July 16, 2025 • 18 mins
Willie talks with the newest inductee into the Bengals Ring of Honor, Mr. Bengals himself, Dave Lapham.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
How about that sports fans, The Great Number sixty two
been with the Bengals since almost their inception, has never
left except to join Donald Trump's the Jersey Generals. Now
in the Ring of honor the Great Dave Lapham. Dave,
welcome again to the Bill Cunningham Show. First of all, Dave,
how you are you notified about such things? Did it
(00:27):
happen last night or this morning? How is someone notified
about this?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (00:32):
I was notified today by the by the the Brown
Blackburn family and different different people reached out at different times.
Elizabeth Blackburn and then Mike Brown. Obviously we had a
we had a conversation that was very very nice. I mean,
Mike Brown obviously has been a big, a big factor,
(00:54):
a big figure in my lifetime.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
There's no question about that.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
He is uh provided me with an avenue to just
take care of my family for hopefully multiple generations, honestly,
and as a player for ten seasons, and then the
broadcast booth for forty which is quite a stretch. I mean,
that's the pre remarkable him this next season, I mean
forty years to broadcast booth, and I just I can't
(01:21):
believe it.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
On the days really I'm just wondering, while it's time.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Ain't that's the truth? Looking back, Is there one game
of the one thousand you've been involved in that kind
of stands out good or bad?
Speaker 2 (01:33):
I'd say the Freezer Ball.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
The Freezer Ball was a It was a challenge.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
I mean it was.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
It was a game that probably will never ever have
another game played in those conditions. I don't think the
league would allow it. In fact, they almost didn't allow
it back then. It barely was allowed to happen, and
we thought we were told that it was it was
in dire straits, that there was a good chance of
we're going to.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Be able to play the football game.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
But then the NFL decided to go ahead and do it,
and the Freezer Bowl happened and was born, and it
turned out to be a hell of a football game,
very competitive considering the environments. And you know, the temperatures
nine below fifty nine below wind chills. That's cruel of
unusual punishment to the normal man, There's no doubt about that.
(02:23):
And I've never been colder in my life and never
want to be cold like that again in my lifetime.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Growing up in Massachusetts and attending Syracuse what was your thoughts?
And maybe your senioror Syracuse you lettered in a bunch
of sports. You were a team captain, you played in
the East West Shrine Game of nineteen seventy three. What
were your thoughts if somebody would interview a young, mean,
aggressive Dave Lapham in January February seventy seventy four and
(02:52):
you were going to be told you're going to be
a Bengal, what were your thoughts.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Yeah, my thoughts were, I can't believe I have an
opportunity to play for a legend, Paul Brown. Paul Brown, basically,
in my estimation, I was kind of raised on the
fact that he was the father of football, particularly at
the professional level. I mean, the National Football League would
not be what it is today if Paul Brown hadn't
(03:17):
been part of it back in the day. And to
play for Paul Brown was a dream come true. It
was an experience of a lifetime. He was everything I
thought he would be. Incredibly gifted, very talented man. I
think could have been anything. He could have been President
of the United States in my opinion, if he'd gone
into the political world, could have run any company in
(03:38):
the world, including like a Procter and Gamble here in Cincinnati,
but he decided to come to Ohio and the Cleveland
Browns built them into a juggernaut, and then moved to
the southern part of the state here into Cincinnati and
put together another franchise of fifty eight years that is
(04:01):
as good as any in the National Football League. Three
super Bowl appearances, multiple Playoff victories, unbelievable quarterbacks Paul Brown
has done at all.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
And as far as being a third round draft pick,
you're the sixty first pick overall, you come to Cincinnati,
and what are your first impressions about Wilmington.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Yeah, Wilmington was It was a kind of shock, really.
