December 13, 2024 • 21 mins
Celebrate 30 seasons of Carolina Panthers football with Jim Szoke. Join him as he sits down with the key figures who shaped the past 29 seasons, reminiscing on the moments that made Panther's history. This week's guest is former Panthers defensive back, Kurt Coleman.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Former Panthers safety Kurt Coleman spent three seasons with Carolina,
the first of which was part of that outstanding Super
Bowl fifty team. Proud product of Ohio State University, he
works at Charlotte Attin high school these days, in addition
to the work you hear him do with us on
the Carolina Panthers Radio Network broadcasting games. Looking forward to
a great conversation with Kurt Coleman.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Thirty seasons of Panther Football a celebration of the players, coaches,
and other key figures who've contributed to the organizational success.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Kurt Coleman, I love him, not just because he's an
Ohio State guy, but one of our favorite Panthers of
all times. And anytime he's on a broadcast with us,
it makes a better experience as well, and great to
get to spend some time learning about Kurt, how he
got to where he is and his young life to
this point, so far, and so glad he's part.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Of this Charlotte community to this day.
Speaker 4 (00:50):
Kurt, how you doing, Oh, I'm doing well.
Speaker 5 (00:52):
Thank you for having me today. You know, I always
enjoy the booth. I learned so much from you guys,
and so the pleasures on mine. Thank you for having
me on to day.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Well, you're a natural, and I'll tell you one thing
before we get into you know, kind of going through
your life a little bit here, is just your preparation.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
I mean, it's just having you show up ready to roll.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
And you don't know this, but there are some players
on other teams in college broadcasting or whatever, and they'll
kind of show up and they'll get the depth chart
and they'll just look and react to what they see.
And you do all that. You react to what you
see and explain it to us so well. But I mean, really, preparation,
that's kind of part of just your game, no matter
what you do, isn't it.
Speaker 5 (01:29):
Uh Yeah, I mean I believe you know, if you
fail to prepare, you're preparing to fail. And I think
in order to articulate and and really I think communicate
your thoughts as best as possible.
Speaker 4 (01:43):
To anyone, you need to know what you're talking about.
Speaker 5 (01:46):
And I know the game of x's and o's, but
you don't necessarily always know the players, especially I would say,
especially when we call the preseason games. But in general,
I mean, there's so many moving parts in the NFL.
And in order to us talk about who they are
and there's a reason why there's a reason why the
GM made a move, or the coaches are playing this guy,
(02:07):
or why a player is playing a certain technique, And
in order to know that, you better know what you're
talking about. And so yeah, I learned a lot just
from the game of football of preparing because there was a.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
Time where I had to learn the hard way.
Speaker 5 (02:21):
But then you know, when you're around a guy like
Mick Mixon, he doesn't let the little things slip by
the wayside. And and how he could just describe certain
scenes I actually, you know, said, oh, I need to
do a lot better. So he taught me just from
watching him. I'm like, oh, I can bring a little
more to my my game.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Oh absolutely.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
And of course with Mike leaving, at least now we
can eat in the booth, which was not allowed back
when Mick was looking there.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
So there's there's there's a given take with Mick. Let's
just put it down.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
We're delicious as fast this weekend.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Yeah, some places you don't want to eat the media food,
but this week was was pretty good. Where at Philadelphia
this past time we had Kurt in the booth here.
But we let that love make a mix bit on
this podcast before and you know that preparation too. It's
it's football as a player, and we talk about as
a broadcaster. But tell folks what you're doing. And you've
been at Charlott Lattin High School in the last six
seven years year role there and and what that means
(03:14):
to you and what the job is like for you.
Speaker 5 (03:17):
Yeah, it's been It's been a rewarding one one where
I went to school to become a teacher, and then
when I graduated, obviously I went into the career that
has really elevated a lot of opportunities for me. It's
given me a great platform to do a lot of
great and wonderful things around the communities that I've been
able to live in.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
And then now since I've been in.
Speaker 5 (03:36):
Charlotte, I started prepping for this position a few years
actually before my career ended in the NFL, and as
we started talking about what and how and where I
can make the most impact, I really did feel like
I needed to have almost an administrative role to be
able to help oversee a lot.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
Of things through the whole school. So at Charlotte, Latin.
Speaker 5 (03:57):
This position had not been created before as the Stewardship
and Goship administrator to be able to help create new
practices and policies and really help oversee a lot of
our financial aid families and really making sure that the
really the policies that we had in place were working.
But if they weren't, how do we change it, and
how do we help create some new ones and so
(04:19):
creating bridges into our underserved communities. I think is I
absolutely love it and being able to see students and
families and see them walk across the line at graduation
and get their diploma, I mean, and to see where
they're going, and now I have some students.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
That have they're about to graduate from college.
Speaker 5 (04:38):
I mean, it's just so cool to see that this
is not only changing their life, but generations beyond that.
And I always feel like it's so much easier in
this world will be a better place when we lift
other people up instead of trying to drag people down.
And being in the position that I am, and at
a school that it is high academics, but also it
(05:00):
whatever you want to do. If you want to be
in the arts, if you want to be in the athletics.
