December 4, 2024 • 50 mins
He’s not the typical professional athlete, but his resume reads like one: he was on the payroll of a professional team, he entertained fans and he performed athletic feats many would never dare. He also wore a mountain lion costume. Kenn Solomon was Rocky, the Nuggets mascot, for over three decades and while he kept his mascot code of silence when in costume, now he’s “just Kenn” and has plenty to talk about.
Kenn grew up in Las Vegas and was self-taught gymnastics in his backyard. After seeing the San Diego Chicken at a minor league baseball game, he instantly had a career goal. He became his high school’s mascot and did the same at two colleges. At Utah State, as a communications major, Kenn came to Denver during a summer to intern at the Rocky Mountain News. He decided to cold call the Nuggets and strike up a conversation about him being their mascot. The Nuggets didn’t have a mascot, but they listened to his spiel. They didn’t do anything right away, so Kenn kept calling. Eventually he auditioned for Rocky and won the gig.
His 30+ years as Rocky saw him become a fan favorite and an attraction for the Nuggets, especially during some very down seasons on the hardwood. He made countless appearances off the court, endured a few injuries (including breaking his back) and a life changing lesson after spending a weekend in jail.
His retirement came after the Nuggets won their NBA championship and a transition to the new Rocky was set up for one of Kenn’s three sons. Drake Solomon held the role for a while until he had to step aside to rehab an injury. The Nuggets decided to go a different direction. Now Kenn is going in a different direction with lots of open doors and opportunities between public speaking, podcasting and writing a book.
Listen to Kenn’s story and conversation with Susie Wargin on the Cut Traded Fired Retired Podcast.
Kenn grew up in Las Vegas and was self-taught gymnastics in his backyard. After seeing the San Diego Chicken at a minor league baseball game, he instantly had a career goal. He became his high school’s mascot and did the same at two colleges. At Utah State, as a communications major, Kenn came to Denver during a summer to intern at the Rocky Mountain News. He decided to cold call the Nuggets and strike up a conversation about him being their mascot. The Nuggets didn’t have a mascot, but they listened to his spiel. They didn’t do anything right away, so Kenn kept calling. Eventually he auditioned for Rocky and won the gig.
His 30+ years as Rocky saw him become a fan favorite and an attraction for the Nuggets, especially during some very down seasons on the hardwood. He made countless appearances off the court, endured a few injuries (including breaking his back) and a life changing lesson after spending a weekend in jail.
His retirement came after the Nuggets won their NBA championship and a transition to the new Rocky was set up for one of Kenn’s three sons. Drake Solomon held the role for a while until he had to step aside to rehab an injury. The Nuggets decided to go a different direction. Now Kenn is going in a different direction with lots of open doors and opportunities between public speaking, podcasting and writing a book.
Listen to Kenn’s story and conversation with Susie Wargin on the Cut Traded Fired Retired Podcast.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I spent the weekend in jail, so I was called
in to the President's office. It was don Ellman at
the time. Walk in there very intimidated by first of
all my situation and then all the people in the room.
I mean he was a filled room, sat right in
front of his desk while everybody else was sitting around
me or standing, and leans forward in his chair and
he says, tell me what happened. So I let it fly.
(00:22):
I told him everything, and then he leaned back in
his chair afterwards and he said, Ken, I can relate.
He says, I'll tell you what we're going to do.
We're going to stand by you through this thing.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Welcome to cut, traded, fired, retired. This is a temporary
introduction to this episode until my voice comes back. I
promise I don't sound like this during my conversation with Ken.
I am your host who sounds like a thirteen year
old boy. Susie Wargen. This episode's guest is a little different.
He put on a uniform for every Nuggets game, and
there's no doubt he's an incredible athlete. It's just that
(00:58):
his uniform didn't involve a jersey and a pair of shorts. Instead,
it was a costume, complete with large feet, a big head,
and a three foot lightning bolt tail. Ken Solomon was
Rocky the Mountain Lion for more than three decades, and
while he's entertained generations of fans, no one knows much
about the guy on the inside and his roots, which
go back to growing up in the entertainment capital of
(01:20):
Las Vegas and backyard gymnastics. His gig with the Nuggets
came with a cold call he made in the early nineties,
and his persistence led to an incredible experience traveling the world,
good pay, a number of injuries, and a job that
involved his three sons on a daily basis. After the
Nuggets won their NBA championship, Ken retired and his son
Drake took over until he was sidelined with some injuries. Then,
(01:43):
when Drake was ready to return, the Nuggets had decided
to go in a different direction. So Rocky is gone
from Ken and his family, But Ken has so many
other plans in the future. Ladies and Gentlemen, Ken Solomon.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Cut traded, fired, retired podcast It's Susie Wargin. Hello, Ken Solomon,
How are you Susie?
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Good to be here. Good to see you again.
Speaker 4 (02:05):
It has been a long time. Yeah, we've known each
other for many years, mostly while you were Rocky, Right,
but I haven't seen each other in quite a while,
I think since honestly COVID Right. Yeah, we did some
promo outside of Wallorna.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Yep. Yeah, I couldn't go in. Couldn't Yeah, there was.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Couldn't do anything, I know.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
And since you had a mask, Yeah, but you actually
had a mask on inside the mask.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Right, which is that it was kind of yeah, that
was you think, But yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
I know, you're like, wow, the things that we did, right, yeah,
kind of crazy.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
It was. It was crazy. In fact, that was a
big conversation. I had, Wait a second, I have a
mask on, not allowed anywhere, I still have to wear
a mask inside them? Yeah, okay, yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
I don't even know how you were able to breathe
just in general, and then you have a mask on inside.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
Yeah, all right, We're going to go through.
Speaker 4 (02:56):
Rocky obviously has been a big part of the sports
scene for a very long time time here in Denver.
But we're gonna find out more about you because people
need to know about who was inside of Rocky and
and your beginnings and that's what the podcast is about,
is how'd you get to where you are and then
what you're doing now?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
So here we go. You're born in Las Vegas, right.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Actually Saint George, Utah. But it was it was cheaper
to have a baby in Saint George, Utah. So okay, yeah,
I was almost born on the way to Saint George, Utah.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Yeah, my upbringing was in the Las Vegas area.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (03:28):
And your dad, if I have this correct, was a
cheerleader at BYU, right.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
So high cheerleader at Las Vegas High School and then
he went to BYU and was a yell leader, cheerleader type.
I actually have his megaphone still, all preserved and everything
from back in the day. But yeah, he was a
yell leader. Okay.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
So you guys have family roots in Las Vegas. He
grew up there as well, so that's like where your
family is from. Yes, okay, I read that he was
the business Licensed Director of Clark County.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Right, so he did some research. I did do some research. Yeah,
that's what I do.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
Yeah, so he was kind of in charge of a
lot of things for in Las Vegas, right, Yeah, it
was interesting characters in your time, didn't you.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Oh? Yeah, I was actually working downtown for an attorney's office,
and so i'd always stop in his office, and every
once in a while i'd come be bopping around the
corner and his door would be open, and he'd see
me and you know, give me the you know, out
of the corner of his you know, dime in here right,
just not right now. And the person would leave, or
(04:33):
the group would leave, and they always looked very colorful,
and he'd say, yeah, you know who that was, and
it was some mob director or some you know, yeah,
somebody trying to make something happen in Vegas and they
were coming to him.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (04:47):
All right, and you're one of five children. You're the
middle child five? Are you a typical middle child growing up? Yes,
trying to fit in, trying to fit in older as youngers, trying.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
To yeah, trying to hang with the and trying to
be the leader of the youngers.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
And and how did you do that? Organized sports was not
really your thing.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Yeah, not until I got into high school. But as
I was growing up, I always wanted to be a gymnast.
My parents didn't really want to put me into gymnastics.
Gymnastics wasn't really available at the time unless it was
far drive across Las Vegas, and so they taught me
how to do gymnastics in the backyard with two beach trampoline.
(05:26):
We did not get a trampoline until later on, okay,
and then you know, in high school had a trampoline,
and but yeah, early days, it.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
Was just two beach towels. Like how they teach at
gymnastics with a couple of beach towels.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
So they put one in the front, put one in
the back of me, and then twist them. It was
kind of like a spotting belt. Okay, and then we
did not do back hand springs until the towel got
either too loose or tightened up on the other end.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
So self taught yourself basically, yeah, gymnastics.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Yeah, I called myself a backyard gymnast. Literally, you were literally.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
So you get into high school then, and that's where
it starts to get a little bit more. And actually,
but before I don't know, were you in high school
when you saw the San Diego Chicken. I was in
high sifteen, so you would have been, yeah, and that's
what sparked.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Yeah, the mascot was. I was doing mime as a kid,
because you know, the whole face painted thing and everything.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
It was.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
You know, it was because of Shields in your nell.
They had a variety show on TV, and I was
enamored with that, you know, so I did talent shows
and things like that. So you know, starting that side
of things was way earlier than high school.
Speaker 4 (06:31):
Okay, And well, you grew up in an entertainment city.
I mean it was around you all the time, so
you would kind of expect that maybe you would see
things and not everybody's exposed to that, but if you're
in that city, you're very exposed to it all the time.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Right, right. And my dad was, you know, taking us
to shows all the time, and you know, appropriate shows, and.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
You didn't go to thunderdown Under.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
No, I didn't know. I didn't know. And so when
I saw the San Diego Chicken, I was like, oh
my gosh, this guy is getting paid to play. That
is amazing, that's his job.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
And didn't he come out of a helicopter.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Or jumped down a helicopter, landed on the field in
front of me and at the Stars baseball game, just
belly flopped right out out of the grass and stood
up did this little shake thing, this little shimmy.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
And because sandyg a Chicken was like the thing.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
The thing in the eighties. Yeah, oh yeah. I later
on met him.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
Was it the same guy, same guy.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Ted Ginolious if I'm saying, is her name right? Anyways,
he was hired by tim light Wiki. Do you remember
Tim Liwick? Oh yeah, yeah, so tim light Wiki was
the president. He was new. He was coming into Denver
trying to you know, make a splash. This is back
at McNichols pre cronky days. Yes, yeah, yes, hired as
a you know, just to come in to do two
(07:51):
back to back games. I was so insulted and hurt,
but I muscled through it.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
So you were doing Rocky at the time, and they
asked the Sandygo Chicken to come in. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Yeah, and he came in and did all his routines
and everything. But I remember my first interaction with Ted
was in my locker room and the game director, Paul
Andrews was talking to him. I walk in and he's like, oh,
you're the guy. You're the guy that's been stealing all
my stuff. And Paul's like he was defending me. I
(08:22):
was hurt. I was shocked. My mouth was open. He says, Hey,
what stuff are you talking about? And he goes, well,
you know the Mini the moocher thing. He goes, Man,
we've been doing Mini the Moucher here since way before
this guy was here, and so yeah, just chill. Wow.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
So he was defensive, Yeah, coming into like do something
on top of what you're already doing.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Yeah, that's too bad.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
So it wasn't like a feel good meet and greet.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
No, it was hey, meeting Superman and having him put
you down.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
Yeah that's no fun.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
No, no. So actually I did get a little payback.