I mean I thought, then training camp in an NFL franchise,
and I wonder where we're going to be, Probably some hot
shot place like some kind of a I don't know,
a resort or something. I mean it would probably be
you know, on fields that the resort has. That would
(04:42):
be another little added added plus for the people that
are staying there. I know.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
It wasn't a resport.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
It was tidy Wilmington College up in Wilmington, Ohio, with
you know, the bear essentials for facility and equipment and
everything else that I was with it. The Bengals brought
their own equipment up there, basically as an NFL franchise,
But Wilmington College was uh, you know, it's Quaker and
(05:10):
it was the people. The people were very uh you know,
very humble, very nice people. There wasn't there wasn't a
whole lot of Shenanigans going on hot as Paul Brown
would say, no Shenanigans, Yeah right, There wasn't a whole
lot of cocktail. Uh cocktails being served, are alcohol being absorbed?
(05:32):
It was. It was quite a place, it really was.
And I was up there for a good number of years.
There's no question about that. I spent uh had it
all up. I spent multiple years up there in Wilmington,
and and uh.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
I can't say that I'm happy that I did, but
I was proud that I did because it was up
there for uh the sole purpose is getting ready to
play in an NFL season with an NFL franchise, and
a good one at that.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
In the Cincinnati Bengals, right.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
And the preseason, how many you had two no air conditioning,
had of bringing a fan, you all shared one toilet.
It was, it was, it was hotter than the hinges
of hell. You had two a days. Then, how many
preseason games did you play in seventy four?
Speaker 3 (06:14):
In seventy four it was six? I think it was
seventy four. Seventy five we played seven. We played in
the Hall of Fame game. One of those two preseasons.
I'm cramping on which one it was, brain cramp, but
it was, you know, seven preseason games, seven full games
against you know, viable NFL opponents that were playing for keeps. Now,
it wasn't the preseason games a little different back then?
(06:36):
Guys played, I mean the starters played. Guys played seven
of them. That didn't mean a thing and nothing squads, nil, zip,
not a nothing on your schedule. I mean it was
just seven practice games that were officiated by NFL officials,
played by NFL players that had no bearing whatsoever on
(06:58):
the schedule.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
As that started to unfold in the regular season.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
And it hurt, I mean, it wasn't. It wasn't like
it is today. Well you can practice a little bit
and walk around make your fifty million dollars. It was
work and you got hurt, and you said, well, just
you're fine, get out there and.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Play exactly exactly you know, rub some dirt on sun.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Yeah, mar Mark, Paul is our training Mark, get over there,
taker's ass up. Back in there, Yeah, back in there.
We can't afford to have him missed. These snaps, these
reps are valuable. God damn, get him in there.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
At the conclusion, at the conclusion of your ten years
with the Bengals, you were then hired by Donald Trump,
I think on a ten year personal services contract. When
you told Paul Brown and Mike Brown you're leaving the
Bengals at that point, was that a problem for those
two years? Uh?
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Yeah, it was. It was.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
It was interesting that they, you know, obviously weren't happy
about it.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
You know that they they knew the rival league. This
one was going to stick around.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
There were a few others that came and went sprung
up and and died a quick death, but this one
had some pretty significant financial backers, including Donald Trump and
yeah he It was a two year personal services contract.
I had two full seasons guaranteed. Regular season salvage were
fully guaranteed, just like the signing bonus and every other
(08:19):
form of payment that that that contract provided. So you know,
it was it was guaranteed money. Whether I you know,
made the team, didn't make the team, get hurt, didn't
get hurt, you know, uh passed away. But it was
it was guaranteed for every condition that it possibly could
(08:40):
be guaranteed for, which I looked at us after ten
years in the National Football League as an annuity that
came due to the for the benefit of my family.
So it was very, very difficult to pass up that
kind of guaranteed money. And they just they weren't doing
it in the National Football the particularly for you know,
offensive linemen.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
It's like, are you kidding me, No way, we're doing
that well.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
And of course when you were and that was done,
you came back to the Bengals and the show. They
don't hold a grudge. I think Phil Samp was Uh
could be difficult at times, and you were you were,
you were with him, and you had little or no
broadcasting experience, but they they thought about enough about you
as a man to say, you know what, let's hook
(09:20):
him up as the color analyst with Phil Samp And
that was like and what was that in eighty eighty four,
eighty five something like that, Right, and you've been eighty five,
you're about to celebrate your fortieth season and uh and
in football, can you compare Phil Samp to Dan Horde
as far as the differentials.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Yeah, that's uh, that's like trying to looks like trying
to say salt and pepper seeing food the same way.
