you were in
high school, you know, And she's like, get out, she
didn't realize that I was a guy that you know,
she was doing her math project or math homework for
doing fantasy football on Monday after a Sunday game.
Speaker 1 (31:08):
That is crazy.
Speaker 5 (31:09):
That is crazy though, but like because back in the day,
that's how they had to do it. You had to
wait till Monday, all the paper, yeah, all the stats.
Speaker 4 (31:20):
When life was so simple, right, all right, now so simple.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
You know.
Speaker 5 (31:24):
We call this the Second Acts podcast for a reason,
and so we'd like to hear everybody's journey in their
pathway and talk about that transition period of Okay, you're
didn't getting done with your career now, and then now
you announce your retirement because you maybe talk to us
maybe about your retirement process and then after that your
transition process and to what you started to do next.
Speaker 3 (31:45):
Yeah, both of you guys. Know, man, very few people
retire in their own terms. You know, most people you know, uh,
you know, you're not John Elway's or the Paydon Mannings
or those guys here where they can walk away from
the game whenever they want to. So yeah, unfortunately, injury
forced me into retirement my left foot, and it took
a little while to you know, to figure out that
(32:06):
I wasn't gonna be able to play again, multiple surgeries
on it, and so that pretty much led me into retirement.
That's why that, That's why, Peter, That's why that that
ninth year I was on staff, but I wasn't really
doing anything. I was really just the first guy in
line to get my check, you know what I mean,
because I felt like I earned that. You definite, you
definitely earned it. But yeah, so the first few years
(32:29):
for most of us, man, it's tough. It was rough man,
trying to figure out, you know, what'll we do because
every day of our lives for so long was so regimented.
Every single minute of your day was so regimented. So
I was kind of lost, man like, trying to figure
out what I wanted to do. I was doing some
some you know, off and on radio spots for some
radio shows down here, and and that was kind of fun.
(32:50):
And then I got offered a position to do some
radio down here, and so I started doing a mid
day show down here for seven ninety to ticket it.
Did some work with five sixty w QAM, so so
radio became my gig then until I hated it, you know,
I hated it like I got to the point where like, damn,
(33:10):
you know, people on the radio was like, if you
do radio, it's like an all day thing. I might
be on from ten to two, but I got to
wake up early in prep.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
For show going to ten.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
Then I got to watch everything that night, you know
what I mean, every single thing that goes on, because
I don't want to get on the next day and
get stumped by some caller that says, you know, did
you watch the Heat, Marlin's, you know, Panthers.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
I think that's why I love all those teams.
Speaker 3 (33:33):
Those are my four teams, Heat, Marlin's, Panthers, and obviously Dolphins.
So I watched all that stuff just so I could
do radio. But it became a grind for me that
I didn't didn't enjoy. I dreaded going to work every day.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
Oh that's not a good place to be.
Speaker 3 (33:45):
Yeah, And I think a lot of people do. Man,
I get it. A lot of people don't enjoy it
where they work. But you know, I mean, it became
that for me, and so I try to figure out
other way. So then I started doing some TV for
the Dolphins. I did you know, I'm doing some radio
now form. But I only do pregame. I can't do
that same grind. Yeah, no, no, no, And so I
(34:06):
just do some things like that, and of course like
you guys do man podcasts. That's more what I enjoyed
doing than what I was doing that that that grind
the whole time, you know, you know, five days a week,
you know, ten to two watching everything. Uh so it was,
it was That's why that's where I ended up doing
right now. So pretty much I'm just you know, doing
(34:28):
radio for the team. I do a podcast. I was
doing it for the team. I'm not anymore as of
this year. But you know, I'm just being a part
of the team. I'm on our alumni advisory board.
Speaker 5 (34:37):
We help out a lot of former players that might
be in a little need, a little.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
You know, a little leg up and different things. So
just being a part of organization has been huge for
me since I think supports to some when you retire
h is huge.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
I had a good one. You had a good one.
Speaker 4 (34:51):
What was your support system like when you retired?
Speaker 1 (34:53):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (34:54):
I mean, for one, I had no kids at that point.
You know, I wasn't married at that point, so really
it was just me and my boys, man, my friends,
My mom was always she was always a huge part
of what I was doing.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
Man.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
She moved down here mid nineties to be with me
in terms of down here in South Florida. So she
was huge man up on my retirement. But still though, Man,
there's a lot of things man mentally physically that weren't
going right.
Speaker 1 (35:20):
From my foot was still mess.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
You know, I think you know a lot of us
and a lot of us this is keeping the buck too, man.
You know, drink a lot, hang out a lot, just
trying to figure out where we're going in life. And
so yeah, the support system was there. All my buddies
moved down here. You know, we're from Ohio or somewhere else,
so all they all end up moving down here. Anyways,
my best friend with Johnny Carter, you know, he's my
(35:42):
son's godfathers, you know. So you know, they all moved out,
they came down to visit, never left. That's the norm
down here in South Florida.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
Forgot you and.
Speaker 5 (35:50):
Kid Johnny Carter where yeah in the Penn State around
the city.
Speaker 3 (35:53):
Yeah, that's my I'm the one that I hosted him
and you know I got him signed to stay at
Penn State. Hum and Bobby ingram My two dogs that
I had to go get and I got them. Yeah,
and we're very cool ever since.
Speaker 1 (36:04):
Man.
Speaker 3 (36:05):
So but you know, my best friends in college became
my brothers down here as well.
Speaker 5 (36:12):
I can't believe you made it nine years in the
league and didn't get booed up. That boy made it
free and clear. That was a that was that. I mean,
you deserve a Super Bowl ring.
Speaker 4 (36:22):
Off of that.
Speaker 3 (36:23):
Well, you know it's South Florida, Florida.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
Man, keep it keep it moving, Just keep it moving. Man.
Speaker 4 (36:29):
Yeah, that boy, that boy deserve a ring for that.
Speaker 5 (36:32):
Uh, stupid bro, I'm sorry, you a fool.
Speaker 1 (36:41):
Tell me this. Tell let's talk about the fish Tank podcast. Yes,
all right, so who what are you guys trying?
Speaker 5 (36:46):
Uh tell the fans and the viewers all about it
because for those that have never seen it and would
like to know more about it.
Speaker 3 (36:53):
Yeah, so you know the fish Tank Podcast. A buddy
of mine, real good friend of mine, Seth Levitt, who
used to work in our PR department back when I
was with the Dolphins. He came in when Jimmy came
in ninety six. He came to me, approached me about
doing a podcast in twenty eighteen, and what happened was,
you know, we go to all these different charity events,
you know, and everybody's got a charity event. There's so
(37:15):
many golf events, whatever it might be. And you sit around,
you guys know this. You sit around and guy's just
telling all these stories, all these anecdotes. You know, him
self was like, you know what, why don't we put
that on a podcast? When't we have a guest and
have them come in and just tell a whole bunch
of stories. And so that's how our podcast started off. Like,
you know, we started off with like guys like Channing Crowder.
You know, we had Channing Channing know, he's got so
(37:37):
many stories, you know, overshare it too. Oh yeah, he
says a lot, he does a lot of some things
he might want to keep. Yeah he does, he does,
and it's working for him. But yeah, yeah that's different
for me. But you know, so that's how we started. Like,
you know, we get these guys in, you know, we'll
start telling these stories. And that's how we started the
fish Tank, you know, Dolphin Tales from the Deepest what
(37:58):
it's what the tagline is on that. And so these
guys were you know, coming in telling these stories. We
started off at my house on a pool table, you know,
with microphones, like we went on Amazon then, like you know,
three hundred and eighty dollars on a a couple of
microphones and a little little switchboard and everything like that,
and it's morphine what we have now to always you know,
(38:19):
actually being part of the Dolphins network for a while
and being on TV more. Of course now everybody's got
their podcast on TV or online live and things like that.
But that's where it started, man, because guys love to
sit there and tell stories, and we wanted to hear
the stories, but we want everybody else to hear them too,
the ones they were able to tell, and so that
was always a fun thing for us. And so bringing
(38:41):
back the old guys. They love telling the stories. Seth
does a great job of research and we joked some guys'
memories and they say, oh, how do you know about that?
Where'd you hear that at? You know, and they love
telling those stories, and so it's just always fun for us.
And I always learned a lot, you know, when we
do the podcast. Some guys I play with, I learned
more you know doing the podcast, and I did when
(39:02):
I played with them for five years, you know, and
that's always a lot of fun. And then of course
the guys I never played with, I learned everything about
them through it too, man. So that's what that's what
we got the idea, and that's why we that's what
we're doing to this day.
Speaker 2 (39:14):
So I'm real big in the community service. I know
Roman is too. You do a lot of things too.