It was during one of those games, all of a sudden,
the whole Upper Bowl started chanting Rocky because I'm walking
by courtside seats there and somebody grabs my sleeve and
look down and it's Tim and he says, did you
do this? Did you do this? I'm like, what are
(09:14):
you talking about? He's like, they're chanting Rocky up there?
Did you do this?
Speaker 3 (09:19):
How could you have coordinate it? That?
Speaker 4 (09:20):
Right?
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (09:21):
I go no I didn't. He's like all right. Anyways,
after that, though, he pulled me into his office. One
thing about tim Is. He would always address the issue
and he apologized. He says, I will never do that
to you ever again. I learned a lesson on that
you can hold your own and I will never get
in the way of that.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Did you ever make amends with Ted Noe? Okay, no,
I can't.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
I couldn't know.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
That's so disappointing if you meet a mentor like that
and then they act that way as that's a bummer.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Yeah. Hey, I met my other one though, Robert Shields.
I was driving home one day a couple of years ago.
I thought, you know what, I'm going to reach out
to this guy. I'm going to look him up. There's
an number for him. I called it. He answers. He
literally answered the phone. I said, hey, I'm trying to
get a hold of Robert Shields. He's like, what for,
and I go, well, I just wanted to tell him
(10:11):
thank you because he was a big inspiration in my life.
He goes, well, you're welcome, and.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
It was him shut up up. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Wow, Yeah that's cool.
Speaker 4 (10:21):
Okay, So back to the San Diego chicken. When you're
fifteen years old, that's when you decide that this is
something I'd like to do, right.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
I went to the high school and asked if they
had a costume. Unfortunately they did.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
Had not been cleaned in a while.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
No, no, yeah, I had to sew up some holes and
it was so nasty falling apart. It looked like roadkilled
chuck e cheese.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
Nice. Supposed to be a wolf, Okay.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
But I wore that for a school season, and then
my dad and my mom helped make my costume for
my senior year.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
Oh that's nice.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
Yeah, So you start figuring out how to entertain in
high school? Yes, are you doing football, basketball, all sports?
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Basketball, a little gymnastics.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
You're a mascot for gymnastics too. Oh wow, that's cool.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
But in college it was basketball, football, gymnastic meets full on,
and then started doing appearances in the community.
Speaker 4 (11:15):
Okay, so let's talk about getting to college. Because the
reason you get to ricks, right, which is byu Idaho,
is you go there on a ballroom scholarship.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Come on, Yes, I didn't know they had those.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Yes, Oh my gosh, yes, so you're.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
Taking ballroom dancing obviously in high school?
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Right?
Speaker 1 (11:31):
In high school, Yes, I ended up being on I
was asked to be on a ballroom dance team that
was looking for guys. It was a regional one. Oh
and this girl that I knew was on it, and
she said, they're looking for guys. I said, yeah, one condition,
I'll try out for this if I get to bring
my best friend Joe. He was so uncoordinated. I thought,
there's no way. Yeah. So yeah, we both made it.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Oh, you both make it, and then you get a scholarship.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
And then they get a scholarship. Me and my dance
partner got the first ballroom dance scholarships of the college
that they'd ever.
Speaker 4 (12:04):
That they'd ever given out. Oh my gosh. Okay, so
you go to ricks on a ballroom scholarship, but then
also end up.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
So I try out for the mascot. Okay, make it.
And then the next year, well, after that first year,
I was asked not to come.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
Back, Right, you had some problems with the studying, right, Yeah,
that happens.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Yeah, and went on a two year church mission, came back.
That's when I just reached out to the school. I'd
gotten to know some of the uppers and reached out
to them and said, hey, I'd like to come back,
but I really need a scholarship. I'll take what you
gave me last time. It was only three hundred dollars
a semester. Hey, I'll take whatever I can get.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
Oh yeah, absolutely, Okay, So you go back to.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Ricks, then go back to Ricks two more years, end
up graduating, try out for a bunch of universities. After that,
they all offered me a one hundred and fifty dollars
a semester, one hundred and fifty dollars, like they gave
all their cheerleaders. And I was trying to convince them
I am no cheerleader, right, and they're like, oh, yeah,
the mouse got I'm like, yeah, you don't know what
you're saying. So reached out to Utah State and said,
(13:05):
let me come do a game for you if you
like see me, Yeah, see me in action.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
Absolutely, So I changed.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
My strategy and after that game, they yeah, they loved
me and offered me one hundred and fifty dollars a semester,
and I said, thank you, I'll walk, So I left. Yeah,
they kept calling me, offering me more and more and
finally called me back, and I kept saying, thank you
so much, but no, I just I just think that
I'm worth more. I think that I can offer more
(13:31):
than what you're offering me. Yeah. Finally the guy calls
me back and said, this is all I can get please.
I mean he was actually asking me please consider this,
and it was full tuition, fees, books, everything but housing.
He says, I just can't arrange housing. And I said, okay,
Yeah he had kidding. He was really working for me.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
Guy.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
I went there and was there one year and then
ended up getting a an interntionship right at the Rocky
Mountain News.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
So you were a communications and journalism major at Utah State,
get an internship at the Rocky Mountain News, you randomly
cold call the Nuggets. Yeah, tell me about that conversation. Well,
it was God blessed Lisa. Oh the phone right talking
to you, Lisa Whitaker.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Yep. Oh my gosh, she is near and dear to me.
She calls, uh, she and Charlotte Graham call me their
den mothers.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
Oh that's so sweet.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
At the time, the Nuggets did not have a mascot.
They did not And that's that's what.
Speaker 4 (14:32):
I love about this is that you were proactively thinking
where can I have my services, not a you know,
I need to fit in someplace and try and get
to all these places that already have something. You went
somewhere that didn't have anything.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Right, I was so excited when I found out they
didn't have anything. Everywhere I had been I had created
that character. Even at Utah State they had a costume,
big blue, big right. Yeah, they had the character, but
it was not a designated person. Just whatever cheerleader or
whatever student.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Whoever was free to fit in the costume could do it. Yeah. Okay,
so it had no story.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
No story, no structure. No, that's the key. So I
was able to create build the program from square one.
And when I found out they didn't have a mascot, oh,
I was so pumped. I told myself, I'm getting this.
I'm doing this. So call the Nuggets to talk to Lisa.
They directed me to her. She was the game presentation
(15:26):
game operations person at the time, very nice, and she said, yeah,
come on down, show me whatever you got. And showed
her this big, long video that hadn't been edited and do.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
You have twenty minutes because I don't know how to edit.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Right VHS is yeah, back in the day, and then
took the time to show me around the arena. And
then she showed me the door, Thank you very much.
But I was not about to take that or leave
it there, so I called all summer long, kept checking in. Finally,
when I got back to school, I got a call.
(15:59):
She said, we're actually going to have tryouts.
Speaker 4 (16:01):
Yeah, and then you go and audition with what five
or six others?
Speaker 3 (16:05):
Yep, there's not very many. Yep in a gorilla costume.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
In a gorilla costume?
Speaker 3 (16:09):
Why the gorilla cost or? I guess they didn't have anything, right,
I didn't have anything.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
It was being built, it was being created. Okay, However,
they're like, you know, we need something that's generic, so they.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
Grabbed And what did you do in your audition.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
For a rockyy thing? I could think of anything and everything.
I brought two hockey bags full of just props, random
stuff I found. I mean I around the house. I'd
kitchen sink, I had everything in there that could be
considered a prop, and you killed it. I brought a
dummy referee. I beat up a dummy referee. That was
(16:43):
kind of my thing. I dunked, I danced.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
I did they do it on the court at me?
Nichols on the court?
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Okay, yep? In an empty arena, scary and exhausting, and
then you get the gig and then they got the gig.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
Drop out, a Utah State drop out.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
I went back for one more game. They beheaded me
and oh, showed the whole Oh so you got exposed body? Yep?
Speaker 3 (17:06):
Oh interesting? Are you okay with that?
Speaker 4 (17:09):
You know, this is nineteen ninety, like back when you
didn't know who was in there.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
Right right right. I had heard of other mascots being unveiled,
other people being you know, at the end of their
term at other universities, they would.
Speaker 4 (17:27):
Show who it was, who it was, And that makes
sense at the university level because it's going to be changing.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
Right right, And you know, at that point, you know,
it was fun. It was in college. They're just so
on the you know, they're standing most of the game.
They're just so charged. Those atmospheres are so charged that like, yeah,
let's do this. And so I actually put a skull
mask on underneath. Yeah, and they beheaded me and there
(17:53):
was a skull and then I took that.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
And then you took that off and showed everybody. Yeah okay.
Speaker 4 (17:57):
And then you come out to Denver. You have your
first game on December fifteenth, nineteen nineteen.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
Ninety, almost thirty four years ago. Yeah, that's crazy.
Speaker 4 (18:06):
Yep, what do you remember about the first game? Actually,
before we get there, let's talk about Rocky because that suit,
like you said, was being developed by a guy in Georgia.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
Right, yeah, okay, and called real characters.
Speaker 4 (18:18):
Coming up with a story for Rocky, like it couldn't
just be a costume, had to have the story. And
that's why you have the lightning Bolts. So talk about
the story behind him.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
Yeah, Tom Sap he's a brilliant guy and he's done
several other NBA mascots and college and professional sports. He
actually developed the costume that my son is in right now, Hooper.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
Oh and Detroit Yeah oh cool?
Speaker 1 (18:40):
Yeah, nice for the Pistons. So with the character, he
would provide a backstory. And the backstory was this mountain
lion cub in the mountains, got cut in a storm,
separate us from his family, ran into a cave, and
here was a little lightning Bolt that had the same story.
Gotten separated from his lightning bolt parents or something had
(19:03):
they joined forces and you know, found the nuggets.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
Okay, So that's why he had the lightning Bolt.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
Tail flash was his name. We never your tail had
its own it has in the beginning, yet.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
I didn't know that.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
Okay, yeah, all right, I don't think I've said that
publicly anyways.
Speaker 4 (19:19):
Yeah, it was flash, so really rocky and flash kind
of came together with the tail and the character, right,
and the tail became a huge part of a lot of.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
Your skits too. Yeah, you used your tail a lot.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Yeah, well, I told the guy when I first got
fitted down in Atlanta, I'd gotten hired down there getting
fitted the tail weighed original tail was like thirty eight pounds.
I swear it was just oh my, it wasn't but
it was so hea heavy. Yeah, like, I'm gonna clear
tables with this thing. How am I supposed to work
with this?
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Smack people in the face that are sitting court side exactly.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
And then I decided, Hey, we got to lean into
this somehow. I'm gonna use this. This is going to
be part of the personality.
Speaker 3 (20:01):
How much did it end up weighing then? Was it?
Was it quite a bit heavier because you could do
a lot with the Yeah, but enough.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
There was a lot of modifications, Okay to the actual
inards of everything. My original hands I couldn't pick up
a pencil. They were like wearing boxing gloves. They were
just so padded and so we adjested those.
Speaker 4 (20:21):
How different was the Rocky costume in nineteen ninety compared
to when you finally were done in twenty twenty three
or what it is now. I mean a lot different
as far as just some of those modifications.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
Yeah, a lot different. Good question. The materials were heavier
back then. In fact, I'm watching old videos now and oh,
you could just tell how heavy it was.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
Oh, I'm sure.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
Well, the material I mean just in general has become
more breathable and you can do more with actual materials.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
Yeah. They originally would send me each time I got
a new head. The mouth was meshed off, so you
couldn't you couldn't even breathe through that. And that's the
first thing I would do is cut that mesh out
so I get so you get all to eat stuff.