You know, It's like, yeah, it's not hy. They had
much different personalities. Yeah, but they they did. Their approach
to the game was similar in that they you know,
they obviously took it very very the Dan takes it
(10:01):
and Phil took it very very seriously.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
And I will say though that.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
That Dan Horde, without a without a doubt, is as
prepared a person and professionals I've ever worked with. I mean,
that dude does his homework. Man, there's nothing that's going
to slip by Dan Hord. He is ready for anything,
and he'll make the necessary adjustments. Accordingly, Phil Simp was
(10:25):
really he was really pretty good to me, you know,
he he he realized pretty early on that I did
understand what was going on on the football field from
the football standpoint, and honestly, when he found out that
the Syracuse I went to the New House School of Communications,
which put out the likes of Bob Costas and others
that you know that he had, Well, this guy's got
(10:45):
a basic understanding of what's what goes on in the
broadcast area of the broadcast world. So he uh, he
accepted me, I think pretty quickly, and we kind of
hit it off pretty well. Phil was Phil was something man.
That voice. I mean, you would give everything that you
had for that, for those for that dulcic tone of
Phil Sapman.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
He was amazing.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Does Mike Brown get a bad rap now and then?
Because he suffers quite a bit of criticisms, doesn't give
interviews except one time? Is Mike Brown the public perception
the reality of Mike Brown?
Speaker 2 (11:19):
No, No way, Mike.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
I think I think John Q public most of John
Q public as would be shocked to know that Mike
Brown is very very different than the way he's portrayed
in the media.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
And you know, some of it's his own doing.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
Like you said, he's very selective in what he does
and how he does it from an interview standpoint, but
I'm telling you, this guy is a good man, a
family man. You know, he's got you know, he was
brought up right. The Ten Commandments mean something to Mike Brown.
You know, he's honest as the day is long. He's
(11:58):
just a good human being, a good somebody that you know,
if you were fortunate enough to have him as a
friend and able to call him a good friend, you'd
be a lucky man. And that's the way his good
friends feel about him. Mike Brown is a very, very
solid individual, assault of the earth kind of guy. And
I don't think the masses out there, the Bengals fans,
(12:22):
have that perception or that understanding of what what Mike
Brown is really like.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
As part of the Trey Hendrickson has signed a contract
this year. He's got a written contract signed by the
team and by Trey Henderson. He's going to play football
this year for the Bengals. And part of Mike Brown's
philosophies or life is when you sign a contract, dammit,
you'll honor it. Is that going to be hard for
Mike Brown to say, you know, Trey Hendrickson, well, we're
(12:48):
going to ignore the contract you sign and give you
more money.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Yeah. I mean, I don't think that he's necessarily going
to do that.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
I think he's going to say to Trey Henderson, Tree,
get get the training camp. You're under contract, year left
in your contract. We both signed it in good faith
honor your contract. Now, if you come to training camp,
I'll talk to you about an extension. But you know
you're not gonna strong arm me and say, you know,
I want all this money. I want an extension. It's
not you don't give it to me. I'm not coming
to camp. And that's not the way. That's not the
(13:16):
way this works. Sign the deal's backwards. Yeah, you signed
the deal.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
You know.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
It's like you're you're I've got the leverage. I've got
you under contract. You're trying to create leverage, but it's
not gonna work because I've got you under contract. And
I believe in contracts. I believe you know, in the
word uh of people that sign their contract, they're given
their word, So you know, I I think he feels
(13:40):
that Trey Henderson will report to training camp at some
point in time, hopefully sooner rather than later. There's only
a week before camp opens up.
Speaker 4 (13:49):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
But if he doesn't, it's a very short stay out
of training camp, because you know what you want to see.
