October 18, 2023 • 57 mins
On the latest NFL Players: Second Acts episode, legendary return man Dante Hall a.k.a. “The X Factor,” a.k.a. “The Human Joystick,” a.k.a. “The Human Torch” joins Peanut and Roman. Dante electrified crowds as one of the NFL’s best returners, and he shares how that wasn’t the plan when he entered the NFL. He also takes us inside what it’s like to be in a zone as a returner, like he was in 2003 when he returned four kicks in consecutive weeks. Dante has stayed close with the Kansas City Chiefs organization where he made his made, serving as an official ambassador. And he’ll get the ultimate honor of being inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor. And it’s not all football with Dante…he’s also here for the smoke in the MJ vs. LeBron debate.
1:41 – Dante talks about the evolution of his different nicknames
2:49 - Dante explains how he went from a RB to a WR in the NFL
7:22 – Peanut shares how he ended up going to University of Louisiana at Lafayette
8:03 – Dante on being 1 of only 5 returners in NFL history with 10,000+ yards
8:46 – Dante on Travis Kelce being his favorite players currently in the NFL
9:15 – Dante on why he has Michael Jordan #1 above LeBron James on his top 5 NBA list
10:00 – Dante on being in a zone in 2003 when he returned a kick in 4 straight games
12:35 – Dante and Peanut on what makes special teams special
16:27 – Dante on the favorite TD return in his career
18:03 – Dante on when he knew being a returner was his super power
21:35 – Dante on induction into the Chiefs Ring of Honor in 2023
24:19 – Dante on his love for his alma mater Texas A&M
30:55 – Dante on making it to the NFL
33:35 – Dante on when he knew it was time to retire
38:39 – Dante on his second act being a Chiefs ambassador
42:11 – Dante on his coaching aspirations
40:06 – Dante on who is on his personal Mount Rushmore
49:10 – Dante on how he found purpose after the NFL
50:50 – Dante on whether he preferred a punt or kickoff return for a TD
*NOTE: All time codes are approximate
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
I'm Peanut.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
This is my guy Roman, and this is the NFL
Player Second X podcast, and we got a good one.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
I had to stop rolling because him and our.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Guests, they've been trying to do the show before the
show actually start. So right now, I'm gonna just read
off some of this gentleman's stats. Played nine years in
the NFL, made a name for himself as one of
the greatest returnment of all time. He is tied third
all time in kick returns and touchdowns. He is one
of owner he excuse me, he is one of five
(00:32):
players in NFL history with ten thousand return yards, two
time All Pro, two time Pro bowler at five eight.
He's got more nicknames and I don't know who he's got.
The Human Torch, the Human Joystick, the X Factor. Ladies
and gentlemen, please welcome Dante Hall to the show. My
(00:54):
personal favorite was an X Factor, so mine was a
human joystick.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
I told you, my brother's a die hard fan of
yours and all of Kansas City Chiefs, and so it
was really awesome to see him really burst onto the
scene out of nowhere. You had the one where you
just destroyed Denver Broncos with the kind.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
Of step back.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
I think that was on Al Wilson to really hurt
my man forget. Yeah, yeah, then I broke everybody else. Yeah,
and it was just great because that was actually passed
to the flat that you did that and then but
you were very much so known for your return.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
I was one of the Gatorade commercial.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Was that the one on I think you did something
with a gatoramercial where you got it and yeah that
was yeah, yeah, yeah, that's the one that was on
the Gate Raay commercial. I was just like, damn, So,
what was your favorite nickname?
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Human? George Stick, hum and Joystick.
Speaker 5 (01:39):
I came up with the X factor, so that means
a lot to me, but Human Joystick is my favorite,
even though I didn't come up with that. Mitch Otis,
who has been like a long standing play by play
analyst guy for the Chiefs, he kind of gave me
that Moniker, but I came up with the X factor.
So I love the X factor because I gave came
up with it. But the human Joystick was pretty pretty
(02:01):
cool too. And at the time he named me that,
this was two thousand and two three, I was an
avid gamer. Yeah, I since retired the controls the clubs.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
But at the time when he said, I was hum
and Joystick.
Speaker 5 (02:16):
And what was your game when you were gaming pretty
much all the sports game the typical NBA two K
Madden of course, were you.
Speaker 4 (02:22):
On Tiger Woods at that time too?
Speaker 1 (02:24):
That's what got me into gold.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
I was like, you had to be on Tiger Woods,
the battery filling up.
Speaker 5 (02:32):
That's actually what transitioned me from a gamer into actually
playing the game of golf was the Tiger Wars game.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Oh so all right, now, so your your favorite nickname
was now was the human Joystick? But how did you
come up with the X factor? Was it because people
stopp punting it to you?
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Like?
Speaker 4 (02:52):
What was it? How did you become the X factor?
Speaker 1 (02:55):
So?
Speaker 5 (02:56):
Actually, before I made it to the league in high school,
junior high college, I died at that I was a
running back.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Yeah I got that. Yeah, I got.
Speaker 5 (03:05):
Converted tour wide receiver my second ye in the NFL. Uh,
and they moved me to the X receiver during that
second year. Uh in the league getting converted. We didn't
have a really good year. You guys, no idea. It's
week thirteen. You know you're not going to the playoffs.
You gotta find a way to get through the practice. Yeah,
you gotta find a way. So I just, you know,
(03:26):
started messing around in practice, like if I ever scored
a touchdown, I'm gonna throw up the X X you know,
crew because you know we have friendly competitions XS versus zs.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
And all of that.
Speaker 5 (03:37):
So it was just something that started as a joking
practice and then carried on.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Those that don't know the This was the X, the Z, W,
T V F Y, those are just different positions for
slide the exactly.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
I would also say this is that, uh, the X
receiver is the one that's on the ball.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
And exactly off the ball on the strong side.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Right, But the X receiver is usually bigger than you.
You're you're a small X. I would I would, I
would think that you'd be a Z because they could
move you off the ball, put your motion, do some
other things with you.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
So with the offense that we ran, it was the
offense that.
Speaker 5 (04:16):
The Greatest Show on Turf used, as well as Don
carry Ell and the Greatest Show on Turf during the
San Diego Day.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Kelln Winslow, Senior, Dan Fouts, Johner.
Speaker 5 (04:29):
That offense as well as greatest show on turf was
an offense that Dick Lemier brought my second year with
the Chiefs. And in that offense, yes you can make
it as a special teamer, but they were only carrying five,
no more than six receivers. So even though you wasn't
a starter, you had to be a backup and know
all every position because they it was kind of they
(04:50):
could enter, uh you know, change you as far as receiver,
and the way we lined up and the way we
would get you guys is I would come in at
the Z.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Maybe then we were shifting now.
Speaker 5 (05:00):
Why right, and and so forth. So everything was interchange, interchangeble.
You had to know every position. So even though yes it's.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
The short guy, the big guy, we ran short people
played when I was at the ZA.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Okay, so you're one of five players with ten thousand yards.
Speaker 5 (05:19):
When you said that, I didn't know that. That's a
stat I've never heard.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Yeah, and I'm so we were sitting here debating, like
so I played with Devon Uh, Devon Hester, Joshua.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Cribs he did Metcalf? Wow? Uh No, No, I didn't play
with him. I played I played against those two guys.
You got Eric metcalf yourself. Rian Mitchell has to be
Brian Mitchell. Brian Mitchell, Yeah, the most fourteen guy.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Yeah, really, yeah, he did it the longest too, He
did it the longest.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Louisiana raising cag so he raising he had, Yes, Yes, Lafayette,
what's up representing y'all?
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Y'all beat us in two thousand and six.
Speaker 5 (06:09):
Yeah, the only time they've ever been part of that team. Yes,
but I was only a freshman.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
So Jake Delane, yes, yeah, it was mousted everybody. It
was he.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
And yeah, now now ask him what happened the following year.
I wasn't.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
I wasn't there then. I wasn't six and sixth to nothing. Yeah,
I wasn't there then that but that was at.
Speaker 5 (06:33):
A m right, Yeah, no it was. It was in
uh Lafayette. It was we came in twenty fifth ranked team.
You guys were unranked and we going we had all
we had about seven guys go pro off that team
and we still got beat But look what happened. It
was Jake delone before he was Jake Delaw Brandon Stokely
before exactly.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
But these guys were really really talented.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
So when I went there, they tried, so this is
ninety nine, happened in ninety six. They tried to use
that to recruits, like we beat a M back in
ninety six, and I'm like, it's ninety nine, y'all, Like
that was that was years ago somebody.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
That's all they got, I know.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
But it didn't sway me to go there. That didn't
sw did you end up? I didn't. I wasn't highly
recruited out of college and didn't nobody want me.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
I mean, I had the size, I had the grades.
I still played the same. I was doing everything the same.
But yeah, I just I flew under the radar and
I didn't want it to right down the street from A
and M. I was in Clean Okay or Clean Corpace,
Coved Temple. I was in that that area totally one
of the radar ut A and M S mu Rice
(07:43):
like you like none of.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
Them just know Texas.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
No, that's crazy, that is North Texas. Yeah, I just
flew on even North Texas wold under the radar.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
Flew So when Peanut tells you those stats and those numbers,
what does that do for you?
Speaker 4 (07:58):
Mentally? Emotionally? Where does that? It's just like, you know
what it's kind of just my career now passing.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
No, No, I'm not jaded like that.
Speaker 5 (08:06):
When he said that, it's like, oh wow, because I
study the history of the game, I'm very fortunate.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
I feel very fortunate every day in my life. I
love the game. I love sports in general.
Speaker 5 (08:17):
So to even be considered as one of five that
you said in the history of this game, I immediately started thinking.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Of all the grace before me. Wow, only five.
Speaker 5 (08:27):
So I understand history like that, and it just makes
me really really appreciate it, to be honest, because I
still watch the games every week, all the games as
if I never played. I'm just an average sports fan.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
So who are you the biggest fan of like right now?
Speaker 5 (08:43):
Currently a smarter in football football football? Probably Travis Kelsey.
Now I'm a little biased because I have a relationship
with him off the field, and I just think a
god as one's two Super Bowl is who he is,
how humble he is, how you can touch him, you
can hang out with him like he never felt like
I'm bigger than you. You did your thing, You did
your thing. No, So I'm a little biased in that regard.
(09:06):
So my favorite player right now is.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
Pobly Travis k all Right, how about all sports?
Speaker 1 (09:10):
All sports?
Speaker 4 (09:10):
Lebron James, Okay, I go think is he to go?
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Okay, he's on.
Speaker 5 (09:16):
Mind rushmore for sure, have to go. I got Jordan
reserved for the goat. Broun is a clo like you
go one A one Bright. I think they're both number one.
I just got Lebron at one B just just for
you know, sometimes like have that killer instinct all the time?
Speaker 1 (09:34):
He does have it, he just doesn't have it all
the time.
Speaker 5 (09:36):
You better go watch game Go watch Game six versus
Boston when he was in Miami. He has moments to where, yeah,
that dog would come out of him.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
It's like, oh, give me that every time.
Speaker 5 (09:49):
And that's the only reason I give it to Jordan,
because Jordan gave it to you every single time.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
To me, That's so What I like about that, though,
is the dog Like you had that dog in you
in two thousand and three and that was that was
my that was my rookie year. And for four straight
weeks it was just or that. I wouldn't even say
four shit weeks. I'd probably say that season because week
in and week out Sports Center Top ten, like you
(10:14):
was always on there. Doing your thing, and what was
your I know what it's like.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
Being in the zone.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
I've been in the zone. You've been in the zone.
We've done that.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Like talk us through what that two thousand and three
season was like for you, because you you returned four
consecutive returns like and that had never never happened, and
then you return another one in the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
You had So you had and I should have.
Speaker 5 (10:35):
Had one Week five versus Green Bay. If you go
back and look at the Green Bay game, I had one.
Speaker 4 (10:40):
About never forget it. Yeah, yeah, forget.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
That would have broke the record that year.
Speaker 5 (10:44):
Yeah, I got stuck on the record in week four,
Week five, returning four and then return another one, as
you mentioned, until the playoffs. But as you guys just
alluded to, you've been in the zone. You know what
helps you get to the zone. It's that constant work
and then all of a sudden as it comes to fruition.
And I think it was a combination of a lot
of things. Dick Vermill, I don't know if you notice
(11:06):
about him. He was the first special teams coach in
the NFL, first one, so I didn't exactly look it up.
So with that mentality. He put an emphasis on special team. Yeah,
like we were practiced about forty five minutes a day,
obviously broken up, but it would be woving into the
practice schedule about forty five minutes. So it was an
(11:27):
emphasis we put the work in. He brought in Frank Ganz,
Frank Ganz Junior, who was Frank Ganz Senior's son. So
look up Frank Ganz Senior, one of the great special
team coaches. Military guy as well. You appreciate him.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
And his story, but his son brought all of his
successful schemes and.
Speaker 5 (11:48):
Schematics with him from when they were with Saint Louis.
You put all that together, and you had coach Vermill
who was actually drafting guys to be special teamers. Yes,
you have to be a legitimate backup, but you also
have to be willing and able to play special teams.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
I think that combination is what led to three.
Speaker 5 (12:08):
I say that because of this, once retired, he left her,
Edward came in. It wasn't as much of an emphasis
we don't have the personnel, and then all of a sudden,
it look like I tainked, No, we just don't have
the same infrastructure emphasis and willing participants that.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
We had in those years ahead.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
So I played, I played thirteen years. I played special
teams my entire career, my entire career, and having been
fortunate enough to block for Devin. The beautiful thing about
special teams that I don't think people understand is one,
you have.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
To want to be on specialty degrees. Agree, you have
to want to do it.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
I agree, Yeah, you have to want to be there,
and then you have to want to block. So we
would be on special teams and it wouldn't be uncommon
for someone that's like, yo, we gotta get Devin in
the end zone, like.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
He's close to breaking the record.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
He like the first one he ever returned his first
game rookie, you know, first game ever, everyone was like, Okay,
this kid's special. So the second time, it was like, look,
let's let's help him. Like he's got all the god
given talent. But what we have to do is all
we need to do is just give him a crease.
And then he would come and be like, Yo, all
I need just I just need a crease. Just give
(13:30):
me a crease is block them. I'll figure out which
way I need to go. But all I need you
to do is.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Just give me a crease. I ask you this. You
said you want it all thirteen years.