Where did you get the philanthropic bug? Where did that
come from?
Speaker 1 (39:25):
Yeah, It's always been by mom. You know.
Speaker 3 (39:27):
Mom's always like, you know, always give back, Always give
back to you know, you've been giving so much, make
sure you give something back. So we've been I've been
doing that ever since I was in high school. Continued
at Penn State, and then once I got here, you know,
everybody had you know, the Marino had a foundation, and
you know, Dwight Stevenson has a foundation.
Speaker 1 (39:47):
All these guys have foundations. Make sure you continue doing that.
Speaker 3 (39:50):
And then my mom, you know, and I we partnered
with Cissy fibrosis American Cancer Society started doing things like that,
and then we decided to start our own foundation, the O. J.
Mcduffiely Catch eighty one Foundation, and so we We did
that because we wanted to start given to some charities
that were near and dear to our hearts. Single parent homes,
(40:11):
you know, because my mom having shs fifteen years old,
so we were always pretty much by ourselves from fifteen
on and then you know, and things like that, giving
back to you know, some towns, some places like some
small schools in Miami, Jack and Jill Learning Center, SOS
Children's Village. Those are things that we were more near
(40:32):
and dear to us. So that's when we created Catch
eighty one Foundation and started raising money for that.
Speaker 1 (40:36):
We'll be back in a minute. I love that. I
love that.
Speaker 2 (40:41):
So something we asked all our guests Mount Rushmore, Mount Rushmore,
of of influence four people. You get four picks, okay,
that have helped shape you, mold you into the man
you are today, the great man, the great man, a
man who what those four individuals be And it doesn't
(41:04):
have to.
Speaker 6 (41:04):
Just be related to football, just just in life.
Speaker 3 (41:07):
Well, Mom's always at the top of Mount rushword for me.
My mom was, like I said, my mom had me
she was fifteen years old. She honestly could have. She
was one of thirteen children, So I really was like
the fourteen child in the house. And she really could have.
And she was the first person in my family to
go to go to college, had a full scholarship to college.
(41:30):
She really could have pawned me off on my grandparents
who were more willing to keep me and take care
of me while she went to school. My mom for
the school, she said, OJ's coming with me. Really me,
she said, OJ's coming with me. So the fact that
she when she went to school back then, you get pregnant,
(41:50):
they kick you out of school.
Speaker 1 (41:52):
What school?
Speaker 5 (41:52):
What school did she go to? She went to Ohio
Wesleyans Okay, yea, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (41:57):
And so she.
Speaker 3 (41:59):
So she made sure that OJ was always with her,
you know, and so you know, she's always going to
be at the top of my Mount Rushmore. When I
went Hell, I was taking college courses at one and
a half years old, you know what I mean. So
I said, some of these people that think they're smart
and math, come see me, because I was taking them early.
(42:19):
And then we moved back to my hometown, and then
you know, she got a job in Cleveland, Ohio, and
you know, I said, Mom, I'm not going She said,
you know what, I'm gonna give you one year back
down here and then you're coming up there with me.
She could have went there. She's still young lady, you know,
mid twenties, and she's like all right, because she just
could have went to Cleveland and just kicked it.
Speaker 1 (42:39):
And she said, Nojay's coming with me.
Speaker 3 (42:41):
And so I moved to Cleveland reluctantly. And it was
the best thing that ever happened to me. Man, you know,
it was the best move ever.
Speaker 1 (42:47):
Man.
Speaker 3 (42:47):
The town I grew up in was there's a bunch
of guys that were going nowhere. She got me into this,
you know, a great school, and then she moved me
to a private school, which I hated. Again, another best
move she's ever made for me, you know. So she's
always gonna be number one on you know when it
comes to my mouth rushmore man, it's uh, you know.
And I lost my mom about fourteen years ago, and
(43:08):
you know, there's not a day that goes by. You know,
I got all my wrist that I don't think about it.
Speaker 1 (43:12):
And I love it. I love that. I love that. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (43:16):
And then then my uncle Homer, you know, like I
grew up without my dad, but my uncle Homer, as
you know, he was one of the fourteen siblings that
we're talking about. You know, he's right behind my mom.
He taught me everything in sports and life about being
a man. You know, everything every single sport I played
growing up, Uncle Homer taught me everything about it, you know.
So I was already ahead of the game. Whenever I
(43:38):
got to any kind of coaches at any level, I
was always just ahead of the game because of what
Uncle Homer did. He played somebody pro ball, had a
couple of coffee with the Browns.
Speaker 1 (43:48):
You know.
Speaker 3 (43:48):
He was just just a hell of an athlete, just
a hell of a man. He's still he's still my guy,
still in Columbus in Ohio.
Speaker 5 (43:55):
And he's Ohio State. Got too, man. They drive me crazy.
They ve me crazy.
Speaker 1 (44:00):
Man. My whole family's Ohio State. Still. I said, none
of y'all went to Ohio State. I went to this
day when y'all gonna jump ship.
Speaker 2 (44:06):
A whole bunch of family that in Ohio are the same.
Oh yeah, the whole state.
Speaker 1 (44:14):
Run the whole state in life.
Speaker 3 (44:15):
Yeah, yeah, for sure, man, And uh you know those
are those are my top two.
Speaker 1 (44:21):
Man. Then it could be spread out for the rest. Man.
Speaker 3 (44:23):
You know, my best friends you know, they kind of
handled the rest of my growing up man. Like I
talked about the Kajana's, my boy Bo Brian O'Neil, my
boy Eric Gudger, you all my brothers that I never had.
You know, they kind of finished it off for me
as influencers then, like I talked about a little bit too,
you know, Joe Paterno, his influence from just you know,
(44:43):
the boys to men thing was huge for us. You know,
once I left Ohio to go to Penn State, I
never went back to Ohio until, you know, just to
see my mom every once in a while. But I
stayed in school year round, you know, just taking classes,
were working out, doing all that. And Joe was a
big part of that, man, you know, from you know,
(45:04):
keep my grades up to training to trying to hone
my craft to try to get into the league.
Speaker 1 (45:10):
He was a huge part of all that. So I'd
have to put him on there too.
Speaker 3 (45:13):
But you know, so I think that you know, my mom,
my uncle, all my boys, and then probably Joe turn on.
Speaker 1 (45:20):
I love it.
Speaker 5 (45:20):
I meant you already do a great impression of Joe Paul.
That was great, man, oj Man, Thanks Man, I really
appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (45:31):
Man.
Speaker 5 (45:32):
You just don't know how big of a fan you know.
I know I said that earlier and I know how.
Speaker 2 (45:37):
But I just learned something about like we interviewed. We've
interviewed a ton of players, a ton of former players.
You might be the first that he was just like, yo,
I'm excited to So he's so excited. He you're making
his day right now, you're making his day. We didn't
interviewed all these He.
Speaker 1 (45:57):
I was O J.
Speaker 6 (45:58):
Magnificent, big o J.
Speaker 1 (46:01):
Yeah. I had never met you guys. Man, I've known
you guys. Man.
Speaker 5 (46:04):
I just appreciate you guys having me on. Man, this
is big time. It really is. Thank you, oh Man,
no doubt about it. Man. And another thing is how
much pride do you take still with the Miami Dolphins.
Speaker 1 (46:14):
I see you rocking the gear, you got the shoes, like.
Speaker 5 (46:18):
You know, anytime we have alumni that's still or able
to stick around their teams and you spent your whole
career here, and so how much pride do you take
in the Miami Dolphins. I know you've done a lot
of TV and some radio for them, and just sometimes
I just like to hear our veteran guys talk about
how much they represent and how much the NFL they
(46:38):
still try and stay involved with.
Speaker 3 (46:40):
Yeah, man, I am I'm definitely blessed to spend all
nine years here.
Speaker 1 (46:43):
And you know, like I said, I'm from Ohio. I'm
not going back.
Speaker 3 (46:46):
So I've been living down here since the day I
got drafted in April of ninety three. I yeah, yeah, so,
you know, and the Dolphins has been great to me. Man,
the community has been great to me. Mister Ross, our
owner has been great to us. We have an alumni
sweek that holds sixty the guys. You know that we
get every single game for fifty bucks. You know, you
get two tickets and you know, and you get a
parking pass, and you know another team in the league
(47:08):
does that. They really really take care of us down here,
you know, And it's like it's just amazing what this
community has been like for me. So I ride or
die with the Dolphins, man, you know, And it's been
it's been a tough sled for.
Speaker 1 (47:20):
A long time.