Even a veteran player that understands all the nuances of
the game and has performed and succeeded at a very
high level, you still want to go through training camp
and get your body right. You don't want to go
into training camp not quite ready to play the game
of football at the level that others that have gone
through a training camp are able to go physically.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
You don't want to put yourself in jeopardy that way.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
Lastly, Dave Lapham, you're one of twelve. There's been thousands
have come through the Bengals over the last fifty five years.
What do you want to say as a man, as
a person, to the fans, to the season ticket holders,
to the suite holders that voted you into the Ring
of Honor? What do you want to say to them?
Speaker 3 (14:30):
Man, Willie? I mean, I just can't thank them enough.
I'll be forever indebted to them my entire life. I mean,
for them to think enough for me, as a player
and as a broadcaster to get their vote for the
Ring of Honor, which is something that I never ever
ever considered as being in the realm of possibility. For
(14:55):
them to do that for me is something that is
incomp hencible. I'll never be able to repay them. I mean,
I think you know, I thank them for coming to
all the games, spending their good, hard earned money to
go to an NFL game. Sometimes that's not as easy
as the towns for some of the fans, but they're
die hard. They love the football team, they love everything
(15:17):
about the NFL, and they're glad to have a team
here in Cincinnati competing in the National Football League. They
know football, I will tell you that, Willie that in
terms of when you go around the NFL, Cincinnati Bengal
fans are as educated as any fans in the league
in terms of what the hell's going on in the
football field with respect to the rules of football. It
(15:39):
is a very very sharp, intelligent crowd, and I think
it's respectful to the game of football. I can't say
enough good things about the fans, and I just I'm
forever indebted to them. It just it just boggles my
mind that they voted me in to the Ring of Honor.
I mean, it's an honor that I just I just
(16:01):
can't put my arms around it, you know, on my
mind around it. It's it's almost incomprehensible for me to grasp.
You know, I first started playing football. My grandfathers were
you know, would say, you know, uh, you know, work hard, Uh,
listen to the coaches, do what the coaches say, the
coaches know what's going on. So I tried to do
that and tried to take my grandfather's advice all the
(16:22):
way through.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
And they were right. You know, coaches know what's going on.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Coaches know the game of football, and you can learn
from home and you can learn every year from them.
And I learned from my teammates how to play, what
techniques and fundamentals to to use, and others that you
learn along the way that might take the places. Some
that you learned early on and just grew and developed
as a player. And that was due to the the
abilities in the in the kindness of my teammates and coaches,
(16:49):
assistant coaches had great teammates, high caliber people, tremendous players, coaches,
high caliber coaches, tremendous people, and uh, the organization was
top shelf. Paul Brown is one of one. Paul Brown's
the father of football. In my mind, when I think NFL,
I think Paul Brown.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Well, Dave Lapham, thanks for coming on this afternoon, and
we've been blessed to have you with the Bengals and
Joe knucksall with the Reds. I say, this is a
great affection. You're the Joe knucks All of the Bengals,
or maybe Joe Knucksall is the Dave Lapham of the
Cincinnati Reds. But may you live long and prosper, and
may God give you another forty years behind the mic.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Oh Man, Willie, that would be something with that, oh man,
I'd take I'll take five. I'd like to I'd like
to run five. Well, that'd be great. I know the
feeling feel good. Yeah, I know the feel I feel good.
I feel like James Brown. I feel good. Yeah, I
feel good. Yeah. Willie, you feel good, you look good.