Oh yeah, you know.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
I had a party trick, go to an appearance, take
a wine bottle and just shove it in the you know,
shove it in the head.
Speaker 4 (21:09):
We used to do that at games. I mean whole things, yeah, pizza's, cookies, yes, everything,
Oh my gosh, how funny. Okay, so yeah, that very
first game, What are you thinking.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
I was so nervous, Yeah, so nervous. You know, I
didn't sleep for a few days before that. At the time,
I was also wearing the shoes were ridiculously big. Honestly,
it was like running around with diving flippers on you.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
And your friend. You're gonna fall the whole time.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Afraid I was gonna fall. I wanted to do some trick.
So we just brought out a mini trampoline and a mat,
put it center court, and I just did a front
flip and landed on the mat. And I mean it
was so basic.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
But people loved it, didn't they?
Speaker 1 (21:47):
At first it was okay, yeah.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
Because this is before Dinger. Did the Broncos have miles
at that point, No, No, So nobody had anything nope,
and the Abs were not here yet nope. So you
were the very first in Denver.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
Yes, it took a little while to get going, but
then it took off. Yeah, and I was just having fun, So,
I mean, who doesn't like the mascot just out there
having fun And there was a lot of trial and error.
Come on, there was bombs. Yeah, I was gonna ask
every game you got to come up with a skit.
That's hard. It was tough.
Speaker 4 (22:20):
It's a lot of games, it's forty one games a lot.
It was something different. But you start to gain momentum
and what really started to happen to is you get
fans involved. And that's the cool thing about basketball, I
think too, is that you can be right there and
really get involved with fans that are nice and close,
and then the opposing player stuff starts to come in,
(22:41):
which was really fun. Do you feel like that started
to kind of help elevate who Rocky was, especially with
Barkley and you know Rodman you had a great time with.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Yeah, it was interesting. Back then, I realized that there
was a separation obviously between players and the rest of
the staff, and I just I couldn't relate with that.
So I got to know our players more, you know,
when de Cambe came in, got to know him a
little bit. I mean, Rodney Rogers, all those guys were
(23:11):
just great to work with. But the other team, boy,
don't you oh, don't even look at it right right?
Speaker 3 (23:16):
Yeah? Or the refs right? You cross both those lines?
Speaker 1 (23:19):
Yeah? Oh yeah, I mean I remember, boy, referees just
yelling at me. So I started going in to see
them before the game. Hey, I'm Ken, you know, I'm Rocky.
I get it. You know, I got a thing going tonight,
and I just want to make you aware of it.
You know, not can to involve you, but just be
aware that this is happening on.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
The court, okay.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
And so he started smoozing a little bit. Hey, what
do you need? Do you guys want some shirts? I
can go grab some shirt. Oh well sure, yeah, and
bring him a doll that type of thing.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
There you go.
Speaker 4 (23:49):
H So that's when they started to be a little
more okay with you. Yeah, and you probably knew the
ones you could mess with more than others.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
Yeah, now you're Barkley one though. I mean when the
first time he hits you, you didn't know if it
was serious or not. And it actually really hurt when
they hit you in the mouth, yes, in the mask.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
Yeah yeah, that thing caved in and the eyes were
kind of sharp on the inside, so you take an
impact and I would usually end up with some cut
or whatever. Man, he hit me so hard, just straight
on that he bloodied my nose, loosen my tooth, my lip,
was bleeding on the inside. Yeah, because I was hunting.
You know what I haven't shared this Where this really
(24:30):
started was I made a dummy of minute.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
Bowl, like a little voodoo doll.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
No, not a little one. I made a ten feet
tall dummy of minute bowl and brought it out and
laid it on the court and went and did a
front flip over and ended up sitting on his face
like like oops, like I didn't make it far enough,
(24:57):
you know. Well then I found out that Barkley had
taken Minute Bowl, you know, under his wing a little bit.
You know. That was his boy, that was his guy,
you know him. Yes, Okay, I was mocking Minute Bowl, and.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
So that pissed Charles off.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
Yeah, so that's what started the hole, taunting him a
little bit cross this line, you know, digging, you know,
my toe on the on the floor type of thing. Right,
And yeah, that's when he finally came over and after
it and he decked you. Yeah, grabbed me with one
hand and punched me with the other.
Speaker 4 (25:33):
But that got better, right, He got to where he
was really really good with you and you guys would
have some fun.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
Yeah, Well, after the first punch, I'm back in my
room in front of the mirror, my lower lip just
shaking because I was upset. I mean, I just took
a blow and it kind of knocked me out, and
I was like bleeding and dripping in the sink here
and everything, and I decided I have got to find
(26:00):
out right then and there, I decided I've got to
find out if this guy was playing or not because
maybe so that's why I So, how'd you do it?
Speaker 3 (26:08):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (26:08):
I told my assistant, go get my stilts, Go get
my stilts. We're gonna find out right now. Got on
my stilts, walked out and I wasn't on the real
tall stilts, but they were still still stilter stilts. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
Right.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
So I stood next to there huddle at another time
out in that very same game, and was doing the
whole you know, Fred Sandford, you know, move my awe,
you know, like pump in the air, like come on, man,
let's let's box, let's fight. He came over and reached
like he was gonna punch me in the crotch, but
reached through and didn't hurt me. Right there, I knew
(26:43):
he's playing. He's a showman. Yeah, yeah, yeah, So that's
what started this whole thing. And that's when the next
game I told my guys I wanted to come out
with a huge poster of a stick figure chicken number
thirty four and an egg behind it, thirty fourds of chicken.
I was on stilts with boxing gloves, and that's when
he came out of the huddle, and you know, we
(27:06):
had set it up like a fight right in this
corner we have and in this corner we have the
round a mount of rebound, and he came out, jumped up,
decked me, and boom. That was the start of a
lot of hits.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
Did you ever talk to him?
Speaker 1 (27:19):
Oh? Yeah. After that first one, my wrist got hurt.
I jammed my wrists and so after the game, I've
got my hands in bucket eyes and he walks in
my door. I'll pull my hands out of the ice
real quick. Oh yeah. Behind, I'm like, hey, how's going.
He's like, dude, you all right? Yeah, He's like you
all right? I'm like, yeah, we I'm fine. But he
(27:41):
checked on me, and from then on it was, hey, man,
what are we doing tonight?
Speaker 3 (27:46):
Oh that's cool.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
He was so in on it.
Speaker 4 (27:48):
Were you usually there warming up at the same time?
Around when players were like when players go in and
do shoot around so that you could come see what
was going on or who might be or.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
I usually didn't during shoot around because you know, shoot
arounds early in the day and then they have another
shoot around. That second shoot around is when I would
be around. I'd be around, okay. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
So you have the.
Speaker 4 (28:08):
Barkley thing going and then I mean you had some
pretty serious injuries and scary moments throughout your three plus decades.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
In nineteen ninety five, you break your.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
Back, break my back, yep, and then it was a doozy.
Speaker 4 (28:20):
Twenty thirteen, you have the where you pass out coming
down from the rafters.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
That was scary. It was you look back at all
the things that happen. I mean, you're ice in your wrists.
Speaker 4 (28:29):
After the Barkley thing, what was the most concerning to you?
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Breaking my back was a little scary.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
And that was really on You're only five years into
the gig.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
Yeah, yeah. And then there was some more broke my
shoulder in Guadalajara with you know, touring with Magic Johnson.
That was a doozy because I had to go straight
from there to London and do a dunk show over there.
For a week with Monkey Bogues. I'd wrap my wrap
my shoulder and then just to use my right arm
(28:58):
to dunk things like that. But there was there was
some There was some close calls.
Speaker 4 (29:02):
When did you know that a stunt had gone just
a little too far and you're like, I Am not
going to do that one again, or could you even
think that way? I mean, you did some pretty daring things.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
Yeah. There was one where we used a an air
ram they used it in movies and when you step
on it it would throw you. You have to dial
up the pressure and get the pressure right and practice
and practice, and that one I never unveiled that one.
I just thought, I Am not going to die on
this hill.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
No, no, I did you try it?
Speaker 1 (29:33):
And oh yeah, in practice it would you step on
it and you had to Were you.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
Gonna try and like fly and dunk?
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (29:39):
Okay, oh my god.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
And so the gorilla had done this at an All
Star game or something, and I'm like, yeah, I could
do that. That's pretty impressive. I got one and the
vision was such now his vision his eyes are its eyes.
Well it's not the case. I'm looking through two toilet
paper before you are. Yeah, if I don't place my
foot just right on that thing, I could have my
(30:02):
foot folded up. I could Oh yeah, no, it would,
it could flip me. There was all kinds of things
that could go wrong with that one. So that was
one I pulled off the list.
Speaker 3 (30:12):
Not doing that one.
Speaker 4 (30:13):
How many of those happened where you had an idea
for something and then you're like it, just what if
it doesn't go right?
Speaker 3 (30:19):
Do you have many other ones like that?
Speaker 1 (30:20):
Few? Okay, very few. We did a rollerblade dunk that
was crazy, and practicing it was unreal. It was crazy.
These guys were, yeah.
Speaker 4 (30:30):
You have two of your three sons here and they're
shaking their head like, yeah, that was nuts.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
Yeah. Yeah. They were little at the time and they
had their flip phones out filming me and on the
way home, dad man, we've watched you do a lot
of stuff, but that was the first time we've ever
been scared for you.
Speaker 3 (30:45):
Oh that's hard. Then, yeah, they're shaking their heads. Yes, yeah. Wow.
Speaker 4 (30:53):
The pastaw one though, and this is now twenty thirteen,
so where you have more channels, more social media things
like that, so that one really got out to where
people are like, oh dang, and they thought it was
part of the skit.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
They thought it was hilarious. Yeah, but it was quite serious.
Speaker 4 (31:07):
And when you got down to the ground, you were
out and didn't come too until what was around your
neck was loosened up a little bit.
Speaker 3 (31:14):
Right.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
Yeah, there's been a discussion online about this.
Speaker 3 (31:17):
So set it straight.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
Set it straight right here. So it was like an
MMA choke hold. Okay, it was full on pressure, blood
getting cut off. I was out for a good amount
of time. It was at least two minutes I think.
Speaker 4 (31:34):
Were you out the whole time coming down? Yeah, so
we caught you as soon as you started to when
you stepped off the rafters.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
Yeah. It was all timed out just right, the whole sequence.
And so as I delivered the game, ball, ran back
to my room, switched out my jacket, zipped up, ran
all the way up well, got to the elevator right
ran up to the rafters. When I got there, they
were clipping me in and I was putting on this
harness that had CO two pack on it. Then it
(32:01):
was go time open the gate, step out on the beam,
step off the beam, and that's when I knew I
had not unzipped my jacket. I was supposed to you
because I was in a hurry and my zipper was
cutting into my neck. But then I realized the rope
was going down through my collar and so when you
pull your collar back, I mean it was the whole
(32:23):
front of the neck that was had pressure on it.