Speaker 5 (13:38):
The coaches have to come and encourage you, or did
you go to them or did you just accept it?
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Like I just, I just accepted it.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
Like we said earlier, I was just a really good teammate.
Like I knew my role I was. I was a
good teammate. I wasn't the star of the team. I
knew my role was like, yo, be the team guy.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
You need to do this.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
My leadership was all right, I don't have the great
ray Lue with speech, but go out here and do
what I do.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
That was how I led.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
And I did that via special teams, even though I
was a defensive start on my entire career. So they
relied on me to go, hey, if a thirteen year
vet or this ten year vet of this all pro
corner can do it, you can play special teams rookie.
So I that was something that I did. And then
I just I mean I enjoyed. I enjoyed the blocking part.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
That's what I mean.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
I agree.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
So I was Peanuts teammate and I watched him do this,
and so he took great pride in being a gun
like not a gunner, but yes, that's how you get
them going. And I at times tried to do it
and I was not.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
Good at it and sounds like.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
It sounds and you might be right, Dante, because I
don't think I took enough pride early in my career to,
like say, and maybe I didn't have an all star
return guy either. That like makes you want to block
more and encourages you. So I think in hearing both
of you guys, perspective is really cool because.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
It goes hand in hand. Yeah, because so much I
never it's a marriage.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
I saw how much you're I think you're you and
the five or you and the four other individuals with
a ten thousand plus yards phenomenal individuals like I could not.
I could never be what you and Devin and Josh
and Mitchell. I could never be what y'all were. However,
it's also kind of like, uh, running backs, you can
(15:34):
be a great running back, but you do need a
little bit of line.
Speaker 5 (15:38):
I think, yeah, in your mind needs that running back
to hit the proper hole, hit the proper football.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
That's why I love football. The ultimate teams.
Speaker 5 (15:48):
Just put Lebron on that and now we're great. No,
you have to be great from top to bottom. Yeah,
that's why I said what I said, Like, I honestly
understand that, and that's why I think my two and
three years were so great.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
We had that perfect marriage. And you probably can attest
to this too.
Speaker 5 (16:04):
What's also important as a special teams coach, it's galvanizing
that team, being able to go to a pena Tillman
and saying hey, I need you on a special team.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Being able to get.
Speaker 5 (16:12):
All ten other guys to buy in galvanize and being
able to galvanize your troops.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Is also just as important as the schemes.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Yes, all right, now tell me this. We've been talking
about all these returns. You're two thousand and three, two
thousand and two. Which one's your favorite turn of all time?
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (16:27):
That's tough. That's tough.
Speaker 5 (16:30):
I think the most important, By the way, it's not
my favorite, but the most important return is the one
I had against Denver going side to side. Yeah, return,
and when that's the most important, not my favorite. One
of my favorites is against Baltimore Ravens. It's just a
regular season game. It was part of that four week street.
But this is my favorite because we were in a
(16:51):
slug fest with Ed Reed ray Lewis right as Priest
Holmes is Jamal lewd ten ten fourth quarterball game slug
fest right, and they had been stuffing me all day.
I think prior to the fourth quarter, I maybe had
twenty five yards total in return yards and win it up.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
You know, it's hard. No one is scoring.
Speaker 5 (17:11):
It's one touchdown score for each team all day. And
with about five minutes to go in the game, they
stuffed us, but they were all sides to kick it
off again and then we took it to the house,
ended up winning the game. That one for me because
that had a direct impact on winning a really tough game.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
And then considering the people who were on that field.
Speaker 5 (17:36):
And this little bit of guy had an imprint along
with the Special Team brothers on winning that game. That's
probably my favorite because you know, you got all your teammates,
the vets everyone.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
I'm still a young guy at the time, so you
got all the vets.
Speaker 5 (17:49):
Like, man, thank you, you won the game for us.
Way to go, yah YadA, y'all. I'll never forget that feeling.
Feeling one of my favorite games.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
Confidence Now tell me, yes, I got another question for you, So,
at what point in your life and in your career
did you realize that being a return man or your speed,
your ability to making people missing space, like that's your superpower?
Speaker 4 (18:12):
Was it in junior, high, high school, college?
Speaker 3 (18:15):
Because you did it all years and every level, But
at what point, because we all realized something separates us.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
It was once I got the NFL.
Speaker 5 (18:25):
To be honest, yes I did it at all levels,
but at each level, at some point I became the
starting running back.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Yeah. So unlike Hester, I think Helster was born to
do it. I think he's gifted. He had been doing.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
Since at it that was that was much of other
things exactly he was exactly what he did.
Speaker 5 (18:44):
But I actually was a starter by my sophomore year
in high school, started all three years and college was
starting at running back by my sophomore year. Got drafted
as a returnment slash running back. Didn't go well my
rookie year, and then it was once I went to NFL,
ure came back and had coach Remier actually set me down.
(19:07):
Was the first time in the NFL where the guy
set me down, was like, this is your role, this
is how.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
You're gonna make the team. This is how you're going
to contribute.
Speaker 5 (19:14):
It was at that point I was like, this is
how I'm gonna make my way in my life in
the NFL. The legitimate back of receiver, not to be
a starter, but be a be legitimate enough to be
able to go in sub the guys give him a breath,
and you got to be able to be a make
an impact as a returner.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
But what did NFL you're a teach you though, Like,
how did you feel at first? When then when the
team said, yeah, we're going to see.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
You a year. Oh, I hated it because I didn't
understand it. So I hated it. I honestly thought coach.
Speaker 5 (19:43):
Vermeil was trying to in some kind of back door
under the table way get me up out of the right.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
That's honestly what I thought.
Speaker 5 (19:52):
But I once I got over there and understood the process,
it's really a time for you to develop in an
off season, and it was pivotal for me. I think
with that NFL Europe there is no X factor of
human Georgeta because I.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
Got reps right reap exactly year.
Speaker 5 (20:08):
I'm third fourth as a running back. I'm too small,
as you can see to play running backs. I'm getting
no reps. I can't develop, I can't adjust to the
to the speed. So going able and being able for.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
The first time start that wide receiver. Now I'm in
a groove when I go back to return kicks. That's
why I think Hess is special.
Speaker 5 (20:27):
Like you're barely in the game and you go out
there just cold turkey take it to the house.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
I need to be in a rhythm. I need a lot,
I need to feel the speed of the game.
Speaker 4 (20:35):
And now something most people will never think about it.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Yeah, because I know why I sucked the first two years.
Cole Hampstead tight take onto the house. I'm not in
the floor of the game because of my history.
Speaker 5 (20:46):
I was always twenty twenty five touches as a running back.
So now when I go back to return to kick,
maybe third quarter, fourth quarter, sparingly, not the main guy.
Kind of shared it with guys. But when I go
back to return one in college and high school, I'm
in the groove. You got the speed of the game,
I know the flow of everything, you know what I mean,
And I just.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
Didn't have that my first years.
Speaker 5 (21:08):
So going over being able to develop as a receiver
good enough to get in the action of the game
right now, two three four, Now you got that grove.
Speaker 1 (21:20):
Exactly how you figured it out exactly. Yeah, that's that's big.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
That's big, which I mean probably we could arguably say
without Europe you probably wouldn't have made. You know, first off,
let me say congratulations. I know you're making uh the Chiefs.
Oh yeah, bringing honor hall of fame. Uh my guy,
my my pastor, my deacon over here. He made the
New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame. So shout out to
both of y'all.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
Big congratulations.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
That's like a huge honor in itself. I know you're
getting inducted this fall. What was running through your mind?
How did you feel, what was going on? How did
you find out? Like, tell me everything? When you know,
mister mister.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Hunt came to you and he presented you with that news.
Speaker 5 (22:01):
So I was actually golfing, Okay, I was golfing here
in New York on the golf course. He's gonna talk
about Yeah, yeah, I'm a Texas guy, So I recognized
the two to one four even know, if you know
about the Hunts, they come from Dallas.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
They're from Dallas.
Speaker 5 (22:14):
The Chiefs actually used to be the Dallas Texans, so
they're real big in the Dallas community. So I see
the two, one, four, but I put zero contexts that
that's mister Hunt. I just ignored the call, hit my drive,
and at this point I'm playing pretty good too, Harden.
I think I started off like three straight palls.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Oh yeah, yeah, I'm playing. I'm playing. I'm golf for
my ball. He was in the zone. It was in
the zone. So I get a voicemail. I'm waiting. I
checked my voicemail. It's mister Hunt.
Speaker 5 (22:41):
So he was like, give me a call back. But
it's very monoton If you know mister Hunt, he's never
way here, He's never here right there, so very even killed.
You cannot figure out like you know it. Because twenty
twenty three met him in two thousand, yeah, and twenty
three years. I've never had a phone come and say
this man, okay. I see him often all the time.
(23:03):
It's always cordial, hand say.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
It's all love.
Speaker 5 (23:06):
But I've never gotten a phone call this go either way,
you know how that is either way my Principal's office.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
Immediately, what have I done? I think I'm pretty good
right now. I've left all that stuff back in the past.
But what have I done?
Speaker 5 (23:20):
Let me call find out what it is. Long story, short, short,
sturvery long. He tells me that, yeah, they decided to
uh induct me into into this year's Ring of Honor.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
I was excited, he says.
Speaker 5 (23:34):
You can't tell anybody just yet, So put the phone
down and on my next shot, I had to drive
that ball went so far right.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
I never found that ball again. I was filled with
so much excitement, so far right. I couldn't focus any
more on golf. And I can't tell anybody, But I can't.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
Believe you called him back during the round.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
That's a good point, said, I had to find out.
Speaker 5 (24:01):
I couldn't focus either way, like you're so far but
that's how I found out.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
That's awesome, man, That's yeah, that's that's back this fall.
So niney, let's let's go back. So this is this
is this is kind of a full circle moment. Okay,
So not in nine you're an A and M. You're
removed from the team. Uh rc slocum. He removes you
from the team, and then you're off the team. But
yet RC Slocum makes some phone calls, does what he
(24:31):
can to help you get drafted.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Now your homework, I see a little bit more. Again.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
I got a good team. We got a good team
of people. So they try to prepare us, you know,
to be right and do what we can do. And
we want to tell the correct story, and we want
to tell it correct. But if I'm getting wrong, please
do tell me your version. But you removed from the team.
He goes around, he talks, talks all the coaches and
things like that. Doesn't stain your name. But he's also
(24:58):
praising it and trying to uplift you. Right, we've all
been in college. We've all done dumb things. I know
I have. I'll be the the I'll be the first
to admit it on the show. I've done dumb things. Right,
But but he helps you out, and you know that
you end up getting drafted, So how did and then
you also end up getting inducted into their Hall of
(25:19):
Fame to circles.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
You know what I'm saying, complete circles.
Speaker 5 (25:27):
So here's your story is not wrong, it's just not complete, okay,
So can you have to first know this the reason
I even went to Texas and thew My high school coach,
the late Great Bernard Simon, was like the father I
never had.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
He went to Texas and them play for Slocum. That's
how I ended up there. So they had a relationship.
That's number one.
Speaker 5 (25:46):
You gotta understand that, your sir. Second thing is why
did I get kicked off? It was for something so silly,
dumb as you said, stupid. I had wracked up some
parking tickets. He comes in to a team meeting frustrated.
They keep telling them Keith Parking keeps parking here, racking
up tickets.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
And I maybe had a little Napoleon complex back then.
Speaker 5 (26:12):
So when he started to chastise me in front of
the team, I took offense to that.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
Yeah, and kind of walked back right forget what I said.
I kind of blinked out said something. He was like,
you're off the team.
Speaker 5 (26:25):
By the next day, my high school coach and my
mom were at A and M in his office having
a meeting.
Speaker 1 (26:33):
I was actually back on the team that day.
Speaker 5 (26:35):
Actually, the greatest thing definitely talking to NFL personnel, coaches,
scouts and letting them know, hey, he's not a knock ahead.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
You get a stupid thing. He's a great kid.
Speaker 5 (26:47):
That definitely helped, but I think would help equally or
more importantly was by the next day he allowed me
to come right back on scholarship. And by being on scholarship,
I can still work towards my degree. I can still
work out. You used the facilities, workout still. I'm just
not on the team Pross, but I'm still on scholarship.
That helped me out because now I can still participate
(27:09):
in pro day. Now I can still go to the combine,
use the facilities. And at the time we had Mike
Clark looking him up, one of the greatest strength coaches
ever in college.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
He got me right. So I killed it at the
pro day. I killed it at the combine.
Speaker 5 (27:23):
So that next day after when he put me back
on scholarship, that was a domino effect that allowed me to,
like I said, still be able to work towards That's big.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
That's huge.
Speaker 5 (27:35):
Because if I could, if he talks all this guit talk,
but I'm not able to work out get ready for
the comebine, I still got to do it.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
I still got to go put the work in. The
most important thing was you can still what was my
what was you driving? I was so note that was
the issue. I meant big body being's twenties. One of
my best friends. His uncle was like a young uncle.
(28:01):
He lived in my neighborhood. He was a car guy.
Speaker 5 (28:03):
He had a car detailed. He was a businessman. He's
one of my best friends to this day. I've known
him over thirty forty years. He used to have the
brand new Callac escalator when it came out, brand new benzes.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
I'm only an hour and a half away.
Speaker 5 (28:15):
He would let me take the escalator up one week,
take the bens up another week.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
So obviously these are gonna stand out. I'm eighteen, not
even eighteen. I was eighteen nineteen at the time. I
don't understand how this worked. Just yes again, so.
Speaker 4 (28:39):
If it makes you feel any better. I had a
teammate of mine who got like he got booted up.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
So many times because he was parking in the teacher's
parking spot. And then he ended up somehow or another
one of the teachers left their window down. He like
took their parking pass, like ended up putting it in
his car and parking and got away with it for
like a month and a half, and then they found
him out, and then like he couldn't even have a
car on campus for like like eight months like nothing.
(29:10):
So he walking and coaches on him bad. So, I mean,
these things happen.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
Everybody. I've never been able to defend myself. I always
had to go off the reason why I wasn't. It
wasn't o a. I wasn't being malicious, it wasn't being
aspar brat as coach like to say, and all of
that what it really was. And you guys can attest
to this.