You can communicate. You're going another decade, Willie. There's no
(17:52):
question about it. Well, it's doubt in my mind.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
We'll see what happens. But Dave, we'll talk quickly in
the next few months as the Bengals march to the
super Bowl and maybe beyond. Dave Lapham, you're a great
American and thanks for coming on the Bill Cunningham Show.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Dave. Thank you. I hear that, Willie super Bowl or
bust my man.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
Let's go, Willie, Let's go, Dave, thank you. Let's continue
with more. Bill Cunningham with the Legend Dave Lapham on
News Radio seven hundred WLW
How about that sports fans, The Great Number sixty two
been with the Bengals since almost their inception, has never
left except to join Donald Trump's the Jersey Generals. Now
in the Ring of honor the Great Dave Lapham. Dave,
welcome again to the Bill Cunningham Show. First of all, Dave,
how you are you notified about such things? Did it
(00:27):
happen last night or this morning? How is someone notified
about this?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (00:32):
I was notified today by the by the the Brown
Blackburn family and different different people reached out at different times.
Elizabeth Blackburn and then Mike Brown. Obviously we had a
we had a conversation that was very very nice. I mean,
Mike Brown obviously has been a big, a big factor,
(00:54):
a big figure in my lifetime.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
There's no question about that.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
He is uh provided me with an avenue to just
take care of my family for hopefully multiple generations, honestly,
and as a player for ten seasons, and then the
broadcast booth for forty which is quite a stretch. I mean,
that's the pre remarkable him this next season, I mean
forty years to broadcast booth, and I just I can't
(01:21):
believe it.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
On the days really I'm just wondering, while it's time.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Ain't that's the truth? Looking back, Is there one game
of the one thousand you've been involved in that kind
of stands out good or bad?
Speaker 2 (01:33):
I'd say the Freezer Ball.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
The Freezer Ball was a It was a challenge.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
I mean it was.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
It was a game that probably will never ever have
another game played in those conditions. I don't think the
league would allow it. In fact, they almost didn't allow
it back then. It barely was allowed to happen, and
we thought we were told that it was it was
in dire straits, that there was a good chance of
we're going to.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Be able to play the football game.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
But then the NFL decided to go ahead and do it,
and the Freezer Bowl happened and was born, and it
turned out to be a hell of a football game,
very competitive considering the environments. And you know, the temperatures
nine below fifty nine below wind chills. That's cruel of
unusual punishment to the normal man, There's no doubt about that.
(02:23):
And I've never been colder in my life and never
want to be cold like that again in my lifetime.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Growing up in Massachusetts and attending Syracuse what was your thoughts?
And maybe your senioror Syracuse you lettered in a bunch
of sports. You were a team captain, you played in
the East West Shrine Game of nineteen seventy three. What
were your thoughts if somebody would interview a young, mean,
aggressive Dave Lapham in January February seventy seventy four and
(02:52):
you were going to be told you're going to be
a Bengal, what were your thoughts.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Yeah, my thoughts were, I can't believe I have an
opportunity to play for a legend, Paul Brown. Paul Brown, basically,
in my estimation, I was kind of raised on the
fact that he was the father of football, particularly at
the professional level. I mean, the National Football League would
not be what it is today if Paul Brown hadn't
(03:17):
been part of it back in the day. And to
play for Paul Brown was a dream come true. It
was an experience of a lifetime. He was everything I
thought he would be. Incredibly gifted, very talented man. I
think could have been anything. He could have been President
of the United States in my opinion, if he'd gone
into the political world, could have run any company in
(03:38):
the world, including like a Procter and Gamble here in Cincinnati,
but he decided to come to Ohio and the Cleveland
Browns built them into a juggernaut, and then moved to
the southern part of the state here into Cincinnati and
put together another franchise of fifty eight years that is
(04:01):
as good as any in the National Football League. Three
super Bowl appearances, multiple Playoff victories, unbelievable quarterbacks Paul Brown
has done at all.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
And as far as being a third round draft pick,
you're the sixty first pick overall, you come to Cincinnati,
and what are your first impressions about Wilmington.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Yeah, Wilmington was It was a kind of shock, really.