If you want to be an engineer, and if you
just want to be just an all around, just well
rounded person, there is a place here for that, and
I want to help see that through. So it's been
a great thing. But I learned it from my dad
and my mom the career paths that they chose, and
this obviously is something that I'm able to help carry
(05:21):
on hopefully to my kids.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
And you and I've talked before.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
I know your dad was involved in schools as an administrator,
I think assistant principle and some other jobs.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Are you saying your mom was also? Were they both
in education?
Speaker 4 (05:34):
Not necessarily. My mom was a speech pathologist and she
worked with.
Speaker 5 (05:39):
A veterans, So being able to see veterans and again
helped see and serve them after they've come back, and
they would deal with different types of issues, whether they
had a stroke or whatever.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
The case may be.
Speaker 5 (05:51):
In there, learning how to really swallow and then from
swallowing it's too talking and doing all those little things,
just the acts of service is something that my parents
both showed me. My dad had coached well before I
was even born, and he would tell me funny stories
about Butch and Chris Carter and Ken Griffy Junior and
(06:13):
all these things about these guys that I even Hugh
Douglas at Central State, I mean, all these guys that
he had an opportunity to see coach or be around.
And it's like wow, And you know, I was only
hoping that I could be in that position when I
got older, and so yeah, it's serving and really just
being able to help see other people be successful in
(06:35):
their own right.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
That's amazing. Oh, congratulations, that's really rewarding work. And you
do great at it.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
And you know, talk about your dad to the Hall
of Fame list of high school athletes back in the day.
You grew up in Dayton, So for folks who don't know,
it's probably I don't know, close to two hours away
from Columbus was obviously you go to Ohio State. You
and I talk Buck guys all the time. Was it
always Ohio State for you? Were they always interested in you?
Or what was the recruiting process for you, like coming
out of the Dayton area.
Speaker 5 (07:01):
Uh, well, the Dayton has been you know, I think
the dub name is jem City.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
It is.
Speaker 5 (07:07):
It is a gem in the in the state of
Ohio and I think there have been so many great
players to come out of it, even more so now.
But I mean you look back, you have Keith Buyers
and so many great players that that were that not
only just went to Ohio State, but went to a
lot of other areas. And so for me, you would
think that Ohio State was my number one choice, but
(07:28):
in fact it wasn't. It was actually the Miami Hurricanes.
And if anyone knows how I played the game, I
play the game on the line of, uh, it's fair,
but it's personal. And so I don't know why I
always made it personal, but I always played with that
edge of you know, I'm here to to inflict pain
on you. And so watching the Miami Hurricanes in the
(07:54):
late nineties early two thousands, I was like, Oh, those
are some bad Mamma jamas down there. And the funny
thing was, you know, I remember the two national championship
game against Ohio State and Miami, and I was the
only Miami Hurricane fan. Uh, we all know the outcome
of that two game where depend upon which side you on,
you were either the one where the rest made the
(08:14):
right call or the rest made the wrong call. So
I just I never thought in a thousand years that
I would be an Ohio State buck eye. But I
am grateful that I was a Buck guy and the
fact that I had a chance to meet with Jim
Tressel and see that Oh hey, guess what that school
called the Ohio State buck guys. They had a lot
(08:37):
of ballers on that side of the squad too. And
you go back to the Jack Tatum days of just
closed lining people. I'm like, Okay, I can be a
dB over on this side and still do my thing.
So it was great as I learned the game and
just the people that walked before me, I was really
happy to kind of carry on that legacy there, all right.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
And then you enter the NFL as a seventh round
pick of the Philadelphia Eagles, where you would play your
first four years. And this starts bringing us into the
panther phase of the conversation here, because this is where
you strike up that relationship and friendship with Sean McDermott.
Right your your defensive backs coach. He becomes your defensive
coordinator a few years later in Carolina. You end your
career in Buffalo with him as a head coach. How
(09:17):
much did Sean McDermott be to your pro career.
Speaker 4 (09:21):
I think it was incredible.
Speaker 5 (09:25):
Again, you feel like there, you know, for me, I'm
a man of faith, and there are people that God
puts it all around you. Whether you recognize them or not,
that's up to you. But when I first got to Philadelphia,
I remember Sean and I remember this.
Speaker 4 (09:41):
Vividly, like he he was very hard on rookies, you know,
the older guys.
Speaker 5 (09:46):
He would kind of let go and you got to
you gotta And I had to understand that he was
taken over a position that from Jim Johnson, who was,
in my opinion, one of the Hall of Fame defensive
coordinators in the NFL.
Speaker 4 (09:58):
So he was taken on a role.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
He was trying to live up to the Jim Johnson name,
and he had his own spinning flavor on things. But
it was this very complicated defense and he was hard
on us. And I remember one day he goes just
so you know, I can go back there and play
the game of football, and I laughed at him.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
I was like, there's no way you could do what
we do. Well.
Speaker 5 (10:20):
You know, I'm very naive at this time in my life.