Speaker 5 (29:33):
I'm sure you guys had if you were late to class,
you had to go to some type of penality.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Yeah, the class run the toe so we call it
the breakfast club. So if you were on the list
of anything Friday morning.
Speaker 4 (29:46):
Six am, five am, oh sorry, like you know.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Slid toes all these crazy things. So they had me
and him.
Speaker 5 (29:54):
Is a huge campus, enormous, and you got twenty minutes
to get to the It's impossible to go from you
because I was an agriculture business made. You got the
agriculture campus over here. Now you got to get all
the real car It's just impossible. It's impossible you're gonna
be late, like it's a scheduling conflict. So a lot
of times I would just I'd rather get a parking ticket,
(30:14):
then have to go to the breakfast club on Friday.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
That's my thing.
Speaker 5 (30:18):
It seemed like I was spard driving big bands out
of that. No, I'm trying to not end up on
that list to have to run on Friday morning.
Speaker 1 (30:25):
So that was really how much for the speeding ticket
or the parking tickets? So at that time I'm wracked up.
Speaker 5 (30:31):
Yeah, I mean you're talking over a semester or four
year maybe eight hundred bucks, but a ticket.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
But the ticket itself though, I know when I we
went twenty bucks, twenty bucks it bus but they up.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Yeah, Yeah, we're gonna take a short break and we'll
be back in a minute.
Speaker 3 (30:50):
Now tell me this because I want to know this
as well. You went through all that drama, you went
through all those other things. I know how important your
mom is, single mom, raising you and you your two
couple of your siblings, and so what did it mean
not only for her but for the rest of your
family when you got your name called to get drafted
after all of that, after all of those things, you
(31:12):
still get your name.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
Car Yeah, I mean it was a great day.
Speaker 5 (31:15):
It was a great day until I realized what my
signing bonus was, but that day, that day was great.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
I'm in the NFL. We reached my goal.
Speaker 5 (31:22):
Like you said, we overcame being a little guy. We
overcame a lot of loss in the family over those years.
We overcame a lot. But it was just peer happenings.
Had a huge watch party that day.
Speaker 4 (31:35):
Oh you did, okay, I didn't know because everybody has
their own feelings on watch.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
Moms invited a lot of people over. It was a
great day. Great day. Now was actually signed a signing bonus?
Speaker 4 (31:46):
How much was it signing bonus? Can we do you
like your rookie year?
Speaker 5 (31:48):
It was a rookie year, Chris rom job unlike you
two guys got that nice bag to start off with.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
It's set one hundred thousand on paper. You know when
it arrived it was fifty yeah, and I'm like, what
I'm gonna do fifty five thousand dollars. I came by
my house with fifty five thousand. It's still work to do.
So elation.
Speaker 5 (32:09):
Total joy day of the draft. But soon after signing
that contract, I was like, I still got to put
some more work in.
Speaker 1 (32:16):
I haven't made it. Even though I'm in the NFL,
I still haven't made it. People don't realize man them
taxes and then and then nobody really. Yeah, my good.
My great friend Sevester Morris was my brother to this day.
He was in my wedding. I was in his wedding.
He was a first round draft pick. He signed like
three something. So I'm going to an eight hundred dollars apartment.
(32:37):
He going to this biggest state. We both drafted in
the NFL.
Speaker 5 (32:40):
Two different worlds, yeah, two different world I didn't understand
that I had no one in my family that made it,
that could have.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
You know, gave me a.
Speaker 5 (32:49):
Heads up on fifth round draft picks don't live the
same as first round draft picks.
Speaker 1 (32:54):
Sure, so it was a huge shot. Like, wow, I'm
still poor. I'm in the NFL, but I'm still poor.
Like it's unreal. But it all worked out.
Speaker 2 (33:04):
Thirteen year career where you you were ten, you were eleven, Okay,
eleven year you had nine.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
I played a long time, and I think I could have.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
I would have played until Wills far off because I
love the game of football so much. You the same way,
you know, I knew when it was time for me
to retire because one I got injured and you don't
want to be a thirty four year old corner with
a torn ACL. The majority of time, people never retire
the way they want to. Never very true. It's either,
(33:38):
you know, I look at the Peyton Manning, Jerome Bettis,
Ray Lewis, they won that Super Bowl championship and then
they said, you know what I'm done. I'm finna walk away,
and I wish. I'm jealous to this day that I
never got the storybook ending to walk away. I would
have if we'd have won Super Bowl FI in Denver
(34:01):
or not Denver, not Denver, but we played Denver, I
would have.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
I promise you I would have walked away because that
that was your thirteen.
Speaker 4 (34:09):
Yeah, that was that was my tenth year.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
I would have.
Speaker 4 (34:12):
I would have walked away too.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
I'm like, dude, And because I was, I was chasing.
I was chasing the super Bowl.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
And I go to Carolina in year thirteen, Roman I
we finally teammates and were killing it.
Speaker 1 (34:23):
We go to the super Bowl and we lose and
I didn't even play because I got injured.
Speaker 2 (34:29):
Like three weeks before that, I tore my ACL, so
I was crushed and I'm like, damn.
Speaker 4 (34:34):
That was like that was it for me.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
We got to win the Super Bowl. So my last
play is me actually getting injured, like running and I
tear my ACL.
Speaker 2 (34:42):
So I knew at that point my life or not life,
my career was over. At what point did you know
it was tom for you to retire.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
That's a great question.
Speaker 5 (34:50):
It was actually a series of things all when I
once I went to uh the at the time Saint
Louis Rams.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (34:58):
So the first that put retirming on my radar was
they trade for me. The Rams did from the Chiefs.
So I'm coming to be their returner savior missing Lincoln.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
Going to the.
Speaker 5 (35:12):
First game, I break out. Matter of fact, it's against
Carolina Panthers. I break out normally, this is a house call,
like I'm out. Yeah, I got caught from behind, the
first time in my career that I legitimately got call
from behind.
Speaker 1 (35:26):
That's a real call. I'm looking at you, you know
the TV cut up, it's that, you know, why?
Speaker 3 (35:33):
Why?
Speaker 2 (35:34):
God?
Speaker 1 (35:34):
I'm looking like, oh, that's on me. I just got
rand down. That's the first time. And this is your eight.
Speaker 5 (35:42):
Fourth fear of my five year contract that they took over,
and so I have a fifth year option team ops
that you know, they can decide they want to pay me.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
You know how those are.
Speaker 5 (35:51):
That's why they backload everything. Yeah, so at the I
have to say that to say this, so I get caught,
I mean your eight.
Speaker 1 (35:59):
I'm like, man, this ain't good.
Speaker 5 (36:03):
Maybe I can make it through one more year, finish
out this contract, make this little money, and then I'll
be good. Five games later, I have a high anchor
sprank the first time in eight years that I'm missing.
Speaker 1 (36:15):
I'm on OURR. Seven years with the Chiefs. I think
I missed three games dude to injury. Only three and
seven years. Here's your eight.
Speaker 3 (36:23):
I get ran down, I'm put on i R. I'm
done and I and I areck there. You don't designate
to return.
Speaker 1 (36:30):
This is you can you are, you can believe, do
your rehab wherever you want. Like, you're not coming back.
Once they designate you are, You're done.
Speaker 5 (36:41):
Yes, So I go back to Houston when I started
playing the Tiger Woods game. I'm rehabbing, playing the Tiger
Woods game for the first time, picked up golf.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
Gotta throw that in there. Second year, I mean second
year with the Rams, last year on my fifth year deal,
I'm like, oh, they brought me back.
Speaker 5 (36:56):
Okay, make this gooda and you know it, I'll see
what happens. I injured my other ankle, high ankle, sprang
on the right our our again. That along with having
played that Arrowhead stadium. If you know anything about Ara,
I know you guys do you can't go from there
to playing in the stadium. I was playing with the
Rams so injuries, fulfill my contract and just lost my
(37:21):
love for playing the game because it was such a
difference planning raw Head then playing.
Speaker 1 (37:27):
With a franchise that's on its way out, dark stadium,
half field. We're losing that combination. I was like, I'm done.
Speaker 5 (37:35):
I don't owe anybody any money, fulfill my contract. My
body is telling me it's time to go, and I'm
not having fun. It was a series of those things
that when I completed that fifth year, a series of
unfortunate events. Because I think, if I'm still in the area,
or if I'm on a winning team, or if I'm
happy and not injured, I could have definitely played probably
two two more at least, even though I wasn't as fast.
(37:59):
I said had the ball skill, I still had the vision,
I had everything. I could still go lead the you know,
be top five, top ten in the league. Maybe not
one of the greatest, but I saw Brian Minchell do
for fourteen. Yeah, but he had all the other intangibles
and I had those minster speed. So in hindsight, I'm like, oh,
I probably should have got two or three more years in.
Speaker 3 (38:21):
But those were the things that So as your emotions
kind of changed, you talked about you picking up golf
a little bit. What was your like, what was the
first time you like hit it? And you're like, man,
this is it for me because most times we remember
when we get that.
Speaker 1 (38:38):
Well, what got it?
Speaker 4 (38:39):
What got me was into golf.
Speaker 1 (38:41):
I was kind of becoming really good on the EA
Tiger Woods game HU, and.
Speaker 5 (38:46):
Then I went out to try to do it and
not do I Look, so the first time I felt
unathletic in my life, right, That's what hooked me.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
It wasn't a good shot. It was a fact I
couldn't get that little white ball off the ground. It
wasn't moving, Like, come on, that's a trick. What's going on?
Speaker 4 (39:00):
How do you do that?
Speaker 1 (39:02):
Hooked from that point on, that's what's up.
Speaker 2 (39:04):
So we now I think you're kind of like me
in the sense of what when I am to the
Chicago Bears, like you know, the team, they bring me in.
I still hang around the facility every so often. I'm
not there all the time, but they want me around.
I'm kind of like the unspoken ambassador.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
That's what it's called. Yeah, I'm like the unspoken ambassador.
Speaker 4 (39:26):
Uh for the team.
Speaker 1 (39:27):
I know you the same way. And New Orleans whenever
you go there, you and your your black jackets. Thank you.
Speaker 4 (39:33):
It was a Hall of Fame jacket.
Speaker 1 (39:35):
Yeah, it is a Hall of Fame jacket. What has
that experience been like for you? It's been amazing because
when I first retired, it wasn't like that.
Speaker 5 (39:41):
Yeah, the regime that they had in there just was
not about including past guy but just Andy Reid, Brett
Vach Mark, Donovan Clark Hunt. This regime, they have a
very well established, awesome, amazing ambassador of ground. You have
to be vetted, you you have to be, you know,
(40:03):
a pillar in the community. It's like when you were
a player. You can't ambassador team or you're not an
ambassador anymore.
Speaker 1 (40:10):
It's legit.
Speaker 5 (40:11):
We even get Super Bowl rings when they win. We
win the ambassadors. If you're an ambassador, not just a
former player with a big name.
Speaker 1 (40:18):
So you got two rings, I got two rings. I
got to rings.
Speaker 4 (40:22):
Oh my god, what.
Speaker 1 (40:26):
I want to ring?
Speaker 4 (40:26):
That's game?
Speaker 5 (40:32):
Do you guys have an ambassador program with the Chicago
Bass like legit like that. It you go out, you
raise money, you can do that.
Speaker 1 (40:39):
So our ambassador program, we we take the notes people.
We didn't earn it on the field, but we earned it.
You earned it. So Rome always gives me. Can I curse?
Speaker 4 (40:50):
H Rome always gives me.
Speaker 2 (40:54):
Because I don't have a Super Bowl ring and I
chased one for third years.
Speaker 4 (40:59):
I probably would have one the second one.
Speaker 3 (41:00):
If you weren't on the team that you could have
blocked that A and M guy, Oh my god, somebody
somebody could have.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
And I'm not I'm not blowing my blowing smoke up
or pumping me up. But I think if if I
could have played in the Super Bowl, if I could
have played in Bowl, definitely would have made a play.
I think I think that I could have been a
deciding not a deciding factor, but I think I could
have had some impact on the game itself. I would
agree with that, but I'm always, oh my god, you
just I'm just so I'm happy for you.
Speaker 4 (41:30):
I'm happy for you too, very.
Speaker 1 (41:31):
Happy to the club. Yeah, you need to touch Chicago
about that. In basket program. It's a great way to
stay involved and you do great things.
Speaker 3 (41:40):
Man.
Speaker 1 (41:42):
Now Chicago does have to win the super Bowl. I
don't know if that's going to happen. He's got to
got nothing. You got one, I have nothing.
Speaker 4 (41:51):
Oh my god. So you're standing over in the corner. Now, okay,
let us let us champions talk.
Speaker 1 (41:56):
The last guy had.
Speaker 4 (41:59):
I go third ten years and I walk away with nothing,
no hardware.
Speaker 1 (42:06):
You should have the crew tell me this.
Speaker 4 (42:09):
Tell me this though. So you almost got back into
coaching at one point I did.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
I thought that was my segue.
Speaker 4 (42:14):
Yeah, so talk talk us through that, because that's what.
Speaker 1 (42:18):
I actually I knew. I told you guys getting there.
Speaker 4 (42:20):
Because you seem like you're really enjoying what you're doing.
Speaker 1 (42:22):
Now. Yes, my happenstance. I fell into what I'm doing now.
Speaker 5 (42:26):
But in the beginning, my master plan, my segue, my
second act. I wanted to first be an agent. Okay, okay,
be an agent. You're the first player I've heard I
want to actually be a sports agent. Okay, that's a
whole plethora of reasons.
Speaker 1 (42:39):
Why and all of that. But I wanted a way
to stay involved with the game.
Speaker 5 (42:44):
Yes, I know, I didn't want to be an NFL
coach or a college coach because I knew what that meant.
And I also knew at the time I was getting
serious my wife now but my girlfriend at the time,
and I knew I wanted to start a family.
Speaker 1 (42:57):
Okay. I come from a great family when I was young.
Speaker 5 (43:00):
As I got older, the family kind of dissipated, as
they all do in this day and time.
Speaker 1 (43:06):
So I was I feel like the NFL had gave
me everything.
Speaker 5 (43:09):
The only thing I was lacking was that cohesive, tight
knit family like I grew up with when I was
so for me, coaching at the NFL or collegiate level
was out because I knew how they would dictate family.
