November 24, 2025 • 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 30 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 (00:30):
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
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 of this Charlotte
community to this day.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Kurt, how you doing, Oh, I'm doing well.
Speaker 4 (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 today.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Well, you're a natural. 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. I mean,
it's just having you show up ready to roll. 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
(01:23):
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 4 (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 really I think, communicate your.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Thoughts as best as possible to anyone, you need to
know what you're talking about.
Speaker 4 (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 be 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
(02:07):
this guy, 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 3 (02:18):
Time where I had to learn the hard way.
Speaker 4 (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 1 (02:40):
Oh absolutely. 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. So there's there's
there's a given take with Mick.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Let's just put it down. We're delicious as fast this weekend.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
That's right. 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 Mick a
mixbit 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 tepal to what you're doing. And
you've been at Charlott Lattin High school in the last
six seven years. Your role there and and what that
(03:14):
means to you and what the job is like for you.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Yeah, it's been.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
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.
And then now since I've been in Charlotte, I started
(03:38):
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 3 (03:53):
Of things through the whole school. So at Charlott Latin.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
This position had not been created before as the Stewardship
and skull Ship 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 that have
they're about to graduate from college. I mean, it's just
(04:39):
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's whatever you want to do.
(05:01):
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.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
So it's been a great thing.
Speaker 4 (05:14):
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 on hopefully to
my kids.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
And you and i've talked before. I know your dad
was involved in schools as an administrator, I think assistant
principle and some other jobs. Are you saying your mom
was also?
Speaker 3 (05:31):
Were they both in education? Not necessarily.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
My mom was a speech pathologist and she worked with
a veterans, so being able to see veterans and again
helped see and serve them after they would come back,
and they would deal with different types of issues, whether
they had a stroke or whatever the case may be.
In there, learning how to really swallow and then from
swallowing it's too talking and doing all those little things,
(05:58):
just the acts of service is something that my parents
both showed me.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
My dad had coached.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
Well before I was even born, and he would tell
me funny stories about butch and Chris Carter and Ken
Griffy Junior and 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,
(06:24):
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 their own right.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
That's amazing. Oh, congratulations, that's really rewarding work. And you
do great at it. 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 talked Puck guys
all the time. Was it always Ohio State for you?
Were they always interested in you? Or what was the
(06:58):
recruiting process for you, like coming out of the area.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
Uh, well, the Dayton has been you know, I think
the dub name is jem City.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
It is. It is a gem in the in the
state of Ohio.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
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 in
fact it wasn't. It was actually the Miami Hurricanes. And
(07:33):
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 late nineties
(07:55):
early two thousands, I was like, Oh, those are some
bad mammagamas down there. And the funny thing was, you know,
I remember the two National CHAMPIONSIP game against Ohio State
and Miami, and I was the only Miami Hurricane fan. Uh,
and 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 right call or
(08:15):
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 of ballers on
(08:37):
that side of the squad too. And you go back
to the Jack Tatum days of just closed lineing 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 is a seventh round
pick of the Hladelphia 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 3 (09:21):
I think it was incredible.
Speaker 4 (09:25):
Again, you feel like there are you know, for me,
I'm a man of faith, and there are people that
God puts it all around you.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
Whether you recognize them or not, that's up to you.
Speaker 4 (09:36):
But when I first got to Philadelphia, I remember Sean
and I remember.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
This vividly, like he he was very hard on rookies,
you know, the older guys. He would kind of let
go and you got to you gotta.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
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 3 (09:58):
So he was taken on a role.
Speaker 4 (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 3 (10:16):
I was like, there's no way you could do what
we do. Well. You know, I'm very naive at this
time in my life.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
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,
and if you understand the game, you put yourself in positions.
(10:45):
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 work, can do all the little
things that's going to take to stay in this game.
And sure enough, I mean, I was fortunate enough to
(11:05):
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.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Career up in Buffalo.
Speaker 4 (11:23):
It was a great year and it was some things
that hopefully I was able to leave those guys around me.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
I went up there this past summer when we had
a chance to.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
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 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 talking about your role in that and just
what an amazing run that you guys had that year.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
It was. It was an incredibly special year.
Speaker 4 (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
the heat just sits on Youah. But I was doing
an interview and after I got done, I had called
my dad and we were just talking about how camp
(12:36):
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, there's something
special about this team and he was like, well, what
do you mean.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
I'm not sure, And you just couldn't put your finger
on it.
Speaker 4 (12:59):
But what 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 at it every single day and
it was a competition between offense and defense. But then
you would have Luke who was like he was quiet
(13:20):
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, to go through that season.