Speaker 3 (47:20):
We haven't won to We haven't won a playoff game
since my last year, you know what I mean. Yeah,
So that's old one oh one. We haven't won a
playoff game since oh one, and it's just sad, bro,
it really is.
Speaker 1 (47:33):
Man.
Speaker 3 (47:33):
But we still ride with them, man, because they ride
with us. They ride with the alumni, and I'm always
gonna ride with them.
Speaker 1 (47:39):
I like that. I do too. Man.
Speaker 5 (47:40):
Well, oj Man, thanks so much, Man for coming onto
the podcast. Man, I can't wait to share this episode
all of our viewers and fans.
Speaker 1 (47:47):
Man. So I'm just thankful that the new gen.
Speaker 4 (47:49):
Yeah, the new gen. This is for the new gen,
just for the new GM.
Speaker 1 (47:54):
Yes, this is for my son and all the new gym.
Speaker 6 (47:56):
OJ mcduffin is nine years yeah, all right, Man.
Speaker 5 (48:00):
Well, thank you guys for always tuning in and listening
to wherever you pick up your podcast, whether it's iHeartRadio,
the app, or Apple Podcasts. The iHeartRadio app makes you
like to share, subscribe, leave a couple of messages, hit
that follow button for sure, and you can also check
us out on the NFL page NFL's YouTube chap.
Speaker 4 (48:18):
Yes, right, you got it, you got it. That was cool.
He keeps saying pages.
Speaker 1 (48:22):
I don't know. I try to stay away from that
word this time.
Speaker 2 (48:26):
We appreciate y'all tuning in on Peanut that's Roman, that's Oja,
And this is the NFL Player's Second Act podcast, and
we out
Dann Reno. Let's talk about that.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Danny boy, how was it catching passes from him? Because
when you got here, you quickly became his favorite target.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
But I always joke about Danny and I always had
a problem with each other because you know, he went
to pitt I went to Penn State, and we just didn't.
I said, Danny, Man, we we're on the same team. Now, man,
you gotta let that stuff go. You know, you gotta
start throwing me the rock a little bit. And so
halfway through my rookie season, I got a little bit
of opportunities with the team. And then that second year, man,
it was just like we were clicking. And that was
that was always a lot of fun Dan. You know,
(00:31):
Dan always said get your head around like Linda Blair,
you know, like from the Extra system, because because the
ball's coming, bro, and it was it was coming.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
Man, what up, everybody? I'm peanut to him.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
And this is the NFL Player's Second Acts podcast and
with me as always as my trustee co host Roman Coovid.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Harper, I was trying to make us something.
Speaker 5 (01:00):
So I was like, okay, I got admit, I think
this is the first time I love Peanuts shirt more
than my own shirt.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
And it's beautiful, you know, And.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
It's like the third compliment I got on my shirt.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
I love that.
Speaker 5 (01:12):
And I'm really excited about our guest that we have
on right now. I know I hate saying this, but
I grew up big fan of this and loved watching
him play and compete, and he's some of Miami's own
and finest players of all time. So we talked about
this in the car and you was like, yo, I
was a huge, huge fit this guy. Yeah, first round
(01:33):
pick out of Penn State in the ninety three draft,
eight year vet for the Dolphins. He's in the Dolphins
Walk of Fame, and he is the host of the
podcast The Fish Tank.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the pot mister oh
J mcdutin.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Hey, thank you, Thank you man. I appreciate that now.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
You guys know, though it's officially nine years when it
comes to my tenure in the league, because that extra
year it means a lot when that pinch comes.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
Absolutely, so I apologize single if you won't apology.
Speaker 6 (02:06):
He got his nine years, don't. I'm sure it doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Anybody that tells me, like, oh man, you played ten
years in the league. I'm like, actually was eleven, right.
Speaker 4 (02:14):
Oh yeah, you just let me get that.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
You can't get there.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
I mean he was I meant everything I said, though
he was he was like, oh man, I was a
huge old like he was just he was a guy.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
He's I was like, I didn't.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
I was in Germany at that time, so you didn't
watching a lot have the football.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
So man, that's yeah, well you know what you see
what's going on now trying to expand it over there.
But you know, when I was playing, they were you know,
they went over that. I think in the preseason. Maybe
Now there's a lot of regular season games you know
that are overseas.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Man.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
But you know, I think what's what the NBA has
done going overseas. What the NBA, I mean, what the
NFL is trying to emulate, and I think that's worked
out really well for them.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
It has.
Speaker 5 (02:56):
There's more games played over there now than ever, and
every single they trying, it seems like they try and
go to a different location and continue to spread. At
first it was just London, you know, back in your day.
I think they went to Tokyo, I think preseason game
and then all of a sudden next to you know,
you know, then they had NFL Europe where it really
started to expand in the off season.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Yeah, of course that was after your time.
Speaker 5 (03:18):
But you know, but and then from there, you know,
you see him go to Mexico City and now they're
going to Germany.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
They continue to expand.
Speaker 5 (03:25):
It just ruled Spain next, They're going to Spain next. Yeah,
I think one of our guys is I think film
is gonna call a game in Spain. But now, the
one thing I didn't know, Oj, was that your real name,
because nobody knew that. Uh otis James correct? Okay, so
is that a family name?
Speaker 1 (03:46):
No, so.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Otis James McDuffie. I was named after O. J. Simpson. Okay.
My grandmother was a big fan. She didn't like his
first name were Reenthal, so she won the OJ nickname.
So she named me otis James mcduffietead. So that's how
I got you know, O. J. McDuffie had. So it
was we talked about.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
I started to say it like, oh damn, I was right.
Speaker 5 (04:09):
Okay, yeah, okay, okay, I want to talk about your
college career, all right.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
You know, back in the day I don't think we
all knew. I just knew you had Miami Dolphins.
Speaker 5 (04:19):
I didn't know that you actually were an all time
great at Penn State.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Not only that, not in football, but also in baseball.
Speaker 5 (04:26):
You you know, you hit three thirty six, you were
twenty for twenty one and stolen bases. You were actually
drafted in the forty fourth forty first round in baseball
and the ninety one draft. Yeah, so let's talk about that.
How was your baseball career? Would you just grow up
playing it or or was this something you picked up later?
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (04:45):
You know, baseball was the first thing I could actually
play officially when I when I when I grew up
in Ohio, Central Ohio, I grew up in Marion, Ohio,
and we couldn't play tackle football two or ten years old.
So I played baseball from five years old on. Played
football from five years but it was only flag football.
So baseball's always been a passion of mine. My mom
(05:06):
loved me playing baseball because she didn't like me getting
hit playing football, and so I played baseball from five
years old all the way until my sophomore year at
Penn State. And part of my decision even to go
to Penn State was whether they're gonna let me play
baseball or not. And there were a few schools that
I was talking to, four all the five that of
my last five so that I could play baseball, and
once Joe paternal so that I could play baseball. That
(05:28):
became pretty much the nail on the coffee for me
to go to Penn State. And so playing baseball my
whole life. Playing eighty games this summer from age thirteen
to age you know, eighteen, get an opportunity to go
to Penn State and play baseball as well. They had
me as a lead off hitter playing center field, and
you know, it was it was great that I did
(05:51):
get drafted by the Angels, but you know, when they
came and told me what the signing bonus was, I
decided focus mostly on football. But that's a different story.
But yeah, baseball has always been a passion of mine.
It's still a passion of mine. My kids that are
seventeen and twenty three now, they played baseball. They didn't
play any football at coached them in baseball. So yeah,
baseball has always been a big part of my life.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
What's harder out of the two sports? Hitting a fastball
at one hundred miles an hour, or catching a bomb
ninety yards down the field from Dann Reno like with
some tight coverage, right, what's the hardest one.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
But you know I didn't I didn't face No, I
didn't face one hundred yet. I didn't get to that
point in my career in baseball so hot. The fastest
fastball I saw it was probably about ninety three ninety four. Still, yeah,
you know, it depends if there's any movement on them.
That's a figure the problem. Yeah, if there's a movement,
this's problem. If it's you know, if it's it's a
flat fastball, man, that's that's easy hitting, right, that's batting
practice right there. So for ninety yards, I would never
(06:48):
catch a ninety yard pass from Danny.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
I wouldn't fast enough to get down to that ball.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
That goes to the Dupers and the Clayton's and those
guys that were able to get down the field that way.
But you know I'll catch it, you know, fifteen to
twenty yards square in Cisler tight coverach.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
I loved it.
Speaker 5 (07:03):
So do you know you're still are you aware that
you're still in the record books for Penn State Baseball.
I did not know that. All right, let's let's help
you out here. Let me let me give you something
to take on you. You, you and one other player
are still the only two players in Penn State history
to have four stolen bases in one single game.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
All right, do you remember doing that? I do? Okay,
tell me the game? Well, I don't. I don't know
the game, but was it?