So you know, when you look at Sean's pedigree being
a national wrestler, going to William and Mary and being
a great safety there and unfortunately never got the opportunity
to play in the NFL. But his point of saying
that was if you're smart enough, if you prepare enough,
(10:41):
and if you understand the game, you put yourself in positions.
Now it's whether or not you have the ability to
make the player or not, but you can always stay
one step ahead if you prepare it well enough. And
that's the lesson that he gave me was you can
stay around this game for a long time. You just
better be able to and do all the little things
that's going to take to stay in this game. And
(11:03):
sure enough, I mean, I was fortunate enough to have
a year underneath him at Philadelphia, and then when it
was my opportunity to hit free agency in twenty fifteen,
it made sense to only come to Carolina and play
underneath him again because I knew within that defense I
could be successful. And then obviously just to finish off
my career up in Buffalo. It was a great year
(11:24):
and it was some things that hopefully I was able
to leave those guys around me. I went up there
this past summer when we had a chance to call
their game and it was just great to be around
that coaching staff and around Seawan again.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Yeah, great to see Sean and Brandon Bean and that
group all doing doing well. The former Panther connections there,
and you mentioned signing as a free agent, you had
a year in Kansas City, in between Philadelphia and Carolina.
You played three years with the Panthers, but that first
year was the year Super Bowl fifty year. The team
goes seventeen and one heading into that Super Bowl, and
people need to remember, I mean, what a key figure
(11:56):
you were on the field with that too. Seven interceptions
and a touchdown that year, and you had twenty one
picks in your career, but seven a third of them
coming that that magical year. So not only a great
defense career, but just talk about your role in that
and just what an amazing run that you guys had
that year.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
It was. It was an incredibly special year.
Speaker 5 (12:14):
And I remember back in preseason, we're down in Watford
in Spartanburg and it was after a long hot practice
and you know, some whoever's been down in Spartanburg, there's
something about that era where it just never moves and.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
The heat just sits on you.
Speaker 5 (12:30):
But I was doing an interview and after I got done,
I had called my dad and we were just talking
about how camp had gone or was going. And for me,
I wasn't dubbed or penciled in as a starter. I
was I think by all terms, I was going to
be a really solid backup and obviously can go in
and sparingly. And I remember telling my dad I said
(12:51):
there's something special about this team and he was like, well,
what do you mean. I'm not sure, And you just
couldn't put your finger on it. But it was the
great mix of young with the veterans, and you had
your classical cam, but then you had the TD cam,
like if anyone was around practices, TD and Cam went
(13:12):
at it every single day and it was a competition
between the offense and defense.
Speaker 4 (13:15):
But then you would have Luke who was.
Speaker 5 (13:17):
Like he was quiet as far as verbal, but then
he was so intense when it came to actual playing.
And then you had the Jo who was getting ready
to have his come out party of I Am Batman
arriving on scenes. So it was just so many mixes
of personalities. It was such a great place you wish
you could capsize that moment in time, and you know,
(13:40):
to go through that season. I knew this defense was
going to be something special. We didn't have a lot
of stars outside of Luke that were well known. You
had great players like a TD like I said, you
had a KK Short who was getting ready to go
into his Pro Bowl years.
Speaker 4 (13:56):
You had an.
Speaker 5 (13:56):
Older classical guy of Dewan Edwards who had won a
Super Bowl that was helping tutor some of the young guys.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
You had Charles Johnson.
Speaker 5 (14:04):
And then you had Charles Tillman Peanu Tillman on our
back end, who was the goof Bowl of goof Balls,
but playing thirteen years in the NFL, had been to
the Super Bowl, was trying to knock on the door
and get to another one, I mean. And then you
had Roman Harper, who, to me, I mean, he was
he was another like just glue piece to it all
(14:25):
because he had won a Super Bowl in O nine,
he had been on some great teams in New Orleans.
He was trying to help bring this this Carolina Panthers
defense in this team into where we were in.
Speaker 4 (14:36):
A super Bowl contender.
Speaker 5 (14:38):
And then he just had this demeanor of like I was.
Speaker 4 (14:42):
He was.
Speaker 5 (14:42):
He was quick, but never in a hurry, and and
it was like nothing ever.
Speaker 4 (14:49):
Rattled his cage. He always had just.
Speaker 5 (14:51):
A calm demeanor, even to the point where we would
we would always have a sprinting competition defense of who
could get to the football the fastest when it was
our to go out on a series for practice, and
sure enough, like Rome is just jogging out there. I'm like,
are you never gonna move any faster than this? And
he's like why. But it was just like it was
(15:11):
such a perfect just a perfect fifty three man roster.
And then you had some guys that just brought juice
did We called them the juice Bros. Lou Young who
was doing this thing now in the entertainment circuit, and
Dean Marlowe. I can go on with the guys. So
that year was special. But for me, it was my
time to shine. And but all I had to do
(15:33):
was my job, and that was what was so special,
because you had great guys in front of you. I
just had to just do my job and when the
ball came my way, you just make the play. And
so it was just one of those times where a
short piece of my career where Kurt just had to
be Kurt and you didn't have to do too much,
you know, And every year is different, you know, when
you break up a team, you either take on more
(15:55):
of a role or you take a less of a role.
