February 13, 2024 • 33 mins
From a very young age, Colorado native Ben Garland knew he wanted to attend the Air Force Academy. He researched what the Academy wanted in a cadet and joined countless clubs to show his dedication to service and community. He also played some impressive football at Central High School in Grand Junction. Ben lettered all four years and was first team All-State his senior season.
He had full ride offers to several schools, including the Academy, but stayed with his goal and went for the grind in Colorado Springs. The days were tough between practice, marching, drills and an intense curriculum, but Ben loved it. He started 34 of 39 games as a Falcon and got noticed by NFL Scouts.
Ben was hoping to get drafted and applied for a deferment for his required active duty. He was denied and his draft stock fell. The Broncos still brought him in as an undrafted free agent and placed him on military reserve. After Ben served his 2-year commitment, he returned to the NFL and played for 11 seasons with the Broncos, Falcons and 49’ers.
These days, philanthropy is at the core of Ben’s world with his latest venture being The Hero App, which helps non-profits fulfill their needs.
He had full ride offers to several schools, including the Academy, but stayed with his goal and went for the grind in Colorado Springs. The days were tough between practice, marching, drills and an intense curriculum, but Ben loved it. He started 34 of 39 games as a Falcon and got noticed by NFL Scouts.
Ben was hoping to get drafted and applied for a deferment for his required active duty. He was denied and his draft stock fell. The Broncos still brought him in as an undrafted free agent and placed him on military reserve. After Ben served his 2-year commitment, he returned to the NFL and played for 11 seasons with the Broncos, Falcons and 49’ers.
These days, philanthropy is at the core of Ben’s world with his latest venture being The Hero App, which helps non-profits fulfill their needs.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Brutal schedule. I mean you're gettingup freshman year at a ridiculous hour.
You drive down to practice in thespring for like a crazy early morning workout,
come back up, and as afreshman you have to stand in the
hallways at attention and yell the morningannouncements for everyone. March to breakfast.
You go to class, and youractual credit load is much higher than a
lot of other colleges. Aeronautical Engineering, astronautical engineering, a lot of these
(00:24):
challenging courses. March to new mealformation. Then you're heading down to some
form of a combatives class, whetherit's boxing, water survival, maybe you're
doing something like unarmed combat. Thenyou head to practice. Welcome to Cut,
Traded, Fired, Retired a podcastfeaturing conversations with professional athletes and coaches
who've experienced some or all of thewords in the title. They've been cut,
(00:47):
traded, fired, and or they'reretired. I'm your host, Susie
Wargen. This episode's guest took adifferent path than most of the NFL.
Colorado native Ben Garland played for theAir Force Academy and was hoping to get
in the NFL. He probably wouldhave, However, the military didn't allow
him to postpone his military duty aftercollege. Still, the Broncos signed him
(01:08):
as a college free agent, andBen spent a couple of years serving his
time for our country and being withthe Broncos when he could. Then,
when his two years of active dutywere complete, he put in an eleven
year career in the NFL's Alignment andwent to three Super Bowls. Unfortunately all
of them were losses. In retirement, Ben was promoted from captain and the
Air Force to major in the ColoradoNational Guard, and he's all about philanthropy,
(01:33):
giving back in so many different ways, Ladies and gentlemen. Major Ben
Garland Cut Traded Fired Retired podcast withSusie Wargen. Ben Garland, what's going
on? Thanks for having me.I'm excited to chat absolutely. Yeah.
You're one of my Colorado, Coloradopeople that you're born and raised and everything
(01:55):
here. Oh yeah, born andraised. Could be more excited to live
here and put down roots and reallyare working on some other stuff too.
It's fun. You got a lotof things going on. You've always had
a lot of things going on.You were born in Grand Junction, you
go to Central High School in GrandJunction, you lettered all four years of
football. So when did you startplaying football to go in and obviously varsity
as a freshman, right, Yeah, started in fifth grade, wow out
(02:17):
in elementary school at fruit Vale Elementaryand Grand Junction, and then played at
Bookliff and then at Central. Soit was nice kind to be able to
take those trips over here and playsome of the Denver teams I was growing
up, and then be lucky enoughto stay and go to the academy for
college. I know, still beso close to family. What positions did
you play in football as you startedto go through your football career as a
(02:39):
youngster. As a youngster, Iwas offensive and defensive line. Always on
the line, always on the line, all right, Absolutely loved it.
Loved different elements about offense versus defense. And then by the time I got
to college, just focused on defense. And then I was lucky enough when
I got to the Bros, Igot to play both, which is yeah.
I noticed that you kind of wentback and forth a little bit.
You also played some basketball for oneyear. What positions you're playing basketball?
(03:01):
I was definitely just that backup,a bench guy, big guy that would
come in and make some moves,more excuse to hang out with some buddies,
greater rebounds. That's about it.Football was it? Oh yeah?
Football? Football was it? Allright? So how did you decide then?
Because I'm always curious and you're Ithink you're the first one I've had
that's gone to the academy. Sothat's a different bird when you're talking about
(03:23):
going to the academy. Did youhave other schools that you were interested in?
Yeah? I had a couple otherfull rides and some other places that
I was looking into. But frommy standpoint, the Academy was it since
day one. I mean I toldmy grandfather when I was five that that
was the place for me. Andeverything I did in middle school high school
was all in an attempt to getinto the academy. Really Oh yeah,
I mean I joined so many clubs. I was looking at what does the
(03:46):
academy want? They want a diversifiedleader, and so I was walking into
clubs like Key Club. Didn't knowwhat they did, what do they do?
Ran for president and what's Key Club? So it's kind of a volunteer
organization. Oh okay, I absolutelylove it. And you were the president.
Yeah? Yeah, I had askedthe teacher kind of what it was
after I got voted president. Whatare my duties here? Yep? But
(04:09):
just stuff like that, I mean, joining show choir, joined FBLA,
became the treasurer of that, andjust a ton of different organizations sports,
anything I could do to show leadershipin order to get into the academy.
So what were the other schools asidefrom the academy? You had full rides
too? You and M offered mea full ride. Oh, you had
had talked to me, and thenI was in talks with cu in UCLA.
(04:30):
Did you go visit any of those? I went on a visit to
you and M. That was theonly one. You were just so focused
on the academy, weren't you.Oh Yeah, I mean I knew that,
like the harder path, it wouldforge me into the man that I
wanted to be. And it's somuch easier in a sense to go down
a path that someone forces you that'sdifficult than attempting to do that yourself.
(04:51):
Yeah, knowing if I'd gone toother schools, I wouldn't be forced to
do some of the things I hadto do at the Academy. And I
think a lot of those forged meinto who I am today, and I'm
glad I did it. Definitely acompletely different college experience than most. Oh
yeah, and talk about that becauseI don't know if a lot of people
realize anybody that is at the academyathlete wise. I mean, you have
some pretty high standards that you've gotto meet, so you are very different
(05:14):
than a lot of other schools andhow they look academically and whatnot. And
then just the other activities are thingsthat you're required to do. So what
are some of those requirements. Yeah, so you're graded on your class rank
is depicted on your military rank,which is you're going to give a military
job every semester of what's something youdo, and you're going to be graded
on that. You have your academicrank, which is just how you're doing
(05:35):
in classes, and then you alsohave athletic which is fitness tests and all
those aspects, and so you're constantlybeing ranked and stacked. But just having
those elements adds an additional workload toyou because everybody does that, everybody does
it right, and then you're anathlete on top of it. Right,
So brutal schedule, I mean,the most difficult time would be you're getting
(05:57):
up freshman year at a ridiculous hout. You drive down to practice in the
spring for like a crazy early morningworkout, do a tough workout, come
back up, and as a freshmanyou have to stand in the hallways at
attention and yell the morning announcements foreveryone. Then you march to breakfast.
You go to class, and youractual credit load is much higher than a
(06:18):
lot of other colleges, so you'retaking a ton of classes in very difficult
I mean you're taking aeronautical engineering,astronautical engineering, a lot of these challenging
courses. March to new meal formation, then you're heading down to some form
of a combatives class, whether it'sboxing, maybe you're doing water survival,
maybe you're doing something like unarmed combat. Then you head to practice again.
(06:42):
Well yeah, so that would bewhen the traditional practices in the morning would
just be a workout. Then yougo to practice, and then later at
night you head back to your roomto attempt to all the homework of all
the classes you're in. So it'sdefinitely tough, and there's so many rules
that just make it even more ofa challenge. I mean, you can't
walk as a freshman's you always gotto be running. You can't wear a
backpack. You got to memorize allthese things upperclassmen are constantly yelling you about.