I mean I thought, then training camp in an NFL franchise,
and I wonder where we're going to be, Probably some hot
shot place like some kind of a I don't know,
a resort or something. I mean it would probably be
you know, on fields that the resort has. That would
(04:42):
be another little added added plus for the people that
are staying there. I know.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
It wasn't a resport.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
It was tidy Wilmington College up in Wilmington, Ohio, with
you know, the bear essentials for facility and equipment and
everything else that I was with it. The Bengals brought
their own equipment up there, basically as an NFL franchise,
But Wilmington College was uh, you know, it's Quaker and
(05:10):
it was the people. The people were very uh you know,
very humble, very nice people. There wasn't there wasn't a
whole lot of Shenanigans going on hot as Paul Brown
would say, no Shenanigans, Yeah right, There wasn't a whole
lot of cocktail. Uh cocktails being served, are alcohol being absorbed?
(05:32):
It was. It was quite a place, it really was.
And I was up there for a good number of years.
There's no question about that. I spent uh had it
all up. I spent multiple years up there in Wilmington,
and and uh.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
I can't say that I'm happy that I did, but
I was proud that I did because it was up
there for uh the sole purpose is getting ready to
play in an NFL season with an NFL franchise, and
a good one at that.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
In the Cincinnati Bengals, right.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
And the preseason, how many you had two no air conditioning,
had of bringing a fan, you all shared one toilet.
It was, it was, it was hotter than the hinges
of hell. You had two a days. Then, how many
preseason games did you play in seventy four?
Speaker 3 (06:14):
In seventy four it was six? I think it was
seventy four. Seventy five we played seven. We played in
the Hall of Fame game. One of those two preseasons.
I'm cramping on which one it was, brain cramp, but
it was, you know, seven preseason games, seven full games
against you know, viable NFL opponents that were playing for keeps. Now,
it wasn't the preseason games a little different back then?
(06:36):
Guys played, I mean the starters played. Guys played seven
of them. That didn't mean a thing and nothing squads, nil, zip,
not a nothing on your schedule. I mean it was
just seven practice games that were officiated by NFL officials,
played by NFL players that had no bearing whatsoever on
(06:58):
the schedule.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
As that started to unfold in the regular season.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
And it hurt, I mean, it wasn't. It wasn't like
it is today. Well you can practice a little bit
and walk around make your fifty million dollars. It was
work and you got hurt, and you said, well, just
you're fine, get out there and.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Play exactly exactly you know, rub some dirt on sun.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Yeah, mar Mark, Paul is our training Mark, get over there,
taker's ass up. Back in there, Yeah, back in there.
We can't afford to have him missed. These snaps, these
reps are valuable. God damn, get him in there.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
At the conclusion, at the conclusion of your ten years
with the Bengals, you were then hired by Donald Trump,
I think on a ten year personal services contract. When
you told Paul Brown and Mike Brown you're leaving the
Bengals at that point, was that a problem for those
two years? Uh?
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Yeah, it was. It was.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
It was interesting that they, you know, obviously weren't happy
about it.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
You know that they they knew the rival league. This
one was going to stick around.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
There were a few others that came and went sprung
up and and died a quick death, but this one
had some pretty significant financial backers, including Donald Trump and
yeah he It was a two year personal services contract.
I had two full seasons guaranteed. Regular season salvage were
fully guaranteed, just like the signing bonus and every other
(08:19):
form of payment that that that contract provided. So you know,
it was it was guaranteed money. Whether I you know,
made the team, didn't make the team, get hurt, didn't
get hurt, you know, uh passed away. But it was
it was guaranteed for every condition that it possibly could
(08:40):
be guaranteed for, which I looked at us after ten
years in the National Football League as an annuity that
came due to the for the benefit of my family.
So it was very, very difficult to pass up that
kind of guaranteed money. And they just they weren't doing
it in the National Football the particularly for you know,
offensive linemen.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
It's like, are you kidding me, No way, we're doing
that well.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
And of course when you were and that was done,
you came back to the Bengals and the show. They
don't hold a grudge. I think Phil Samp was Uh
could be difficult at times, and you were you were,
you were with him, and you had little or no
broadcasting experience, but they they thought about enough about you
as a man to say, you know what, let's hook
(09:20):
him up as the color analyst with Phil Samp And
that was like and what was that in eighty eighty four,
eighty five something like that, Right, and you've been eighty five,
you're about to celebrate your fortieth season and uh and
in football, can you compare Phil Samp to Dan Horde
as far as the differentials.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Yeah, that's uh, that's like trying to looks like trying
to say salt and pepper seeing food the same way.