But I felt like that fifteen year was just the
perfect sweet spot of I got to be me and
be my fullest self and I didn't have to take
on any more responsibilities to take away from my actual role.
So yeah, it was a great year personally professionally, but
also it just as a team.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
You could never you can never replicate that season.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
Now, and this will be the last question because of
time here, but I would just to follow up on that, say,
you know that if that team wins that game against
Denver with that record of going at that point eighteen
and one, if you win, that's going to go down
in the history books. Is one of the great teams
in the history of the NFL. So my question, I've
asked a couple of guys, including Peter Tillman, who didn't
(16:39):
get to play of course because he got injured into
the regular season, but was there for you guys, what
do you think went wrong? Is you look at it
and you look back at it through the years, now
you know what happened on that Sunday that you guys
weren't able to get that last win against the Broncos.
Speaker 5 (16:54):
You know, it was it was the perfect storm that
whatever could have gone wrong, we picked the biggest game
to play our worst game of the year. You know,
you think about defensively, I thought we played an incredible game,
but I think Jo had dropped the interception at one point.
(17:14):
But all and so, I always felt like our defense
did exactly what we needed to do to win that game.
Special teams, we gave up that big return towards in
the second half. And then offensively, you know, people will
always say, you know, the Cam Newton thing, but yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
That was one thing that led to the to the score.
But you know, I think about I think Mike Tolbert
had fumbled the.
Speaker 5 (17:36):
Jericho Contree catch that was not a catch that whatever
you want to call it. I look at how the
refs kind of called the game of at the very beginning.
They set the tone that they were going to allow
their dbs to be extra physical. There was a big
personal foul on Philly Brown. I think on our first
or second drive on offense. You know, it just it
(18:00):
it was, it was everything. And I also look at
just kind of how we how we went into that week.
I felt like something was always kind of off and
and and you know, you try to say, what was it.
I look at it like we were trying to like,
for whatever reason, we went the whole year of having
some all these foods, and then when we get out
(18:21):
to San Jose, we they had like gluten free bread
and all this stuff for us to eat, and I'm like,
why are we changing everything now? You know, It's just
it's the little things that how it was interesting, how
just the order of which when we had to do
the interviews post practices, and you know, the whole week
(18:45):
was a little off. And I think it just it
played into the the how.
Speaker 4 (18:49):
We played the game.
Speaker 5 (18:50):
And you know, you can you can't blame anybody but yourself.
Speaker 4 (18:54):
And you know, there could I have done more? I
I think I could have.
Speaker 5 (18:58):
I don't know what more I should have done, but
you know, maybe I should have said something or done something.
Speaker 4 (19:02):
But I can always say.
Speaker 5 (19:04):
To a man, you know, I gave everything I had
in that game, so I left it all out there.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
But you know, you always wish you could have.
Speaker 5 (19:09):
You could have made one extra player, done something differently
to help turn the tide. And for whatever reason, we
just couldn't get that game done. And I think nine
out of ten times we beat Denver soundly, very soundly.
I think the coaches could have had a different game plan,
but hey, that will always go down in my memory.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
And I think I.
Speaker 5 (19:30):
Feel like there was like a survey of the best
teams that never won, and I think that twenty fifteen
Panthers team was one of the best teams in the
NFL that never won the Super Bowl.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Yeah, I think, especially what you destroyed Arizona in that
NFC championship game. And quick side note, we'll let you
run is to your point, Peyton Manning. I think for
like one hundred and forty yards, no touchdowns in that
game got intercepted.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
And I had a vote in it.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
You know, if the Panthers win the game, Cony Ealy
is the MVP of that game because he had a takeaways,
he had sacks. I mean, he he did everything so
kind of in typical Super Bowl fashion. Not the biggest name,
he would have absolutely been the MVP of that game
based on just what he probably put out there on defense.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
Without a doubt.
Speaker 5 (20:12):
I mean, that's that's like a you know, a Malcolm
was it Malcolm Smith from Seattle the linebacker, you know,
like it's it's those guys.
Speaker 4 (20:23):
I mean a lot of times Tommy.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
Smith, the running back with the Washington back in the day.
Speaker 5 (20:28):
Yeah, it's I mean, it's a it's it's a lot
of the guys that you you don't expect to make
their name or to have that m v P. But
they they they came to play, and Cony Ely was,
without a doubt, he had the exact same game that
Von Miller had, who was the Super Bowl MVP that game,
if not even better. So because I don't think Von
(20:49):
had an interception that game, So you know, I just
I yeah, it's just it's frustrating. I I don't even
look at the ring because it just reminds me of
what we could have had. But I'm very thankful for
the season that we did have. It was an incredible year,
incredible group of men that I got to enjoy twenty
(21:10):
fifteen with, and some great friends that are still great
friends to this day.
Speaker 4 (21:14):
Now.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
Amazing run, it was fun to watch, and a bunch
of great guys in addition to being players on that team.