So I was like, what's the way I can stay involved,
help players, give back, but be on my own time.
Speaker 1 (43:30):
Sports agent was what I came up with, and I
actually liked the lifestyle.
Speaker 5 (43:33):
I don't mind traveling and reaching out to guys and
having to watch a ton of THEILM and YadA, YadA, YadA.
Speaker 1 (43:39):
That was my segue. The year I go in I
actually had an internship in La La interning.
Speaker 5 (43:45):
This was twenty ten. I believe that's the year they changed.
You can no longer have runners. Yeah, you gotta have
you gotta actually have practice law for two years or
be a lawyer.
Speaker 4 (43:56):
And the passive tests.
Speaker 1 (43:58):
Yeah, but passive tests was no problem.
Speaker 5 (44:00):
It was the fact they put in the new you
had to actually have a law degree or have been
practicing law for two years.
Speaker 1 (44:06):
Look that up. That so that took me off of
that segue. I was like, okay, maybe a high school coaching.
Speaker 5 (44:11):
Because I mentioned earlier one of the most important people
is in my life was my high school coach.
Speaker 1 (44:16):
At a forking the road in my young life.
Speaker 5 (44:20):
Back in high school, I was really starting to get
into some trouble, running with the wrong guys.
Speaker 1 (44:25):
He intervened, not about with his words. He let me
live in his house for a little bit.
Speaker 5 (44:30):
And if you guys are family guys, now you bringing
some stranger into your home with your wife and your kids.
Speaker 1 (44:36):
So as I got older and realized what.
Speaker 5 (44:38):
He did for me, you you appreciate, you appreciate it more,
and I kind of wanted to fall in his footsteps
because money at the time wasn't an issue. I didn't
need to chase a dollar. I wanted to make an impact,
stay close to sports so men in LA can.
Speaker 1 (44:51):
Do the.
Speaker 5 (44:53):
I could, but that I didn't have time to go
to law school and do all that at that point.
So I was like, Okay, maybe I can go make
an impact being a high school coach. So I actually
went and I coached high school football for one year
and Long Beach, uh Long Beach, California at Saint Anthony's.
Speaker 1 (45:11):
Realize right then and there, I am not cut out
for this. These damn kids. They don't listen. They think
they know it all. Social media got them thinking they
better than with like all these elements.
Speaker 5 (45:22):
I'm like, nah, I'm gonna be that show one of
these little kids out man and these high school coaches.
Speaker 1 (45:28):
I didn't think. I did not that took a turn.
That was I did not think he was gonna say
that he's got these damn kids. They don't do that.
I don't know if you work with younger kids, it's tough, man.
That's a difference. Is my kids we grew up.
Speaker 2 (45:42):
I think I'm or my kids friends like, man, your
dad's mean It's like, I'm not mean, I just demand respect.
Speaker 1 (45:46):
You're you're gonna get it too, though. You're gonna get
it as your kids get.
Speaker 3 (45:50):
It's funny though, because my dad was a high school coach,
and as I went through high school and went to college,
I would ask them all of them, like, Dad, how
did you coach in high school?
Speaker 1 (46:00):
Man?
Speaker 4 (46:00):
Like number one of these kids aren't that good?
Speaker 3 (46:02):
They then so like you're probably more frustrated and like
and you trying to get these things out and all
you're trying to do is coach and teach them, and
like they don't really listen.
Speaker 4 (46:11):
It's like, I'm like, how do you do high school?
High school seems so tough.
Speaker 3 (46:14):
And he was like, really, the joy comes when you
get a kid that can't do anything. And then by
like after two or three years you working with this kid.
He can backpedal, he can go out there and tackle people,
he can like do all the little things and like,
and you poured all that.
Speaker 4 (46:28):
Into him because when he showed up here, he had.
Speaker 3 (46:30):
Nothing, and now he's got a couple of tools he
can go out there and take out there, he can
get through a couple of plays or series.
Speaker 4 (46:36):
He's like that's what you take more pride, and that's
like the real wins.
Speaker 5 (46:39):
And I was like, yeah, yeah, I never and it
takes a special man. This is also right, you got
to be a special man. I realized quickly.
Speaker 1 (46:48):
I'm not that guy. I know, I'm another way. It's
not my land. I appreciate your father, my high school coach.
Speaker 5 (46:55):
And then I went back to Texas A and M
because they had a program to where if you did
some coaching, it was a coaching program to where you
could coach for the team. It's kind of like an
intern what they called GA graduate assistant and finish your degree.
Speaker 1 (47:10):
Yes, So I went back and worked with This is
when johnnyman Zeil was there. Yeah hot times, Yeah yeah,
big times yep, yep, during that era. So went back,
did that for a semester degree. Kevin Summer brought me in,
great dude, brought me in.
Speaker 5 (47:23):
And I did that for a semester, finished my degree,
and I just knew from those two experiences coaching.
Speaker 1 (47:29):
Was not for me. Yeah, the termine for me was
all of this.
Speaker 5 (47:33):
At this time, this is twenty twelve, twenty thirteen, I'm
also getting serious with my wife. No, I'm gonna get married,
want to have a family. We're deciding because I'm from Texas,
he's from the East Coast, where we're gonna live. What
it's gonna be now having to start to make some
real decisions. Yeah, okay, where's my life gonna go?
Speaker 3 (47:50):
Now?
Speaker 1 (47:51):
It's not just about me anymore.
Speaker 5 (47:52):
So the term for me was not the traveling recruiting hours.
It was this is gonna take away from you. I'm
really trying to build and that's what's my determ. So
you you mentioned earlier about your your coach in high school.
Speaker 1 (48:08):
What was his name? Bernard Simon? Simon?
Speaker 2 (48:10):
Coach Simon, he'd be on your Mount Rushmore because he was,
like he played a pivotal role in your life and
just everything he taught you instilled in you and just
uh molded you and helped you and you know, just
kind of guided you in that in that way, all
so off the field, Yeah, right, he was teaching how
to be a man. Who do you put else or
(48:33):
who else is on that Mount Rushmore with you or
with him?
Speaker 1 (48:36):
Excuse me? Oh, that's a great question. Obviously, moms.
Speaker 5 (48:39):
You got moms coach, and then my wife because she's
the one that's given me, probably through our kids and
just being rock solid that she is purpose after football. Yeah,
And I struggled with that after football for about a
year or two, trying to find purpose. So I go,
Mom's Bernard's wife, and then can I put my Can
I just mold my it's into one and put them
(49:02):
up there?
Speaker 1 (49:03):
That would be my fourth Why would your kids be
up there? The wife and the kids, that kind of
go hand in hand. Purpose, I think the hard for me.
I can't speak for everyone.
Speaker 5 (49:11):
I think a lot of times people get depressed talking
for my athletes and have troubles after football because yet
you play at such a high level, you have Sundays it's.
Speaker 1 (49:21):
Like the height of your life. You've been striving and
working for this all your life. You get there, you're plateau.
Speaker 5 (49:27):
Now what There's nothing else out there that can really
give you that feeling and that sensation that playing on Sundays.
So I think people struggle when you don't find something
that gives you that same sensation, that same feeling that's
saying something.
Speaker 1 (49:41):
To work for.
Speaker 5 (49:42):
So another pivotal crossroads in my life was, you know,
after football, searching what's next I'm going to do?
Speaker 1 (49:50):
My wife being rock solid.
Speaker 5 (49:52):
Having our kids, I immediately was able to regroup, find
a new sense of purpose, And now all of a
sudden I can go and be successful in other areas
of my life because I have purpose. You think people
lose purpose. Now some people have kids when they're in
the league. Yeah, by the time you're the league, they
had grown. So the purpose of raising them up it
(50:14):
left you. Right now, you have to find something else.
You may be even an empty nestler, depending on how
young you were when you had the kids. So for me,
my kids are seven, five and four, I'm in the trenches,
looks on the ground in the field, right, this ain't
so this.
Speaker 2 (50:29):
Is my purpose where you know, I don't know how
your kids seventeen, fifteen, fourteen.
Speaker 5 (50:34):
You're almost empty, your empty nestler.
Speaker 1 (50:37):
Yeah, so your purpose may be a little different, But
for me that was that's why I put those four.
Speaker 3 (50:42):
Yeah, you're talking about purpose and the excitement that you know,
your family, your kids, all those things give you. My
big question is what was the biggest thrill for you?
Is it returning a punt for a touchdown or a
kickoff for a touchdown? I think I know, I think
I know too, But to hear what you say. A punt, Okay,
that's what. That more difficult, it's harder to do. So
(51:08):
I think punks are harder, so harder to catch had return, Yes,
because it's more space, it's more space and.
Speaker 1 (51:15):
You can easier to catch easy return. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (51:18):
And I think I've heard people say the kickoffs are harder,
And you tell me if I'm wrong.
Speaker 4 (51:23):
Harder to do it?
Speaker 3 (51:24):
Well, everybody's running at you a lot faster speed, same lane,
and you don't.
Speaker 1 (51:29):
You don't.
Speaker 3 (51:30):
You can get caught slipping a lot easier on kickoff
then you can't on punt.
Speaker 1 (51:35):
Just think of it like this as a blocker. Think
of it like this as a or a cover man
that's think you'll cover, you'll cover. I think of it
as a cover guy.
Speaker 5 (51:42):
Would you rather run sixty yards head start with a
guy running reverse trying to catch you running at top speed?
Or would you have to first block a guy make
sure he doesn't block this kick, and now you have
to get out and release everybody and he's in your
the whole time. Level, So as a cover man's harder
covering the punt, yeah, right, I just it is, I
(52:04):
just I don't know, I just I just think.
Speaker 1 (52:06):
Yeah, I'm telling you, I tell you what I think.
I'm telling you what I know. You know, I'm telling
you what I know. E don't take a punt. Watch
this the goat. How many kick returns as hester half
versus how many punk returns? I don't I know. Okay,
you have your answer on what's easier. You will have
your answer.
Speaker 4 (52:27):
I think I think Cribs is the one with the
most kick off his hat right, Yeah, but.
Speaker 1 (52:31):
He coming through like yeah he is. He was big, big, strong,
straight speed. So that's gonna work for a kid return
a little guy like me.
Speaker 5 (52:43):
I need space, yes, space, And you get more space
returning a punt than you do with a kickoff because.
Speaker 4 (52:49):
Punt you get here, you take one step to the right.
You got like three people and it's just guy.
Speaker 5 (52:54):
They fall out of their lanes a lot easier on
punts trying to block prevent a block kick.
Speaker 1 (52:58):
Yeah, some kind of way, they somehow, for whatever reason,
they leave their lanes. They follow color.
Speaker 5 (53:04):
Yeah, they do it on punt returns and not kick off.
Speaker 3 (53:10):
And what following color is for those that don't know,
is it means I see my teammates in front of
me in one lane to the right. What I'm supposed
to do is say, because you have lane so you
got one, two, three lanes as you kind of block
and release, one being the widest, three being the most inside.
Speaker 4 (53:27):
And so once you see.
Speaker 3 (53:28):
Somebody in lane one because they've already got out in
their release, you should go lane two exactly, and then
you go to lane three.
Speaker 4 (53:34):
And then all of a sudden, don't want three guys
and lane No.
Speaker 3 (53:36):
One.
Speaker 4 (53:36):
You don't want that.
Speaker 3 (53:37):
But all of a sudden, somebody like Dante Hall starts
going stretching. You going to the sideline. So guy in
lane three is gonna start to go towards lane two
and one, and then all of a sudden the cutback happens.
Speaker 4 (53:47):
Exactly, and now you got a home run.
Speaker 1 (53:48):
You got a problem. You got a problem is how
you get to see that? That is what about? I
think punks. I'm sticking to my guns. I think punts.
I've tried to return upun. I thought the poem was hard.
I was just like, catch, it's so hard.
Speaker 4 (54:02):
It's hard to catch, but it was still hard to return.
Speaker 1 (54:04):
I was just like it was because you're so concerned
for catching it. I was just like, yeah, I can't
this decent puturns are hard.
Speaker 3 (54:11):
I was just at a golf tournament down at the
senior ball Dante. You would appreciate this. And so to
get a mulligan on a whole for the whole team,
they had to catch you a punt from like fifty
yards away.
Speaker 4 (54:23):
And so watching people on.
Speaker 3 (54:25):
My team trying to catch a punt, they don't understand
the nose of the ball and rotation, roation drops the
whole spinning. I don't yeah spiral most people. It came
out of a jugs machine, so at least it was spiraling,
but easy to where you is easy for those that
do not catch punts. Even myself was like, all right,
(54:46):
be ready, room, do not embarrass yourself out here because
you're the only one with football experience. So I did
catch mine, but it is all about the nose and
the tip of the ball. It's I don't different people understand.
Speaker 1 (54:58):
Yeah you got a better thousand. That's the thing as
a proper returns to bet a thousand. You muff a punt,
that's probably gonna lead to immediate points. Yeah, immediate you
off the team quick? You do that a couple of times? Ye? Look, man,
just thank you for coming in.
Speaker 2 (55:14):
You know, I know you did us a favor and
and you know I know you're on family vacation right now,
but you drove down from Jersey.
Speaker 1 (55:20):
But hopefully we paid for the parking for you and
a nice ride over. Yeah, pay for the parking. I
see what you did. Try to hear me. We paid
for well.
Speaker 4 (55:35):
I know this man, Dante number one. I'm gonna get
your number. I want to play some golf.
Speaker 3 (55:39):
Do it, play some golf, especially as I'll be traveling
in my other job. I know you say I'm a
little hard on your your alma mater. We expect them
all to pick it up a little bit.
Speaker 1 (55:49):
And now. Yeah, so I think Fisher did a great
job hiring office of coordinator.
Speaker 4 (55:55):
Yeah, Patrino, Patrino, We're gonna keep.
Speaker 1 (55:59):
Him from leaving, you know, keep his nose clean. We
might be all right. Keep him off the motorcycles.
Speaker 3 (56:04):
That's a whole other co But what I do want
to do is before we got I want to think
all about listeners is always for always tuning in. Give
us a rating of a few five stars, whether you
listen on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio. Please please tell a
friend to tell a friend, and tell a friend, continue
to tune in.