(07:06):
So the work capacity and workload they'regoing through there is just off the
charts. You became very mentally tough, didn't you. Absolutely absolutely your ability
to be able to manage time andprioritize what matters becomes very vital at that
point. Oh I'm sure. Wow. So you're there from two thousand and
six to two thousand and nine,you start thirty four of thirty nine games.
What was your experience like as anathlete on that football team? I
(07:29):
loved it, And it was allthose elements that I love about sports.
I mean, the Academy guys ingeneral are kind of underdogs, and I
love that whole story and being apart of that. But being a part
of a team where you're not expectedto win and you continually consistently do win
and overcome because nobody knows how todefend your guys. Oh yeah, And
it's just that relentless mental attitude andgrit and you were putting absolutely everything on
(07:54):
the line for those guys next toyou and they're doing the same and you're
doing it at a capacity that noone can keep up with. So you're
just hitting him in the mouth everysingle play. And for the most part,
we're not as big, strong,as fast as some of the other
traditional colleges. But but your schemeis what gets people. They just can't
do it. And you had Fisher, did you Fisher all? No,
it's I had him to start wentto Calhoun, Okay, so I was
(08:16):
blessed enough to be able to underboth coaching. So wow, Well it
would an honor to be able toplay for Fisher in such a long tenured
career. And what incredible man.I mean, he still to this day
will bring up my family members byname and ask how they're doing. It's
not just the thing he does forme. Every guy that he coached for
is the same way. He'll knowyour aunt's name, your cousin's name,
(08:37):
everyone, and just like, oh, how are they doing another life story
and truly dive in and care aboutthose individuals. He and Sonny Lubig are
cut from the same cloth because Sonnydoes the same thing, and it's just
it's unbelievable. They're just incredible,incredible men. So then in twenty ten
you go undrafted. Did you thinkthat you might get drafted? When you
came out of the academy, therewere talks. They were in talks about
(08:58):
being able to release me from mycommitment in order to go directly to play
because of that potential, And thatkind of came down to the kind of
last minute decision where like, no, we're not going to let you go.
And that's when I dropped on thedraft boards from you know, a
third or fourth round pick. Whodecides that? Is that the government saying
no? Yeah, there's a lotof times it's the government current policies,
(09:20):
okay aspects And that was fine withme. I knew i'd signed up for
and I was proud to serve mycountry and be able to do that.
And I was lucky enough that theyworked with me, and I was stationed
me close enough to the Broncos whereI was able to spend my days and
leave attending training camp and go intopractices when I could. Yeah, you
had such an unusual start with yourNFL career. The Broncos bring you in
(09:41):
as an undrafted free agent, andthen you go on the military reserve list
in September, so they just kindof keep you around. Yeah, it's
kind of like I are, yeah, only bet you, except you don't
get paid, which is a bummer. And you're actually working a lot while
you're in that two years, right, right, And what did you do?
You went and you were a publicinformation officer, right, yeah,
public affairs off the public affairs officer. King. My initial career I got
(10:03):
was a pilot, but my sizedidn't quite work with the cockpit, especially
attempting to play on the line ortheir offense or defense. And so I
had to come to decision of eitherlet go of that career and pursue another
route and lose one hundred pounds inorder to fit in the cockpit a hundred
(10:24):
Oh yeah, what is the sizelimit on a pilot? Do you know
what? I'm gonna guess it's aroundlike two twenty or but it's full gear,
oh okay, and then you're toppingout. There's a lot of dimensions
that play into it, especially you'reseating height, and yeah, you're pretty
tall, right, and so six' five is definitely like the cutoff.
Yeah, but there's a few othercutoffs as well, just with some other
(10:46):
measurements. From like Femur length andsome of stuff like that where I was
also very close. But did thatbum you out to not be able to
be a pilot? Is that somethingyou wanted to do? I mean,
I love I got the opportunity tofly whiles at the Academy, and what
a cool experience. I mean,you don't got other guys flying soloan and
gliders and powered flight and doing thatstuff whenever they're at their normal colleges.
So what a cool experience. Lovedit. Got to do an incentive RDE
(11:09):
in F sixteen, which is absolutelyincredible. I mean, to be able
to pilot that and fly that fora little bit, that'd be amazing,
Such an incredible experience. Yeah,So yeah, there's definitely a little bit
of a disappointment because that too iskind of this exclusive club of incredible individuals.
And that's another area where you canfind that real locker room environment as
(11:31):
a job, which is so rare. I mean, I think inherently we
all want to be a part ofteam, want to be a part of
something great, and that is oneof those rare careers that really offers that.
Yeah, so you serve your twoyear commitment and then you come back
to the Broncos in twenty twelve,what kind of happens? Then they put
you on the practice squad. Doyou stay with the team because you end
up signing a futures contract in twentythirteen. Yeah, So I made the
(11:56):
practice squad my first year. Feltso blessed and lucky at that point to
do that, I mean, sohard to come back to football after relatively
I mean a two years step.Yeah, I can't imagine train where you
can, but you're not getting alot of playing time or ability, and
so you're going against kind of theseall Americans and college guys that are fresh
out and really into it, andyou're doing your best. So felt very
(12:16):
blessed to do that. They switchedyou over to the O line, too,
didn't they. Yeah, so twentythirteen they switched me to play both
ways, okay, and so Istarted learning the other side of the ball
and trying to figure out how Icould add value anywhere I could. But
I was on every special team,anything I could do to assist. But
got to play with them for anothertotal of five years with Denver before going
(12:37):
on to Atlanta, including Super Bowlforty eight. Oh yeah, yeah,
as I was going through, I'mlike, oh, my gosh, you've
been to three Super Bowls, noneof them were wins. Yeah. Man,
man, that's so you got yourfirst taste of it in New Jersey
when they were there for forty eight. What was that like? And then
also, how did that help youdown the road with the other two that
(12:58):
you went to? Oh yeah,that was a surreal moment. I mean,
you're talking about a kid born andraised in Colorado playing for the team
of his dreams, going to aSuper Bowl. I mean, we grew
up and we didn't have a lotof money, and so just the concept
of being able to ever attend agame seems so out of reach from financially.
And then not only are you attending, but you're playing. I'm bringing
(13:20):
my mom along, my family,like they're getting to watch the game with
me, which absolutely incredible experience.But I definitely think it does add I
mean, once you've been through it, it's much easier the next time and
the next time to kind of understandthe routine, the rigamarole and everything.
Not that it helped me since wedidn't win, but yeah, when you
(13:41):
go to let's see sign a futurescontract, twenty fourteen, So you stay
with the Broncos for that time.The Broncos release you in twenty fifteen ish,
does that sound about right? Okay? Four days later you sign on
with the Falcons. Yeah. Andso that was a tough decision for me
because the Broncos at that point hadoffered me to kind of come back and
sign with the team, and thenAtlanta had also offered me. So they
(14:01):
let me go and offered me apractice squad contract with the Broncos, and
I decided that point to go toAtlanta. And the Broncos ended up winning
the Super Bowl in the fifteen seasonobviously, So it's always one of those
things, always tough. Yeah,But you were on the active roster in
Atlanta, right, yeah? Okay, So and that makes a difference.
I mean it's better paycheck and youhave the chance to play more often,
(14:22):
right, Which was awesome to beable to actually go over there and participate
and make it to our own SuperBowl a couple of years later in twenty
sixteen, and be able to playin that one as well, which is
and my role had expanded at thatpoint. Wasn't doing more so each one
of my Super Bowl experiences. Iwas more and more involved, from Pridor
squad with Denver to active participating actuallyin Atlanta and then actually get to start
(14:46):
the Super Bowl with San fran Thenyou also had an interesting moment in Atlanta
in January of twenty seventeen. Itwas a playoff game and you took down
Russell Wilson for a safety. Ohyeah, I got it sacked for a
safety. As it was, thatwas fun. I mean, it's always
my family's favorite play that I hadin the NFL. But the defense's reaction
(15:07):
was always just so funny to mebecause they were talking a little trash.
They're like, dude, you justgot beat by your backup center. He
doesn't even play defense. Like that'sfunny. That's your family's favorite play.
Oh yeah, definitely. I meanit was in the playoffs. It was
a big moment. Everybody saw it. Yeah, that's great. All right.
So then in let's see twenty nineteen, you signed with San Francisco and
(15:28):
Weston Richburg, who's been a gueston this podcast. Actually he gets hurt
there and then you move over tocenter. Yeah. Love, what was
that like? Love Richburg? Whatit was great? What a great guy?