We enjoyed watching it and Kurt always great to catch up,
but do you look forward to the next time we
see each other.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
Thanks so much for spending some time with us.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
Thank you, Jim, until the next time.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
In the booth, Thirty Seasons of Panther Football
Former Panthers safety Kurt Coleman spent three seasons with Carolina,
the first of which was part of that outstanding Super
Bowl fifty team. Proud product of Ohio State University, he
works at Charlotte Attin high school these days, in addition
to the work you hear him do with us on
the Carolina Panthers Radio Network broadcasting games. Looking forward to
a great conversation with Kurt Coleman.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Thirty seasons of Panther Football a celebration of the players, coaches,
and other key figures who've contributed to the organizational success.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Kurt Coleman, I love him, not just because he's an
Ohio State guy, but one of our favorite Panthers of
all times. And anytime he's on a broadcast with us,
it makes a better experience as well, and great to
get to spend some time learning about Kurt, how he
got to where he is and his young life to
this point, so far, and so glad he's part.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Of this Charlotte community to this day.
Speaker 4 (00:50):
Kurt, how you doing, Oh, I'm doing well.
Speaker 5 (00:52):
Thank you for having me today. You know, I always
enjoy the booth. I learned so much from you guys,
and so the pleasures on mine. Thank you for having
me on to day.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Well, you're a natural, and I'll tell you one thing
before we get into you know, kind of going through
your life a little bit here, is just your preparation.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
I mean, it's just having you show up ready to roll.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
And you don't know this, but there are some players
on other teams in college broadcasting or whatever, and they'll
kind of show up and they'll get the depth chart
and they'll just look and react to what they see.
And you do all that. You react to what you
see and explain it to us so well. But I mean, really, preparation,
that's kind of part of just your game, no matter
what you do, isn't it.
Speaker 5 (01:29):
Uh Yeah, I mean I believe you know, if you
fail to prepare, you're preparing to fail. And I think
in order to articulate and and really I think communicate
your thoughts as best as possible.
Speaker 4 (01:43):
To anyone, you need to know what you're talking about.
Speaker 5 (01:46):
And I know the game of x's and o's, but
you don't necessarily always know the players, especially I would say,
especially when we call the preseason games. But in general,
I mean, there's so many moving parts in the NFL.
And in order to us talk about who they are
and there's a reason why there's a reason why the
GM made a move, or the coaches are playing this guy,
(02:07):
or why a player is playing a certain technique, And
in order to know that, you better know what you're
talking about. And so yeah, I learned a lot just
from the game of football of preparing because there was a.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
Time where I had to learn the hard way.
Speaker 5 (02:21):
But then you know, when you're around a guy like
Mick Mixon, he doesn't let the little things slip by
the wayside. And and how he could just describe certain
scenes I actually, you know, said, oh, I need to
do a lot better. So he taught me just from
watching him. I'm like, oh, I can bring a little
more to my my game.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Oh absolutely.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
And of course with Mike leaving, at least now we
can eat in the booth, which was not allowed back
when Mick was looking there.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
So there's there's there's a given take with Mick. Let's
just put it down.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
We're delicious as fast this weekend.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Yeah, some places you don't want to eat the media food,
but this week was was pretty good. Where at Philadelphia
this past time we had Kurt in the booth here.
But we let that love make a mix bit on
this podcast before and you know that preparation too. It's
it's football as a player, and we talk about as
a broadcaster. But tell folks what you're doing. And you've
been at Charlott Lattin High School in the last six
seven years year role there and and what that means
(03:14):
to you and what the job is like for you.
Speaker 5 (03:17):
Yeah, it's been It's been a rewarding one one where
I went to school to become a teacher, and then
when I graduated, obviously I went into the career that
has really elevated a lot of opportunities for me. It's
given me a great platform to do a lot of
great and wonderful things around the communities that I've been
able to live in.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
And then now since I've been in.
Speaker 5 (03:36):
Charlotte, I started prepping for this position a few years
actually before my career ended in the NFL, and as
we started talking about what and how and where I
can make the most impact, I really did feel like
I needed to have almost an administrative role to be
able to help oversee a lot.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
Of things through the whole school. So at Charlotte, Latin.
Speaker 5 (03:57):
This position had not been created before as the Stewardship
and Goship administrator to be able to help create new
practices and policies and really help oversee a lot of
our financial aid families and really making sure that the
really the policies that we had in place were working.
But if they weren't, how do we change it, and
how do we help create some new ones and so
(04:19):
creating bridges into our underserved communities. I think is I
absolutely love it and being able to see students and
families and see them walk across the line at graduation
and get their diploma, I mean, and to see where
they're going, and now I have some students.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
That have they're about to graduate from college.
Speaker 5 (04:38):
I mean, it's just so cool to see that this
is not only changing their life, but generations beyond that.
And I always feel like it's so much easier in
this world will be a better place when we lift
other people up instead of trying to drag people down.
And being in the position that I am, and at
a school that it is high academics, but also it
(05:00):
whatever you want to do. If you want to be
in the arts, if you want to be in the athletics.