(13:41):
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.
You had an older classical guy of Dewan Edwards who
had won a Super Bowl that was helping.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Tutor some of the young guys. He had Charles Johnson.
Speaker 4 (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 a
super Bowl contender. And then he just had this demeanor
of like I was.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
He was.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
He was quick, but never in a hurry, and and
it was like nothing ever.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
Rattled his cage.
Speaker 4 (14:50):
He always had just 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 turn, and 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 such a perfect
(15:13):
just a perfect fifty three man roster. And then you
had some guys that just brought juice that 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. But
all I had to do was my job, and that
(15:34):
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,
(15:54):
you either take on more 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 3 (16:14):
You could never you can never replicate that.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Season 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 guys, including Peter Tillman,
(16:39):
who didn't 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 4 (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, that.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
Was one thing that led to the to the score.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
But you know, I think about I think Mike Tolbert
had fumbled the Jericho Coatrie 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
(17:54):
think on our first or second drive on offense. You know,
it just it 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.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
Try to say, what was it.
Speaker 4 (18:12):
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
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
(18:37):
just the order of which when we had to do
the interviews post practices, and you know, the whole week
was a little off. And I think it just it
played into the the how we played the game. And
you know, you can you can't blame anybody but yourself.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
And you know, either could I have done more? I
I think I could have.
Speaker 4 (18:58):
I don't know what more I should have done, but
you know, maybe I should have said something or done something.
But I can always say, to a man, you know,
I gave everything I had in that game, so I
left it all out there.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
But you know, you always wish you could have.
Speaker 4 (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.
(19:30):
And I think I 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, 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.
And I had a vote in it. You know, if
the Panthers win the game, Tony Ealy is the MVP
of that game because he had a takeaways, he had sacks.
(20:01):
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 3 (20:11):
Without a doubt.
Speaker 4 (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 3 (20:23):
I mean a lot of times Tommy.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Smith, the running back with the Washington back in the day.
Speaker 4 (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 vonn
(20:49):
had an interception that game, So you know, I just.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
I yeah, it's it's frustrating.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
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 fifteen with, and some great
friends that are still great friends to this day.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
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. Hey, Kurt, always great to catch up,
but do you look forward to the next time we
see each other? Thanks so much for spending us some
time
Speaker 2 (21:24):
Us 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 (00:30):
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
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 of this Charlotte
community to this day.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Kurt, how you doing, Oh, I'm doing well.
Speaker 4 (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 today.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Well, you're a natural. 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. I mean,
it's just having you show up ready to roll. 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
(01:23):
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 4 (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 really I think, communicate your.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Thoughts as best as possible to anyone, you need to
know what you're talking about.
Speaker 4 (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 be 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
(02:07):
this guy, 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 3 (02:18):
Time where I had to learn the hard way.
Speaker 4 (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 1 (02:40):
Oh absolutely. 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. So there's there's
there's a given take with Mick.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Let's just put it down. We're delicious as fast this weekend.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
That's right. 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 Mick a
mixbit 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 tepal to what you're doing. And
you've been at Charlott Lattin High school in the last
six seven years. Your role there and and what that
(03:14):
means to you and what the job is like for you.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Yeah, it's been.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
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.
And then now since I've been in Charlotte, I started
(03:38):
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 3 (03:53):
Of things through the whole school. So at Charlott Latin.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
This position had not been created before as the Stewardship
and skull Ship 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 that have
they're about to graduate from college. I mean, it's just
(04:39):
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's whatever you want to do.
(05:01):
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.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
So it's been a great thing.
Speaker 4 (05:14):
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 on hopefully to
my kids.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
And you and i've talked before. I know your dad
was involved in schools as an administrator, I think assistant
principle and some other jobs. Are you saying your mom
was also?
Speaker 3 (05:31):
Were they both in education? Not necessarily.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
My mom was a speech pathologist and she worked with
a veterans, so being able to see veterans and again
helped see and serve them after they would come back,
and they would deal with different types of issues, whether
they had a stroke or whatever the case may be.
In there, learning how to really swallow and then from
swallowing it's too talking and doing all those little things,
(05:58):
just the acts of service is something that my parents
both showed me.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
My dad had coached.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
Well before I was even born, and he would tell
me funny stories about butch and Chris Carter and Ken
Griffy Junior and 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,
(06:24):
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 their own right.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
That's amazing. Oh, congratulations, that's really rewarding work. And you
do great at it. 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 talked Puck guys
all the time. Was it always Ohio State for you?