But I just remember the worst part of it was
the zipper cutting into.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
My neck like ow ow ow, and then you're done.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
And then yeah, I thought, I cannot wait to get down,
and that was all I remember.
Speaker 4 (32:39):
Oh my gosh, And then you wake up and what
you're laying on the court.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
Laying on the floor, and it was it was one
of those where just in the distance, you hear just
a whisper, you know, just Rocky, are you okay? Rocky
are you? And it got louder and louder, and pretty soon, man,
everything just you just got so loud, and the guy's
yelling at me in my ear again, are you okay?
(33:06):
I realized, oh no, no, no, no, I realized what happened,
jumped up, looked around, slapped to you know, Dirk on
the back, and I said, hey, I'm gonna go in
the back. So I ran off and they.
Speaker 4 (33:20):
Kept you out the rest of the game. Yes, didn't
they Yeah, you wanted to go back in?
Speaker 1 (33:24):
I did? Yeah I did. I'm like, I'm fine, I
can go.
Speaker 3 (33:28):
Yeah. No, you just passed out for two minutes. You're
gonna stay out this one.
Speaker 1 (33:31):
Yeah. Drake over here. He came across the room when
they said, yeah, you're not going back he comes stepping
across the room like hey, I'm I'm right here. I'm
like stop, he settled down. Nope, nope.
Speaker 3 (33:46):
Oh that's a good that's a good son, always ready
to step in and be there for you.
Speaker 4 (33:51):
Yeah, you're backwards half court shot? Is that kind of
your signature?
Speaker 1 (33:55):
It became my signature?
Speaker 3 (33:56):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
I have so many stories about that shot on and
off the court. It was just really a blessing for me.
Speaker 3 (34:04):
How did you figure out that you were able to
do it?
Speaker 1 (34:07):
Wiki?
Speaker 3 (34:08):
Oh really? Okay.
Speaker 1 (34:10):
I was throwing him forward, and he came out on
the court one day while I was practicing, and he's like, hey, man,
let's go backwards. I'll do them with you. Let's put
some money on it. Wow. So that's how I started
throwing it backwards and started doing it in the game,
and then and then they wanted it every game, and
(34:30):
then it became sponsored. And at that point I was like, no, no, no, no, no,
no no, let's just keep this pure. We don't need
a sponsor. That's just so much pressure.
Speaker 3 (34:39):
Too is but the money talks, right, and when there's
a sponsor.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
Involved, you'll do it. You'll do it. Yeah. I didn't
get anything out of it. It was shame company at
the time, of course.
Speaker 4 (34:48):
Right, So you're performing at games you also you had
mentioned Guadalajara in London. You were in like over thirty countries,
not just a.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
Game forty now yeah, oh really? Wow?
Speaker 4 (34:59):
I mean you went all all over the world with
Rocky and so many different stadiums. I mean there's always
a mascot race here and this there, and all the
places you got to go.
Speaker 3 (35:09):
What a career.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
Who'd have thought, right, so many special experiences, so many
great people. I just gosh, after so many, so many years,
I just got contacted by a family that I met
in Argentina when I was down there.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
Oh that's cool.
Speaker 1 (35:22):
You know, I was performing for their All Star game.
Speaker 4 (35:27):
And you were more than a mascot and it was
a big deal. When you know, your pay gets out
there and everybody's talking about, Oh, Rocky wants X amount
of dollars?
Speaker 3 (35:36):
Are you kidding me? He's just a mascot.
Speaker 4 (35:38):
But then I you know me when you first of
all want to say it was probably late nineties, the
only reason my dad went to Nuggets games was to
see you. And I've told you that before, Like I mean,
cause the Nuggets were nothing to see for a while,
and you were the reason he went. He would buy
seats and he would he and I would go, and
you were his entertainment. He could have given a crap
(35:59):
about the basketball. It was all about Rocky. But that's
where I'm like, you brought people to the arena, and
so for somebody to go, oh, he's just a mascot,
why could he demand Well, you know what players are
demanding money, why can't you? And you bring an entertainment
aspect that I think was really really important and they
saw that. You know, you got paid, which I think
was good. You should have gotten paid. But was that
(36:20):
weird going through that where all of a sudden, now
you are a story and the mascot's usually not the story.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
Yeah, you know that started way back with Barkley. We
were so bad that they ended up billing this game
as come see Rocky take on Charles Barkley.
Speaker 3 (36:38):
Yeah, and that's pressure.
Speaker 1 (36:41):
Oh right.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
I had to wait, don't we have players we could
market there exactly?
Speaker 1 (36:46):
And then you know, one time I was walking down
the hallway with Tim Laiwiki it was one of our
first playoff games that I had ever experienced, and he
put his arm around me. He goes, you know, you're
worth six to eight points to us tonight, so have fun,
do your thing. Man. I was so pumped up after
he said that, But then I thought, wait a minute,
at the guy on the end of the bench isn't
(37:07):
getting that. You know, he's not getting six to eight
points tonight. Come on, I need to get paid.
Speaker 3 (37:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Absolutely, I'll tell you right now. With the whole viral
thing of six hundred and twenty five, yeah.
Speaker 3 (37:18):
That was the number always there out six twenty five.
Speaker 1 (37:20):
K yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, no, no, not even close.
Not yeah, not even close, I'll say it, okay, yeah,
not even not even in the ball.
Speaker 3 (37:29):
I think you'd be worth it. They were making money
and they were using you to make and now.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
We look at like nil. You know, you needed a
really good nil deal back then.
Speaker 3 (37:38):
Yeah, the sponsors pay you, right, Yeah, you should have
been making money off the half court shots and all that.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
Yeah. I just loved what I did, obviously, and it's
I just wanted to deliver more than people expected. I
wanted to give the community what I thought they deserved.
Speaker 3 (37:57):
You did that.
Speaker 4 (37:57):
Yeah, I got to ask was the cake thing when
you smashed cakes in people's faces? Was that planned? Did
people know that? Can you say that?
Speaker 2 (38:06):
You know?
Speaker 3 (38:07):
I always wonder. I'm like, I can't figure out if
they knew that was coming or not? Which is the
beauty of it?
Speaker 1 (38:12):
Right?
Speaker 3 (38:12):
Should we leave it at that?
Speaker 1 (38:13):
Then?
Speaker 3 (38:14):
Okay?
Speaker 4 (38:14):
All right, Oh my gosh, let's fast forward now to
the last few years. Because you go into they start
talking about retirement nineteen and twenty COVID hits. It's a weird,
silly year where you got to be standing in one
certain spot and you don't really have a great retirement year.
You know, it would have been a cool way to
(38:35):
go out with a regular season, right, and then Drake
comes in to help take over, has some medical issues.
You end up coming back for the latter part of
the twenty twenty three season. The twenty twenty two to
twenty three season which ends up being an NBA championship.
Speaker 1 (38:50):
Yeah, crazy, how does that happen?
Speaker 4 (38:52):
So you do get to go out on somewhat of
a high note, but then there's also a lot of
stuff happening behind the scenes with Drake, and that's not
only your replacement, but it's your son too, So that's hard,
and so you need to be there as a dad
but also as a mentor. And it just kind of
got funky, and now Drake is no longer.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
There, right, It's yeah, it's kind of like a death.
It was really a special experience that I suggested that
they embrace and run with, you know, leave out names
and things like that, but at least tell people something.
You know, I'm all about the mystique of the character
and anything that there's a line. I just suggested, Hey,
(39:32):
let's as an organization. There's so much that I could
still contribute, And there's so much that can grow out
of this, the story and everything, you know, with two
kids in the league and things like that. Yeah, there's
that's kind of a unique situation. It could have been
spun different ways and things like that. But yeah, you know,
(39:52):
and Drake did a great job.
Speaker 2 (39:54):
Man.
Speaker 1 (39:55):
That first year. It was so fun.
Speaker 4 (39:58):
So they've grown up watching you do this. I mean
they were babies out there with you on the court.
Oh yeah, this is their whole life.
Speaker 1 (40:04):
Oh yeah, both you know, Drake and cad here were
assisting me. They knew the timing, they knew everything. And
so when Drake got in costume, man, he just it
was magic. He was NBA ready. He was hitting shots.
If he missed a shot, though, it was always like
in the back, hey man, hey, Ken, you gotta you know,
get that boy, you're.
Speaker 3 (40:23):
Some give him some pointers and some pointers.
Speaker 1 (40:27):
Come on. He missed one shot, okay, missed two shots
two games in a row.
Speaker 4 (40:30):
They forget about all the ones you missed, right, Yeah,
you didn't make every single one of them.
Speaker 1 (40:34):
Oh well no, at that point I had made every
shot I had ever thrown, right, Like.
Speaker 3 (40:38):
You never missed and your son misses all the time. No, no, no.
Speaker 1 (40:41):
No, right.
Speaker 3 (40:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
Good times though, And unfortunately he had some some medical
issues that ended up, you know, just in all honesty
here ended up not being an issue in the long run. Yeah,
in the long run, not being an issue. And but
they decided to go in a different direction.
Speaker 3 (40:59):
So yeah, that's hard.
Speaker 1 (41:02):
Yeah, it was it was.
Speaker 3 (41:03):
I mean not just for you, but the whole family.
I mean, I've talked to a lot of people on
this podcast about the retirement factor, and you know, what
do you do afterwards? How do you move on? And
I mean that's.
Speaker 4 (41:14):
Over thirty years of you and your family and this community,
and that's a really long time. I mean there's guys
that are in a league for three to four years
and that's hard to walk away from. You can't ever
get that feeling again. You could at least still kind
of get the feeling if Drake's in costume and you
can be there and mentor him, and then now it's
just like gone, yeah, and you need to watch somebody
(41:36):
else trying to be what you have built for so long,
and that's got to be really hard.
Speaker 1 (41:40):
Yeah. I haven't watched too much, to be honest, I'm
sure just haven't gone there yet.
Speaker 3 (41:44):
So what does everybody do now?
Speaker 1 (41:46):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (41:46):
Man?
Speaker 1 (41:47):
You know what I mean? Hate with any adversity, it's
a learning and growing experience and sometimes you have to
break something down to be fixed or you know whatever.
I mean, it's I've got a lot of things goinging on.
My boys have a lot of things going on. And
a lot of opportunities that are opening up that we
would have never thought see. Yeah, good, and so there's
(42:11):
always a silver lining, you know, and lessons to be learned.
And yeah for me, if you want to get into.
Speaker 4 (42:16):
That, yes, I absolutely what you're into. You're doing a podcast, right, yep.
Speaker 1 (42:20):
So I've got a podcast that's been going for a
few years talking to mascots about backstories and lessons and
you know, crazy stuff and not so crazy stuff that's
just more life stuff. And a lot of people don't
realize that there's a lot going on behind the scenes,
that there's a person inside there.
Speaker 4 (42:39):
You know.
Speaker 1 (42:39):
I got into one recently with a buddy of mine.
You know, he and I both struggled with depression at
one point, some deep depression and some dark darkness and things.
Speaker 4 (42:50):
Like that that people wouldn't think about because you're so
happy all the time.
Speaker 1 (42:54):
Right, what makes you sad?
Speaker 3 (42:56):
Right? Right? I don't know when you say things about me.
Speaker 1 (43:00):
Yeah, yeah, there's uh, you know, and and life happens.