If you want to be an engineer, and if you
just want to be just an all around, just well
rounded person, there is a place here for that, and
I want to help see that through. So it's been
a great thing. But I learned it from my dad
and my mom the career paths that they chose, and
this obviously is something that I'm able to help carry
(05:21):
on hopefully to my kids.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
And you and I've talked before.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
I know your dad was involved in schools as an administrator,
I think assistant principle and some other jobs.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Are you saying your mom was also? Were they both
in education?
Speaker 4 (05:34):
Not necessarily. My mom was a speech pathologist and she
worked with.
Speaker 5 (05:39):
A veterans, So being able to see veterans and again
helped see and serve them after they've come back, and
they would deal with different types of issues, whether they
had a stroke or whatever.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
The case may be.
Speaker 5 (05:51):
In there, learning how to really swallow and then from
swallowing it's too talking and doing all those little things,
just the acts of service is something that my parents
both showed me. My dad had coached well before I
was even born, and he would tell me funny stories
about Butch and Chris Carter and Ken Griffy Junior and
(06:13):
all these things about these guys that I even Hugh
Douglas at Central State, I mean, all these guys that
he had an opportunity to see coach or be around.
And it's like wow, And you know, I was only
hoping that I could be in that position when I
got older, and so yeah, it's serving and really just
being able to help see other people be successful in
(06:35):
their own right.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
That's amazing. Oh, congratulations, that's really rewarding work. And you
do great at it.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
And you know, talk about your dad to the Hall
of Fame list of high school athletes back in the day.
You grew up in Dayton, So for folks who don't know,
it's probably I don't know, close to two hours away
from Columbus was obviously you go to Ohio State. You
and I talk Buck guys all the time. Was it
always Ohio State for you? Were they always interested in you?
Or what was the recruiting process for you, like coming
out of the Dayton area.
Speaker 5 (07:01):
Uh, well, the Dayton has been you know, I think
the dub name is jem City.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
It is.
Speaker 5 (07:07):
It is a gem in the in the state of
Ohio and I think there have been so many great
players to come out of it, even more so now.
But I mean you look back, you have Keith Buyers
and so many great players that that were that not
only just went to Ohio State, but went to a
lot of other areas. And so for me, you would
think that Ohio State was my number one choice, but
(07:28):
in fact it wasn't. It was actually the Miami Hurricanes.
And if anyone knows how I played the game, I
play the game on the line of, uh, it's fair,
but it's personal. And so I don't know why I
always made it personal, but I always played with that
edge of you know, I'm here to to inflict pain
on you. And so watching the Miami Hurricanes in the
(07:54):
late nineties early two thousands, I was like, Oh, those
are some bad Mamma jamas down there. And the funny
thing was, you know, I remember the two national championship
game against Ohio State and Miami, and I was the
only Miami Hurricane fan. Uh, we all know the outcome
of that two game where depend upon which side you on,
you were either the one where the rest made the
(08:14):
right call or the rest made the wrong call. So
I just I never thought in a thousand years that
I would be an Ohio State buck eye. But I
am grateful that I was a Buck guy and the
fact that I had a chance to meet with Jim
Tressel and see that Oh hey, guess what that school
called the Ohio State buck guys. They had a lot
(08:37):
of ballers on that side of the squad too. And
you go back to the Jack Tatum days of just
closed lining people. I'm like, Okay, I can be a
dB over on this side and still do my thing.
So it was great as I learned the game and
just the people that walked before me, I was really
happy to kind of carry on that legacy there, all right.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
And then you enter the NFL as a seventh round
pick of the Philadelphia Eagles, where you would play your
first four years. And this starts bringing us into the
panther phase of the conversation here, because this is where
you strike up that relationship and friendship with Sean McDermott.
Right your your defensive backs coach. He becomes your defensive
coordinator a few years later in Carolina. You end your
career in Buffalo with him as a head coach. How
(09:17):
much did Sean McDermott be to your pro career.
Speaker 4 (09:21):
I think it was incredible.
Speaker 5 (09:25):
Again, you feel like there, you know, for me, I'm
a man of faith, and there are people that God
puts it all around you. Whether you recognize them or not,
that's up to you. But when I first got to Philadelphia,
I remember Sean and I remember this.
Speaker 4 (09:41):
Vividly, like he he was very hard on rookies, you know,
the older guys.
Speaker 5 (09:46):
He would kind of let go and you got to
you gotta And I had to understand that he was
taken over a position that from Jim Johnson, who was,
in my opinion, one of the Hall of Fame defensive
coordinators in the NFL.
Speaker 4 (09:58):
So he was taken on a role.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
He was trying to live up to the Jim Johnson name,
and he had his own spinning flavor on things. But
it was this very complicated defense and he was hard
on us. And I remember one day he goes just
so you know, I can go back there and play
the game of football, and I laughed at him.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
I was like, there's no way you could do what
we do. Well.
Speaker 5 (10:20):
You know, I'm very naive at this time in my life.
So you know, when you look at Sean's pedigree being
a national wrestler, going to William and Mary and being
a great safety there and unfortunately never got the opportunity
to play in the NFL. But his point of saying
that was if you're smart enough, if you prepare enough,
(10:41):
and if you understand the game, you put yourself in positions.