Yeah, that was an incredible opportunityfor me. I mean definitely,
up to that point had definitely beena swing guy, filling up a backup
role, working my tail off,but pretty rarely in that starter position here
(15:48):
and there in Atlanta with some injuries. But that moment was awesome. You
were starting on a regular basis then, right for Weston, Yeah, soster
quarterback, We had Jimmy Garoppolo,all right, and then you go to
a third Super Bowl. The Chiefsbeat the San Francisco forty nine ers and
that one that was Super Bowl fiftyfour. So then when that one happens,
what do you do after you've beento three? I mean that's everybody
(16:10):
wants to win the big one,but there's always going to be somebody that
doesn't. And it's just it's hard, Oh, extremely difficult, And so
no one's gonna be cheering harder thanme when aer watch the Niners get a
rematch against Chiefs four years later.So yeah, definitely rooting for all those
guys and they definitely deserve it.What an incredible crew from the top down.
I mean, she has so manyconnections to Colorado. Oh my gosh,
(16:32):
Lynch everybody. Yeah, such incredible, just good humans, and that
probably felt good when you were therethat there were so many ties to hear.
Oh my gosh, I mean tosee the impact that Lynch was doing
towards veterans, and obviously that's ahuge passion point for ye. But Captain
America over there's doing so much forso many people, and being able to
be a part of an organization thataligns so well with my core values makes
(16:53):
you even more proud to show upto work every day. I love John
and Linda. They do such greatwork in the community. Just amazing people,
absolutly all Right, So in twentytwenty, you re signed with the
forty nine ers and then you geta cap strain and then you go on
injured reserve. Was that kind ofone of your first big injuries because I
didn't really see much throughout your stayfairly healthy. Yeah, I had quite
(17:14):
a few injuries throughout, but thatwas the first one that limited me from
playtime. The vast majority of theother ones where stuff I gritted it out
or used the duct tape and getback on the field, But that one
was kind of debilitating a sense whereI wasn't able to So, yeah,
I suffered that one playing against theRams, which is real bummer too.
I was in I felt like Iwas really in the peak of my career,
like I was playing well, reallyfinally in a position where I belonged
(17:36):
to be out there and it wasreally adding more value than I ever did
before. That's hard, then,oh, yeah, definitely hard. I'm
always curious about your experience. Then. I'm being on ir being in the
training room because it can just besuch a lonely, lonely place because you're
still part of the team, butyou're not absolutely and you know that it's
it's a very tough place for guysto be mentally because, like you said,
you are a part of the team, but you're also not, yeah,
(17:59):
and you want to be there forthem. You want to be a
part of it, and a lotof those moments that you kind of miss
out on, you're still involved,I mean, so it's kind of full
circle from there. It felt verymuch like where you're on the practice squad
where you're part of the team,but you're also not playing games or participating,
so helping where you can, butvery in a limited capacity. And
then how does that help you lateron in life? You know what I
(18:22):
mean, And there's so much nowand you work so much with it's okay
not to be okay, and that'sa huge part of what you do with
your foundation and mental health, andthere's so much that goes on, and
I think it's talked about more nowthan it ever has been. But there
was a long time of decades whereguys didn't talk about how they felt,
and it was dark for a lotof NFL players, and nobody talked about
(18:42):
it because it was a sign ofweakness. Yeah, and it's tough because
there's a lot of that whole facadearound who an NFL player is, and
it's this person that is so toughin every way mentally, physically, and
you embody that in a lot ofways, and so it does become difficult
to showcase a weakness and be courageousenough and brave enough to open up and
(19:04):
say, no, I am strugglinghere. But the beauty of it is
the guys that I saw that trulyembrace it. And some of the best
I've been with, they do embraceit, and they do go see therapists
and go get help from the wholerange. I played with guys that suffered
from depression and anxiety and stress ona day to day basis, and that
helped them. Then guys on theother end of the spectrum where they're going
(19:25):
to see a therapist to take theirmental game to the next level. So
I think, regardless of whether youare in a really tough place, kind
of in that medium place, orin a really good place, why not
go see an expert who can trulyhelp you. Because our mind, I
mean, what a powerful thing thataffects so many aspects of our life.
Yeah, that's a great point.I hadn't thought about that. Did you
see a shift, because I feellike things happened kind of during that time
(19:49):
when you were in the NFL.Did you see a shift from when you
started to when you finished of peoplebeing more open and being willing to talk
about it a little bit more.Oh, huge shift, especially early on
the years, and it kind ofchanged to how they treated injuries in general,
whether that was mental or physical.I remember my first few years in
the league just stayed away from thetraining room as much as I can.
If you're in there, you're hurt, and you're on your way out.
(20:11):
What's kind of my mentality towards it, and especially as you're on the practice
squad. Oh yeah, and you'relike, I'd best not to be seen
there. So sometimes your best abilityis just availability. So that aspect I
saw that improving a lot. Imean the way San fran does things and
truly takes care of their players.They've got an army of people helping out
and working on every aspect from mentalto physical to getting better sleep. I
(20:36):
think it shows interesting you really supportyour team like that, and as is
the reason why a lot of guyswant to stay there and be loyal to
the team. I mean, theyare really truly taking care of the players
at a different level, but they'realso offering stuff like that, like people
to talk to. That's great.So you're with three different franchises. People
talk about the world class franchise ofthe Broncos and San Francisco I think is
very much like that as well.What was Atlanta like? Was it similar
(20:59):
with it a lot different? Atlantawas way different, very polar. I
mean, the the fans out therecare much more about college football, So
when you're in that area, it'snot hey, when they're the Falcons playing
is Georgia, where's Alabama? Adhow's the Auburn thing going. It's very
different dynamic. The NFL is anafterthought, there isn't it. Yes,
yeah, big time so, whichis interesting seeing it secondary to the NFL
(21:23):
in a lot of those senses.I imagine some of those players in colleges
down there making more money and sponsorshipsthan the NFL guys are. How about
that too. Oh yeah, it'sjust such a different landscape. Guys are
going to stay in college longer becausethey can make more money because if they
think I'm going to go to thepractice squad, I'll just stay here and
take the nil money. Right.Yeah, it's definitelyazy, changing a lot
(21:44):
of things. It's gonna be interesting, some good, some bad. Can
they do nil at the Academy?They can't yet, And I definitely think
it's a missed opportunity. There's somany incredible individuals that would represent very well.
The misstop is that I think italso really showcased some of the positives
that is the Air Force Academy.I mean, what a brilliant place,
and there's a lot of people thatdon't know about it, don't know it
as an option, and how manyincredible officers are we missing out on because
(22:11):
they never heard about it. Somebodywho is patriotic and passionate and an incredible
leader, but they never really heardand something like that, where you have
those opportunities to showcase the academy morein a marketing sense, it's free advertisement
for the account. Oh my gosh. Yeah, So I'm assuming West Point
same thing. You can't do itprobably any of the military academies, none
of them yet. Hopefully that changes. But you'd be right there to help
(22:33):
out and get things going, wouldn'tyou. Absolutely. Yeah. What an
opportunity for those players too. Imean to see some of these guys,
most of them don't make it outof college, and even the ones that
do make it to the pros.I mean, the average career is so
short. It is, but theinjuries that you receive while playing are generally
permanent. I mean, you're goingto have the scar tissue, you're another
(22:55):
damage, a little limp to yourwalk. Why not get some money that
you can start a life with.I love it for them in that sense.
In other ways, it is bad, but hey, there's always good
with the bad. There needs tobe, and I think it'll the market
needs to settle down a little bitbecause it's a little crazy, and once
it does and they figure out,you know, maybe a couple more rules
or something like that, it mightbe a little more totally tolerable. But
(23:18):
it is great. I mean it'sthey go through so much. College athletes
go through a lot. Yeah,the more this transforms, I'd love to
see college football go to a relegationsystem, kind of like soccer in Europe
make it a lot more exciting.Definitely, even the odds of some of
these teams that are able to reallyhave a much larger bank to afford players.