But writing a book you are, Yeah, I got some
other projects.
Speaker 3 (43:06):
Going on, okay, good?
Speaker 4 (43:08):
And and you're moving I am moving, yes, yes, you're
leaving Colorado.
Speaker 1 (43:14):
Yeah, unfortunately it's tough.
Speaker 3 (43:16):
It's why I had to get you now.
Speaker 1 (43:17):
Yeah, before you leave, you got to get in right.
I'll be back and forth. I still have ties here
and things like that. But you know, my wife is
from Texas and she she says, can we go home now?
Speaker 3 (43:28):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (43:28):
And she's been here for me, so got to be
there for her.
Speaker 3 (43:31):
That's good.
Speaker 4 (43:32):
So last question then, as you look back through your
career and probably you have canceled your sons and others
when there is that adversity, when things come up, when
it's not going your way and somebody's you know, giving
you crap for not making a shot or whatever it
is that it happens to be, or like what's happened
just in the last year, how do you pick up
move on?
Speaker 3 (43:50):
What do you tell people?
Speaker 1 (43:51):
Wow? Uh, you know, I tell people, look, everything happens
for a reason. Whatever goes around comes around. I tell
people to keep moving, keep stepping forward, whatever it is,
whether it's the right or wrong decision, at that point,
you know, just start just push, just take a step.
And as long as you're trying to do something better,
(44:12):
as long as you're trying to improve yourself and slogan,
as you're trying to be good and good to others. Man.
That comes back, It really does. And there's a lot
more to this life, and you have so many more
ways you can contribute, you know. I the Nuggets one time,
I was I'd gotten arrested. Let me tell you this,
(44:34):
I'd gotten arrested.
Speaker 3 (44:35):
I didn't want to bring that up unless you wanted
to bring that up. Yeah, you had your time.
Speaker 1 (44:39):
Yeah, and you know, it was just a domestic thing
that didn't escalate. There was nothing behind it. There was,
you know, but at the time, you know, you had
to Hey, somebody's got to go. And it was me
and man, it was all over the news and my
mugshot and and things like that. I just thought, you
know what, I'll never recover from this. I thought I
(44:59):
was done. I thought I was done when I broke
my back, but the Nuggets stood by me. And then,
you know, when this happened, I thought, now there's no
way I am continuing with Rocky. This is it.
Speaker 3 (45:10):
And that was two thousand and five.
Speaker 1 (45:12):
Yes, yeah, and it was that was you know, that's
that was the start of a dark time. I was
pulled into the President's office the next day after I
got out of clink.
Speaker 3 (45:23):
You stayed at night in jail, didn't you.
Speaker 1 (45:25):
I spent the weekend in jail. Oh jeez, And I
got stories about that for days.
Speaker 3 (45:31):
Put that in your book.
Speaker 1 (45:32):
Yeah. So I was called in to the President's office.
It was don Ellman at the time, and walk in
there very intimidated by first of all my situation, and
then all the people in the room. I mean it
was a filled room. Sat right in front of his
desk while everybody else was sitting around me or standing,
and you know, leans forward in his chair and he says,
tell me what happened. So I let it fly. I
(45:55):
told him everything, and then he leaned back in his
chair afterwards, and he said, ken, I can relate. He says,
I'll tell you what we're gonna do. We're going to
stand by you through this thing. And I started bawling.
I bawled, and he said until sorry. He says, until
(46:26):
you are found guilty of anything. If you're found guilty
of anything, he says, you will be dismissed, but we'll
stand by till that point. I looked back in and
I said, then I'll be here for a long time
because I did nothing wrong. And he says, okay, meeting adjourned.
Speaker 3 (46:46):
Wow, yeah, still emotional.
Speaker 1 (46:50):
Yeah, as nineteen years ago. He stood by me, and
you know what, then after a while, things calm down
in the crowd, and because I got some heat at first,
he says, take a few games off. Yeah, and let's
let's let us settle a little.
Speaker 4 (47:05):
So hard though, to hear things from people when you
got back out, probably.
Speaker 1 (47:09):
Oh yeah, and people people were shouting things, people were
whispering things to me just in the crowd, and it
was man, it was just you know, knife after knife
after knife being stuck and twisted.
Speaker 3 (47:23):
And there was no guilt. No, it got figured out.
Speaker 1 (47:25):
Yep. And you know, like I said, whatever goes around
comes around. I didn't do anything wrong. Hey, something bad
happened to me, but I kept pushing and people stood
by me. And that's the thing is. I also tell people,
don't judge. You don't know what's going on in that
person's life. Yeah, you don't know their backstory, so stop
worrying about them. Clean up your own backyard.
Speaker 4 (47:44):
Oh yeah, people to throw stones, They probably got plenty
going on in their own backyard exactly. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (47:49):
Just usually try to divert the attention somewhere else exactly.
Speaker 3 (47:53):
Yeah. Wow, well thanks for coming in. I'm looking forward
to what you do.
Speaker 1 (47:57):
Yeah, I appreciate that.
Speaker 3 (47:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (47:59):
I forgot to ment to one thing I'm doing now though. Sorry. Yeah,
I've done some public speaking lately. Ooh okay, not just
podcasts and stuff, so nice.
Speaker 3 (48:09):
Okay, So what kind of public speaking? Motivational speaking?
Speaker 1 (48:13):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (48:14):
Okay, yeah, all right, let's get you out there. Yeah,
and you have a website.
Speaker 1 (48:18):
I saw that I do. Yeah, Cantsolomon dot com.
Speaker 4 (48:21):
People just have to know your name. You probably couldn't
do Rocky dot com. Right, was that taken?
Speaker 1 (48:26):
No?
Speaker 3 (48:26):
Actually, you should buy that domain and then have it
just direct to you, yeah or something.
Speaker 1 (48:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (48:33):
Do you have a costume? Did they let you keep one?
Speaker 1 (48:36):
I will not comment on that one. Oh okay on
that one.
Speaker 4 (48:40):
Okay, all right, Oh that's fine. I was just curious.
My daughter's like, if you do a picture with him,
have him do one. I was like, I don't know
if he can. He probably can't. Yeah, oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (48:50):
Podcast.
Speaker 3 (48:51):
Yes, and it's called.
Speaker 4 (48:52):
Between the Between the fur right, Okay, find it anywhere
you can listen to podcasts, I assume yep.
Speaker 3 (48:56):
Good. How often you put out new episodes.
Speaker 1 (48:58):
Uh uh on in one or two weeks there.
Speaker 3 (49:01):
Oh nice. Yeah, that's kind of where I'm at too.
Speaker 1 (49:03):
Yeah. Good, love this though.
Speaker 3 (49:05):
Man, it's such a it's fun, and you're my first mascot.
This is great.
Speaker 4 (49:09):
Well, well, I always say professional athletes and coaches, but really,
I mean I would consider you a professional athlete.
Speaker 3 (49:15):
I mean with everything that you did. Wow, so talented.
Speaker 1 (49:19):
Yeah, this is an honor.
Speaker 3 (49:21):
Yeah, well thanks, Ken, appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (49:23):
Yeah all right, thank you.
Speaker 3 (49:24):
Thank you. Ken.
Speaker 2 (49:25):
New episodes of Cut, Traded, Fired, Retired are released on Tuesdays.
Please download and like this podcast wherever you listen to podcasts,
and keep up on new releases by following on Twitter
and Instagram at CTFR podcast and also on the website
ctfrpodcast dot com. I'm your host, Susie Wargen. To find
out more about me, visit Susiewargen dot com. Thanks for listening,
(49:47):
and until next time, please be careful, be safe, and
be kind.
Speaker 3 (49:50):
Take care
I spent the weekend in jail, so I was called
in to the President's office. It was don Ellman at
the time. Walk in there very intimidated by first of
all my situation and then all the people in the room.
I mean he was a filled room, sat right in
front of his desk while everybody else was sitting around
me or standing, and leans forward in his chair and
he says, tell me what happened. So I let it fly.
(00:22):
I told him everything, and then he leaned back in
his chair afterwards and he said, Ken, I can relate.
He says, I'll tell you what we're going to do.
We're going to stand by you through this thing.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Welcome to cut, traded, fired, retired. This is a temporary
introduction to this episode until my voice comes back. I
promise I don't sound like this during my conversation with Ken.
I am your host who sounds like a thirteen year
old boy. Susie Wargen. This episode's guest is a little different.
He put on a uniform for every Nuggets game, and
there's no doubt he's an incredible athlete. It's just that
(00:58):
his uniform didn't involve a jersey and a pair of shorts. Instead,
it was a costume, complete with large feet, a big head,
and a three foot lightning bolt tail. Ken Solomon was
Rocky the Mountain Lion for more than three decades, and
while he's entertained generations of fans, no one knows much
about the guy on the inside and his roots, which
go back to growing up in the entertainment capital of
(01:20):
Las Vegas and backyard gymnastics. His gig with the Nuggets
came with a cold call he made in the early nineties,
and his persistence led to an incredible experience traveling the world,
good pay, a number of injuries, and a job that
involved his three sons on a daily basis. After the
Nuggets won their NBA championship, Ken retired and his son
Drake took over until he was sidelined with some injuries. Then,
(01:43):
when Drake was ready to return, the Nuggets had decided
to go in a different direction. So Rocky is gone
from Ken and his family, But Ken has so many
other plans in the future. Ladies and Gentlemen, Ken Solomon.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Cut traded, fired, retired podcast It's Susie Wargin. Hello, Ken Solomon,
How are you Susie?
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Good to be here. Good to see you again.
Speaker 4 (02:05):
It has been a long time. Yeah, we've known each
other for many years, mostly while you were Rocky, Right,
but I haven't seen each other in quite a while,
I think since honestly COVID Right. Yeah, we did some
promo outside of Wallorna.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Yep. Yeah, I couldn't go in. Couldn't Yeah, there was.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Couldn't do anything, I know.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
And since you had a mask, Yeah, but you actually
had a mask on inside the mask.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Right, which is that it was kind of yeah, that
was you think, But yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
I know, you're like, wow, the things that we did, right, yeah,
kind of crazy.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
It was. It was crazy. In fact, that was a
big conversation. I had, Wait a second, I have a
mask on, not allowed anywhere, I still have to wear
a mask inside them? Yeah, okay, yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
I don't even know how you were able to breathe
just in general, and then you have a mask on inside.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
Yeah, all right, We're going to go through.
Speaker 4 (02:56):
Rocky obviously has been a big part of the sports
scene for a very long time time here in Denver.
But we're gonna find out more about you because people
need to know about who was inside of Rocky and
and your beginnings and that's what the podcast is about,
is how'd you get to where you are and then
what you're doing now?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
So here we go. You're born in Las Vegas, right.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Actually Saint George, Utah. But it was it was cheaper
to have a baby in Saint George, Utah. So okay, yeah,
I was almost born on the way to Saint George, Utah.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Yeah, my upbringing was in the Las Vegas area.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (03:28):
And your dad, if I have this correct, was a
cheerleader at BYU, right.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
So high cheerleader at Las Vegas High School and then
he went to BYU and was a yell leader, cheerleader type.