Now it's whether or not you have the ability to
make the player or not, but you can always stay
one step ahead if you prepare it well enough. And
that's the lesson that he gave me was you can
stay around this game for a long time. You just
better be able to and do all the little things
that's going to take to stay in this game. And
(11:03):
sure enough, I mean, I was fortunate enough to have
a year underneath him at Philadelphia, and then when it
was my opportunity to hit free agency in twenty fifteen,
it made sense to only come to Carolina and play
underneath him again because I knew within that defense I
could be successful. And then obviously just to finish off
my career up in Buffalo. It was a great year
(11:24):
and it was some things that hopefully I was able
to leave those guys around me. I went up there
this past summer when we had a chance to call
their game and it was just great to be around
that coaching staff and around Seawan again.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Yeah, great to see Sean and Brandon Bean and that
group all doing doing well. The former Panther connections there,
and you mentioned signing as a free agent, you had
a year in Kansas City, in between Philadelphia and Carolina.
You played three years with the Panthers, but that first
year was the year Super Bowl fifty year. The team
goes seventeen and one heading into that Super Bowl, and
people need to remember, I mean, what a key figure
(11:56):
you were on the field with that too. Seven interceptions
and a touchdown that year, and you had twenty one
picks in your career, but seven a third of them
coming that that magical year. So not only a great
defense career, but just talk about your role in that
and just what an amazing run that you guys had
that year.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
It was. It was an incredibly special year.
Speaker 5 (12:14):
And I remember back in preseason, we're down in Watford
in Spartanburg and it was after a long hot practice
and you know, some whoever's been down in Spartanburg, there's
something about that era where it just never moves and.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
The heat just sits on you.
Speaker 5 (12:30):
But I was doing an interview and after I got done,
I had called my dad and we were just talking
about how camp had gone or was going. And for me,
I wasn't dubbed or penciled in as a starter. I
was I think by all terms, I was going to
be a really solid backup and obviously can go in
and sparingly. And I remember telling my dad I said
(12:51):
there's something special about this team and he was like, well,
what do you mean. I'm not sure, And you just
couldn't put your finger on it. But it was the
great mix of young with the veterans, and you had
your classical cam, but then you had the TD cam,
like if anyone was around practices, TD and Cam went
(13:12):
at it every single day and it was a competition
between the offense and defense.
Speaker 4 (13:15):
But then you would have Luke who was.
Speaker 5 (13:17):
Like he was quiet as far as verbal, but then
he was so intense when it came to actual playing.
And then you had the Jo who was getting ready
to have his come out party of I Am Batman
arriving on scenes. So it was just so many mixes
of personalities. It was such a great place you wish
you could capsize that moment in time, and you know,
(13:40):
to go through that season. I knew this defense was
going to be something special. We didn't have a lot
of stars outside of Luke that were well known. You
had great players like a TD like I said, you
had a KK Short who was getting ready to go
into his Pro Bowl years.
Speaker 4 (13:56):
You had an.
Speaker 5 (13:56):
Older classical guy of Dewan Edwards who had won a
Super Bowl that was helping tutor some of the young guys.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
You had Charles Johnson.
Speaker 5 (14:04):
And then you had Charles Tillman Peanu Tillman on our
back end, who was the goof Bowl of goof Balls,
but playing thirteen years in the NFL, had been to
the Super Bowl, was trying to knock on the door
and get to another one, I mean. And then you
had Roman Harper, who, to me, I mean, he was
he was another like just glue piece to it all
(14:25):
because he had won a Super Bowl in O nine,
he had been on some great teams in New Orleans.
He was trying to help bring this this Carolina Panthers
defense in this team into where we were in.
Speaker 4 (14:36):
A super Bowl contender.
Speaker 5 (14:38):
And then he just had this demeanor of like I was.
Speaker 4 (14:42):
He was.
Speaker 5 (14:42):
He was quick, but never in a hurry, and and
it was like nothing ever.
Speaker 4 (14:49):
Rattled his cage. He always had just.
Speaker 5 (14:51):
A calm demeanor, even to the point where we would
we would always have a sprinting competition defense of who
could get to the football the fastest when it was
our to go out on a series for practice, and
sure enough, like Rome is just jogging out there. I'm like,
are you never gonna move any faster than this? And
he's like why. But it was just like it was
(15:11):
such a perfect just a perfect fifty three man roster.
And then you had some guys that just brought juice
did We called them the juice Bros. Lou Young who
was doing this thing now in the entertainment circuit, and
Dean Marlowe. I can go on with the guys. So
that year was special. But for me, it was my
time to shine. And but all I had to do
(15:33):
was my job, and that was what was so special,
because you had great guys in front of you. I
just had to just do my job and when the
ball came my way, you just make the play. And
so it was just one of those times where a
short piece of my career where Kurt just had to
be Kurt and you didn't have to do too much,
you know, And every year is different, you know, when
you break up a team, you either take on more
(15:55):
of a role or you take a less of a role.