Speaker 3 (07:31):
It wasn't West Virginia, because that's the one that's West
Virginia is the one game I got thrown out and
I think I was still safe on that one room.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
I think it was twenty one out of twenty one.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
But you know, yeah, there was no replay back.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
They called me out. They called me out, it right.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
I'm not sure the team though, it seemed like it
was like a Saint Boni Miture team or something like that.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Who was it? Oh, I don't know. I didn't.
Speaker 5 (07:55):
I couldn't find that part. But just know I was over.
You can feel in the play. I like Saint Bonaventure
has to answer though.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
I like that answer.
Speaker 4 (08:02):
It's gonna go with that.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
We'll go with that one, all right.
Speaker 5 (08:05):
Your twenty stolen bases is still time fourth fourth most
in school history. All right, uh, your eighteen game hitting streak,
it's still tied for fifth most really in school history.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
That's the name of the school. How you said that?
Speaker 5 (08:19):
Oh, Ducaine, Ducaine, Okay against the Cave, Yeah, okay Ca.
So yes, that's quick, peanut, good pool.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
I couldn't say that.
Speaker 6 (08:28):
I was like, wait, what's that.
Speaker 5 (08:30):
I watched a lot of n c DOAA basketball tournaments,
so yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:36):
So that is you.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
Congratulations that did not know that you had a great
baseball career as well.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
I love baseball, like I said, man, and it's amazing.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Not much has changed, especially at Penn State.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
You know, we played a nice little field with like
some raggedy bleachers out there. Now they're playing a little
minor league stadium that's right on campus, right by the
football stadium, and the program has grown. They moved into
the Big Ten since I played, which is great because
the competition is serious in the Big Ten and they've
gotten better. They might play Ducaine, but they're still playing
the Indiana's, the Michigans and the USC's UCLA's who were
real big baseball powerhouses and stuff like that. So yeah,
(09:08):
it's it's it's nice see the way the program has grown,
and it's amazing that, you know, some of those some
of those records still stand, considering they played twice as
many games as we played. You know, when I played
so uh the eighteen game Hidden Street. That's something different
compared to all the other numbers that you know, I'm
fourth and fifth one because we only played half as
many games.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Tell me this.
Speaker 5 (09:26):
Though, when you're playing in somewhere like Penn State where
it's cold, yeah, like, how do you guys get around
the weather in these places? Like I always wonder like, man,
why would you go play baseball where it's cold. I
know you didn't choose, you know, that was just part
of your decision, but you know, playing baseball in the
(09:46):
cold because you guys are out there right.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Well.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
I grew up in Ohio, so we always played a
little bit of baseball in the cold. But I tell
you this role, and that's the reason I actually stopped
playing baseball because I was in center field. It was
March and it was snowing, and I looked at my
I was just thinking to myself, what the hell am
I doing out here?
Speaker 1 (10:04):
You know, really, what am I doing out here? You know?
Speaker 3 (10:06):
And you talk about that one hundred mile an hour fastball.
I didn't see that, but you see ninety four You
get that off the end of the bat or on
the handle. Man, you talk about stinging for a long time.
That's when I was like, you know what, this this just.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Isn't for me, man.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
And uh, you know, the reason I really started playing
baseball Penn State was because you know, I didn't want
to go through spring ball. You know, spring ball can
be for football, and so I was like, you know what,
I'm gonna try baseball, see if it works out for me.
So Joe made me play baseball, I mean play football
and spring my freshman year and then the next year.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
A couple of years after that, I was able to
play baseball. But I was out there it was snowing.
Speaker 7 (10:38):
Man.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
I'm like, you know what, You're right, this isn't this
isn't for me.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
I'm warnering how you got to Penn State though, even
though you was in Ohio State's backyard.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Yeah, was the one of the four of the five.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
Absolutely, Ohio State was number one for a long time
for me. The reason, yeah, and the reason I didn't
go to Ohio State, I was like I was locked
and loaded I grew up Ohio State. Yeah, I was
my home town of Marrin o'hios, forty five minutes from
from Columbus. I used to watch Ohio State games on Saturday,
wake up on Sunday morning and watch the replay, you
know what I mean, before I watch whatever chat, whatever
(11:11):
game came on or you know, four six and ten,
only three stations that we had at home. And so
my senior year, I'm locked and loaded to go to
Ohio State. In December of that year, they fired Earl
Bruce to bring in John Cooper. And John Cooper comes
to visit. I'm playing basketball at this point, because you know,
you Ohio, you got to go indoors in the wintertime.
I'm playing basketball at this point. John Cooper comes, you know,
(11:34):
I'm living. You know, it's just me and my mom.
He meets us, and my mom and I looked at
each other and said, naw, you know, this is Saint
the right guy for us, you know. And so that
really opened it up for the other schools. I got you,
and that's how I got out of Ohio State. I
visited Michigan. Would never go there being an Ohio State guy.
You know what I mean, being from Ohio, I went
to La so.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Real between documentaries about I'm just glad to even call it.
Speaker 5 (11:59):
If he went to say, you don't use that word
for them, You're right, you tell you.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
You know, I've visited u c l A. Uh. You know,
I just did that.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
That's the first time I was ever on a plan
seventeen years old. So I just took that for the trip.
Never been to California obviously, so and didn't Notre Dame
in Penn State, so that was those are my last
two are Notre Dame in Penn State, and obviously I
went to Penn State.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
So what was your out of all the sports you played,
because we looked you up Wikipedia page and you were
a baller in high school, like football, basketball, track. Out
of all the ones you did was football your favorite one.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
Basketball is my fast We all think we can hoop, man,
you know, every football player thinks they can hoop.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
You know.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
Obviously, I'm hype challenge. So that didn't work out for me.
As much as I like to.
Speaker 5 (12:45):
Still looked like you could yoke that thing. You know
what at fifty six. Now I'm almost fifty six, and
it's just not happening.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
The way it used to.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
I had to show my kids are filming me dunking
the other day and they're like, yah, whatever, this Ai
is incredible, they said, you know, So that's that's where
it's at with me now. But basketball is always my
favorite football obviously second baseball. I just did track. Honestly,
I did track just to qualify for state. So I
play a double header in baseball. Between games, I go
get some jumps in and track, and then I go
(13:13):
back and play the second game with double header, so
just so I could qualify for the States for the
state event.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
And that worked out really well for me too, just
a superior athlete.
Speaker 4 (13:23):
Okay, So now Hyle's own very own bo Jackson over here.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
I had a nickname of boj but I couldn't live up.
He was incredible. He was incredible.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
I like that, all right.
Speaker 5 (13:38):
So you get out of college, you're drafted to the Dolphins.
What was your first welcome to the NFL moment?
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Oh man?
Speaker 3 (13:49):
I mean when they sent the uniform to Penn State
to do a you know, a photo shoot next to
the lion. It was too big, it was sloppy. I
see that card now, I just want to burn it.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
But I think my first welcome to the NFL moment
probably was when I got my signing bonus check and
I realized that the million dollars I got was in
the actually like six hundred and some thousands. Now I
learned about taxes. That was my welcome to the NFL moment,
you know, and you know what you know what I mean.
So and also, you know, just a surreal moment walking
(14:21):
in the locker room when you know you're playing mad
in your dorm room or you're in my apartment back
of Penn State. You walk in that locker room as
your first time as a professional. You see Dan Marino,
you see Keith Jackson, you see Irvin Fryar, you meet
Coach Shuler. It's like, man, that was that was that
welcome to the league moment, Like, dude, you know I
made it.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
That childhood dream.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
We all dreamed of playing the league, you know, and
then you dream of playing you know, junior high and
you dream playing high school. You get a chance to
be in college, you get the college, realize that you
got a chance to play in the league, and you
finally make it. I mean, that was like a dream
come true to be in that locker room with that
group of guys, you asked something.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
You said something. I gotta know because you grew up
in that time.
Speaker 5 (15:01):
For real, it was like like Madden was just coming out,
Like madd ninety two was like one of the first Maddens.
And so now what was that like having that video
game in the dorm rooms back then? We're like, you know,
now we all play online, it's easy, right, but like,
(15:21):
tell me all about what was that like back in
the day. Was the first time when the video game
hit in college?
Speaker 4 (15:27):
In college?
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Like what were you guys all? How did you guys?
What was that like? Back then?
Speaker 7 (15:31):
Man?
Speaker 3 (15:31):
It was incredible, man, you know, and it's it's it's
not good for education.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
It really isn't good for education because.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
You can play Madden all day and today's man looks
way better than the Madden I played.