I actually have his megaphone still, all preserved and everything
from back in the day. But yeah, he was a
yell leader. Okay.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
So you guys have family roots in Las Vegas. He
grew up there as well, so that's like where your
family is from. Yes, okay, I read that he was
the business Licensed Director of Clark County.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Right, so he did some research. I did do some research. Yeah,
that's what I do.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
Yeah, so he was kind of in charge of a
lot of things for in Las Vegas, right, Yeah, it
was interesting characters in your time, didn't you.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Oh? Yeah, I was actually working downtown for an attorney's office,
and so i'd always stop in his office, and every
once in a while i'd come be bopping around the
corner and his door would be open, and he'd see
me and you know, give me the you know, out
of the corner of his you know, dime in here right,
just not right now. And the person would leave, or
(04:33):
the group would leave, and they always looked very colorful,
and he'd say, yeah, you know who that was, and
it was some mob director or some you know, yeah,
somebody trying to make something happen in Vegas and they
were coming to him.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (04:47):
All right, and you're one of five children. You're the
middle child five? Are you a typical middle child growing up? Yes,
trying to fit in, trying to fit in older as youngers, trying.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
To yeah, trying to hang with the and trying to
be the leader of the youngers.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
And and how did you do that? Organized sports was not
really your thing.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Yeah, not until I got into high school. But as
I was growing up, I always wanted to be a gymnast.
My parents didn't really want to put me into gymnastics.
Gymnastics wasn't really available at the time unless it was
far drive across Las Vegas, and so they taught me
how to do gymnastics in the backyard with two beach trampoline.
(05:26):
We did not get a trampoline until later on, okay,
and then you know, in high school had a trampoline,
and but yeah, early days, it.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
Was just two beach towels. Like how they teach at
gymnastics with a couple of beach towels.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
So they put one in the front, put one in
the back of me, and then twist them. It was
kind of like a spotting belt. Okay, and then we
did not do back hand springs until the towel got
either too loose or tightened up on the other end.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
So self taught yourself basically, yeah, gymnastics.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Yeah, I called myself a backyard gymnast. Literally, you were literally.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
So you get into high school then, and that's where
it starts to get a little bit more. And actually,
but before I don't know, were you in high school
when you saw the San Diego Chicken. I was in
high sifteen, so you would have been, yeah, and that's
what sparked.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Yeah, the mascot was. I was doing mime as a kid,
because you know, the whole face painted thing and everything.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
It was.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
You know, it was because of Shields in your nell.
They had a variety show on TV, and I was
enamored with that, you know, so I did talent shows
and things like that. So you know, starting that side
of things was way earlier than high school.
Speaker 4 (06:31):
Okay, And well, you grew up in an entertainment city.
I mean it was around you all the time, so
you would kind of expect that maybe you would see
things and not everybody's exposed to that, but if you're
in that city, you're very exposed to it all the time.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Right, right. And my dad was, you know, taking us
to shows all the time, and you know, appropriate shows, and.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
You didn't go to thunderdown Under.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
No, I didn't know. I didn't know. And so when
I saw the San Diego Chicken, I was like, oh
my gosh, this guy is getting paid to play. That
is amazing, that's his job.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
And didn't he come out of a helicopter.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Or jumped down a helicopter, landed on the field in
front of me and at the Stars baseball game, just
belly flopped right out out of the grass and stood
up did this little shake thing, this little shimmy.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
And because sandyg a Chicken was like the thing.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
The thing in the eighties. Yeah, oh yeah. I later
on met him.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
Was it the same guy, same guy.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Ted Ginolious if I'm saying, is her name right? Anyways,
he was hired by tim light Wiki. Do you remember
Tim Liwick? Oh yeah, yeah, so tim light Wiki was
the president. He was new. He was coming into Denver
trying to you know, make a splash. This is back
at McNichols pre cronky days. Yes, yeah, yes, hired as
a you know, just to come in to do two
(07:51):
back to back games. I was so insulted and hurt,
but I muscled through it.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
So you were doing Rocky at the time, and they
asked the Sandygo Chicken to come in. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Yeah, and he came in and did all his routines
and everything. But I remember my first interaction with Ted
was in my locker room and the game director, Paul
Andrews was talking to him. I walk in and he's like, oh,
you're the guy. You're the guy that's been stealing all
my stuff. And Paul's like he was defending me. I
(08:22):
was hurt. I was shocked. My mouth was open. He says, Hey,
what stuff are you talking about? And he goes, well,
you know the Mini the moocher thing. He goes, Man,
we've been doing Mini the Moucher here since way before
this guy was here, and so yeah, just chill. Wow.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
So he was defensive, Yeah, coming into like do something
on top of what you're already doing.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Yeah, that's too bad.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
So it wasn't like a feel good meet and greet.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
No, it was hey, meeting Superman and having him put
you down.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
Yeah that's no fun.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
No, no. So actually I did get a little payback.
It was during one of those games, all of a sudden,
the whole Upper Bowl started chanting Rocky because I'm walking
by courtside seats there and somebody grabs my sleeve and
look down and it's Tim and he says, did you
do this? Did you do this? I'm like, what are
(09:14):
you talking about? He's like, they're chanting Rocky up there?
Did you do this?
Speaker 3 (09:19):
How could you have coordinate it? That?
Speaker 4 (09:20):
Right?
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (09:21):
I go no I didn't. He's like all right. Anyways,
after that, though, he pulled me into his office. One
thing about tim Is. He would always address the issue
and he apologized. He says, I will never do that
to you ever again. I learned a lesson on that
you can hold your own and I will never get
in the way of that.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Did you ever make amends with Ted Noe? Okay, no,
I can't.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
I couldn't know.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
That's so disappointing if you meet a mentor like that
and then they act that way as that's a bummer.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Yeah. Hey, I met my other one though, Robert Shields.
I was driving home one day a couple of years ago.
I thought, you know what, I'm going to reach out
to this guy. I'm going to look him up. There's
an number for him. I called it. He answers. He
literally answered the phone. I said, hey, I'm trying to
get a hold of Robert Shields. He's like, what for,
and I go, well, I just wanted to tell him
(10:11):
thank you because he was a big inspiration in my life.
He goes, well, you're welcome, and.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
It was him shut up up. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Wow, Yeah that's cool.
Speaker 4 (10:21):
Okay, So back to the San Diego chicken. When you're
fifteen years old, that's when you decide that this is
something I'd like to do, right.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
I went to the high school and asked if they
had a costume. Unfortunately they did.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
Had not been cleaned in a while.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
No, no, yeah, I had to sew up some holes and
it was so nasty falling apart. It looked like roadkilled
chuck e cheese.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
Nice. Supposed to be a wolf, Okay.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
But I wore that for a school season, and then
my dad and my mom helped make my costume for
my senior year.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
Oh that's nice.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
Yeah, So you start figuring out how to entertain in
high school? Yes, are you doing football, basketball, all sports?
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Basketball, a little gymnastics.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
You're a mascot for gymnastics too. Oh wow, that's cool.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
But in college it was basketball, football, gymnastic meets full on,
and then started doing appearances in the community.
Speaker 4 (11:15):
Okay, so let's talk about getting to college. Because the
reason you get to ricks, right, which is byu Idaho,
is you go there on a ballroom scholarship.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Come on, Yes, I didn't know they had those.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Yes, Oh my gosh, yes, so you're.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
Taking ballroom dancing obviously in high school?
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Right?
Speaker 1 (11:31):
In high school, Yes, I ended up being on I
was asked to be on a ballroom dance team that
was looking for guys. It was a regional one. Oh
and this girl that I knew was on it, and
she said, they're looking for guys. I said, yeah, one condition,
I'll try out for this if I get to bring
my best friend Joe. He was so uncoordinated. I thought,
there's no way. Yeah. So yeah, we both made it.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Oh, you both make it, and then you get a scholarship.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
And then they get a scholarship. Me and my dance
partner got the first ballroom dance scholarships of the college
that they'd ever.
Speaker 4 (12:04):
That they'd ever given out. Oh my gosh. Okay, so
you go to ricks on a ballroom scholarship, but then
also end up.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
So I try out for the mascot. Okay, make it.
And then the next year, well, after that first year,
I was asked not to come.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
Back, Right, you had some problems with the studying, right, Yeah,
that happens.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Yeah, and went on a two year church mission, came back.
That's when I just reached out to the school. I'd
gotten to know some of the uppers and reached out
to them and said, hey, I'd like to come back,
but I really need a scholarship. I'll take what you
gave me last time. It was only three hundred dollars
a semester. Hey, I'll take whatever I can get.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
Oh yeah, absolutely, Okay, So you go back to.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Ricks, then go back to Ricks two more years, end
up graduating, try out for a bunch of universities. After that,
they all offered me a one hundred and fifty dollars
a semester, one hundred and fifty dollars, like they gave
all their cheerleaders. And I was trying to convince them
I am no cheerleader, right, and they're like, oh, yeah,
the mouse got I'm like, yeah, you don't know what
you're saying. So reached out to Utah State and said,
(13:05):
let me come do a game for you if you
like see me, Yeah, see me in action.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
Absolutely, So I changed.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
My strategy and after that game, they yeah, they loved
me and offered me one hundred and fifty dollars a semester,
and I said, thank you, I'll walk, So I left. Yeah,
they kept calling me, offering me more and more and
finally called me back, and I kept saying, thank you
so much, but no, I just I just think that
I'm worth more. I think that I can offer more
(13:31):
than what you're offering me. Yeah. Finally the guy calls
me back and said, this is all I can get please.
I mean he was actually asking me please consider this,
and it was full tuition, fees, books, everything but housing.
He says, I just can't arrange housing. And I said, okay,
Yeah he had kidding. He was really working for me.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
Guy.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
I went there and was there one year and then
ended up getting a an interntionship right at the Rocky
Mountain News.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
So you were a communications and journalism major at Utah State,
get an internship at the Rocky Mountain News, you randomly
cold call the Nuggets. Yeah, tell me about that conversation. Well,
it was God blessed Lisa. Oh the phone right talking
to you, Lisa Whitaker.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Yep. Oh my gosh, she is near and dear to me.
She calls, uh, she and Charlotte Graham call me their
den mothers.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
Oh that's so sweet.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
At the time, the Nuggets did not have a mascot.
They did not And that's that's what.
Speaker 4 (14:32):
I love about this is that you were proactively thinking
where can I have my services, not a you know,
I need to fit in someplace and try and get
to all these places that already have something. You went
somewhere that didn't have anything.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Right, I was so excited when I found out they
didn't have anything. Everywhere I had been I had created
that character. Even at Utah State they had a costume,
big blue, big right. Yeah, they had the character, but
it was not a designated person. Just whatever cheerleader or
whatever student.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Whoever was free to fit in the costume could do it. Yeah. Okay,
so it had no story.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
No story, no structure. No, that's the key. So I
was able to create build the program from square one.
And when I found out they didn't have a mascot, oh,
I was so pumped. I told myself, I'm getting this.
I'm doing this. So call the Nuggets to talk to Lisa.
They directed me to her. She was the game presentation
(15:26):
game operations person at the time, very nice, and she said, yeah,
come on down, show me whatever you got. And showed
her this big, long video that hadn't been edited and do.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
You have twenty minutes because I don't know how to edit.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Right VHS is yeah, back in the day, and then
took the time to show me around the arena. And
then she showed me the door, Thank you very much.