But I felt like that fifteen year was just the
perfect sweet spot of I got to be me and
be my fullest self and I didn't have to take
on any more responsibilities to take away from my actual role.
So yeah, it was a great year personally professionally, but
also it just as a team.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
You could never you can never replicate that season.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
Now, and this will be the last question because of
time here, but I would just to follow up on that, say,
you know that if that team wins that game against
Denver with that record of going at that point eighteen
and one, if you win, that's going to go down
in the history books. Is one of the great teams
in the history of the NFL. So my question, I've
asked a couple of guys, including Peter Tillman, who didn't
(16:39):
get to play of course because he got injured into
the regular season, but was there for you guys, what
do you think went wrong? Is you look at it
and you look back at it through the years, now
you know what happened on that Sunday that you guys
weren't able to get that last win against the Broncos.
Speaker 5 (16:54):
You know, it was it was the perfect storm that
whatever could have gone wrong, we picked the biggest game
to play our worst game of the year. You know,
you think about defensively, I thought we played an incredible game,
but I think Jo had dropped the interception at one point.
(17:14):
But all and so, I always felt like our defense
did exactly what we needed to do to win that game.
Special teams, we gave up that big return towards in
the second half. And then offensively, you know, people will
always say, you know, the Cam Newton thing, but yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
That was one thing that led to the to the score.
But you know, I think about I think Mike Tolbert
had fumbled the.
Speaker 5 (17:36):
Jericho Contree catch that was not a catch that whatever
you want to call it. I look at how the
refs kind of called the game of at the very beginning.
They set the tone that they were going to allow
their dbs to be extra physical. There was a big
personal foul on Philly Brown. I think on our first
or second drive on offense. You know, it just it
(18:00):
it was, it was everything. And I also look at
just kind of how we how we went into that week.
I felt like something was always kind of off and
and and you know, you try to say, what was it.
I look at it like we were trying to like,
for whatever reason, we went the whole year of having
some all these foods, and then when we get out
(18:21):
to San Jose, we they had like gluten free bread
and all this stuff for us to eat, and I'm like,
why are we changing everything now? You know, It's just
it's the little things that how it was interesting, how
just the order of which when we had to do
the interviews post practices, and you know, the whole week
(18:45):
was a little off. And I think it just it
played into the the how.
Speaker 4 (18:49):
We played the game.
Speaker 5 (18:50):
And you know, you can you can't blame anybody but yourself.
Speaker 4 (18:54):
And you know, there could I have done more? I
I think I could have.
Speaker 5 (18:58):
I don't know what more I should have done, but
you know, maybe I should have said something or done something.
Speaker 4 (19:02):
But I can always say.
Speaker 5 (19:04):
To a man, you know, I gave everything I had
in that game, so I left it all out there.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
But you know, you always wish you could have.
Speaker 5 (19:09):
You could have made one extra player, done something differently
to help turn the tide. And for whatever reason, we
just couldn't get that game done. And I think nine
out of ten times we beat Denver soundly, very soundly.
I think the coaches could have had a different game plan,
but hey, that will always go down in my memory.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
And I think I.
Speaker 5 (19:30):
Feel like there was like a survey of the best
teams that never won, and I think that twenty fifteen
Panthers team was one of the best teams in the
NFL that never won the Super Bowl.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Yeah, I think, especially what you destroyed Arizona in that
NFC championship game. And quick side note, we'll let you
run is to your point, Peyton Manning. I think for
like one hundred and forty yards, no touchdowns in that
game got intercepted.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
And I had a vote in it.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
You know, if the Panthers win the game, Cony Ealy
is the MVP of that game because he had a takeaways,
he had sacks. I mean, he he did everything so
kind of in typical Super Bowl fashion. Not the biggest name,
he would have absolutely been the MVP of that game
based on just what he probably put out there on defense.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
Without a doubt.
Speaker 5 (20:12):
I mean, that's that's like a you know, a Malcolm
was it Malcolm Smith from Seattle the linebacker, you know,
like it's it's those guys.
Speaker 4 (20:23):
I mean a lot of times Tommy.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
Smith, the running back with the Washington back in the day.
Speaker 5 (20:28):
Yeah, it's I mean, it's a it's it's a lot
of the guys that you you don't expect to make
their name or to have that m v P. But
they they they came to play, and Cony Ely was,
without a doubt, he had the exact same game that
Von Miller had, who was the Super Bowl MVP that game,
if not even better. So because I don't think Von
(20:49):
had an interception that game, So you know, I just
I yeah, it's just it's frustrating. I I don't even
look at the ring because it just reminds me of
what we could have had. But I'm very thankful for
the season that we did have. It was an incredible year,
incredible group of men that I got to enjoy twenty
(21:10):
fifteen with, and some great friends that are still great
friends to this day.
Speaker 4 (21:14):
Now.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
Amazing run, it was fun to watch, and a bunch
of great guys in addition to being players on that team.
We enjoyed watching it and Kurt always great to catch up,
but do you look forward to the next time we
see each other.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
Thanks so much for spending some time with us.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
Thank you, Jim, until the next time.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
In the booth, Thirty Seasons of Panther Football
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