Speaker 7 (15:42):
But when it was at that time, though, it was
it was it was the best thing you would ever seen.
It was absolutely incredible, man. Sixty four bits, yeah, yeah,
exactly right. And then you know, being able to play
with certain teams like that. You know, now you can
put guys on different teams, but you're stuck with that
roster that you had. You played with the Dolphins, you know,
and all you're doing is throwing the rocker round the yard. Man.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
You know, Danny's got seven hundred yards passing this game,
you know. And then you know, then once I got
in the league, I was still playing Madden, and I
all I did was throw it to myself for five.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
Hundred yards a game, you know.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
So, I mean, it really was amazing back then to
see all those guys and playing with these different teams.
And we used to do a random draw sometime to
play the game, you know, so you kids can't pick
the team you want to play with. You just a
random team, and then you have to figure out how
to you know, how to make it happen. And so
that was always fun for us. And then to play
with some of those guys, to play against some of
those guys, man, it was just incredible.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
You got the chance to play for two legendary coaches,
Paternal and Shula. How different were each of those coaches
and how they coached.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
Oh man, they were both very demanding, tough as hell.
You know, everything about them was tough. The difference between
the two is, you know, Paternal never cursed and nobody
was allowed to curse. Really, Shula a little different story.
You know, you have colored for words that I didn't know.
Speaker 5 (16:56):
Joe Paul never cursed. Not everybody talk. I don't think
that's every Yeah, he never never cursed. Nobody was allowed
to curse. If you cursed, you got in trouble. If
a coach curs, they got in trouble. You know, we
called them all by their first names.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
You know, it was Joe, you know, Franny, uh, coach Calwell,
we always call him because he was like he's like
a boss, so we always called We didn't call him Jim,
we called him coach Callwell. But like I'm saying, we
always had and that was one of the main differences.
But you know, you know the thing about it too,
with Shula, he had to coach.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
That's really all his job was was the coach. Joe
had to take these.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
You know, these young men who went to the living room,
told their parents, he's going to take care of him.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
You know.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
Now he's got to worry about the education, he's got
to worry about, you know, the girls on campus. Then
he's got to worry about football, you know. And so
he really took the guys from boys to men. Uh literally,
and you know, to make it, to make it happen.
Once I got to Shula though, she was like, it's
all about business, you know, handling your business and you
know it'll be will be.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Business like here.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
So but they were both very demanding, both both well respected.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Man, I love both of those coaches.
Speaker 5 (17:58):
Eventually, are they how different do you think they were
as far as like on the field versus off the
field or like I could see you saying like Joe
Paul was kind of the same because right, that's just
who he was. What about coach Shuler? Was he like
the same on and off the field? Yeah, so Joe
was not the same on and off the field.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
Joe. You know, here's the thing about Joe.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
You as a freshman, you're really really intimidated by Joe,
you know what I mean? I think, Yeah, I got
a story when I was a friend. What intimidate him though, Well,
just his stature in terms of you know, he's not
a big guy, but just you know who he is,
and like, you know, if he says something, you know
it's like, you know, it's the gospel really, and you
look at him, first of all, you look at him
(18:43):
those glasses and you know, you kind of get messm
rides a little bit. You know, we always joke about
that with Joe man. But when he starts talking, man,
it's like, you know, you don't want to you want
to make sure you do everything that Joe's asking you
to do, Like things like we had at Penn Stateles.
Everybody had to be at breakfast every morning, eight o'clock morning.
You could have an eleven o'clock class, but you have
to be at breakfast every single morning. And he said
(19:04):
a lot of you guys aren't gonna make it to
the pros, but you're gonna have You're gonna work, and
when you work, you're gonna get up every morning and
go to work. So that was always something that we
you know, he always always preached us. He also said,
you know you're going to class. We go to class.
If you found out you were a skipping class, he'd
have somebody follow you for two or three weeks. Make
sure you're going to every single class, you know, and
things like that. Study hall. Study hall was mandatory for freshmen.
(19:25):
If you're messing up in school as a sophomore, junior, senior,
you're going to study hall as well. You know, things
like that was all that the things that he had
to worry about, and you make sure you didn't want.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
To cross him on any of that stuff, you know, because.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
Joe would not play the best players that they weren't
doing the right things, you know, every day, going to breakfast,
going to class, having their grades up. Some of our
best players didn't even go on bowl trips because you know,
they were eligible, but their grades were not what he
wanted them to be. So that's that's some of the
things that he worried about, and we're more concerned about
than anything when it came to us.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
And then when you know.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
Then you look at I tell you one time, I
went to Joe's office my freshman year and I was
upset about lack of playing time, you know. So I
go and I say, I got I got all this stuff.
You know, I'm sitting outside his office. I got all
these things in my mind that I'm on tell him right.
And so finally is his secretary said, okay, coach, Coach
is ready to see you now. So I go and
(20:15):
I got all this stuff in my mind. Right, I
sit down. All I remember saying is thank you for
your time.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
Coach, say. I didn't get one worded. I didn't get
one worded.
Speaker 8 (20:27):
He told me, like, I know you upset about your
playing time. Yeah, I know that. You know you think
you should be playing right now. I know your grades
are good. But all this stuff he kept saying. I
didn't get anything off that I was going to say.
And all I remember saying is thank you for your time, coach,
And that was it. And so that was just you
know the relationship with Joe. But that was as a freshman.
As a senior, you know, once I decided to you know,
(20:48):
the hanging at Penn State, you know, played in the
Fiesta Bowl, had a great, great game there with the
Joe said, Joe, I want to come back.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
He said, just wait a second, let me see what
we're going to go in the draft. You know, he
saw where I was going to draft his late first,
early second round. He said, You're welcome to come back
if you want. That's why I decided to go back
my last year. It was just a relationship just changed
over time with Joe, who was five years as at
Penn State.
Speaker 5 (21:09):
I love that now you went from Joe Paterno to
Don Shula and then you went from Don Shula to
Jimmy Johnson, another great legendary name in good coaching ranks.
So what was that like because that was a different
experience too. Most people know Jimmy Johnson from the Cowboys,
(21:30):
the young people, as my Son would say, the new
gen don't know Jimmy Johnson from the Dolphins.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
Trying to keep it a buck. Yeah, I hope you do,
all right.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
Yeah, I'm not a big Jimmy Johnson fan, love it
at all. You know, he and I never got along.
We still don't get along, you know. Going from Shula
to Jimmy Johnson was a huge downgrade for the Miami Dolphins.
In my opinion, Don Shula was respected great coach. I
think Jimmy Johnson got along on great talent, got great
(22:00):
town and him had great talent and Cowboys once he
got know, you know, the Hearschel Walker trade. But I
thought it was, you know, just an average coach at best,
you know, so and he and I never got along,
you know, still to this day, like I said, uh,
you know, so, he's not even in the same class
as Joe Paterno and Don Shula.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Man, he's a class way below those guys. And we'll
be right back. Dann Reno.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
Let's talk about that, Danny boy, how was it catching
passes from him? Because when you got here, you quickly
became his favorite target.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
Yeah, I mean, thank goodness that I had that opportunity.
It took a little time. You know, Dupriank Clayton had
just left that same year, Irvin Friar, mark Ingram came
in that year, and so I had an opportunity to
really learn from those guys. Keith Jackson came the year
before that, so I had an opportunity to learn from
all those guys. So I really came in as a
return guy. Yeah for the most part. But I always
(22:55):
joke about Danny and I always had a problem with
each other because, you know, he went to pitt I
went to Penn State, and we just didn't said, Danny, man,
we're on the same team. Now, Man, you gotta let
that stuff go. You know, you gotta start throwing me
the rock a little bit. And so halfway through my
rookie season, I got a little bit of opportunities with
the team, and then that second year, man, it was
just like we were clicking.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
And that was that was always a lot of fun Dan.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
You know, Dan always said get your head around like
Lynda Blair, you know, like from the exorcistem because the
ball's coming, bro And it was, it was coming, man.
But in college I played with Kerry Collins for two years.
He threw a ninety five miles out of fastball too,
so I was kind of prepared for Danny's fastball. But
it was it was just great, man. Like I talked
about earlier, being able to walk in that locker room
and see that man, you know, Dan and the man.
(23:37):
You know, he was probably in a year thirteen at
that point, maybe twelve at that point, still in his prime.
You know, it was just incredible. You know, we have
like sixty lockers in the locker room. There's like eighty
guys on the you know, on the team, and Danny
still got two lockers.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
That tells me he's the man, you know.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
And the fact that you know, Dan Marino can sell
Isotna gloves in South Florida, that really told me he
was the And then once I got on the squad
with him, man, I realized that, yeah, Dan's definitely the man.