You know, It's like, yeah, it's not hy. They had
much different personalities. Yeah, but they they did. Their approach
to the game was similar in that they you know,
they obviously took it very very the Dan takes it
(10:01):
and Phil took it very very seriously.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
And I will say though that.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
That Dan Horde, without a without a doubt, is as
prepared a person and professionals I've ever worked with. I mean,
that dude does his homework. Man, there's nothing that's going
to slip by Dan Hord. He is ready for anything,
and he'll make the necessary adjustments. Accordingly, Phil Simp was
(10:25):
really he was really pretty good to me, you know,
he he he realized pretty early on that I did
understand what was going on on the football field from
the football standpoint, and honestly, when he found out that
the Syracuse I went to the New House School of Communications,
which put out the likes of Bob Costas and others
that you know that he had, Well, this guy's got
(10:45):
a basic understanding of what's what goes on in the
broadcast area of the broadcast world. So he uh, he
accepted me, I think pretty quickly, and we kind of
hit it off pretty well. Phil was Phil was something man.
That voice. I mean, you would give everything that you
had for that, for those for that dulcic tone of
Phil Sapman.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
He was amazing.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Does Mike Brown get a bad rap now and then?
Because he suffers quite a bit of criticisms, doesn't give
interviews except one time? Is Mike Brown the public perception
the reality of Mike Brown?
Speaker 2 (11:19):
No, No way, Mike.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
I think I think John Q public most of John
Q public as would be shocked to know that Mike
Brown is very very different than the way he's portrayed
in the media.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
And you know, some of it's his own doing.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
Like you said, he's very selective in what he does
and how he does it from an interview standpoint, but
I'm telling you, this guy is a good man, a
family man. You know, he's got you know, he was
brought up right. The Ten Commandments mean something to Mike Brown.
You know, he's honest as the day is long. He's
(11:58):
just a good human being, a good somebody that you know,
if you were fortunate enough to have him as a
friend and able to call him a good friend, you'd
be a lucky man. And that's the way his good
friends feel about him. Mike Brown is a very, very
solid individual, assault of the earth kind of guy. And
I don't think the masses out there, the Bengals fans,
(12:22):
have that perception or that understanding of what what Mike
Brown is really like.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
As part of the Trey Hendrickson has signed a contract
this year. He's got a written contract signed by the
team and by Trey Henderson. He's going to play football
this year for the Bengals. And part of Mike Brown's
philosophies or life is when you sign a contract, dammit,
you'll honor it. Is that going to be hard for
Mike Brown to say, you know, Trey Hendrickson, well, we're
(12:48):
going to ignore the contract you sign and give you
more money.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Yeah. I mean, I don't think that he's necessarily going
to do that.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
I think he's going to say to Trey Henderson, Tree,
get get the training camp. You're under contract, year left
in your contract. We both signed it in good faith
honor your contract. Now, if you come to training camp,
I'll talk to you about an extension. But you know
you're not gonna strong arm me and say, you know,
I want all this money. I want an extension. It's
not you don't give it to me. I'm not coming
to camp. And that's not the way. That's not the
(13:16):
way this works. Sign the deal's backwards. Yeah, you signed
the deal.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
You know.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
It's like you're you're I've got the leverage. I've got
you under contract. You're trying to create leverage, but it's
not gonna work because I've got you under contract. And
I believe in contracts. I believe you know, in the
word uh of people that sign their contract, they're given
their word, So you know, I I think he feels
(13:40):
that Trey Henderson will report to training camp at some
point in time, hopefully sooner rather than later. There's only
a week before camp opens up.
Speaker 4 (13:49):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
But if he doesn't, it's a very short stay out
of training camp, because you know what you want to see.