Speaker 4 (56:24):
This is the NFL Player. Second acts.
Speaker 3 (56:26):
We have more guests like Dante who come on Show It,
Show it Real, and man, this is great stories.
Speaker 1 (56:33):
Man.
Speaker 3 (56:33):
We're all fans of each other in so different ways
that I don't think you get this in any other
segment or system or this podcast, where it's like, man,
I'm such a fan of yours. Then you come in
like dude that I'm coming off of vacation.
Speaker 4 (56:47):
Because I.
Speaker 1 (56:49):
Was willing to drive. I respect what you guys.
Speaker 4 (56:52):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (56:54):
Get away from the family for a little bit. Helps
I was.
Speaker 4 (57:00):
Still on record.
Speaker 1 (57:01):
We can edit that out. We can edit that out,
real talk. I can respect for her, both of you.
Speaker 4 (57:06):
Thank you, man, I appreciate We appreciate that.
Speaker 1 (57:08):
Yeah, I'm Peanut, just the pastor. That's the X factor.
We out
I'm Peanut.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
This is my guy Roman, and this is the NFL
Player Second X podcast, and we got a good one.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
I had to stop rolling because him and our.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Guests, they've been trying to do the show before the
show actually start. So right now, I'm gonna just read
off some of this gentleman's stats. Played nine years in
the NFL, made a name for himself as one of
the greatest returnment of all time. He is tied third
all time in kick returns and touchdowns. He is one
of owner he excuse me, he is one of five
(00:32):
players in NFL history with ten thousand return yards, two
time All Pro, two time Pro bowler at five eight.
He's got more nicknames and I don't know who he's got.
The Human Torch, the Human Joystick, the X Factor. Ladies
and gentlemen, please welcome Dante Hall to the show. My
(00:54):
personal favorite was an X Factor, so mine was a
human joystick.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
I told you, my brother's a die hard fan of
yours and all of Kansas City Chiefs, and so it
was really awesome to see him really burst onto the
scene out of nowhere. You had the one where you
just destroyed Denver Broncos with the kind.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
Of step back.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
I think that was on Al Wilson to really hurt
my man forget. Yeah, yeah, then I broke everybody else. Yeah,
and it was just great because that was actually passed
to the flat that you did that and then but
you were very much so known for your return.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
I was one of the Gatorade commercial.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Was that the one on I think you did something
with a gatoramercial where you got it and yeah that
was yeah, yeah, yeah, that's the one that was on
the Gate Raay commercial. I was just like, damn, So,
what was your favorite nickname?
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Human? George Stick, hum and Joystick.
Speaker 5 (01:39):
I came up with the X factor, so that means
a lot to me, but Human Joystick is my favorite,
even though I didn't come up with that. Mitch Otis,
who has been like a long standing play by play
analyst guy for the Chiefs, he kind of gave me
that Moniker, but I came up with the X factor.
So I love the X factor because I gave came
up with it. But the human Joystick was pretty pretty
(02:01):
cool too. And at the time he named me that,
this was two thousand and two three, I was an
avid gamer. Yeah, I since retired the controls the clubs.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
But at the time when he said, I was hum
and Joystick.
Speaker 5 (02:16):
And what was your game when you were gaming pretty
much all the sports game the typical NBA two K
Madden of course, were you.
Speaker 4 (02:22):
On Tiger Woods at that time too?
Speaker 1 (02:24):
That's what got me into gold.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
I was like, you had to be on Tiger Woods,
the battery filling up.
Speaker 5 (02:32):
That's actually what transitioned me from a gamer into actually
playing the game of golf was the Tiger Wars game.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Oh so all right, now, so your your favorite nickname
was now was the human Joystick? But how did you
come up with the X factor? Was it because people
stopp punting it to you?
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Like?
Speaker 4 (02:52):
What was it? How did you become the X factor?
Speaker 1 (02:55):
So?
Speaker 5 (02:56):
Actually, before I made it to the league in high school,
junior high college, I died at that I was a
running back.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Yeah I got that. Yeah, I got.
Speaker 5 (03:05):
Converted tour wide receiver my second ye in the NFL. Uh,
and they moved me to the X receiver during that
second year. Uh in the league getting converted. We didn't
have a really good year. You guys, no idea. It's
week thirteen. You know you're not going to the playoffs.
You gotta find a way to get through the practice. Yeah,
you gotta find a way. So I just, you know,
(03:26):
started messing around in practice, like if I ever scored
a touchdown, I'm gonna throw up the X X you know,
crew because you know we have friendly competitions XS versus zs.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
And all of that.
Speaker 5 (03:37):
So it was just something that started as a joking
practice and then carried on.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Those that don't know the This was the X, the Z, W,
T V F Y, those are just different positions for
slide the exactly.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
I would also say this is that, uh, the X
receiver is the one that's on the ball.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
And exactly off the ball on the strong side.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Right, But the X receiver is usually bigger than you.
You're you're a small X. I would I would, I
would think that you'd be a Z because they could
move you off the ball, put your motion, do some
other things with you.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
So with the offense that we ran, it was the
offense that.
Speaker 5 (04:16):
The Greatest Show on Turf used, as well as Don
carry Ell and the Greatest Show on Turf during the
San Diego Day.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Kelln Winslow, Senior, Dan Fouts, Johner.
Speaker 5 (04:29):
That offense as well as greatest show on turf was
an offense that Dick Lemier brought my second year with
the Chiefs. And in that offense, yes you can make
it as a special teamer, but they were only carrying five,
no more than six receivers. So even though you wasn't
a starter, you had to be a backup and know
all every position because they it was kind of they
(04:50):
could enter, uh you know, change you as far as receiver,
and the way we lined up and the way we
would get you guys is I would come in at
the Z.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Maybe then we were shifting now.
Speaker 5 (05:00):
Why right, and and so forth. So everything was interchange, interchangeble.
You had to know every position. So even though yes it's.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
The short guy, the big guy, we ran short people
played when I was at the ZA.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Okay, so you're one of five players with ten thousand yards.
Speaker 5 (05:19):
When you said that, I didn't know that. That's a
stat I've never heard.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Yeah, and I'm so we were sitting here debating, like
so I played with Devon Uh, Devon Hester, Joshua.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Cribs he did Metcalf? Wow? Uh No, No, I didn't play
with him. I played I played against those two guys.
You got Eric metcalf yourself. Rian Mitchell has to be
Brian Mitchell. Brian Mitchell, Yeah, the most fourteen guy.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Yeah, really, yeah, he did it the longest too, He
did it the longest.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Louisiana raising cag so he raising he had, Yes, Yes, Lafayette,
what's up representing y'all?
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Y'all beat us in two thousand and six.
Speaker 5 (06:09):
Yeah, the only time they've ever been part of that team. Yes,
but I was only a freshman.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
So Jake Delane, yes, yeah, it was mousted everybody. It
was he.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
And yeah, now now ask him what happened the following year.
I wasn't.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
I wasn't there then. I wasn't six and sixth to nothing. Yeah,
I wasn't there then that but that was at.
Speaker 5 (06:33):
A m right, Yeah, no it was. It was in
uh Lafayette. It was we came in twenty fifth ranked team.
You guys were unranked and we going we had all
we had about seven guys go pro off that team
and we still got beat But look what happened. It
was Jake delone before he was Jake Delaw Brandon Stokely
before exactly.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
But these guys were really really talented.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
So when I went there, they tried, so this is
ninety nine, happened in ninety six. They tried to use
that to recruits, like we beat a M back in
ninety six, and I'm like, it's ninety nine, y'all, Like
that was that was years ago somebody.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
That's all they got, I know.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
But it didn't sway me to go there. That didn't
sw did you end up? I didn't. I wasn't highly
recruited out of college and didn't nobody want me.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
I mean, I had the size, I had the grades.
I still played the same. I was doing everything the same.
But yeah, I just I flew under the radar and
I didn't want it to right down the street from A
and M. I was in Clean Okay or Clean Corpace,
Coved Temple. I was in that that area totally one
of the radar ut A and M S mu Rice
(07:43):
like you like none of.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
Them just know Texas.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
No, that's crazy, that is North Texas. Yeah, I just
flew on even North Texas wold under the radar.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
Flew So when Peanut tells you those stats and those numbers,
what does that do for you?
Speaker 4 (07:58):
Mentally? Emotionally? Where does that? It's just like, you know
what it's kind of just my career now passing.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
No, No, I'm not jaded like that.
Speaker 5 (08:06):
When he said that, it's like, oh wow, because I
study the history of the game, I'm very fortunate.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
I feel very fortunate every day in my life. I
love the game. I love sports in general.
Speaker 5 (08:17):
So to even be considered as one of five that
you said in the history of this game, I immediately started thinking.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Of all the grace before me. Wow, only five.
Speaker 5 (08:27):
So I understand history like that, and it just makes
me really really appreciate it, to be honest, because I
still watch the games every week, all the games as
if I never played. I'm just an average sports fan.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
So who are you the biggest fan of like right now?
Speaker 5 (08:43):
Currently a smarter in football football football? Probably Travis Kelsey.
Now I'm a little biased because I have a relationship
with him off the field, and I just think a
god as one's two Super Bowl is who he is,
how humble he is, how you can touch him, you
can hang out with him like he never felt like
I'm bigger than you. You did your thing, You did
your thing. No, So I'm a little biased in that regard.
(09:06):
So my favorite player right now is.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
Pobly Travis k all Right, how about all sports?
Speaker 1 (09:10):
All sports?
Speaker 4 (09:10):
Lebron James, Okay, I go think is he to go?
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Okay, he's on.
Speaker 5 (09:16):
Mind rushmore for sure, have to go. I got Jordan
reserved for the goat. Broun is a clo like you
go one A one Bright. I think they're both number one.
I just got Lebron at one B just just for
you know, sometimes like have that killer instinct all the time?
Speaker 1 (09:34):
He does have it, he just doesn't have it all
the time.
Speaker 5 (09:36):
You better go watch game Go watch Game six versus
Boston when he was in Miami. He has moments to where, yeah,
that dog would come out of him.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
It's like, oh, give me that every time.
Speaker 5 (09:49):
And that's the only reason I give it to Jordan,
because Jordan gave it to you every single time.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
To me, That's so What I like about that, though,
is the dog Like you had that dog in you
in two thousand and three and that was that was
my that was my rookie year. And for four straight
weeks it was just or that. I wouldn't even say
four shit weeks. I'd probably say that season because week
in and week out Sports Center Top ten, like you
(10:14):
was always on there. Doing your thing, and what was
your I know what it's like.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
Being in the zone.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
I've been in the zone. You've been in the zone.
We've done that.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Like talk us through what that two thousand and three
season was like for you, because you you returned four
consecutive returns like and that had never never happened, and
then you return another one in the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
You had So you had and I should have.
Speaker 5 (10:35):
Had one Week five versus Green Bay. If you go
back and look at the Green Bay game, I had one.
Speaker 4 (10:40):
About never forget it. Yeah, yeah, forget.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
That would have broke the record that year.
Speaker 5 (10:44):
Yeah, I got stuck on the record in week four,
Week five, returning four and then return another one, as
you mentioned, until the playoffs. But as you guys just
alluded to, you've been in the zone. You know what
helps you get to the zone. It's that constant work
and then all of a sudden as it comes to fruition.
And I think it was a combination of a lot
of things. Dick Vermill, I don't know if you notice
(11:06):
about him. He was the first special teams coach in
the NFL, first one, so I didn't exactly look it up.
So with that mentality. He put an emphasis on special team. Yeah,
like we were practiced about forty five minutes a day,
obviously broken up, but it would be woving into the
practice schedule about forty five minutes. So it was an
(11:27):
emphasis we put the work in. He brought in Frank Ganz,
Frank Ganz Junior, who was Frank Ganz Senior's son. So
look up Frank Ganz Senior, one of the great special
team coaches. Military guy as well. You appreciate him.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
And his story, but his son brought all of his
successful schemes and.
Speaker 5 (11:48):
Schematics with him from when they were with Saint Louis.
You put all that together, and you had coach Vermill
who was actually drafting guys to be special teamers. Yes,
you have to be a legitimate backup, but you also
have to be willing and able to play special teams.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
I think that combination is what led to three.
Speaker 5 (12:08):
I say that because of this, once retired, he left her,
Edward came in. It wasn't as much of an emphasis
we don't have the personnel, and then all of a sudden,
it look like I tainked, No, we just don't have
the same infrastructure emphasis and willing participants that.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
We had in those years ahead.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
So I played, I played thirteen years. I played special
teams my entire career, my entire career, and having been
fortunate enough to block for Devin. The beautiful thing about
special teams that I don't think people understand is one,
you have.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
To want to be on specialty degrees. Agree, you have
to want to do it.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
I agree, Yeah, you have to want to be there,
and then you have to want to block. So we
would be on special teams and it wouldn't be uncommon
for someone that's like, yo, we gotta get Devin in
the end zone, like.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
He's close to breaking the record.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
He like the first one he ever returned his first
game rookie, you know, first game ever, everyone was like, Okay,
this kid's special. So the second time, it was like, look,
let's let's help him. Like he's got all the god
given talent. But what we have to do is all
we need to do is just give him a crease.
And then he would come and be like, Yo, all
I need just I just need a crease. Just give
(13:30):
me a crease is block them. I'll figure out which
way I need to go. But all I need you
to do is.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Just give me a crease. I ask you this. You
said you want it all thirteen years.
Speaker 5 (13:38):
The coaches have to come and encourage you, or did
you go to them or did you just accept it?
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Like I just, I just accepted it.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
Like we said earlier, I was just a really good teammate.
Like I knew my role I was. I was a
good teammate. I wasn't the star of the team. I
knew my role was like, yo, be the team guy.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
You need to do this.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
My leadership was all right, I don't have the great
ray Lue with speech, but go out here and do
what I do.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
That was how I led.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
And I did that via special teams, even though I
was a defensive start on my entire career. So they
relied on me to go, hey, if a thirteen year
vet or this ten year vet of this all pro
corner can do it, you can play special teams rookie.