Absolutely, it also makes those gamesat the end of the season,
whenever it's a team that has avery poor record playing its team is a
(23:40):
very poor record, to see who'sgoing down going down exactly, all right,
Ben, So let's not talk aboutwhat you've done since football. You've
got a foundation. You've got anLLC Wingman sixty three. They're two separate
entities, aren't they. Yeah,So I've got my foundation wing Man sixty
three. We focus on mental healthand veterans, and that's definitely been our
passion point. It's been an inspiration. Some of my family members have struggled
(24:03):
with those elements and being able tohelp other people. What's that because we
definitely know what it's like and it'sdefinitely a passion point. So I've been
proud to be able to help insome of those areas with quite a few
people. That's great. Yeah,and I got to mc an event that
you did down at the stadium,which was a lot of fun. Oh
that was so much fun. Yeah, Friday Night Lights having everybody at the
Broncos Stadium and being able to meetthe players, talk to them at the
(24:26):
same time, learn a few toolsabout mental health that they can walk away
with and really reduce their cortisol levelsand their stress in the moment, and
hopefully helped quite a few people.I love it. And then the LLC
talk about that because it's like amedia company, right, Yeah, so
we built an operating company and aroundtwenty eighteen, Who's going to be Soft
launched. I'm recently stepping away fromthat, oh okay, yep, so
(24:51):
focusing more with actually a group outof the academy on some of the elements
that they're doing. They're eating groupworking on building some Ark model homes.
Oh okay, factory in Florence,And wouldn't be more proud to be a
part of that group. They're reallytrying to do it right, provide kind
of luxury housing in certain areas,incredible ADUs, marv parks, and really
(25:14):
try to leave that legacy in alot of ways, and specifically for veterans.
Oh okay, all right, Imean some of it's just some of
these skiers or towns you have theseteachers or workers. Yeah, they're driving
an hour each way, and that'sif the weather's good. And then I
mean you imagine how many times youshow up to one of these towns and
a place is closed on a Tuesdayor a Wednesday because they just can't find
the workers to do it. Andso attending to solve that, but do
(25:37):
it the right way where it's housingthat looks very good. It's luxury throughout.
I mean, granted, countertops madefrom steel, absolutely beautiful, but
at the same time at a pricepoint that they can afford. Oh that's
great. What else do you involvedwith then, because you kind of have
your fingers in a lot of differentthings. Yeah, there's another venture that
I'm unbelievably excited about. We startedwith another Academy grad Danae. McBroom and
(26:03):
it's called the Hero app. Overmy career, I did sixty three charity
events a year, and I justsaw kind of a lot of the needs
that a lot of these nonprofits had. But I also saw from the other
perspective. I gave to a lotof nonprofits and I didn't really see where
my money went or what happened withit. So the entire concept is an
in kind giving platform, an ecommerce platform where you can actually purchase what
(26:23):
a nonprofit needs. And in kindgiving has been such a tough element for
so many nonprofits because people would loveto give to a nonprofit stuff like this,
but a lot of time it becomesa burden because it's not exactly what
they needed. This platform allows thenonprofit to put their exact needs down to
size color. I mean, wehave a little boy that needs a size
(26:44):
seven and a half Batman shew.Oh, you can put that on the
app and see it. But thenyou know, as from the other side,
you know exactly how you helped.You know that feeling you get when
you get that brand new pair ofshoes and you feel so fast and like
to be able to help a kid, like it's not just he got a
pair of shoes that are close tofitting, they fit perfectly, they're what
he wanted, design everything. It'sa game changer and that point of you
(27:10):
really want to give more because yousee the impacts you're making. And at
the same time, these nonprofits areextremely helped because a lot of the resources
they would have had to spend tobuy these items are now not taking up
and they can focus on other mattersand really getting out there and helping in
more other ways. I love thatbecause you see at the holidays, you
know they'll be like the Giving Treeor something like that, and you can
buy things that people need. Butthat's all year round, because it's not
(27:33):
just a Christmas that people need things. It's not all the time. Yeah,
and there's so many things and liketo actually know what you're giving.
I mean, whether that's working withan organization like Von's Vision and giving a
pair of glasses, you know whatthat means, Like, oh, I
gave vision to someone, right,that's incredible. Giving shoes to a kid
that doesn't need it. I mean, there's so many elements of just these
basic needs that we all know whatit means to have them, but you
(27:55):
also know what it means to giveand I think it just changes that experience
a lot. Philanthropy is just yourcore, isn't it. I think there's
service for self and the academy oryou're talking just kind of the way you're
brought up. But yeah, definitely. My whole family has always been way
to give back and it's one ofthose things we can get a taste for
it. And whenever you truly seeyou make someone's day better, I don't
(28:17):
care who you are, that lightsyou up, like I absolutely love that
feeling and be able to genuinely makesomeone else's life better. And so shoot,
why not spend some of my timedoing that? I'm lucky enough to
be in a place too. Yeah, I love that. What was your
degree in from the Academy Systems EngineeringManagement? Okay? And did you ever
do anything in that? Not evenclose? A lot a lot of math
(28:37):
for no reason I'm never going touse, but still makes you grow in
other ways, right, Yeah,And so now you're just fulfilled in all
of these ways. So what isin the future then for Ben Garland?
Finding the purpose? Being able towork on projects that I can be proud
of that can truly add value tothe community, and at the same time
help build my family and their financialstatus. And you're still very tight with
(28:59):
your family. I saw your momat the Broncos game when you were the
honorary coin toss captain. Oh yeah, it was so awesome to have her
out on the field and have herbe a part of all that. And
it's just so nice to be partof this close community and got all my
family live in almost in the samearea. Shes got my little brother in
Grand Junction, trying to convince himto move out here, but everybody else
around that travel with your sister.Recently, I took her on a trip
(29:22):
to Cancun and being able to givethat gift to her. I mean,
she is literally wonder woman. Youwere talking about raising two girls in an
incredible way. She gets up almostevery day at four thirty dwo CrossFit.
She's a full time professor at UCCS, crushing it. She volunteers all the
time. I have no idea howshe finds the time for that stuff and
(29:44):
the level in which she is presentand there for the people. I mean
consistently semester have to semester seeing thesestudents be like you positively changed my life
or you're the best teacher I've everhad, and like, how do you
find the bandwidth, that time,the energy to really dive into these kids,
Like she is literally wonder woman.So be able to take her and
(30:06):
let her relax on the beach fora few days and you know, be
able to soak in the sun,do some morning yoga and zuma glasses.
Yeah, I absolutely love that andjust think I'd like to be your sister,
Ben. Yeh, that's so cool. All right, as we wrap
up in I'll ask you the questionthat I ask all my guests. And
you've had the three losing Super Bowls, you've had the injuries, what do
you tell people when they go throughthe ups and downs and you work so
(30:29):
much with mental health on how toget past those tough times. I think
it's one of those things we haveto rechange our mindset around failure. You
are not a failure. Did youmess up? Yes, that's a learning
experience. And you look at thegreatest who ever done. I mean Peyton
Manning, one of the best quarterbacksever played for in my life, He's
thrown a bunch of interceptions, yes, is he still some of the best
in the world. Yes, becauseafterwards he got up. He learned from
(30:52):
it. And you see that froma lot of the greats. And I've
been lucky enough to be around alot. But some of the greatest people
in the world are those that arenot afraid to fail and they take it
as a learning lesson instead of actuallyaffecting their value. You're not your mistakes,
but if you allow them to sinkin and become that, it really
holds you down. Who do youstill stay in touch with these days?
(31:14):
You've been with so many teams andlike you said, so many great players.
I love it and it's such acool community be a part of because
like the military, I mean,you basically trauma bond with these people,
whether it's football or the bonds that'sa good word. Yeah, you go
through some really tough stuff with thesepeople and you become extremely close. So
I mean Mitch n Ryan and hiswife Corey Olympian, they're actually joining us
on our factory investment. So thenbeing a part of that, which is
(31:37):
awesome. Love that kid. Also, Colorado homegrown Rico Allen reached out to
me literally in the lobby before thispodcast started and we're chatting with him.
So, oh, that's great.You still got a lot of guys,
really tight network, and the Broncosdone a good job, especially lately of
trying to get the alumni back involved. Oh, they've done such an incredible
(31:57):
job Dominic not that just been absolutelyamazing, and I love what they're doing.
I mean, they're bringing them back. I think we're at an event
not too long ago, helping outkids shopping at a local Walmart, and
he had so many legends there.I mean, McCaffrey was there and everybody,
and they're just really pouring into thatcommunity and allowing that to give back,
(32:19):
and I love that. That's whyI was always so proud to be
a part of the Broncos. Theyalways did such an incredible job about making
the community a priority, and Ithink that's why we love them for it.
Yeah. Absolutely, And that's atthe core of what you do too,
so it falls right in line withwhat you do. Yeah, you're
always worried when they change ownership ifsome of those values are going to change,
But everyone I've talked to said they'refollowing the same path that the Pat
(32:42):
Bowling set up and they're going tocontinue in that direction, if not attempting
to exceed it in some ways andreally really bring it to the next level.
So love to hear that for thecommunity. Because shoot, I was
born and raised a Broncos fan.I'll always be cheering for him absolutely.