Speaker 2 (24:04):
But what made him so war made him so good?
The way he threw his ball, Like what made him
Everyone talked I've talked to, We interviewed on Jim Kelly.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
He was like, no, I put like a nice little spar.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
I had this this nail on my my pinky nail,
and I would just kind of like let it roll
off my pinky nail and get the nice spart. Like
what what made Dan such a good quarterback? The way
he threw his ball?
Speaker 1 (24:24):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (24:24):
You know, you know, if you ever look at Danny,
you see some of these quarterbacks, now they got this
big wind up.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
You know, Danny never had a real wind up. He
threw right from the ear.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
You know, he threw right from here, and it was
quick like a you know, a quick release. Danny tell
you this day he couldn't throw the ball with sixty yards,
but he can throw it, you know, fifty on a
rope because he brings them here and it's really tight.
So and one thing that Danny did that was better
than most quarterbacks. This anticipation was unbelievable. You know, if
you're not, like I said, if you're not out of
your break with your head around on a curl route
(24:54):
or an out route, the balls on units or it's
by you. So his anticipation is a bit bility to
recoverage was incredible, and his ability to hold his snap
count to dictate help us and help them on to
see what you know, roll with the defense is playing,
what coverage are they playing? So it hold his snapcount
just enough for those safeties to start rotating, going to
the middle, going to the numbers, whatever it might be.
(25:17):
And hell, we took advantage of that all the time.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
Man.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
So his knowledge of the game, you know, his fire,
his fire is unbelievable. Like how how competitive he was
was unbelievable. We get we're down in the game and
we need to go down there, maybe for a field
goal to win it. Danny said, no, no, we're not
bringing the kicker out here. We're gonna score a touchdown,
you know. And once we got into that, that mode
of going out there, you know, with the game on
(25:39):
the line, we knew we had a great opportunity to
winning football game. So all those things about Danny, this
competitiveness is a natural ability. He had a sixth sense
in the pocket that you know, he's not the most
mobile guy, but hell he can move left or right
or up or back, and man, he just throw that fastball.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
It was. It was just incredible to watch the times.
Speaker 5 (25:58):
He was always really fun because he'd get to the
top the drop kind of slide up because he was Yeah,
he wasn't very fast, but he had really good pocket presence,
I would say, and really stepping up. I gotta ask
you one thing because this was you didn't wear gloves.
I did all the time. Yeah, I tried.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
You know, I tried not to, but I did most
of the time because I wanted to try to control
the surface of my gloves. You know, because you're playing
cold weather, your hands are cold nicy. Playing hot weather,
you get all sweaty. So the gloves kind of kept
everything the same for me. So and plus you know,
I was a block and we blocked so much at
(26:38):
Penn State that I just you know, that's how you
protect your hands more than anything, because face mask to
face masks a rough deal. But yeah, I wore I
wore gloves most of the time.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
Okay, all right, good, I couldn't remember that if it
was I never wore gloves, and I didn't get it.
It was a couple of.
Speaker 4 (26:53):
Guys back then.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
Receivers don't wear gloves, so it just did not wear
it looked a little stink. They got zero swag.
Speaker 1 (27:01):
Yeah. We also like when it would rain down here.
Speaker 5 (27:04):
I don't know if you guys had the good gloves
that could go through like now you got different.
Speaker 3 (27:08):
Those scupa gloves back in the day, you know, but
those things they ripped. You get through you know, a
quarter and those things are all ripped. They had the
ones that had to stick them on them.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
Kind of deals.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
You slide in the grass one time, is full of grass.
They're no good anymore. Nowadays, the gloves are absolutely incredible,
right right.
Speaker 5 (27:23):
They catch anything, They catch anything, everybody and everything, no
matter what the weather is. So was did you ever
feel any pressure as a wide receiver here because you
came here right after Duper and Clayton left.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:39):
I think the fact that we just picked up Urban
Fryar mark Ingram free agency helped me out a lot.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
You know.
Speaker 3 (27:45):
I didn't have that first round pressure that most first
rounds would have for that position. So my gig really
was turn punts and return kicks, you know, So that
helped me out a lot. Some of these other first
rounds they come in and they're like, you know, call
them bus already, and they haven't even you know, taken
a snap for the most part.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
So uh, friar and duper, I mean Friar and Ingram.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
Also, we had Tony Martin on the staff, you know,
so we had a bunch of receivers already where I
wasn't counting on too much to go in there and
make an impact as a receiver. Uh, so that pressure
was alleviated. Now there was a lot of pressure to
return kicks. Yeah, you know, and thank goodness, man, Like
my first kick I took uh preseason was in Atlanta
in the preseason game, and I took that one back
(28:26):
ninety four touchdown. And then I have two part returns
during the regular season for touchdown. So you know that
right there, you did your job. Yeah, whatever I did,
I did Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
Yeah, yeah, you definitely did your job.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
I think we all have a moment in our career
that we're most proud of or that just kind of
stands out. You know, when you get your eleven I
don't want to short stack years, right, Okay, I got
you got your eleven. You got that one player, I
got my thirteen. I got that one play, that one
moment out of your eight years that you played in
the national Sorry than out of the nine you got
(29:01):
in the National Football League, what's the what's the career
moment for you that you could just your your go
to player.
Speaker 6 (29:06):
We're just like, oh man, this so and so, what's
that play for you?
Speaker 3 (29:10):
Yeah, you know what, I think it's more of a
series of plays. You know, I talked about it sometimes
where you know, Dan Marino was sitting on three hundred
and ninety eight touchdown passes, right We're playing the Saints
here at home, and and he comes up to all
the receivers like, yeah, he comes up to all the
receivers like, yo, once I throw my second touchdown pass,
I need that football. Like he already knew he was
(29:31):
going to throw at least two touchdown pass in that game.
That's the confidence that he had. And so I got
three ninety nine in a zone in the end zone,
and I gave that to min Cei, who just came
to her first football game down here to see me
living living in Ohio, living in Columbus, Ohio. Then we're
calling to play. We're down in the five yard line.
(29:51):
A play goes in Coach Robert Ford. Here's the play call.
He substitutes me in and it takes Lamar Thomas out.
It's a five yard out. I scored a touch down
right there and was able to give Danny four hundred,
you know, And so that was that was a special moment.
And then later in that game, I caught four to one.
I gave that one to my mom. Oh's.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
So that was that. That that game right there.
Speaker 3 (30:12):
Would always you know, be in my mind forever, just
because of all the different factors.
Speaker 5 (30:16):
I know, they didn't have fantasy football, but you'd have
been a good pick up that had been great fantasy
you know.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
Well, let me tell you this.
Speaker 3 (30:26):
Me tell you the funny part about it, Broman is that, uh,
you know my wife, you know, she was she's ten
years younger than me, right, and they were doing for
math class, they were doing fantasy football and so so
on on Monday morning, their math teacher would have them
calculate fantasy football points, you know, to to you know,
(30:46):
for a grade basically, you know. And so once her
math teacher found out she was married to me, he
he let her know that you don't even know this,
but you were calculating this stats when you were in
high school, you know, And she's like, get out, she
didn't realize that I was a guy that you know,
she was doing her math project or math homework for
doing fantasy football on Monday after a Sunday game.
Speaker 1 (31:08):
That is crazy.
Speaker 5 (31:09):
That is crazy though, but like because back in the day,
that's how they had to do it. You had to
wait till Monday, all the paper, yeah, all the stats.
Speaker 4 (31:20):
When life was so simple, right, all right, now so simple.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
You know.
Speaker 5 (31:24):
We call this the Second Acts podcast for a reason,
and so we'd like to hear everybody's journey in their
pathway and talk about that transition period of Okay, you're
didn't getting done with your career now, and then now
you announce your retirement because you maybe talk to us
maybe about your retirement process and then after that your
transition process and to what you started to do next.
Speaker 3 (31:45):
Yeah, both of you guys. Know, man, very few people
retire in their own terms. You know, most people you know, uh,
you know, you're not John Elway's or the Paydon Mannings
or those guys here where they can walk away from
the game whenever they want to. So yeah, unfortunately, injury
forced me into retirement my left foot, and it took
a little while to you know, to figure out that
(32:06):
I wasn't gonna be able to play again, multiple surgeries
on it, and so that pretty much led me into retirement.
That's why that, That's why, Peter, That's why that that
ninth year I was on staff, but I wasn't really
doing anything. I was really just the first guy in
line to get my check, you know what I mean,
because I felt like I earned that. You definite, you
definitely earned it. But yeah, so the first few years
(32:29):
for most of us, man, it's tough. It was rough man,
trying to figure out, you know, what'll we do because
every day of our lives for so long was so regimented.