So I that was something that I did. And then
I just I mean I enjoyed. I enjoyed the blocking part.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
That's what I mean.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
I agree.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
So I was Peanuts teammate and I watched him do this,
and so he took great pride in being a gun
like not a gunner, but yes, that's how you get
them going. And I at times tried to do it
and I was not.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
Good at it and sounds like.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
It sounds and you might be right, Dante, because I
don't think I took enough pride early in my career to,
like say, and maybe I didn't have an all star
return guy either. That like makes you want to block
more and encourages you. So I think in hearing both
of you guys, perspective is really cool because.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
It goes hand in hand. Yeah, because so much I
never it's a marriage.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
I saw how much you're I think you're you and
the five or you and the four other individuals with
a ten thousand plus yards phenomenal individuals like I could not.
I could never be what you and Devin and Josh
and Mitchell. I could never be what y'all were. However,
it's also kind of like, uh, running backs, you can
(15:34):
be a great running back, but you do need a
little bit of line.
Speaker 5 (15:38):
I think, yeah, in your mind needs that running back
to hit the proper hole, hit the proper football.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
That's why I love football. The ultimate teams.
Speaker 5 (15:48):
Just put Lebron on that and now we're great. No,
you have to be great from top to bottom. Yeah,
that's why I said what I said, Like, I honestly
understand that, and that's why I think my two and
three years were so great.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
We had that perfect marriage. And you probably can attest
to this too.
Speaker 5 (16:04):
What's also important as a special teams coach, it's galvanizing
that team, being able to go to a pena Tillman
and saying hey, I need you on a special team.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Being able to get.
Speaker 5 (16:12):
All ten other guys to buy in galvanize and being
able to galvanize your troops.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Is also just as important as the schemes.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Yes, all right, now tell me this. We've been talking
about all these returns. You're two thousand and three, two
thousand and two. Which one's your favorite turn of all time?
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (16:27):
That's tough. That's tough.
Speaker 5 (16:30):
I think the most important, By the way, it's not
my favorite, but the most important return is the one
I had against Denver going side to side. Yeah, return,
and when that's the most important, not my favorite. One
of my favorites is against Baltimore Ravens. It's just a
regular season game. It was part of that four week street.
But this is my favorite because we were in a
(16:51):
slug fest with Ed Reed ray Lewis right as Priest
Holmes is Jamal lewd ten ten fourth quarterball game slug
fest right, and they had been stuffing me all day.
I think prior to the fourth quarter, I maybe had
twenty five yards total in return yards and win it up.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
You know, it's hard. No one is scoring.
Speaker 5 (17:11):
It's one touchdown score for each team all day. And
with about five minutes to go in the game, they
stuffed us, but they were all sides to kick it
off again and then we took it to the house,
ended up winning the game. That one for me because
that had a direct impact on winning a really tough game.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
And then considering the people who were on that field.
Speaker 5 (17:36):
And this little bit of guy had an imprint along
with the Special Team brothers on winning that game. That's
probably my favorite because you know, you got all your teammates,
the vets everyone.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
I'm still a young guy at the time, so you
got all the vets.
Speaker 5 (17:49):
Like, man, thank you, you won the game for us.
Way to go, yah YadA, y'all. I'll never forget that feeling.
Feeling one of my favorite games.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
Confidence Now tell me, yes, I got another question for you, So,
at what point in your life and in your career
did you realize that being a return man or your speed,
your ability to making people missing space, like that's your superpower?
Speaker 4 (18:12):
Was it in junior, high, high school, college?
Speaker 3 (18:15):
Because you did it all years and every level, But
at what point, because we all realized something separates us.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
It was once I got the NFL.
Speaker 5 (18:25):
To be honest, yes I did it at all levels,
but at each level, at some point I became the
starting running back.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Yeah. So unlike Hester, I think Helster was born to
do it. I think he's gifted. He had been doing.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
Since at it that was that was much of other
things exactly he was exactly what he did.
Speaker 5 (18:44):
But I actually was a starter by my sophomore year
in high school, started all three years and college was
starting at running back by my sophomore year. Got drafted
as a returnment slash running back. Didn't go well my
rookie year, and then it was once I went to NFL,
ure came back and had coach Remier actually set me down.
(19:07):
Was the first time in the NFL where the guy
set me down, was like, this is your role, this
is how.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
You're gonna make the team. This is how you're going
to contribute.
Speaker 5 (19:14):
It was at that point I was like, this is
how I'm gonna make my way in my life in
the NFL. The legitimate back of receiver, not to be
a starter, but be a be legitimate enough to be
able to go in sub the guys give him a breath,
and you got to be able to be a make
an impact as a returner.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
But what did NFL you're a teach you though, Like,
how did you feel at first? When then when the
team said, yeah, we're going to see.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
You a year. Oh, I hated it because I didn't
understand it. So I hated it. I honestly thought coach.
Speaker 5 (19:43):
Vermeil was trying to in some kind of back door
under the table way get me up out of the right.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
That's honestly what I thought.
Speaker 5 (19:52):
But I once I got over there and understood the process,
it's really a time for you to develop in an
off season, and it was pivotal for me. I think
with that NFL Europe there is no X factor of
human Georgeta because I.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
Got reps right reap exactly year.
Speaker 5 (20:08):
I'm third fourth as a running back. I'm too small,
as you can see to play running backs. I'm getting
no reps. I can't develop, I can't adjust to the
to the speed. So going able and being able for.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
The first time start that wide receiver. Now I'm in
a groove when I go back to return kicks. That's
why I think Hess is special.
Speaker 5 (20:27):
Like you're barely in the game and you go out
there just cold turkey take it to the house.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
I need to be in a rhythm. I need a lot,
I need to feel the speed of the game.
Speaker 4 (20:35):
And now something most people will never think about it.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Yeah, because I know why I sucked the first two years.
Cole Hampstead tight take onto the house. I'm not in
the floor of the game because of my history.
Speaker 5 (20:46):
I was always twenty twenty five touches as a running back.
So now when I go back to return to kick,
maybe third quarter, fourth quarter, sparingly, not the main guy.
Kind of shared it with guys. But when I go
back to return one in college and high school, I'm
in the groove. You got the speed of the game,
I know the flow of everything, you know what I mean,
And I just.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
Didn't have that my first years.
Speaker 5 (21:08):
So going over being able to develop as a receiver
good enough to get in the action of the game
right now, two three four, Now you got that grove.
Speaker 1 (21:20):
Exactly how you figured it out exactly. Yeah, that's that's big.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
That's big, which I mean probably we could arguably say
without Europe you probably wouldn't have made. You know, first off,
let me say congratulations. I know you're making uh the Chiefs.
Oh yeah, bringing honor hall of fame. Uh my guy,
my my pastor, my deacon over here. He made the
New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame. So shout out to
both of y'all.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
Big congratulations.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
That's like a huge honor in itself. I know you're
getting inducted this fall. What was running through your mind?
How did you feel, what was going on? How did
you find out? Like, tell me everything? When you know,
mister mister.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Hunt came to you and he presented you with that news.
Speaker 5 (22:01):
So I was actually golfing, Okay, I was golfing here
in New York on the golf course. He's gonna talk
about Yeah, yeah, I'm a Texas guy, So I recognized
the two to one four even know, if you know
about the Hunts, they come from Dallas.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
They're from Dallas.
Speaker 5 (22:14):
The Chiefs actually used to be the Dallas Texans, so
they're real big in the Dallas community. So I see
the two, one, four, but I put zero contexts that
that's mister Hunt. I just ignored the call, hit my drive,
and at this point I'm playing pretty good too, Harden.
I think I started off like three straight palls.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Oh yeah, yeah, I'm playing. I'm playing. I'm golf for
my ball. He was in the zone. It was in
the zone. So I get a voicemail. I'm waiting. I
checked my voicemail. It's mister Hunt.
Speaker 5 (22:41):
So he was like, give me a call back. But
it's very monoton If you know mister Hunt, he's never
way here, He's never here right there, so very even killed.
You cannot figure out like you know it. Because twenty
twenty three met him in two thousand, yeah, and twenty
three years. I've never had a phone come and say
this man, okay. I see him often all the time.
(23:03):
It's always cordial, hand say.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
It's all love.
Speaker 5 (23:06):
But I've never gotten a phone call this go either way,
you know how that is either way my Principal's office.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
Immediately, what have I done? I think I'm pretty good
right now. I've left all that stuff back in the past.
But what have I done?
Speaker 5 (23:20):
Let me call find out what it is. Long story, short, short,
sturvery long. He tells me that, yeah, they decided to
uh induct me into into this year's Ring of Honor.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
I was excited, he says.
Speaker 5 (23:34):
You can't tell anybody just yet, So put the phone
down and on my next shot, I had to drive
that ball went so far right.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
I never found that ball again. I was filled with
so much excitement, so far right. I couldn't focus any
more on golf. And I can't tell anybody, But I can't.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
Believe you called him back during the round.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
That's a good point, said, I had to find out.
Speaker 5 (24:01):
I couldn't focus either way, like you're so far but
that's how I found out.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
That's awesome, man, That's yeah, that's that's back this fall.
So niney, let's let's go back. So this is this
is this is kind of a full circle moment. Okay,
So not in nine you're an A and M. You're
removed from the team. Uh rc slocum. He removes you
from the team, and then you're off the team. But
yet RC Slocum makes some phone calls, does what he
(24:31):
can to help you get drafted.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Now your homework, I see a little bit more. Again.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
I got a good team. We got a good team
of people. So they try to prepare us, you know,
to be right and do what we can do. And
we want to tell the correct story, and we want
to tell it correct. But if I'm getting wrong, please
do tell me your version. But you removed from the team.
He goes around, he talks, talks all the coaches and
things like that. Doesn't stain your name. But he's also
(24:58):
praising it and trying to uplift you. Right, we've all
been in college. We've all done dumb things. I know
I have. I'll be the the I'll be the first
to admit it on the show. I've done dumb things. Right,
But but he helps you out, and you know that
you end up getting drafted, So how did and then
you also end up getting inducted into their Hall of
(25:19):
Fame to circles.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
You know what I'm saying, complete circles.
Speaker 5 (25:27):
So here's your story is not wrong, it's just not complete, okay,
So can you have to first know this the reason
I even went to Texas and thew My high school coach,
the late Great Bernard Simon, was like the father I
never had.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
He went to Texas and them play for Slocum. That's
how I ended up there. So they had a relationship.
That's number one.
Speaker 5 (25:46):
You gotta understand that, your sir. Second thing is why
did I get kicked off? It was for something so silly,
dumb as you said, stupid. I had wracked up some
parking tickets. He comes in to a team meeting frustrated.
They keep telling them Keith Parking keeps parking here, racking
up tickets.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
And I maybe had a little Napoleon complex back then.
Speaker 5 (26:12):
So when he started to chastise me in front of
the team, I took offense to that.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
Yeah, and kind of walked back right forget what I said.
I kind of blinked out said something. He was like,
you're off the team.
Speaker 5 (26:25):
By the next day, my high school coach and my
mom were at A and M in his office having
a meeting.
Speaker 1 (26:33):
I was actually back on the team that day.
Speaker 5 (26:35):
Actually, the greatest thing definitely talking to NFL personnel, coaches,
scouts and letting them know, hey, he's not a knock ahead.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
You get a stupid thing. He's a great kid.
Speaker 5 (26:47):
That definitely helped, but I think would help equally or
more importantly was by the next day he allowed me
to come right back on scholarship. And by being on scholarship,
I can still work towards my degree. I can still
work out. You used the facilities, workout still. I'm just
not on the team Pross, but I'm still on scholarship.
That helped me out because now I can still participate
(27:09):
in pro day. Now I can still go to the combine,
use the facilities. And at the time we had Mike
Clark looking him up, one of the greatest strength coaches
ever in college.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
He got me right. So I killed it at the
pro day. I killed it at the combine.
Speaker 5 (27:23):
So that next day after when he put me back
on scholarship, that was a domino effect that allowed me to,
like I said, still be able to work towards That's big.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
That's huge.
Speaker 5 (27:35):
Because if I could, if he talks all this guit talk,
but I'm not able to work out get ready for
the comebine, I still got to do it.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
I still got to go put the work in. The
most important thing was you can still what was my
what was you driving? I was so note that was
the issue. I meant big body being's twenties. One of
my best friends. His uncle was like a young uncle.
(28:01):
He lived in my neighborhood. He was a car guy.
Speaker 5 (28:03):
He had a car detailed. He was a businessman. He's
one of my best friends to this day. I've known
him over thirty forty years. He used to have the
brand new Callac escalator when it came out, brand new benzes.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
I'm only an hour and a half away.
Speaker 5 (28:15):
He would let me take the escalator up one week,
take the bens up another week.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
So obviously these are gonna stand out. I'm eighteen, not
even eighteen. I was eighteen nineteen at the time. I
don't understand how this worked. Just yes again, so.
Speaker 4 (28:39):
If it makes you feel any better. I had a
teammate of mine who got like he got booted up.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
So many times because he was parking in the teacher's
parking spot. And then he ended up somehow or another
one of the teachers left their window down. He like
took their parking pass, like ended up putting it in
his car and parking and got away with it for
like a month and a half, and then they found
him out, and then like he couldn't even have a
car on campus for like like eight months like nothing.
(29:10):
So he walking and coaches on him bad. So, I mean,
these things happen.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
Everybody. I've never been able to defend myself. I always
had to go off the reason why I wasn't. It
wasn't o a. I wasn't being malicious, it wasn't being
aspar brat as coach like to say, and all of
that what it really was. And you guys can attest
to this.
Speaker 5 (29:33):
I'm sure you guys had if you were late to class,
you had to go to some type of penality.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Yeah, the class run the toe so we call it
the breakfast club. So if you were on the list
of anything Friday morning.
Speaker 4 (29:46):
Six am, five am, oh sorry, like you know.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Slid toes all these crazy things. So they had me
and him.
Speaker 5 (29:54):
Is a huge campus, enormous, and you got twenty minutes
to get to the It's impossible to go from you
because I was an agriculture business made. You got the
agriculture campus over here. Now you got to get all
the real car It's just impossible. It's impossible you're gonna
be late, like it's a scheduling conflict. So a lot
of times I would just I'd rather get a parking ticket,
(30:14):
then have to go to the breakfast club on Friday.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
That's my thing.
Speaker 5 (30:18):
It seemed like I was spard driving big bands out
of that. No, I'm trying to not end up on
that list to have to run on Friday morning.