All right, Ben, this wasgreat, appreciate the time today. Thanks
for coming in. Yeah, thanksfor having me. Thanks, been so
good to catch up with him.Well, if you're hearing this, you've
listened to the entire episode, andfirst of all, thank you. Secondly,
(33:06):
I hope you enjoyed this episode andothers. If you did do me
a favor, please rate and reviewon Apple Podcasts and Spotify. New episodes
of Cut, Traded, Fired,Retired come out on Tuesdays on nearly every
podcast platform. Get social with thepodcast on Twitter and Instagram at ctf our
podcast, and check out the websitectfurpodcast dot com. I'm your host,
(33:28):
Susie Wargen. To learn more aboutme, visit susiewargin dot com. Thanks
again for listening, and until nexttime, please be careful, be safe,
and be kind. Take care
Brutal schedule. I mean you're gettingup freshman year at a ridiculous hour.
You drive down to practice in thespring for like a crazy early morning workout,
come back up, and as afreshman you have to stand in the
hallways at attention and yell the morningannouncements for everyone. March to breakfast.
You go to class, and youractual credit load is much higher than a
lot of other colleges. Aeronautical Engineering, astronautical engineering, a lot of these
(00:24):
challenging courses. March to new mealformation. Then you're heading down to some
form of a combatives class, whetherit's boxing, water survival, maybe you're
doing something like unarmed combat. Thenyou head to practice. Welcome to Cut,
Traded, Fired, Retired a podcastfeaturing conversations with professional athletes and coaches
who've experienced some or all of thewords in the title. They've been cut,
(00:47):
traded, fired, and or they'reretired. I'm your host, Susie
Wargen. This episode's guest took adifferent path than most of the NFL.
Colorado native Ben Garland played for theAir Force Academy and was hoping to get
in the NFL. He probably wouldhave, However, the military didn't allow
him to postpone his military duty aftercollege. Still, the Broncos signed him
(01:08):
as a college free agent, andBen spent a couple of years serving his
time for our country and being withthe Broncos when he could. Then,
when his two years of active dutywere complete, he put in an eleven
year career in the NFL's Alignment andwent to three Super Bowls. Unfortunately all
of them were losses. In retirement, Ben was promoted from captain and the
Air Force to major in the ColoradoNational Guard, and he's all about philanthropy,
(01:33):
giving back in so many different ways, Ladies and gentlemen. Major Ben
Garland Cut Traded Fired Retired podcast withSusie Wargen. Ben Garland, what's going
on? Thanks for having me.I'm excited to chat absolutely. Yeah.
You're one of my Colorado, Coloradopeople that you're born and raised and everything
(01:55):
here. Oh yeah, born andraised. Could be more excited to live
here and put down roots and reallyare working on some other stuff too.
It's fun. You got a lotof things going on. You've always had
a lot of things going on.You were born in Grand Junction, you
go to Central High School in GrandJunction, you lettered all four years of
football. So when did you startplaying football to go in and obviously varsity
as a freshman, right, Yeah, started in fifth grade, wow out
(02:17):
in elementary school at fruit Vale Elementaryand Grand Junction, and then played at
Bookliff and then at Central. Soit was nice kind to be able to
take those trips over here and playsome of the Denver teams I was growing
up, and then be lucky enoughto stay and go to the academy for
college. I know, still beso close to family. What positions did
you play in football as you startedto go through your football career as a
(02:39):
youngster. As a youngster, Iwas offensive and defensive line. Always on
the line, always on the line, all right, Absolutely loved it.
Loved different elements about offense versus defense. And then by the time I got
to college, just focused on defense. And then I was lucky enough when
I got to the Bros, Igot to play both, which is yeah.
I noticed that you kind of wentback and forth a little bit.
You also played some basketball for oneyear. What positions you're playing basketball?
(03:01):
I was definitely just that backup,a bench guy, big guy that would
come in and make some moves,more excuse to hang out with some buddies,
greater rebounds. That's about it.Football was it? Oh yeah?
Football? Football was it? Allright? So how did you decide then?
Because I'm always curious and you're Ithink you're the first one I've had
that's gone to the academy. Sothat's a different bird when you're talking about
(03:23):
going to the academy. Did youhave other schools that you were interested in?
Yeah? I had a couple otherfull rides and some other places that
I was looking into. But frommy standpoint, the Academy was it since
day one. I mean I toldmy grandfather when I was five that that
was the place for me. Andeverything I did in middle school high school
was all in an attempt to getinto the academy. Really Oh yeah,
I mean I joined so many clubs. I was looking at what does the
(03:46):
academy want? They want a diversifiedleader, and so I was walking into
clubs like Key Club. Didn't knowwhat they did, what do they do?
Ran for president and what's Key Club? So it's kind of a volunteer
organization. Oh okay, I absolutelylove it. And you were the president.
Yeah? Yeah, I had askedthe teacher kind of what it was
after I got voted president. Whatare my duties here? Yep? But
(04:09):
just stuff like that, I mean, joining show choir, joined FBLA,
became the treasurer of that, andjust a ton of different organizations sports,
anything I could do to show leadershipin order to get into the academy.
So what were the other schools asidefrom the academy? You had full rides
too? You and M offered mea full ride. Oh, you had
had talked to me, and thenI was in talks with cu in UCLA.
(04:30):
Did you go visit any of those? I went on a visit to
you and M. That was theonly one. You were just so focused
on the academy, weren't you.Oh Yeah, I mean I knew that,
like the harder path, it wouldforge me into the man that I
wanted to be. And it's somuch easier in a sense to go down
a path that someone forces you that'sdifficult than attempting to do that yourself.
(04:51):
Yeah, knowing if I'd gone toother schools, I wouldn't be forced to
do some of the things I hadto do at the Academy. And I
think a lot of those forged meinto who I am today, and I'm
glad I did it. Definitely acompletely different college experience than most. Oh
yeah, and talk about that becauseI don't know if a lot of people
realize anybody that is at the academyathlete wise. I mean, you have
some pretty high standards that you've gotto meet, so you are very different
(05:14):
than a lot of other schools andhow they look academically and whatnot. And
then just the other activities are thingsthat you're required to do. So what
are some of those requirements. Yeah, so you're graded on your class rank
is depicted on your military rank,which is you're going to give a military
job every semester of what's something youdo, and you're going to be graded
on that. You have your academicrank, which is just how you're doing
(05:35):
in classes, and then you alsohave athletic which is fitness tests and all
those aspects, and so you're constantlybeing ranked and stacked. But just having
those elements adds an additional workload toyou because everybody does that, everybody does
it right, and then you're anathlete on top of it. Right,
So brutal schedule, I mean,the most difficult time would be you're getting
(05:57):
up freshman year at a ridiculous hout. You drive down to practice in the
spring for like a crazy early morningworkout, do a tough workout, come
back up, and as a freshmanyou have to stand in the hallways at
attention and yell the morning announcements foreveryone. Then you march to breakfast.
You go to class, and youractual credit load is much higher than a
(06:18):
lot of other colleges, so you'retaking a ton of classes in very difficult
I mean you're taking aeronautical engineering,astronautical engineering, a lot of these challenging
courses. March to new meal formation, then you're heading down to some form
of a combatives class, whether it'sboxing, maybe you're doing water survival,
maybe you're doing something like unarmed combat. Then you head to practice again.
(06:42):
Well yeah, so that would bewhen the traditional practices in the morning would
just be a workout. Then yougo to practice, and then later at
night you head back to your roomto attempt to all the homework of all
the classes you're in. So it'sdefinitely tough, and there's so many rules
that just make it even more ofa challenge. I mean, you can't
walk as a freshman's you always gotto be running. You can't wear a
backpack. You got to memorize allthese things upperclassmen are constantly yelling you about.
(07:06):
So the work capacity and workload they'regoing through there is just off the
charts. You became very mentally tough, didn't you. Absolutely absolutely your ability
to be able to manage time andprioritize what matters becomes very vital at that
point. Oh I'm sure. Wow. So you're there from two thousand and
six to two thousand and nine,you start thirty four of thirty nine games.
What was your experience like as anathlete on that football team? I
(07:29):
loved it, And it was allthose elements that I love about sports.