Every single minute of your day was so regimented. So
I was kind of lost, man like, trying to figure
out what I wanted to do. I was doing some
some you know, off and on radio spots for some
radio shows down here, and and that was kind of fun.
(32:50):
And then I got offered a position to do some
radio down here, and so I started doing a mid
day show down here for seven ninety to ticket it.
Did some work with five sixty w QAM, so so
radio became my gig then until I hated it, you know,
I hated it like I got to the point where like, damn,
(33:10):
you know, people on the radio was like, if you
do radio, it's like an all day thing. I might
be on from ten to two, but I got to
wake up early in prep.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
For show going to ten.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
Then I got to watch everything that night, you know
what I mean, every single thing that goes on, because
I don't want to get on the next day and
get stumped by some caller that says, you know, did
you watch the Heat, Marlin's, you know, Panthers.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
I think that's why I love all those teams.
Speaker 3 (33:33):
Those are my four teams, Heat, Marlin's, Panthers, and obviously Dolphins.
So I watched all that stuff just so I could
do radio. But it became a grind for me that
I didn't didn't enjoy. I dreaded going to work every day.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
Oh that's not a good place to be.
Speaker 3 (33:45):
Yeah, And I think a lot of people do. Man,
I get it. A lot of people don't enjoy it
where they work. But you know, I mean, it became
that for me, and so I try to figure out
other way. So then I started doing some TV for
the Dolphins. I did you know, I'm doing some radio
now form. But I only do pregame. I can't do
that same grind. Yeah, no, no, no, And so I
(34:06):
just do some things like that, and of course like
you guys do man podcasts. That's more what I enjoyed
doing than what I was doing that that that grind
the whole time, you know, you know, five days a week,
you know, ten to two watching everything. Uh so it was,
it was That's why that's where I ended up doing
right now. So pretty much I'm just you know, doing
(34:28):
radio for the team. I do a podcast. I was
doing it for the team. I'm not anymore as of
this year. But you know, I'm just being a part
of the team. I'm on our alumni advisory board.
Speaker 5 (34:37):
We help out a lot of former players that might
be in a little need, a little.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
You know, a little leg up and different things. So
just being a part of organization has been huge for
me since I think supports to some when you retire
h is huge.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
I had a good one. You had a good one.
Speaker 4 (34:51):
What was your support system like when you retired?
Speaker 1 (34:53):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (34:54):
I mean, for one, I had no kids at that point.
You know, I wasn't married at that point, so really
it was just me and my boys, man, my friends,
My mom was always she was always a huge part
of what I was doing.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
Man.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
She moved down here mid nineties to be with me
in terms of down here in South Florida. So she
was huge man up on my retirement. But still though, Man,
there's a lot of things man mentally physically that weren't
going right.
Speaker 1 (35:20):
From my foot was still mess.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
You know, I think you know a lot of us
and a lot of us this is keeping the buck too, man.
You know, drink a lot, hang out a lot, just
trying to figure out where we're going in life. And
so yeah, the support system was there. All my buddies
moved down here. You know, we're from Ohio or somewhere else,
so all they all end up moving down here. Anyways,
my best friend with Johnny Carter, you know, he's my
(35:42):
son's godfathers, you know. So you know, they all moved out,
they came down to visit, never left. That's the norm
down here in South Florida.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
Forgot you and.
Speaker 5 (35:50):
Kid Johnny Carter where yeah in the Penn State around
the city.
Speaker 3 (35:53):
Yeah, that's my I'm the one that I hosted him
and you know I got him signed to stay at
Penn State. Hum and Bobby ingram My two dogs that
I had to go get and I got them. Yeah,
and we're very cool ever since.
Speaker 1 (36:04):
Man.
Speaker 3 (36:05):
So but you know, my best friends in college became
my brothers down here as well.
Speaker 5 (36:12):
I can't believe you made it nine years in the
league and didn't get booed up. That boy made it
free and clear. That was a that was that. I mean,
you deserve a Super Bowl ring.
Speaker 4 (36:22):
Off of that.
Speaker 3 (36:23):
Well, you know it's South Florida, Florida.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
Man, keep it keep it moving, Just keep it moving. Man.
Speaker 4 (36:29):
Yeah, that boy, that boy deserve a ring for that.
Speaker 5 (36:32):
Uh, stupid bro, I'm sorry, you a fool.
Speaker 1 (36:41):
Tell me this. Tell let's talk about the fish Tank podcast. Yes,
all right, so who what are you guys trying?
Speaker 5 (36:46):
Uh tell the fans and the viewers all about it
because for those that have never seen it and would
like to know more about it.
Speaker 3 (36:53):
Yeah, so you know the fish Tank Podcast. A buddy
of mine, real good friend of mine, Seth Levitt, who
used to work in our PR department back when I
was with the Dolphins. He came in when Jimmy came
in ninety six. He came to me, approached me about
doing a podcast in twenty eighteen, and what happened was,
you know, we go to all these different charity events,
you know, and everybody's got a charity event. There's so
(37:15):
many golf events, whatever it might be. And you sit around,
you guys know this. You sit around and guy's just
telling all these stories, all these anecdotes. You know, him
self was like, you know what, why don't we put
that on a podcast? When't we have a guest and
have them come in and just tell a whole bunch
of stories. And so that's how our podcast started off. Like,
you know, we started off with like guys like Channing Crowder.
You know, we had Channing Channing know, he's got so
(37:37):
many stories, you know, overshare it too. Oh yeah, he
says a lot, he does a lot of some things
he might want to keep. Yeah he does, he does,
and it's working for him. But yeah, yeah that's different
for me. But you know, so that's how we started. Like,
you know, we get these guys in, you know, we'll
start telling these stories. And that's how we started the
fish Tank, you know, Dolphin Tales from the Deepest what
(37:58):
it's what the tagline is on that. And so these
guys were you know, coming in telling these stories. We
started off at my house on a pool table, you know,
with microphones, like we went on Amazon then, like you know,
three hundred and eighty dollars on a a couple of
microphones and a little little switchboard and everything like that,
and it's morphine what we have now to always you know,
(38:19):
actually being part of the Dolphins network for a while
and being on TV more. Of course now everybody's got
their podcast on TV or online live and things like that.
But that's where it started, man, because guys love to
sit there and tell stories, and we wanted to hear
the stories, but we want everybody else to hear them too,
the ones they were able to tell, and so that
was always a fun thing for us. And so bringing
(38:41):
back the old guys. They love telling the stories. Seth
does a great job of research and we joked some guys'
memories and they say, oh, how do you know about that?
Where'd you hear that at? You know, and they love
telling those stories, and so it's just always fun for us.
And I always learned a lot, you know, when we
do the podcast. Some guys I play with, I learned
more you know doing the podcast, and I did when
(39:02):
I played with them for five years, you know, and
that's always a lot of fun. And then of course
the guys I never played with, I learned everything about
them through it too, man. So that's what that's what
we got the idea, and that's why we that's what
we're doing to this day.
Speaker 2 (39:14):
So I'm real big in the community service. I know
Roman is too. You do a lot of things too.
Where did you get the philanthropic bug? Where did that
come from?
Speaker 1 (39:25):
Yeah, It's always been by mom. You know.
Speaker 3 (39:27):
Mom's always like, you know, always give back, Always give
back to you know, you've been giving so much, make
sure you give something back. So we've been I've been
doing that ever since I was in high school. Continued
at Penn State, and then once I got here, you know,
everybody had you know, the Marino had a foundation, and
you know, Dwight Stevenson has a foundation.
Speaker 1 (39:47):
All these guys have foundations. Make sure you continue doing that.
Speaker 3 (39:50):
And then my mom, you know, and I we partnered
with Cissy fibrosis American Cancer Society started doing things like that,
and then we decided to start our own foundation, the O. J.
Mcduffiely Catch eighty one Foundation, and so we We did
that because we wanted to start given to some charities
that were near and dear to our hearts. Single parent homes,
(40:11):
you know, because my mom having shs fifteen years old,
so we were always pretty much by ourselves from fifteen
on and then you know, and things like that, giving
back to you know, some towns, some places like some
small schools in Miami, Jack and Jill Learning Center, SOS
Children's Village. Those are things that we were more near
(40:32):
and dear to us. So that's when we created Catch
eighty one Foundation and started raising money for that.
Speaker 1 (40:36):
We'll be back in a minute. I love that. I
love that.
Speaker 2 (40:41):
So something we asked all our guests Mount Rushmore, Mount Rushmore,
of of influence four people. You get four picks, okay,
that have helped shape you, mold you into the man
you are today, the great man, the great man, a
man who what those four individuals be And it doesn't
(41:04):
have to.