Speaker 1 (30:25):
So that was really how much for the speeding ticket
or the parking tickets? So at that time I'm wracked up.
Speaker 5 (30:31):
Yeah, I mean you're talking over a semester or four
year maybe eight hundred bucks, but a ticket.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
But the ticket itself though, I know when I we
went twenty bucks, twenty bucks it bus but they up.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Yeah, Yeah, we're gonna take a short break and we'll
be back in a minute.
Speaker 3 (30:50):
Now tell me this because I want to know this
as well. You went through all that drama, you went
through all those other things. I know how important your
mom is, single mom, raising you and you your two
couple of your siblings, and so what did it mean
not only for her but for the rest of your
family when you got your name called to get drafted
after all of that, after all of those things, you
(31:12):
still get your name.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
Car Yeah, I mean it was a great day.
Speaker 5 (31:15):
It was a great day until I realized what my
signing bonus was, but that day, that day was great.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
I'm in the NFL. We reached my goal.
Speaker 5 (31:22):
Like you said, we overcame being a little guy. We
overcame a lot of loss in the family over those years.
We overcame a lot. But it was just peer happenings.
Had a huge watch party that day.
Speaker 4 (31:35):
Oh you did, okay, I didn't know because everybody has
their own feelings on watch.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
Moms invited a lot of people over. It was a
great day. Great day. Now was actually signed a signing bonus?
Speaker 4 (31:46):
How much was it signing bonus? Can we do you
like your rookie year?
Speaker 5 (31:48):
It was a rookie year, Chris rom job unlike you
two guys got that nice bag to start off with.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
It's set one hundred thousand on paper. You know when
it arrived it was fifty yeah, and I'm like, what
I'm gonna do fifty five thousand dollars. I came by
my house with fifty five thousand. It's still work to do.
So elation.
Speaker 5 (32:09):
Total joy day of the draft. But soon after signing
that contract, I was like, I still got to put
some more work in.
Speaker 1 (32:16):
I haven't made it. Even though I'm in the NFL,
I still haven't made it. People don't realize man them
taxes and then and then nobody really. Yeah, my good.
My great friend Sevester Morris was my brother to this day.
He was in my wedding. I was in his wedding.
He was a first round draft pick. He signed like
three something. So I'm going to an eight hundred dollars apartment.
(32:37):
He going to this biggest state. We both drafted in
the NFL.
Speaker 5 (32:40):
Two different worlds, yeah, two different world I didn't understand
that I had no one in my family that made it,
that could have.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
You know, gave me a.
Speaker 5 (32:49):
Heads up on fifth round draft picks don't live the
same as first round draft picks.
Speaker 1 (32:54):
Sure, so it was a huge shot. Like, wow, I'm
still poor. I'm in the NFL, but I'm still poor.
Like it's unreal. But it all worked out.
Speaker 2 (33:04):
Thirteen year career where you you were ten, you were eleven, Okay,
eleven year you had nine.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
I played a long time, and I think I could have.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
I would have played until Wills far off because I
love the game of football so much. You the same way,
you know, I knew when it was time for me
to retire because one I got injured and you don't
want to be a thirty four year old corner with
a torn ACL. The majority of time, people never retire
the way they want to. Never very true. It's either,
(33:38):
you know, I look at the Peyton Manning, Jerome Bettis,
Ray Lewis, they won that Super Bowl championship and then
they said, you know what I'm done. I'm finna walk away,
and I wish. I'm jealous to this day that I
never got the storybook ending to walk away. I would
have if we'd have won Super Bowl FI in Denver
(34:01):
or not Denver, not Denver, but we played Denver, I
would have.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
I promise you I would have walked away because that
that was your thirteen.
Speaker 4 (34:09):
Yeah, that was that was my tenth year.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
I would have.
Speaker 4 (34:12):
I would have walked away too.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
I'm like, dude, And because I was, I was chasing.
I was chasing the super Bowl.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
And I go to Carolina in year thirteen, Roman I
we finally teammates and were killing it.
Speaker 1 (34:23):
We go to the super Bowl and we lose and
I didn't even play because I got injured.
Speaker 2 (34:29):
Like three weeks before that, I tore my ACL, so
I was crushed and I'm like, damn.
Speaker 4 (34:34):
That was like that was it for me.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
We got to win the Super Bowl. So my last
play is me actually getting injured, like running and I
tear my ACL.
Speaker 2 (34:42):
So I knew at that point my life or not life,
my career was over. At what point did you know
it was tom for you to retire.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
That's a great question.
Speaker 5 (34:50):
It was actually a series of things all when I
once I went to uh the at the time Saint
Louis Rams.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (34:58):
So the first that put retirming on my radar was
they trade for me. The Rams did from the Chiefs.
So I'm coming to be their returner savior missing Lincoln.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
Going to the.
Speaker 5 (35:12):
First game, I break out. Matter of fact, it's against
Carolina Panthers. I break out normally, this is a house call,
like I'm out. Yeah, I got caught from behind, the
first time in my career that I legitimately got call
from behind.
Speaker 1 (35:26):
That's a real call. I'm looking at you, you know
the TV cut up, it's that, you know, why?
Speaker 3 (35:33):
Why?
Speaker 2 (35:34):
God?
Speaker 1 (35:34):
I'm looking like, oh, that's on me. I just got
rand down. That's the first time. And this is your eight.
Speaker 5 (35:42):
Fourth fear of my five year contract that they took over,
and so I have a fifth year option team ops
that you know, they can decide they want to pay me.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
You know how those are.
Speaker 5 (35:51):
That's why they backload everything. Yeah, so at the I
have to say that to say this, so I get caught,
I mean your eight.
Speaker 1 (35:59):
I'm like, man, this ain't good.
Speaker 5 (36:03):
Maybe I can make it through one more year, finish
out this contract, make this little money, and then I'll
be good. Five games later, I have a high anchor
sprank the first time in eight years that I'm missing.
Speaker 1 (36:15):
I'm on OURR. Seven years with the Chiefs. I think
I missed three games dude to injury. Only three and
seven years. Here's your eight.
Speaker 3 (36:23):
I get ran down, I'm put on i R. I'm
done and I and I areck there. You don't designate
to return.
Speaker 1 (36:30):
This is you can you are, you can believe, do
your rehab wherever you want. Like, you're not coming back.
Once they designate you are, You're done.
Speaker 5 (36:41):
Yes, So I go back to Houston when I started
playing the Tiger Woods game. I'm rehabbing, playing the Tiger
Woods game for the first time, picked up golf.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
Gotta throw that in there. Second year, I mean second
year with the Rams, last year on my fifth year deal,
I'm like, oh, they brought me back.
Speaker 5 (36:56):
Okay, make this gooda and you know it, I'll see
what happens. I injured my other ankle, high ankle, sprang
on the right our our again. That along with having
played that Arrowhead stadium. If you know anything about Ara,
I know you guys do you can't go from there
to playing in the stadium. I was playing with the
Rams so injuries, fulfill my contract and just lost my
(37:21):
love for playing the game because it was such a
difference planning raw Head then playing.
Speaker 1 (37:27):
With a franchise that's on its way out, dark stadium,
half field. We're losing that combination. I was like, I'm done.
Speaker 5 (37:35):
I don't owe anybody any money, fulfill my contract. My
body is telling me it's time to go, and I'm
not having fun. It was a series of those things
that when I completed that fifth year, a series of
unfortunate events. Because I think, if I'm still in the area,
or if I'm on a winning team, or if I'm
happy and not injured, I could have definitely played probably
two two more at least, even though I wasn't as fast.
(37:59):
I said had the ball skill, I still had the vision,
I had everything. I could still go lead the you know,
be top five, top ten in the league. Maybe not
one of the greatest, but I saw Brian Minchell do
for fourteen. Yeah, but he had all the other intangibles
and I had those minster speed. So in hindsight, I'm like, oh,
I probably should have got two or three more years in.
Speaker 3 (38:21):
But those were the things that So as your emotions
kind of changed, you talked about you picking up golf
a little bit. What was your like, what was the
first time you like hit it? And you're like, man,
this is it for me because most times we remember
when we get that.
Speaker 1 (38:38):
Well, what got it?
Speaker 4 (38:39):
What got me was into golf.
Speaker 1 (38:41):
I was kind of becoming really good on the EA
Tiger Woods game HU, and.
Speaker 5 (38:46):
Then I went out to try to do it and
not do I Look, so the first time I felt
unathletic in my life, right, That's what hooked me.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
It wasn't a good shot. It was a fact I
couldn't get that little white ball off the ground. It
wasn't moving, Like, come on, that's a trick. What's going on?
Speaker 4 (39:00):
How do you do that?
Speaker 1 (39:02):
Hooked from that point on, that's what's up.
Speaker 2 (39:04):
So we now I think you're kind of like me
in the sense of what when I am to the
Chicago Bears, like you know, the team, they bring me in.
I still hang around the facility every so often. I'm
not there all the time, but they want me around.
I'm kind of like the unspoken ambassador.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
That's what it's called. Yeah, I'm like the unspoken ambassador.
Speaker 4 (39:26):
Uh for the team.
Speaker 1 (39:27):
I know you the same way. And New Orleans whenever
you go there, you and your your black jackets. Thank you.
Speaker 4 (39:33):
It was a Hall of Fame jacket.
Speaker 1 (39:35):
Yeah, it is a Hall of Fame jacket. What has
that experience been like for you? It's been amazing because
when I first retired, it wasn't like that.
Speaker 5 (39:41):
Yeah, the regime that they had in there just was
not about including past guy but just Andy Reid, Brett
Vach Mark, Donovan Clark Hunt. This regime, they have a
very well established, awesome, amazing ambassador of ground. You have
to be vetted, you you have to be, you know,
(40:03):
a pillar in the community. It's like when you were
a player. You can't ambassador team or you're not an
ambassador anymore.
Speaker 1 (40:10):
It's legit.
Speaker 5 (40:11):
We even get Super Bowl rings when they win. We
win the ambassadors. If you're an ambassador, not just a
former player with a big name.
Speaker 1 (40:18):
So you got two rings, I got two rings. I
got to rings.
Speaker 4 (40:22):
Oh my god, what.
Speaker 1 (40:26):
I want to ring?
Speaker 4 (40:26):
That's game?
Speaker 5 (40:32):
Do you guys have an ambassador program with the Chicago
Bass like legit like that. It you go out, you
raise money, you can do that.
Speaker 1 (40:39):
So our ambassador program, we we take the notes people.
We didn't earn it on the field, but we earned it.
You earned it. So Rome always gives me. Can I curse?
Speaker 4 (40:50):
H Rome always gives me.
Speaker 2 (40:54):
Because I don't have a Super Bowl ring and I
chased one for third years.
Speaker 4 (40:59):
I probably would have one the second one.
Speaker 3 (41:00):
If you weren't on the team that you could have
blocked that A and M guy, Oh my god, somebody
somebody could have.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
And I'm not I'm not blowing my blowing smoke up
or pumping me up. But I think if if I
could have played in the Super Bowl, if I could
have played in Bowl, definitely would have made a play.
I think I think that I could have been a
deciding not a deciding factor, but I think I could
have had some impact on the game itself. I would
agree with that, but I'm always, oh my god, you
just I'm just so I'm happy for you.
Speaker 4 (41:30):
I'm happy for you too, very.
Speaker 1 (41:31):
Happy to the club. Yeah, you need to touch Chicago
about that. In basket program. It's a great way to
stay involved and you do great things.
Speaker 3 (41:40):
Man.
Speaker 1 (41:42):
Now Chicago does have to win the super Bowl. I
don't know if that's going to happen. He's got to
got nothing. You got one, I have nothing.
Speaker 4 (41:51):
Oh my god. So you're standing over in the corner. Now, okay,
let us let us champions talk.
Speaker 1 (41:56):
The last guy had.
Speaker 4 (41:59):
I go third ten years and I walk away with nothing,
no hardware.
Speaker 1 (42:06):
You should have the crew tell me this.
Speaker 4 (42:09):
Tell me this though. So you almost got back into
coaching at one point I did.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
I thought that was my segue.
Speaker 4 (42:14):
Yeah, so talk talk us through that, because that's what.
Speaker 1 (42:18):
I actually I knew. I told you guys getting there.
Speaker 4 (42:20):
Because you seem like you're really enjoying what you're doing.
Speaker 1 (42:22):
Now. Yes, my happenstance. I fell into what I'm doing now.
Speaker 5 (42:26):
But in the beginning, my master plan, my segue, my
second act. I wanted to first be an agent. Okay, okay,
be an agent. You're the first player I've heard I
want to actually be a sports agent. Okay, that's a
whole plethora of reasons.
Speaker 1 (42:39):
Why and all of that. But I wanted a way
to stay involved with the game.
Speaker 5 (42:44):
Yes, I know, I didn't want to be an NFL
coach or a college coach because I knew what that meant.
And I also knew at the time I was getting
serious my wife now but my girlfriend at the time,
and I knew I wanted to start a family.
Speaker 1 (42:57):
Okay. I come from a great family when I was young.
Speaker 5 (43:00):
As I got older, the family kind of dissipated, as
they all do in this day and time.
Speaker 1 (43:06):
So I was I feel like the NFL had gave
me everything.
Speaker 5 (43:09):
The only thing I was lacking was that cohesive, tight
knit family like I grew up with when I was
so for me, coaching at the NFL or collegiate level
was out because I knew how they would dictate family.
So I was like, what's the way I can stay involved,
help players, give back, but be on my own time.
Speaker 1 (43:30):
Sports agent was what I came up with, and I
actually liked the lifestyle.
Speaker 5 (43:33):
I don't mind traveling and reaching out to guys and
having to watch a ton of THEILM and YadA, YadA, YadA.
Speaker 1 (43:39):
That was my segue. The year I go in I
actually had an internship in La La interning.
Speaker 5 (43:45):
This was twenty ten. I believe that's the year they changed.
You can no longer have runners. Yeah, you gotta have
you gotta actually have practice law for two years or
be a lawyer.
Speaker 4 (43:56):
And the passive tests.
Speaker 1 (43:58):
Yeah, but passive tests was no problem.
Speaker 5 (44:00):
It was the fact they put in the new you
had to actually have a law degree or have been
practicing law for two years.
Speaker 1 (44:06):
Look that up. That so that took me off of
that segue. I was like, okay, maybe a high school coaching.