I mean, the Academy guys ingeneral are kind of underdogs, and I
love that whole story and being apart of that. But being a part
of a team where you're not expectedto win and you continually consistently do win
and overcome because nobody knows how todefend your guys. Oh yeah, And
it's just that relentless mental attitude andgrit and you were putting absolutely everything on
(07:54):
the line for those guys next toyou and they're doing the same and you're
doing it at a capacity that noone can keep up with. So you're
just hitting him in the mouth everysingle play. And for the most part,
we're not as big, strong,as fast as some of the other
traditional colleges. But but your schemeis what gets people. They just can't
do it. And you had Fisher, did you Fisher all? No,
it's I had him to start wentto Calhoun, Okay, so I was
(08:16):
blessed enough to be able to underboth coaching. So wow, Well it
would an honor to be able toplay for Fisher in such a long tenured
career. And what incredible man.I mean, he still to this day
will bring up my family members byname and ask how they're doing. It's
not just the thing he does forme. Every guy that he coached for
is the same way. He'll knowyour aunt's name, your cousin's name,
(08:37):
everyone, and just like, oh, how are they doing another life story
and truly dive in and care aboutthose individuals. He and Sonny Lubig are
cut from the same cloth because Sonnydoes the same thing, and it's just
it's unbelievable. They're just incredible,incredible men. So then in twenty ten
you go undrafted. Did you thinkthat you might get drafted? When you
came out of the academy, therewere talks. They were in talks about
(08:58):
being able to release me from mycommitment in order to go directly to play
because of that potential, And thatkind of came down to the kind of
last minute decision where like, no, we're not going to let you go.
And that's when I dropped on thedraft boards from you know, a
third or fourth round pick. Whodecides that? Is that the government saying
no? Yeah, there's a lotof times it's the government current policies,
(09:20):
okay aspects And that was fine withme. I knew i'd signed up for
and I was proud to serve mycountry and be able to do that.
And I was lucky enough that theyworked with me, and I was stationed
me close enough to the Broncos whereI was able to spend my days and
leave attending training camp and go intopractices when I could. Yeah, you
had such an unusual start with yourNFL career. The Broncos bring you in
(09:41):
as an undrafted free agent, andthen you go on the military reserve list
in September, so they just kindof keep you around. Yeah, it's
kind of like I are, yeah, only bet you, except you don't
get paid, which is a bummer. And you're actually working a lot while
you're in that two years, right, right, And what did you do?
You went and you were a publicinformation officer, right, yeah,
public affairs off the public affairs officer. King. My initial career I got
(10:03):
was a pilot, but my sizedidn't quite work with the cockpit, especially
attempting to play on the line ortheir offense or defense. And so I
had to come to decision of eitherlet go of that career and pursue another
route and lose one hundred pounds inorder to fit in the cockpit a hundred
(10:24):
Oh yeah, what is the sizelimit on a pilot? Do you know
what? I'm gonna guess it's aroundlike two twenty or but it's full gear,
oh okay, and then you're toppingout. There's a lot of dimensions
that play into it, especially you'reseating height, and yeah, you're pretty
tall, right, and so six' five is definitely like the cutoff.
Yeah, but there's a few othercutoffs as well, just with some other
(10:46):
measurements. From like Femur length andsome of stuff like that where I was
also very close. But did thatbum you out to not be able to
be a pilot? Is that somethingyou wanted to do? I mean,
I love I got the opportunity tofly whiles at the Academy, and what
a cool experience. I mean,you don't got other guys flying soloan and
gliders and powered flight and doing thatstuff whenever they're at their normal colleges.
So what a cool experience. Lovedit. Got to do an incentive RDE
(11:09):
in F sixteen, which is absolutelyincredible. I mean, to be able
to pilot that and fly that fora little bit, that'd be amazing,
Such an incredible experience. Yeah,So yeah, there's definitely a little bit
of a disappointment because that too iskind of this exclusive club of incredible individuals.
And that's another area where you canfind that real locker room environment as
(11:31):
a job, which is so rare. I mean, I think inherently we
all want to be a part ofteam, want to be a part of
something great, and that is oneof those rare careers that really offers that.
Yeah, so you serve your twoyear commitment and then you come back
to the Broncos in twenty twelve,what kind of happens? Then they put
you on the practice squad. Doyou stay with the team because you end
up signing a futures contract in twentythirteen. Yeah, So I made the
(11:56):
practice squad my first year. Feltso blessed and lucky at that point to
do that, I mean, sohard to come back to football after relatively
I mean a two years step.Yeah, I can't imagine train where you
can, but you're not getting alot of playing time or ability, and
so you're going against kind of theseall Americans and college guys that are fresh
out and really into it, andyou're doing your best. So felt very
(12:16):
blessed to do that. They switchedyou over to the O line, too,
didn't they. Yeah, so twentythirteen they switched me to play both
ways, okay, and so Istarted learning the other side of the ball
and trying to figure out how Icould add value anywhere I could. But
I was on every special team,anything I could do to assist. But
got to play with them for anothertotal of five years with Denver before going
(12:37):
on to Atlanta, including Super Bowlforty eight. Oh yeah, yeah,
as I was going through, I'mlike, oh, my gosh, you've
been to three Super Bowls, noneof them were wins. Yeah. Man,
man, that's so you got yourfirst taste of it in New Jersey
when they were there for forty eight. What was that like? And then
also, how did that help youdown the road with the other two that
(12:58):
you went to? Oh yeah,that was a surreal moment. I mean,
you're talking about a kid born andraised in Colorado playing for the team
of his dreams, going to aSuper Bowl. I mean, we grew
up and we didn't have a lotof money, and so just the concept
of being able to ever attend agame seems so out of reach from financially.
And then not only are you attending, but you're playing. I'm bringing
(13:20):
my mom along, my family,like they're getting to watch the game with
me, which absolutely incredible experience.But I definitely think it does add I
mean, once you've been through it, it's much easier the next time and
the next time to kind of understandthe routine, the rigamarole and everything.
Not that it helped me since wedidn't win, but yeah, when you
(13:41):
go to let's see sign a futurescontract, twenty fourteen, So you stay
with the Broncos for that time.The Broncos release you in twenty fifteen ish,
does that sound about right? Okay? Four days later you sign on
with the Falcons. Yeah. Andso that was a tough decision for me
because the Broncos at that point hadoffered me to kind of come back and
sign with the team, and thenAtlanta had also offered me. So they
(14:01):
let me go and offered me apractice squad contract with the Broncos, and
I decided that point to go toAtlanta. And the Broncos ended up winning
the Super Bowl in the fifteen seasonobviously, So it's always one of those
things, always tough. Yeah,But you were on the active roster in
Atlanta, right, yeah? Okay, So and that makes a difference.
I mean it's better paycheck and youhave the chance to play more often,
(14:22):
right, Which was awesome to beable to actually go over there and participate
and make it to our own SuperBowl a couple of years later in twenty
sixteen, and be able to playin that one as well, which is
and my role had expanded at thatpoint. Wasn't doing more so each one
of my Super Bowl experiences. Iwas more and more involved, from Pridor
squad with Denver to active participating actuallyin Atlanta and then actually get to start
(14:46):
the Super Bowl with San fran Thenyou also had an interesting moment in Atlanta
in January of twenty seventeen. Itwas a playoff game and you took down
Russell Wilson for a safety. Ohyeah, I got it sacked for a
safety. As it was, thatwas fun. I mean, it's always
my family's favorite play that I hadin the NFL. But the defense's reaction
(15:07):
was always just so funny to mebecause they were talking a little trash.
They're like, dude, you justgot beat by your backup center. He
doesn't even play defense. Like that'sfunny. That's your family's favorite play.
Oh yeah, definitely. I meanit was in the playoffs. It was
a big moment. Everybody saw it. Yeah, that's great. All right.
So then in let's see twenty nineteen, you signed with San Francisco and
(15:28):
Weston Richburg, who's been a gueston this podcast. Actually he gets hurt
there and then you move over tocenter. Yeah. Love, what was
that like? Love Richburg? Whatit was great? What a great guy?
Yeah, that was an incredible opportunityfor me. I mean definitely,
up to that point had definitely beena swing guy, filling up a backup
role, working my tail off,but pretty rarely in that starter position here
(15:48):
and there in Atlanta with some injuries. But that moment was awesome. You
were starting on a regular basis then, right for Weston, Yeah, soster
quarterback, We had Jimmy Garoppolo,all right, and then you go to
a third Super Bowl. The Chiefsbeat the San Francisco forty nine ers and
that one that was Super Bowl fiftyfour. So then when that one happens,
what do you do after you've beento three? I mean that's everybody
(16:10):
wants to win the big one,but there's always going to be somebody that
doesn't. And it's just it's hard, Oh, extremely difficult, And so
no one's gonna be cheering harder thanme when aer watch the Niners get a
rematch against Chiefs four years later.So yeah, definitely rooting for all those
guys and they definitely deserve it.What an incredible crew from the top down.