But I was not about to take that or leave
it there, so I called all summer long, kept checking in. Finally,
when I got back to school, I got a call.
(15:59):
She said, we're actually going to have tryouts.
Speaker 4 (16:01):
Yeah, and then you go and audition with what five
or six others?
Speaker 3 (16:05):
Yep, there's not very many. Yep in a gorilla costume.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
In a gorilla costume?
Speaker 3 (16:09):
Why the gorilla cost or? I guess they didn't have anything, right,
I didn't have anything.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
It was being built, it was being created. Okay, However,
they're like, you know, we need something that's generic, so they.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
Grabbed And what did you do in your audition.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
For a rockyy thing? I could think of anything and everything.
I brought two hockey bags full of just props, random
stuff I found. I mean I around the house. I'd
kitchen sink, I had everything in there that could be
considered a prop, and you killed it. I brought a
dummy referee. I beat up a dummy referee. That was
(16:43):
kind of my thing. I dunked, I danced.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
I did they do it on the court at me?
Nichols on the court?
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Okay, yep? In an empty arena, scary and exhausting, and
then you get the gig and then they got the gig.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
Drop out, a Utah State drop out.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
I went back for one more game. They beheaded me
and oh, showed the whole Oh so you got exposed body? Yep?
Speaker 3 (17:06):
Oh interesting? Are you okay with that?
Speaker 4 (17:09):
You know, this is nineteen ninety, like back when you
didn't know who was in there.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
Right right right. I had heard of other mascots being unveiled,
other people being you know, at the end of their
term at other universities, they would.
Speaker 4 (17:27):
Show who it was, who it was, And that makes
sense at the university level because it's going to be changing.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
Right right, And you know, at that point, you know,
it was fun. It was in college. They're just so
on the you know, they're standing most of the game.
They're just so charged. Those atmospheres are so charged that like, yeah,
let's do this. And so I actually put a skull
mask on underneath. Yeah, and they beheaded me and there
(17:53):
was a skull and then I took that.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
And then you took that off and showed everybody. Yeah okay.
Speaker 4 (17:57):
And then you come out to Denver. You have your
first game on December fifteenth, nineteen nineteen.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
Ninety, almost thirty four years ago. Yeah, that's crazy.
Speaker 4 (18:06):
Yep, what do you remember about the first game? Actually,
before we get there, let's talk about Rocky because that suit,
like you said, was being developed by a guy in Georgia.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
Right, yeah, okay, and called real characters.
Speaker 4 (18:18):
Coming up with a story for Rocky, like it couldn't
just be a costume, had to have the story. And
that's why you have the lightning Bolts. So talk about
the story behind him.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
Yeah, Tom Sap he's a brilliant guy and he's done
several other NBA mascots and college and professional sports. He
actually developed the costume that my son is in right now, Hooper.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
Oh and Detroit Yeah oh cool?
Speaker 1 (18:40):
Yeah, nice for the Pistons. So with the character, he
would provide a backstory. And the backstory was this mountain
lion cub in the mountains, got cut in a storm,
separate us from his family, ran into a cave, and
here was a little lightning Bolt that had the same story.
Gotten separated from his lightning bolt parents or something had
(19:03):
they joined forces and you know, found the nuggets.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
Okay, So that's why he had the lightning Bolt.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
Tail flash was his name. We never your tail had
its own it has in the beginning, yet.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
I didn't know that.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
Okay, yeah, all right, I don't think I've said that
publicly anyways.
Speaker 4 (19:19):
Yeah, it was flash, so really rocky and flash kind
of came together with the tail and the character, right,
and the tail became a huge part of a lot of.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
Your skits too. Yeah, you used your tail a lot.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Yeah, well, I told the guy when I first got
fitted down in Atlanta, I'd gotten hired down there getting
fitted the tail weighed original tail was like thirty eight pounds.
I swear it was just oh my, it wasn't but
it was so hea heavy. Yeah, like, I'm gonna clear
tables with this thing. How am I supposed to work
with this?
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Smack people in the face that are sitting court side exactly.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
And then I decided, Hey, we got to lean into
this somehow. I'm gonna use this. This is going to
be part of the personality.
Speaker 3 (20:01):
How much did it end up weighing then? Was it?
Was it quite a bit heavier because you could do
a lot with the Yeah, but enough.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
There was a lot of modifications, Okay to the actual
inards of everything. My original hands I couldn't pick up
a pencil. They were like wearing boxing gloves. They were
just so padded and so we adjested those.
Speaker 4 (20:21):
How different was the Rocky costume in nineteen ninety compared
to when you finally were done in twenty twenty three
or what it is now. I mean a lot different
as far as just some of those modifications.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
Yeah, a lot different. Good question. The materials were heavier
back then. In fact, I'm watching old videos now and oh,
you could just tell how heavy it was.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
Oh, I'm sure.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
Well, the material I mean just in general has become
more breathable and you can do more with actual materials.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
Yeah. They originally would send me each time I got
a new head. The mouth was meshed off, so you
couldn't you couldn't even breathe through that. And that's the
first thing I would do is cut that mesh out
so I get so you get all to eat stuff.
Oh yeah, you know.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
I had a party trick, go to an appearance, take
a wine bottle and just shove it in the you know,
shove it in the head.
Speaker 4 (21:09):
We used to do that at games. I mean whole things, yeah, pizza's, cookies, yes, everything,
Oh my gosh, how funny. Okay, so yeah, that very
first game, What are you thinking.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
I was so nervous, Yeah, so nervous. You know, I
didn't sleep for a few days before that. At the time,
I was also wearing the shoes were ridiculously big. Honestly,
it was like running around with diving flippers on you.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
And your friend. You're gonna fall the whole time.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Afraid I was gonna fall. I wanted to do some trick.
So we just brought out a mini trampoline and a mat,
put it center court, and I just did a front
flip and landed on the mat. And I mean it
was so basic.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
But people loved it, didn't they?
Speaker 1 (21:47):
At first it was okay, yeah.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
Because this is before Dinger. Did the Broncos have miles
at that point, No, No, So nobody had anything nope,
and the Abs were not here yet nope. So you
were the very first in Denver.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
Yes, it took a little while to get going, but
then it took off. Yeah, and I was just having fun, So,
I mean, who doesn't like the mascot just out there
having fun And there was a lot of trial and error.
Come on, there was bombs. Yeah, I was gonna ask
every game you got to come up with a skit.
That's hard. It was tough.
Speaker 4 (22:20):
It's a lot of games, it's forty one games a lot.
It was something different. But you start to gain momentum
and what really started to happen to is you get
fans involved. And that's the cool thing about basketball, I
think too, is that you can be right there and
really get involved with fans that are nice and close,
and then the opposing player stuff starts to come in,
(22:41):
which was really fun. Do you feel like that started
to kind of help elevate who Rocky was, especially with
Barkley and you know Rodman you had a great time with.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Yeah, it was interesting. Back then, I realized that there
was a separation obviously between players and the rest of
the staff, and I just I couldn't relate with that.
So I got to know our players more, you know,
when de Cambe came in, got to know him a
little bit. I mean, Rodney Rogers, all those guys were
(23:11):
just great to work with. But the other team, boy,
don't you oh, don't even look at it right right?
Speaker 3 (23:16):
Yeah? Or the refs right? You cross both those lines?
Speaker 1 (23:19):
Yeah? Oh yeah, I mean I remember, boy, referees just
yelling at me. So I started going in to see
them before the game. Hey, I'm Ken, you know, I'm Rocky.
I get it. You know, I got a thing going tonight,
and I just want to make you aware of it.
You know, not can to involve you, but just be
aware that this is happening on.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
The court, okay.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
And so he started smoozing a little bit. Hey, what
do you need? Do you guys want some shirts? I
can go grab some shirt. Oh well sure, yeah, and
bring him a doll that type of thing.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
There you go.
Speaker 4 (23:49):
H So that's when they started to be a little
more okay with you. Yeah, and you probably knew the
ones you could mess with more than others.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
Yeah, now you're Barkley one though. I mean when the
first time he hits you, you didn't know if it
was serious or not. And it actually really hurt when
they hit you in the mouth, yes, in the mask.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
Yeah yeah, that thing caved in and the eyes were
kind of sharp on the inside, so you take an
impact and I would usually end up with some cut
or whatever. Man, he hit me so hard, just straight
on that he bloodied my nose, loosen my tooth, my lip,
was bleeding on the inside. Yeah, because I was hunting.
You know what I haven't shared this Where this really
(24:30):
started was I made a dummy of minute.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
Bowl, like a little voodoo doll.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
No, not a little one. I made a ten feet
tall dummy of minute bowl and brought it out and
laid it on the court and went and did a
front flip over and ended up sitting on his face
like like oops, like I didn't make it far enough,
(24:57):
you know. Well then I found out that Barkley had
taken Minute Bowl, you know, under his wing a little bit.
You know. That was his boy, that was his guy,
you know him. Yes, Okay, I was mocking Minute Bowl, and.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
So that pissed Charles off.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
Yeah, so that's what started the hole, taunting him a
little bit cross this line, you know, digging, you know,
my toe on the on the floor type of thing. Right,
And yeah, that's when he finally came over and after
it and he decked you. Yeah, grabbed me with one
hand and punched me with the other.
Speaker 4 (25:33):
But that got better, right, He got to where he
was really really good with you and you guys would
have some fun.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
Yeah, Well, after the first punch, I'm back in my
room in front of the mirror, my lower lip just
shaking because I was upset. I mean, I just took
a blow and it kind of knocked me out, and
I was like bleeding and dripping in the sink here
and everything, and I decided I have got to find
(26:00):
out right then and there, I decided I've got to
find out if this guy was playing or not because
maybe so that's why I So, how'd you do it?
Speaker 3 (26:08):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (26:08):
I told my assistant, go get my stilts, Go get
my stilts. We're gonna find out right now. Got on
my stilts, walked out and I wasn't on the real
tall stilts, but they were still still stilter stilts. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
Right.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
So I stood next to there huddle at another time
out in that very same game, and was doing the
whole you know, Fred Sandford, you know, move my awe,
you know, like pump in the air, like come on, man,
let's let's box, let's fight. He came over and reached
like he was gonna punch me in the crotch, but
reached through and didn't hurt me. Right there, I knew
(26:43):
he's playing. He's a showman. Yeah, yeah, yeah, So that's
what started this whole thing. And that's when the next
game I told my guys I wanted to come out
with a huge poster of a stick figure chicken number
thirty four and an egg behind it, thirty fourds of chicken.
I was on stilts with boxing gloves, and that's when
he came out of the huddle, and you know, we
(27:06):
had set it up like a fight right in this
corner we have and in this corner we have the
round a mount of rebound, and he came out, jumped up,
decked me, and boom. That was the start of a
lot of hits.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
Did you ever talk to him?
Speaker 1 (27:19):
Oh? Yeah. After that first one, my wrist got hurt.
I jammed my wrists and so after the game, I've
got my hands in bucket eyes and he walks in
my door. I'll pull my hands out of the ice
real quick. Oh yeah. Behind, I'm like, hey, how's going.
He's like, dude, you all right? Yeah, He's like you
all right? I'm like, yeah, we I'm fine. But he
(27:41):
checked on me, and from then on it was, hey, man,
what are we doing tonight?