Speaker 5 (44:11):
Because I mentioned earlier one of the most important people
is in my life was my high school coach.
Speaker 1 (44:16):
At a forking the road in my young life.
Speaker 5 (44:20):
Back in high school, I was really starting to get
into some trouble, running with the wrong guys.
Speaker 1 (44:25):
He intervened, not about with his words. He let me
live in his house for a little bit.
Speaker 5 (44:30):
And if you guys are family guys, now you bringing
some stranger into your home with your wife and your kids.
Speaker 1 (44:36):
So as I got older and realized what.
Speaker 5 (44:38):
He did for me, you you appreciate, you appreciate it more,
and I kind of wanted to fall in his footsteps
because money at the time wasn't an issue. I didn't
need to chase a dollar. I wanted to make an impact,
stay close to sports so men in LA can.
Speaker 1 (44:51):
Do the.
Speaker 5 (44:53):
I could, but that I didn't have time to go
to law school and do all that at that point.
So I was like, Okay, maybe I can go make
an impact being a high school coach. So I actually
went and I coached high school football for one year
and Long Beach, uh Long Beach, California at Saint Anthony's.
Speaker 1 (45:11):
Realize right then and there, I am not cut out
for this. These damn kids. They don't listen. They think
they know it all. Social media got them thinking they
better than with like all these elements.
Speaker 5 (45:22):
I'm like, nah, I'm gonna be that show one of
these little kids out man and these high school coaches.
Speaker 1 (45:28):
I didn't think. I did not that took a turn.
That was I did not think he was gonna say
that he's got these damn kids. They don't do that.
I don't know if you work with younger kids, it's tough, man.
That's a difference. Is my kids we grew up.
Speaker 2 (45:42):
I think I'm or my kids friends like, man, your
dad's mean It's like, I'm not mean, I just demand respect.
Speaker 1 (45:46):
You're you're gonna get it too, though. You're gonna get
it as your kids get.
Speaker 3 (45:50):
It's funny though, because my dad was a high school coach,
and as I went through high school and went to college,
I would ask them all of them, like, Dad, how
did you coach in high school?
Speaker 1 (46:00):
Man?
Speaker 4 (46:00):
Like number one of these kids aren't that good?
Speaker 3 (46:02):
They then so like you're probably more frustrated and like
and you trying to get these things out and all
you're trying to do is coach and teach them, and
like they don't really listen.
Speaker 4 (46:11):
It's like, I'm like, how do you do high school?
High school seems so tough.
Speaker 3 (46:14):
And he was like, really, the joy comes when you
get a kid that can't do anything. And then by
like after two or three years you working with this kid.
He can backpedal, he can go out there and tackle people,
he can like do all the little things and like,
and you poured all that.
Speaker 4 (46:28):
Into him because when he showed up here, he had.
Speaker 3 (46:30):
Nothing, and now he's got a couple of tools he
can go out there and take out there, he can
get through a couple of plays or series.
Speaker 4 (46:36):
He's like that's what you take more pride, and that's
like the real wins.
Speaker 5 (46:39):
And I was like, yeah, yeah, I never and it
takes a special man. This is also right, you got
to be a special man. I realized quickly.
Speaker 1 (46:48):
I'm not that guy. I know, I'm another way. It's
not my land. I appreciate your father, my high school coach.
Speaker 5 (46:55):
And then I went back to Texas A and M
because they had a program to where if you did
some coaching, it was a coaching program to where you
could coach for the team. It's kind of like an
intern what they called GA graduate assistant and finish your degree.
Speaker 1 (47:10):
Yes, So I went back and worked with This is
when johnnyman Zeil was there. Yeah hot times, Yeah yeah,
big times yep, yep, during that era. So went back,
did that for a semester degree. Kevin Summer brought me in,
great dude, brought me in.
Speaker 5 (47:23):
And I did that for a semester, finished my degree,
and I just knew from those two experiences coaching.
Speaker 1 (47:29):
Was not for me. Yeah, the termine for me was
all of this.
Speaker 5 (47:33):
At this time, this is twenty twelve, twenty thirteen, I'm
also getting serious with my wife. No, I'm gonna get married,
want to have a family. We're deciding because I'm from Texas,
he's from the East Coast, where we're gonna live. What
it's gonna be now having to start to make some
real decisions. Yeah, okay, where's my life gonna go?
Speaker 3 (47:50):
Now?
Speaker 1 (47:51):
It's not just about me anymore.
Speaker 5 (47:52):
So the term for me was not the traveling recruiting hours.
It was this is gonna take away from you. I'm
really trying to build and that's what's my determ. So
you you mentioned earlier about your your coach in high school.
Speaker 1 (48:08):
What was his name? Bernard Simon? Simon?
Speaker 2 (48:10):
Coach Simon, he'd be on your Mount Rushmore because he was,
like he played a pivotal role in your life and
just everything he taught you instilled in you and just
uh molded you and helped you and you know, just
kind of guided you in that in that way, all
so off the field, Yeah, right, he was teaching how
to be a man. Who do you put else or
(48:33):
who else is on that Mount Rushmore with you or
with him?
Speaker 1 (48:36):
Excuse me? Oh, that's a great question. Obviously, moms.
Speaker 5 (48:39):
You got moms coach, and then my wife because she's
the one that's given me, probably through our kids and
just being rock solid that she is purpose after football. Yeah,
And I struggled with that after football for about a
year or two, trying to find purpose. So I go,
Mom's Bernard's wife, and then can I put my Can
I just mold my it's into one and put them
(49:02):
up there?
Speaker 1 (49:03):
That would be my fourth Why would your kids be
up there? The wife and the kids, that kind of
go hand in hand. Purpose, I think the hard for me.
I can't speak for everyone.
Speaker 5 (49:11):
I think a lot of times people get depressed talking
for my athletes and have troubles after football because yet
you play at such a high level, you have Sundays it's.
Speaker 1 (49:21):
Like the height of your life. You've been striving and
working for this all your life. You get there, you're plateau.
Speaker 5 (49:27):
Now what There's nothing else out there that can really
give you that feeling and that sensation that playing on Sundays.
So I think people struggle when you don't find something
that gives you that same sensation, that same feeling that's
saying something.
Speaker 1 (49:41):
To work for.
Speaker 5 (49:42):
So another pivotal crossroads in my life was, you know,
after football, searching what's next I'm going to do?
Speaker 1 (49:50):
My wife being rock solid.
Speaker 5 (49:52):
Having our kids, I immediately was able to regroup, find
a new sense of purpose, And now all of a
sudden I can go and be successful in other areas
of my life because I have purpose. You think people
lose purpose. Now some people have kids when they're in
the league. Yeah, by the time you're the league, they
had grown. So the purpose of raising them up it
(50:14):
left you. Right now, you have to find something else.
You may be even an empty nestler, depending on how
young you were when you had the kids. So for me,
my kids are seven, five and four, I'm in the trenches,
looks on the ground in the field, right, this ain't
so this.
Speaker 2 (50:29):
Is my purpose where you know, I don't know how
your kids seventeen, fifteen, fourteen.
Speaker 5 (50:34):
You're almost empty, your empty nestler.
Speaker 1 (50:37):
Yeah, so your purpose may be a little different, But
for me that was that's why I put those four.
Speaker 3 (50:42):
Yeah, you're talking about purpose and the excitement that you know,
your family, your kids, all those things give you. My
big question is what was the biggest thrill for you?
Is it returning a punt for a touchdown or a
kickoff for a touchdown? I think I know, I think
I know too, But to hear what you say. A punt, Okay,
that's what. That more difficult, it's harder to do. So
(51:08):
I think punks are harder, so harder to catch had return, Yes,
because it's more space, it's more space and.
Speaker 1 (51:15):
You can easier to catch easy return. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (51:18):
And I think I've heard people say the kickoffs are harder,
And you tell me if I'm wrong.
Speaker 4 (51:23):
Harder to do it?
Speaker 3 (51:24):
Well, everybody's running at you a lot faster speed, same lane,
and you don't.
Speaker 1 (51:29):
You don't.
Speaker 3 (51:30):
You can get caught slipping a lot easier on kickoff
then you can't on punt.
Speaker 1 (51:35):
Just think of it like this as a blocker. Think
of it like this as a or a cover man
that's think you'll cover, you'll cover. I think of it
as a cover guy.
Speaker 5 (51:42):
Would you rather run sixty yards head start with a
guy running reverse trying to catch you running at top speed?
Or would you have to first block a guy make
sure he doesn't block this kick, and now you have
to get out and release everybody and he's in your
the whole time. Level, So as a cover man's harder
covering the punt, yeah, right, I just it is, I
(52:04):
just I don't know, I just I just think.
Speaker 1 (52:06):
Yeah, I'm telling you, I tell you what I think.
I'm telling you what I know. You know, I'm telling
you what I know. E don't take a punt. Watch
this the goat. How many kick returns as hester half
versus how many punk returns? I don't I know. Okay,
you have your answer on what's easier. You will have
your answer.
Speaker 4 (52:27):
I think I think Cribs is the one with the
most kick off his hat right, Yeah, but.
Speaker 1 (52:31):
He coming through like yeah he is. He was big, big, strong,
straight speed. So that's gonna work for a kid return
a little guy like me.
Speaker 5 (52:43):
I need space, yes, space, And you get more space
returning a punt than you do with a kickoff because.
Speaker 4 (52:49):
Punt you get here, you take one step to the right.
You got like three people and it's just guy.
Speaker 5 (52:54):
They fall out of their lanes a lot easier on
punts trying to block prevent a block kick.
Speaker 1 (52:58):
Yeah, some kind of way, they somehow, for whatever reason,
they leave their lanes. They follow color.
Speaker 5 (53:04):
Yeah, they do it on punt returns and not kick off.
Speaker 3 (53:10):
And what following color is for those that don't know,
is it means I see my teammates in front of
me in one lane to the right. What I'm supposed
to do is say, because you have lane so you
got one, two, three lanes as you kind of block
and release, one being the widest, three being the most inside.
Speaker 4 (53:27):
And so once you see.
Speaker 3 (53:28):
Somebody in lane one because they've already got out in
their release, you should go lane two exactly, and then
you go to lane three.
Speaker 4 (53:34):
And then all of a sudden, don't want three guys
and lane No.
Speaker 3 (53:36):
One.
Speaker 4 (53:36):
You don't want that.
Speaker 3 (53:37):
But all of a sudden, somebody like Dante Hall starts
going stretching. You going to the sideline. So guy in
lane three is gonna start to go towards lane two
and one, and then all of a sudden the cutback happens.
Speaker 4 (53:47):
Exactly, and now you got a home run.
Speaker 1 (53:48):
You got a problem. You got a problem is how
you get to see that? That is what about? I
think punks. I'm sticking to my guns. I think punts.
I've tried to return upun. I thought the poem was hard.
I was just like, catch, it's so hard.
Speaker 4 (54:02):
It's hard to catch, but it was still hard to return.
Speaker 1 (54:04):
I was just like it was because you're so concerned
for catching it. I was just like, yeah, I can't
this decent puturns are hard.
Speaker 3 (54:11):
I was just at a golf tournament down at the
senior ball Dante. You would appreciate this. And so to
get a mulligan on a whole for the whole team,
they had to catch you a punt from like fifty
yards away.
Speaker 4 (54:23):
And so watching people on.
Speaker 3 (54:25):
My team trying to catch a punt, they don't understand
the nose of the ball and rotation, roation drops the
whole spinning. I don't yeah spiral most people. It came
out of a jugs machine, so at least it was spiraling,
but easy to where you is easy for those that
do not catch punts. Even myself was like, all right,
(54:46):
be ready, room, do not embarrass yourself out here because
you're the only one with football experience. So I did
catch mine, but it is all about the nose and
the tip of the ball. It's I don't different people understand.
Speaker 1 (54:58):
Yeah you got a better thousand. That's the thing as
a proper returns to bet a thousand. You muff a punt,
that's probably gonna lead to immediate points. Yeah, immediate you
off the team quick? You do that a couple of times? Ye? Look, man,
just thank you for coming in.
Speaker 2 (55:14):
You know, I know you did us a favor and
and you know I know you're on family vacation right now,
but you drove down from Jersey.
Speaker 1 (55:20):
But hopefully we paid for the parking for you and
a nice ride over. Yeah, pay for the parking. I
see what you did. Try to hear me. We paid
for well.
Speaker 4 (55:35):
I know this man, Dante number one. I'm gonna get
your number. I want to play some golf.
Speaker 3 (55:39):
Do it, play some golf, especially as I'll be traveling
in my other job. I know you say I'm a
little hard on your your alma mater. We expect them
all to pick it up a little bit.
Speaker 1 (55:49):
And now. Yeah, so I think Fisher did a great
job hiring office of coordinator.
Speaker 4 (55:55):
Yeah, Patrino, Patrino, We're gonna keep.
Speaker 1 (55:59):
Him from leaving, you know, keep his nose clean. We
might be all right. Keep him off the motorcycles.
Speaker 3 (56:04):
That's a whole other co But what I do want
to do is before we got I want to think
all about listeners is always for always tuning in. Give
us a rating of a few five stars, whether you
listen on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio. Please please tell a
friend to tell a friend, and tell a friend, continue
to tune in.
Speaker 4 (56:24):
This is the NFL Player. Second acts.
Speaker 3 (56:26):
We have more guests like Dante who come on Show It,
Show it Real, and man, this is great stories.
Speaker 1 (56:33):
Man.
Speaker 3 (56:33):
We're all fans of each other in so different ways
that I don't think you get this in any other
segment or system or this podcast, where it's like, man,
I'm such a fan of yours. Then you come in
like dude that I'm coming off of vacation.
Speaker 4 (56:47):
Because I.
Speaker 1 (56:49):
Was willing to drive. I respect what you guys.
Speaker 4 (56:52):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (56:54):
Get away from the family for a little bit. Helps
I was.
Speaker 4 (57:00):
Still on record.
Speaker 1 (57:01):
We can edit that out. We can edit that out,
real talk. I can respect for her, both of you.
Speaker 4 (57:06):
Thank you, man, I appreciate We appreciate that.
Speaker 1 (57:08):
Yeah, I'm Peanut, just the pastor. That's the X factor.
We out
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