I mean, she has so manyconnections to Colorado. Oh my gosh,
(16:32):
Lynch everybody. Yeah, such incredible, just good humans, and that
probably felt good when you were therethat there were so many ties to hear.
Oh my gosh, I mean tosee the impact that Lynch was doing
towards veterans, and obviously that's ahuge passion point for ye. But Captain
America over there's doing so much forso many people, and being able to
be a part of an organization thataligns so well with my core values makes
(16:53):
you even more proud to show upto work every day. I love John
and Linda. They do such greatwork in the community. Just amazing people,
absolutly all Right, So in twentytwenty, you re signed with the
forty nine ers and then you geta cap strain and then you go on
injured reserve. Was that kind ofone of your first big injuries because I
didn't really see much throughout your stayfairly healthy. Yeah, I had quite
(17:14):
a few injuries throughout, but thatwas the first one that limited me from
playtime. The vast majority of theother ones where stuff I gritted it out
or used the duct tape and getback on the field, But that one
was kind of debilitating a sense whereI wasn't able to So, yeah,
I suffered that one playing against theRams, which is real bummer too.
I was in I felt like Iwas really in the peak of my career,
like I was playing well, reallyfinally in a position where I belonged
(17:36):
to be out there and it wasreally adding more value than I ever did
before. That's hard, then,oh, yeah, definitely hard. I'm
always curious about your experience. Then. I'm being on ir being in the
training room because it can just besuch a lonely, lonely place because you're
still part of the team, butyou're not absolutely and you know that it's
it's a very tough place for guysto be mentally because, like you said,
you are a part of the team, but you're also not, yeah,
(17:59):
and you want to be there forthem. You want to be a
part of it, and a lotof those moments that you kind of miss
out on, you're still involved,I mean, so it's kind of full
circle from there. It felt verymuch like where you're on the practice squad
where you're part of the team,but you're also not playing games or participating,
so helping where you can, butvery in a limited capacity. And
then how does that help you lateron in life? You know what I
(18:22):
mean, And there's so much nowand you work so much with it's okay
not to be okay, and that'sa huge part of what you do with
your foundation and mental health, andthere's so much that goes on, and
I think it's talked about more nowthan it ever has been. But there
was a long time of decades whereguys didn't talk about how they felt,
and it was dark for a lotof NFL players, and nobody talked about
(18:42):
it because it was a sign ofweakness. Yeah, and it's tough because
there's a lot of that whole facadearound who an NFL player is, and
it's this person that is so toughin every way mentally, physically, and
you embody that in a lot ofways, and so it does become difficult
to showcase a weakness and be courageousenough and brave enough to open up and
(19:04):
say, no, I am strugglinghere. But the beauty of it is
the guys that I saw that trulyembrace it. And some of the best
I've been with, they do embraceit, and they do go see therapists
and go get help from the wholerange. I played with guys that suffered
from depression and anxiety and stress ona day to day basis, and that
helped them. Then guys on theother end of the spectrum where they're going
(19:25):
to see a therapist to take theirmental game to the next level. So
I think, regardless of whether youare in a really tough place, kind
of in that medium place, orin a really good place, why not
go see an expert who can trulyhelp you. Because our mind, I
mean, what a powerful thing thataffects so many aspects of our life.
Yeah, that's a great point.I hadn't thought about that. Did you
see a shift, because I feellike things happened kind of during that time
(19:49):
when you were in the NFL.Did you see a shift from when you
started to when you finished of peoplebeing more open and being willing to talk
about it a little bit more.Oh, huge shift, especially early on
the years, and it kind ofchanged to how they treated injuries in general,
whether that was mental or physical.I remember my first few years in
the league just stayed away from thetraining room as much as I can.
If you're in there, you're hurt, and you're on your way out.
(20:11):
What's kind of my mentality towards it, and especially as you're on the practice
squad. Oh yeah, and you'relike, I'd best not to be seen
there. So sometimes your best abilityis just availability. So that aspect I
saw that improving a lot. Imean the way San fran does things and
truly takes care of their players.They've got an army of people helping out
and working on every aspect from mentalto physical to getting better sleep. I
(20:36):
think it shows interesting you really supportyour team like that, and as is
the reason why a lot of guyswant to stay there and be loyal to
the team. I mean, theyare really truly taking care of the players
at a different level, but they'realso offering stuff like that, like people
to talk to. That's great.So you're with three different franchises. People
talk about the world class franchise ofthe Broncos and San Francisco I think is
very much like that as well.What was Atlanta like? Was it similar
(20:59):
with it a lot different? Atlantawas way different, very polar. I
mean, the the fans out therecare much more about college football, So
when you're in that area, it'snot hey, when they're the Falcons playing
is Georgia, where's Alabama? Adhow's the Auburn thing going. It's very
different dynamic. The NFL is anafterthought, there isn't it. Yes,
yeah, big time so, whichis interesting seeing it secondary to the NFL
(21:23):
in a lot of those senses.I imagine some of those players in colleges
down there making more money and sponsorshipsthan the NFL guys are. How about
that too. Oh yeah, it'sjust such a different landscape. Guys are
going to stay in college longer becausethey can make more money because if they
think I'm going to go to thepractice squad, I'll just stay here and
take the nil money. Right.Yeah, it's definitelyazy, changing a lot
(21:44):
of things. It's gonna be interesting, some good, some bad. Can
they do nil at the Academy?They can't yet, And I definitely think
it's a missed opportunity. There's somany incredible individuals that would represent very well.
The misstop is that I think italso really showcased some of the positives
that is the Air Force Academy.I mean, what a brilliant place,
and there's a lot of people thatdon't know about it, don't know it
as an option, and how manyincredible officers are we missing out on because
(22:11):
they never heard about it. Somebodywho is patriotic and passionate and an incredible
leader, but they never really heardand something like that, where you have
those opportunities to showcase the academy morein a marketing sense, it's free advertisement
for the account. Oh my gosh. Yeah, So I'm assuming West Point
same thing. You can't do itprobably any of the military academies, none
of them yet. Hopefully that changes. But you'd be right there to help
(22:33):
out and get things going, wouldn'tyou. Absolutely. Yeah. What an
opportunity for those players too. Imean to see some of these guys,
most of them don't make it outof college, and even the ones that
do make it to the pros.I mean, the average career is so
short. It is, but theinjuries that you receive while playing are generally
permanent. I mean, you're goingto have the scar tissue, you're another
(22:55):
damage, a little limp to yourwalk. Why not get some money that
you can start a life with.I love it for them in that sense.
In other ways, it is bad, but hey, there's always good
with the bad. There needs tobe, and I think it'll the market
needs to settle down a little bitbecause it's a little crazy, and once
it does and they figure out,you know, maybe a couple more rules
or something like that, it mightbe a little more totally tolerable. But
(23:18):
it is great. I mean it'sthey go through so much. College athletes
go through a lot. Yeah,the more this transforms, I'd love to
see college football go to a relegationsystem, kind of like soccer in Europe
make it a lot more exciting.Definitely, even the odds of some of
these teams that are able to reallyhave a much larger bank to afford players.
Absolutely, it also makes those gamesat the end of the season,
whenever it's a team that has avery poor record playing its team is a
(23:40):
very poor record, to see who'sgoing down going down exactly, all right,
Ben, So let's not talk aboutwhat you've done since football. You've
got a foundation. You've got anLLC Wingman sixty three. They're two separate
entities, aren't they. Yeah,So I've got my foundation wing Man sixty
three. We focus on mental healthand veterans, and that's definitely been our
passion point. It's been an inspiration. Some of my family members have struggled
(24:03):
with those elements and being able tohelp other people. What's that because we
definitely know what it's like and it'sdefinitely a passion point. So I've been
proud to be able to help insome of those areas with quite a few
people. That's great. Yeah,and I got to mc an event that
you did down at the stadium,which was a lot of fun. Oh
that was so much fun. Yeah, Friday Night Lights having everybody at the
Broncos Stadium and being able to meetthe players, talk to them at the
(24:26):
same time, learn a few toolsabout mental health that they can walk away
with and really reduce their cortisol levelsand their stress in the moment, and
hopefully helped quite a few people.I love it. And then the LLC
talk about that because it's like amedia company, right, Yeah, so
we built an operating company and aroundtwenty eighteen, Who's going to be Soft
launched. I'm recently stepping away fromthat, oh okay, yep, so
(24:51):
focusing more with actually a group outof the academy on some of the elements
that they're doing. They're eating groupworking on building some Ark model homes.