Speaker 6 (41:04):
Just be related to football, just just in life.
Speaker 3 (41:07):
Well, Mom's always at the top of Mount rushword for me.
My mom was, like I said, my mom had me
she was fifteen years old. She honestly could have. She
was one of thirteen children, So I really was like
the fourteen child in the house. And she really could have.
And she was the first person in my family to
go to go to college, had a full scholarship to college.
(41:30):
She really could have pawned me off on my grandparents
who were more willing to keep me and take care
of me while she went to school. My mom for
the school, she said, OJ's coming with me. Really me,
she said, OJ's coming with me. So the fact that
she when she went to school back then, you get pregnant,
(41:50):
they kick you out of school.
Speaker 1 (41:52):
What school?
Speaker 5 (41:52):
What school did she go to? She went to Ohio
Wesleyans Okay, yea, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (41:57):
And so she.
Speaker 3 (41:59):
So she made sure that OJ was always with her,
you know, and so you know, she's always going to
be at the top of my Mount Rushmore. When I
went Hell, I was taking college courses at one and
a half years old, you know what I mean. So
I said, some of these people that think they're smart
and math, come see me, because I was taking them early.
(42:19):
And then we moved back to my hometown, and then
you know, she got a job in Cleveland, Ohio, and
you know, I said, Mom, I'm not going She said,
you know what, I'm gonna give you one year back
down here and then you're coming up there with me.
She could have went there. She's still young lady, you know,
mid twenties, and she's like all right, because she just
could have went to Cleveland and just kicked it.
Speaker 1 (42:39):
And she said, Nojay's coming with me.
Speaker 3 (42:41):
And so I moved to Cleveland reluctantly. And it was
the best thing that ever happened to me. Man, you know,
it was the best move ever.
Speaker 1 (42:47):
Man.
Speaker 3 (42:47):
The town I grew up in was there's a bunch
of guys that were going nowhere. She got me into this,
you know, a great school, and then she moved me
to a private school, which I hated. Again, another best
move she's ever made for me, you know. So she's
always gonna be number one on you know when it
comes to my mouth rushmore man, it's uh, you know.
And I lost my mom about fourteen years ago, and
(43:08):
you know, there's not a day that goes by. You know,
I got all my wrist that I don't think about it.
Speaker 1 (43:12):
And I love it. I love that. I love that. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (43:16):
And then then my uncle Homer, you know, like I
grew up without my dad, but my uncle Homer, as
you know, he was one of the fourteen siblings that
we're talking about. You know, he's right behind my mom.
He taught me everything in sports and life about being
a man. You know, everything every single sport I played
growing up, Uncle Homer taught me everything about it, you know.
So I was already ahead of the game. Whenever I
(43:38):
got to any kind of coaches at any level, I
was always just ahead of the game because of what
Uncle Homer did. He played somebody pro ball, had a
couple of coffee with the Browns.
Speaker 1 (43:48):
You know.
Speaker 3 (43:48):
He was just just a hell of an athlete, just
a hell of a man. He's still he's still my guy,
still in Columbus in Ohio.
Speaker 5 (43:55):
And he's Ohio State. Got too, man. They drive me crazy.
They ve me crazy.
Speaker 1 (44:00):
Man. My whole family's Ohio State. Still. I said, none
of y'all went to Ohio State. I went to this
day when y'all gonna jump ship.
Speaker 2 (44:06):
A whole bunch of family that in Ohio are the same.
Oh yeah, the whole state.
Speaker 1 (44:14):
Run the whole state in life.
Speaker 3 (44:15):
Yeah, yeah, for sure, man, And uh you know those
are those are my top two.
Speaker 1 (44:21):
Man. Then it could be spread out for the rest. Man.
Speaker 3 (44:23):
You know, my best friends you know, they kind of
handled the rest of my growing up man. Like I
talked about the Kajana's, my boy Bo Brian O'Neil, my
boy Eric Gudger, you all my brothers that I never had.
You know, they kind of finished it off for me
as influencers then, like I talked about a little bit too,
you know, Joe Paterno, his influence from just you know,
(44:43):
the boys to men thing was huge for us. You know,
once I left Ohio to go to Penn State, I
never went back to Ohio until, you know, just to
see my mom every once in a while. But I
stayed in school year round, you know, just taking classes,
were working out, doing all that. And Joe was a
big part of that, man, you know, from you know,
(45:04):
keep my grades up to training to trying to hone
my craft to try to get into the league.
Speaker 1 (45:10):
He was a huge part of all that. So I'd
have to put him on there too.
Speaker 3 (45:13):
But you know, so I think that you know, my mom,
my uncle, all my boys, and then probably Joe turn on.
Speaker 1 (45:20):
I love it.
Speaker 5 (45:20):
I meant you already do a great impression of Joe Paul.
That was great, man, oj Man, Thanks Man, I really
appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (45:31):
Man.
Speaker 5 (45:32):
You just don't know how big of a fan you know.
I know I said that earlier and I know how.
Speaker 2 (45:37):
But I just learned something about like we interviewed. We've
interviewed a ton of players, a ton of former players.
You might be the first that he was just like, yo,
I'm excited to So he's so excited. He you're making
his day right now, you're making his day. We didn't
interviewed all these He.
Speaker 1 (45:57):
I was O J.
Speaker 6 (45:58):
Magnificent, big o J.
Speaker 1 (46:01):
Yeah. I had never met you guys. Man, I've known
you guys. Man.
Speaker 5 (46:04):
I just appreciate you guys having me on. Man, this
is big time. It really is. Thank you, oh Man,
no doubt about it. Man. And another thing is how
much pride do you take still with the Miami Dolphins.
Speaker 1 (46:14):
I see you rocking the gear, you got the shoes, like.
Speaker 5 (46:18):
You know, anytime we have alumni that's still or able
to stick around their teams and you spent your whole
career here, and so how much pride do you take
in the Miami Dolphins. I know you've done a lot
of TV and some radio for them, and just sometimes
I just like to hear our veteran guys talk about
how much they represent and how much the NFL they
(46:38):
still try and stay involved with.
Speaker 3 (46:40):
Yeah, man, I am I'm definitely blessed to spend all
nine years here.
Speaker 1 (46:43):
And you know, like I said, I'm from Ohio. I'm
not going back.
Speaker 3 (46:46):
So I've been living down here since the day I
got drafted in April of ninety three. I yeah, yeah, so,
you know, and the Dolphins has been great to me. Man,
the community has been great to me. Mister Ross, our
owner has been great to us. We have an alumni
sweek that holds sixty the guys. You know that we
get every single game for fifty bucks. You know, you
get two tickets and you know, and you get a
parking pass, and you know another team in the league
(47:08):
does that. They really really take care of us down here,
you know, And it's like it's just amazing what this
community has been like for me. So I ride or
die with the Dolphins, man, you know, And it's been
it's been a tough sled for.
Speaker 1 (47:20):
A long time.
Speaker 3 (47:20):
We haven't won to We haven't won a playoff game
since my last year, you know what I mean. Yeah,
So that's old one oh one. We haven't won a
playoff game since oh one, and it's just sad, bro,
it really is.
Speaker 1 (47:33):
Man.
Speaker 3 (47:33):
But we still ride with them, man, because they ride
with us. They ride with the alumni, and I'm always
gonna ride with them.
Speaker 1 (47:39):
I like that. I do too. Man.
Speaker 5 (47:40):
Well, oj Man, thanks so much, Man for coming onto
the podcast. Man, I can't wait to share this episode
all of our viewers and fans.
Speaker 1 (47:47):
Man. So I'm just thankful that the new gen.
Speaker 4 (47:49):
Yeah, the new gen. This is for the new gen,
just for the new GM.
Speaker 1 (47:54):
Yes, this is for my son and all the new gym.
Speaker 6 (47:56):
OJ mcduffin is nine years yeah, all right, Man.
Speaker 5 (48:00):
Well, thank you guys for always tuning in and listening
to wherever you pick up your podcast, whether it's iHeartRadio,
the app, or Apple Podcasts. The iHeartRadio app makes you
like to share, subscribe, leave a couple of messages, hit
that follow button for sure, and you can also check
us out on the NFL page NFL's YouTube chap.
Speaker 4 (48:18):
Yes, right, you got it, you got it. That was cool.
He keeps saying pages.
Speaker 1 (48:22):
I don't know. I try to stay away from that
word this time.
Speaker 2 (48:26):
We appreciate y'all tuning in on Peanut that's Roman, that's Oja,
And this is the NFL Player's Second Act podcast, and
we out
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