Were they always interested in you? Or what was the
(06:58):
recruiting process for you, like coming out of the area.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
Uh, well, the Dayton has been you know, I think
the dub name is jem City.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
It is. It is a gem in the in the
state of Ohio.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
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 in
fact it wasn't. It was actually the Miami Hurricanes. And
(07:33):
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 late nineties
(07:55):
early two thousands, I was like, Oh, those are some
bad mammagamas down there. And the funny thing was, you know,
I remember the two National CHAMPIONSIP game against Ohio State
and Miami, and I was the only Miami Hurricane fan. Uh,
and 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 right call or
(08:15):
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 of ballers on
(08:37):
that side of the squad too. And you go back
to the Jack Tatum days of just closed lineing 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 is a seventh round
pick of the Hladelphia 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 3 (09:21):
I think it was incredible.
Speaker 4 (09:25):
Again, you feel like there are you know, for me,
I'm a man of faith, and there are people that
God puts it all around you.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
Whether you recognize them or not, that's up to you.
Speaker 4 (09:36):
But when I first got to Philadelphia, I remember Sean
and I remember.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
This vividly, like he he was very hard on rookies,
you know, the older guys. He would kind of let
go and you got to you gotta.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
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 3 (09:58):
So he was taken on a role.
Speaker 4 (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 3 (10:16):
I was like, there's no way you could do what
we do. Well. You know, I'm very naive at this
time in my life.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
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,
and if you understand the game, you put yourself in positions.
(10:45):
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 work, can do all the little
things that's going to take to stay in this game.
And sure enough, I mean, I was fortunate enough to
(11:05):
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.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Career up in Buffalo.
Speaker 4 (11:23):
It was a great year and it was some things
that hopefully I was able to leave those guys around me.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
I went up there this past summer when we had
a chance to.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
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 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 talking about your role in that and just
what an amazing run that you guys had that year.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
It was. It was an incredibly special year.
Speaker 4 (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
the heat just sits on Youah. But I was doing
an interview and after I got done, I had called
my dad and we were just talking about how camp
(12:36):
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, there's something
special about this team and he was like, well, what
do you mean.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
I'm not sure, And you just couldn't put your finger
on it.
Speaker 4 (12:59):
But what 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 at it every single day and
it was a competition between offense and defense. But then
you would have Luke who was like he was quiet
(13:20):
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, to go through that season.
(13:41):
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.
You had an older classical guy of Dewan Edwards who
had won a Super Bowl that was helping.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Tutor some of the young guys. He had Charles Johnson.
Speaker 4 (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 a
super Bowl contender. And then he just had this demeanor
of like I was.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
He was.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
He was quick, but never in a hurry, and and
it was like nothing ever.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
Rattled his cage.
Speaker 4 (14:50):
He always had just 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 turn, and 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 such a perfect
(15:13):
just a perfect fifty three man roster. And then you
had some guys that just brought juice that 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. But
all I had to do was my job, and that
(15:34):
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,
(15:54):
you either take on more 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 3 (16:14):
You could never you can never replicate that.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Season 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 guys, including Peter Tillman,
(16:39):
who didn't 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 4 (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, that.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
Was one thing that led to the to the score.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
But you know, I think about I think Mike Tolbert
had fumbled the Jericho Coatrie 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
(17:54):
think on our first or second drive on offense. You know,
it just it 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.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
Try to say, what was it.
Speaker 4 (18:12):
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
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
(18:37):
just the order of which when we had to do
the interviews post practices, and you know, the whole week
was a little off. And I think it just it
played into the the how we played the game. And
you know, you can you can't blame anybody but yourself.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
And you know, either could I have done more? I
I think I could have.
Speaker 4 (18:58):
I don't know what more I should have done, but
you know, maybe I should have said something or done something.
But I can always say, to a man, you know,
I gave everything I had in that game, so I
left it all out there.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
But you know, you always wish you could have.
Speaker 4 (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.
(19:30):
And I think I 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, 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.
And I had a vote in it. You know, if
the Panthers win the game, Tony Ealy is the MVP
of that game because he had a takeaways, he had sacks.
(20:01):
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 3 (20:11):
Without a doubt.
Speaker 4 (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 3 (20:23):
I mean a lot of times Tommy.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Smith, the running back with the Washington back in the day.
Speaker 4 (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 vonn
(20:49):
had an interception that game, So you know, I just.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
I yeah, it's it's frustrating.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
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 fifteen with, and some great
friends that are still great friends to this day.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
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. Hey, Kurt, always great to catch up,
but do you look forward to the next time we
see each other? Thanks so much for spending us some
time
Speaker 2 (21:24):
Us thirty seasons of Panther football.
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