Oh okay, factory in Florence,And wouldn't be more proud to be a
part of that group. They're reallytrying to do it right, provide kind
of luxury housing in certain areas,incredible ADUs, marv parks, and really
(25:14):
try to leave that legacy in alot of ways, and specifically for veterans.
Oh okay, all right, Imean some of it's just some of
these skiers or towns you have theseteachers or workers. Yeah, they're driving
an hour each way, and that'sif the weather's good. And then I
mean you imagine how many times youshow up to one of these towns and
a place is closed on a Tuesdayor a Wednesday because they just can't find
the workers to do it. Andso attending to solve that, but do
(25:37):
it the right way where it's housingthat looks very good. It's luxury throughout.
I mean, granted, countertops madefrom steel, absolutely beautiful, but
at the same time at a pricepoint that they can afford. Oh that's
great. What else do you involvedwith then, because you kind of have
your fingers in a lot of differentthings. Yeah, there's another venture that
I'm unbelievably excited about. We startedwith another Academy grad Danae. McBroom and
(26:03):
it's called the Hero app. Overmy career, I did sixty three charity
events a year, and I justsaw kind of a lot of the needs
that a lot of these nonprofits had. But I also saw from the other
perspective. I gave to a lotof nonprofits and I didn't really see where
my money went or what happened withit. So the entire concept is an
in kind giving platform, an ecommerce platform where you can actually purchase what
(26:23):
a nonprofit needs. And in kindgiving has been such a tough element for
so many nonprofits because people would loveto give to a nonprofit stuff like this,
but a lot of time it becomesa burden because it's not exactly what
they needed. This platform allows thenonprofit to put their exact needs down to
size color. I mean, wehave a little boy that needs a size
(26:44):
seven and a half Batman shew.Oh, you can put that on the
app and see it. But thenyou know, as from the other side,
you know exactly how you helped.You know that feeling you get when
you get that brand new pair ofshoes and you feel so fast and like
to be able to help a kid, like it's not just he got a
pair of shoes that are close tofitting, they fit perfectly, they're what
he wanted, design everything. It'sa game changer and that point of you
(27:10):
really want to give more because yousee the impacts you're making. And at
the same time, these nonprofits areextremely helped because a lot of the resources
they would have had to spend tobuy these items are now not taking up
and they can focus on other mattersand really getting out there and helping in
more other ways. I love thatbecause you see at the holidays, you
know they'll be like the Giving Treeor something like that, and you can
buy things that people need. Butthat's all year round, because it's not
(27:33):
just a Christmas that people need things. It's not all the time. Yeah,
and there's so many things and liketo actually know what you're giving.
I mean, whether that's working withan organization like Von's Vision and giving a
pair of glasses, you know whatthat means, Like, oh, I
gave vision to someone, right,that's incredible. Giving shoes to a kid
that doesn't need it. I mean, there's so many elements of just these
basic needs that we all know whatit means to have them, but you
(27:55):
also know what it means to giveand I think it just changes that experience
a lot. Philanthropy is just yourcore, isn't it. I think there's
service for self and the academy oryou're talking just kind of the way you're
brought up. But yeah, definitely. My whole family has always been way
to give back and it's one ofthose things we can get a taste for
it. And whenever you truly seeyou make someone's day better, I don't
(28:17):
care who you are, that lightsyou up, like I absolutely love that
feeling and be able to genuinely makesomeone else's life better. And so shoot,
why not spend some of my timedoing that? I'm lucky enough to
be in a place too. Yeah, I love that. What was your
degree in from the Academy Systems EngineeringManagement? Okay? And did you ever
do anything in that? Not evenclose? A lot a lot of math
(28:37):
for no reason I'm never going touse, but still makes you grow in
other ways, right, Yeah,And so now you're just fulfilled in all
of these ways. So what isin the future then for Ben Garland?
Finding the purpose? Being able towork on projects that I can be proud
of that can truly add value tothe community, and at the same time
help build my family and their financialstatus. And you're still very tight with
(28:59):
your family. I saw your momat the Broncos game when you were the
honorary coin toss captain. Oh yeah, it was so awesome to have her
out on the field and have herbe a part of all that. And
it's just so nice to be partof this close community and got all my
family live in almost in the samearea. Shes got my little brother in
Grand Junction, trying to convince himto move out here, but everybody else
around that travel with your sister.Recently, I took her on a trip
(29:22):
to Cancun and being able to givethat gift to her. I mean,
she is literally wonder woman. Youwere talking about raising two girls in an
incredible way. She gets up almostevery day at four thirty dwo CrossFit.
She's a full time professor at UCCS, crushing it. She volunteers all the
time. I have no idea howshe finds the time for that stuff and
(29:44):
the level in which she is presentand there for the people. I mean
consistently semester have to semester seeing thesestudents be like you positively changed my life
or you're the best teacher I've everhad, and like, how do you
find the bandwidth, that time,the energy to really dive into these kids,
Like she is literally wonder woman.So be able to take her and
(30:06):
let her relax on the beach fora few days and you know, be
able to soak in the sun,do some morning yoga and zuma glasses.
Yeah, I absolutely love that andjust think I'd like to be your sister,
Ben. Yeh, that's so cool. All right, as we wrap
up in I'll ask you the questionthat I ask all my guests. And
you've had the three losing Super Bowls, you've had the injuries, what do
you tell people when they go throughthe ups and downs and you work so
(30:29):
much with mental health on how toget past those tough times. I think
it's one of those things we haveto rechange our mindset around failure. You
are not a failure. Did youmess up? Yes, that's a learning
experience. And you look at thegreatest who ever done. I mean Peyton
Manning, one of the best quarterbacksever played for in my life, He's
thrown a bunch of interceptions, yes, is he still some of the best
in the world. Yes, becauseafterwards he got up. He learned from
(30:52):
it. And you see that froma lot of the greats. And I've
been lucky enough to be around alot. But some of the greatest people
in the world are those that arenot afraid to fail and they take it
as a learning lesson instead of actuallyaffecting their value. You're not your mistakes,
but if you allow them to sinkin and become that, it really
holds you down. Who do youstill stay in touch with these days?
(31:14):
You've been with so many teams andlike you said, so many great players.
I love it and it's such acool community be a part of because
like the military, I mean,you basically trauma bond with these people,
whether it's football or the bonds that'sa good word. Yeah, you go
through some really tough stuff with thesepeople and you become extremely close. So
I mean Mitch n Ryan and hiswife Corey Olympian, they're actually joining us
on our factory investment. So thenbeing a part of that, which is
(31:37):
awesome. Love that kid. Also, Colorado homegrown Rico Allen reached out to
me literally in the lobby before thispodcast started and we're chatting with him.
So, oh, that's great.You still got a lot of guys,
really tight network, and the Broncosdone a good job, especially lately of
trying to get the alumni back involved. Oh, they've done such an incredible
(31:57):
job Dominic not that just been absolutelyamazing, and I love what they're doing.
I mean, they're bringing them back. I think we're at an event
not too long ago, helping outkids shopping at a local Walmart, and
he had so many legends there.I mean, McCaffrey was there and everybody,
and they're just really pouring into thatcommunity and allowing that to give back,
(32:19):
and I love that. That's whyI was always so proud to be
a part of the Broncos. Theyalways did such an incredible job about making
the community a priority, and Ithink that's why we love them for it.
Yeah. Absolutely, And that's atthe core of what you do too,
so it falls right in line withwhat you do. Yeah, you're
always worried when they change ownership ifsome of those values are going to change,
But everyone I've talked to said they'refollowing the same path that the Pat
(32:42):
Bowling set up and they're going tocontinue in that direction, if not attempting
to exceed it in some ways andreally really bring it to the next level.
So love to hear that for thecommunity. Because shoot, I was
born and raised a Broncos fan.I'll always be cheering for him absolutely.
All right, Ben, this wasgreat, appreciate the time today. Thanks
for coming in. Yeah, thanksfor having me. Thanks, been so
good to catch up with him.Well, if you're hearing this, you've
listened to the entire episode, andfirst of all, thank you. Secondly,
(33:06):
I hope you enjoyed this episode andothers. If you did do me
a favor, please rate and reviewon Apple Podcasts and Spotify. New episodes
of Cut, Traded, Fired,Retired come out on Tuesdays on nearly every
podcast platform. Get social with thepodcast on Twitter and Instagram at ctf our
podcast, and check out the websitectfurpodcast dot com. I'm your host,
(33:28):
Susie Wargen. To learn more aboutme, visit susiewargin dot com. Thanks
again for listening, and until nexttime, please be careful, be safe,
and be kind. Take care
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