Even a veteran player that understands all the nuances of
the game and has performed and succeeded at a very
high level, you still want to go through training camp
and get your body right. You don't want to go
into training camp not quite ready to play the game
of football at the level that others that have gone
through a training camp are able to go physically.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
You don't want to put yourself in jeopardy that way.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
Lastly, Dave Lapham, you're one of twelve. There's been thousands
have come through the Bengals over the last fifty five years.
What do you want to say as a man, as
a person, to the fans, to the season ticket holders,
to the suite holders that voted you into the Ring
of Honor? What do you want to say to them?
Speaker 3 (14:30):
Man, Willie? I mean, I just can't thank them enough.
I'll be forever indebted to them my entire life. I mean,
for them to think enough for me, as a player
and as a broadcaster to get their vote for the
Ring of Honor, which is something that I never ever
ever considered as being in the realm of possibility. For
(14:55):
them to do that for me is something that is
incomp hencible. I'll never be able to repay them. I mean,
I think you know, I thank them for coming to
all the games, spending their good, hard earned money to
go to an NFL game. Sometimes that's not as easy
as the towns for some of the fans, but they're
die hard. They love the football team, they love everything
(15:17):
about the NFL, and they're glad to have a team
here in Cincinnati competing in the National Football League. They
know football, I will tell you that, Willie that in
terms of when you go around the NFL, Cincinnati Bengal
fans are as educated as any fans in the league
in terms of what the hell's going on in the
football field with respect to the rules of football. It
(15:39):
is a very very sharp, intelligent crowd, and I think
it's respectful to the game of football. I can't say
enough good things about the fans, and I just I'm
forever indebted to them. It just it just boggles my
mind that they voted me in to the Ring of Honor.
I mean, it's an honor that I just I just
(16:01):
can't put my arms around it, you know, on my
mind around it. It's it's almost incomprehensible for me to grasp.
You know, I first started playing football. My grandfathers were
you know, would say, you know, uh, you know, work hard, Uh,
listen to the coaches, do what the coaches say, the
coaches know what's going on. So I tried to do
that and tried to take my grandfather's advice all the
(16:22):
way through.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
And they were right. You know, coaches know what's going on.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Coaches know the game of football, and you can learn
from home and you can learn every year from them.
And I learned from my teammates how to play, what
techniques and fundamentals to to use, and others that you
learn along the way that might take the places. Some
that you learned early on and just grew and developed
as a player. And that was due to the the
abilities in the in the kindness of my teammates and coaches,
(16:49):
assistant coaches had great teammates, high caliber people, tremendous players, coaches,
high caliber coaches, tremendous people, and uh, the organization was
top shelf. Paul Brown is one of one. Paul Brown's
the father of football. In my mind, when I think NFL,
I think Paul Brown.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Well, Dave Lapham, thanks for coming on this afternoon, and
we've been blessed to have you with the Bengals and
Joe knucksall with the Reds. I say, this is a
great affection. You're the Joe knucks All of the Bengals,
or maybe Joe Knucksall is the Dave Lapham of the
Cincinnati Reds. But may you live long and prosper, and
may God give you another forty years behind the mic.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Oh Man, Willie, that would be something with that, oh man,
I'd take I'll take five. I'd like to I'd like
to run five. Well, that'd be great. I know the
feeling feel good. Yeah, I know the feel I feel good.
I feel like James Brown. I feel good. Yeah, I
feel good. Yeah. Willie, you feel good, you look good.
You can communicate. You're going another decade, Willie. There's no
(17:52):
question about it. Well, it's doubt in my mind.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
We'll see what happens. But Dave, we'll talk quickly in
the next few months as the Bengals march to the
super Bowl and maybe beyond. Dave Lapham, you're a great
American and thanks for coming on the Bill Cunningham Show.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Dave. Thank you. I hear that, Willie super Bowl or
bust my man.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
Let's go, Willie, Let's go, Dave, thank you. Let's continue
with more. Bill Cunningham with the Legend Dave Lapham on
News Radio seven hundred WLW
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