Speaker 3 (27:46):
Oh that's cool.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
He was so in on it.
Speaker 4 (27:48):
Were you usually there warming up at the same time?
Around when players were like when players go in and
do shoot around so that you could come see what
was going on or who might be or.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
I usually didn't during shoot around because you know, shoot
arounds early in the day and then they have another
shoot around. That second shoot around is when I would
be around. I'd be around, okay. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
So you have the.
Speaker 4 (28:08):
Barkley thing going and then I mean you had some
pretty serious injuries and scary moments throughout your three plus decades.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
In nineteen ninety five, you break your.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
Back, break my back, yep, and then it was a doozy.
Speaker 4 (28:20):
Twenty thirteen, you have the where you pass out coming
down from the rafters.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
That was scary. It was you look back at all
the things that happen. I mean, you're ice in your wrists.
Speaker 4 (28:29):
After the Barkley thing, what was the most concerning to you?
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Breaking my back was a little scary.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
And that was really on You're only five years into
the gig.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
Yeah, yeah. And then there was some more broke my
shoulder in Guadalajara with you know, touring with Magic Johnson.
That was a doozy because I had to go straight
from there to London and do a dunk show over there.
For a week with Monkey Bogues. I'd wrap my wrap
my shoulder and then just to use my right arm
(28:58):
to dunk things like that. But there was there was
some There was some close calls.
Speaker 4 (29:02):
When did you know that a stunt had gone just
a little too far and you're like, I Am not
going to do that one again, or could you even
think that way? I mean, you did some pretty daring things.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
Yeah. There was one where we used a an air
ram they used it in movies and when you step
on it it would throw you. You have to dial
up the pressure and get the pressure right and practice
and practice, and that one I never unveiled that one.
I just thought, I Am not going to die on
this hill.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
No, no, I did you try it?
Speaker 1 (29:33):
And oh yeah, in practice it would you step on
it and you had to Were you.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
Gonna try and like fly and dunk?
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (29:39):
Okay, oh my god.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
And so the gorilla had done this at an All
Star game or something, and I'm like, yeah, I could
do that. That's pretty impressive. I got one and the
vision was such now his vision his eyes are its eyes.
Well it's not the case. I'm looking through two toilet
paper before you are. Yeah, if I don't place my
foot just right on that thing, I could have my
(30:02):
foot folded up. I could Oh yeah, no, it would,
it could flip me. There was all kinds of things
that could go wrong with that one. So that was
one I pulled off the list.
Speaker 3 (30:12):
Not doing that one.
Speaker 4 (30:13):
How many of those happened where you had an idea
for something and then you're like it, just what if
it doesn't go right?
Speaker 3 (30:19):
Do you have many other ones like that?
Speaker 1 (30:20):
Few? Okay, very few. We did a rollerblade dunk that
was crazy, and practicing it was unreal. It was crazy.
These guys were, yeah.
Speaker 4 (30:30):
You have two of your three sons here and they're
shaking their head like, yeah, that was nuts.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
Yeah. Yeah. They were little at the time and they
had their flip phones out filming me and on the
way home, dad man, we've watched you do a lot
of stuff, but that was the first time we've ever
been scared for you.
Speaker 3 (30:45):
Oh that's hard. Then, yeah, they're shaking their heads. Yes, yeah. Wow.
Speaker 4 (30:53):
The pastaw one though, and this is now twenty thirteen,
so where you have more channels, more social media things
like that, so that one really got out to where
people are like, oh dang, and they thought it was
part of the skit.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
They thought it was hilarious. Yeah, but it was quite serious.
Speaker 4 (31:07):
And when you got down to the ground, you were
out and didn't come too until what was around your
neck was loosened up a little bit.
Speaker 3 (31:14):
Right.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
Yeah, there's been a discussion online about this.
Speaker 3 (31:17):
So set it straight.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
Set it straight right here. So it was like an
MMA choke hold. Okay, it was full on pressure, blood
getting cut off. I was out for a good amount
of time. It was at least two minutes I think.
Speaker 4 (31:34):
Were you out the whole time coming down? Yeah, so
we caught you as soon as you started to when
you stepped off the rafters.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
Yeah. It was all timed out just right, the whole sequence.
And so as I delivered the game, ball, ran back
to my room, switched out my jacket, zipped up, ran
all the way up well, got to the elevator right
ran up to the rafters. When I got there, they
were clipping me in and I was putting on this
harness that had CO two pack on it. Then it
(32:01):
was go time open the gate, step out on the beam,
step off the beam, and that's when I knew I
had not unzipped my jacket. I was supposed to you
because I was in a hurry and my zipper was
cutting into my neck. But then I realized the rope
was going down through my collar and so when you
pull your collar back, I mean it was the whole
(32:23):
front of the neck that was had pressure on it.
But I just remember the worst part of it was
the zipper cutting into.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
My neck like ow ow ow, and then you're done.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
And then yeah, I thought, I cannot wait to get down,
and that was all I remember.
Speaker 4 (32:39):
Oh my gosh, And then you wake up and what
you're laying on the court.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
Laying on the floor, and it was it was one
of those where just in the distance, you hear just
a whisper, you know, just Rocky, are you okay? Rocky
are you? And it got louder and louder, and pretty soon, man,
everything just you just got so loud, and the guy's
yelling at me in my ear again, are you okay?
(33:06):
I realized, oh no, no, no, no, I realized what happened,
jumped up, looked around, slapped to you know, Dirk on
the back, and I said, hey, I'm gonna go in
the back. So I ran off and they.
Speaker 4 (33:20):
Kept you out the rest of the game. Yes, didn't
they Yeah, you wanted to go back in?
Speaker 1 (33:24):
I did? Yeah I did. I'm like, I'm fine, I
can go.
Speaker 3 (33:28):
Yeah. No, you just passed out for two minutes. You're
gonna stay out this one.
Speaker 1 (33:31):
Yeah. Drake over here. He came across the room when
they said, yeah, you're not going back he comes stepping
across the room like hey, I'm I'm right here. I'm
like stop, he settled down. Nope, nope.
Speaker 3 (33:46):
Oh that's a good that's a good son, always ready
to step in and be there for you.
Speaker 4 (33:51):
Yeah, you're backwards half court shot? Is that kind of
your signature?
Speaker 1 (33:55):
It became my signature?
Speaker 3 (33:56):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
I have so many stories about that shot on and
off the court. It was just really a blessing for me.
Speaker 3 (34:04):
How did you figure out that you were able to
do it?
Speaker 1 (34:07):
Wiki?
Speaker 3 (34:08):
Oh really? Okay.
Speaker 1 (34:10):
I was throwing him forward, and he came out on
the court one day while I was practicing, and he's like, hey, man,
let's go backwards. I'll do them with you. Let's put
some money on it. Wow. So that's how I started
throwing it backwards and started doing it in the game,
and then and then they wanted it every game, and
(34:30):
then it became sponsored. And at that point I was like, no, no, no, no, no,
no no, let's just keep this pure. We don't need
a sponsor. That's just so much pressure.
Speaker 3 (34:39):
Too is but the money talks, right, and when there's
a sponsor.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
Involved, you'll do it. You'll do it. Yeah. I didn't
get anything out of it. It was shame company at
the time, of course.
Speaker 4 (34:48):
Right, So you're performing at games you also you had
mentioned Guadalajara in London. You were in like over thirty countries,
not just a.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
Game forty now yeah, oh really? Wow?
Speaker 4 (34:59):
I mean you went all all over the world with
Rocky and so many different stadiums. I mean there's always
a mascot race here and this there, and all the
places you got to go.
Speaker 3 (35:09):
What a career.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
Who'd have thought, right, so many special experiences, so many
great people. I just gosh, after so many, so many years,
I just got contacted by a family that I met
in Argentina when I was down there.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
Oh that's cool.
Speaker 1 (35:22):
You know, I was performing for their All Star game.
Speaker 4 (35:27):
And you were more than a mascot and it was
a big deal. When you know, your pay gets out
there and everybody's talking about, Oh, Rocky wants X amount
of dollars?
Speaker 3 (35:36):
Are you kidding me? He's just a mascot.
Speaker 4 (35:38):
But then I you know me when you first of
all want to say it was probably late nineties, the
only reason my dad went to Nuggets games was to
see you. And I've told you that before, Like I mean,
cause the Nuggets were nothing to see for a while,
and you were the reason he went. He would buy
seats and he would he and I would go, and
you were his entertainment. He could have given a crap
(35:59):
about the basketball. It was all about Rocky. But that's
where I'm like, you brought people to the arena, and
so for somebody to go, oh, he's just a mascot,
why could he demand Well, you know what players are
demanding money, why can't you? And you bring an entertainment
aspect that I think was really really important and they
saw that. You know, you got paid, which I think
was good. You should have gotten paid. But was that
(36:20):
weird going through that where all of a sudden, now
you are a story and the mascot's usually not the story.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
Yeah, you know that started way back with Barkley. We
were so bad that they ended up billing this game
as come see Rocky take on Charles Barkley.
Speaker 3 (36:38):
Yeah, and that's pressure.
Speaker 1 (36:41):
Oh right.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
I had to wait, don't we have players we could
market there exactly?
Speaker 1 (36:46):
And then you know, one time I was walking down
the hallway with Tim Laiwiki it was one of our
first playoff games that I had ever experienced, and he
put his arm around me. He goes, you know, you're
worth six to eight points to us tonight, so have fun,
do your thing. Man. I was so pumped up after
he said that, But then I thought, wait a minute,
at the guy on the end of the bench isn't
(37:07):
getting that. You know, he's not getting six to eight
points tonight. Come on, I need to get paid.
Speaker 3 (37:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Absolutely, I'll tell you right now. With the whole viral
thing of six hundred and twenty five, yeah.
Speaker 3 (37:18):
That was the number always there out six twenty five.
Speaker 1 (37:20):
K yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, no, no, not even close.
Not yeah, not even close, I'll say it, okay, yeah,
not even not even in the ball.
Speaker 3 (37:29):
I think you'd be worth it. They were making money
and they were using you to make and now.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
We look at like nil. You know, you needed a
really good nil deal back then.
Speaker 3 (37:38):
Yeah, the sponsors pay you, right, Yeah, you should have
been making money off the half court shots and all that.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
Yeah. I just loved what I did, obviously, and it's
I just wanted to deliver more than people expected. I
wanted to give the community what I thought they deserved.
Speaker 3 (37:57):
You did that.
Speaker 4 (37:57):
Yeah, I got to ask was the cake thing when
you smashed cakes in people's faces? Was that planned? Did
people know that? Can you say that?
Speaker 2 (38:06):
You know?
Speaker 3 (38:07):
I always wonder. I'm like, I can't figure out if
they knew that was coming or not? Which is the
beauty of it?
Speaker 1 (38:12):
Right?
Speaker 3 (38:12):
Should we leave it at that?
Speaker 1 (38:13):
Then?
Speaker 3 (38:14):
Okay?
Speaker 4 (38:14):
All right, Oh my gosh, let's fast forward now to
the last few years. Because you go into they start
talking about retirement nineteen and twenty COVID hits. It's a weird,
silly year where you got to be standing in one
certain spot and you don't really have a great retirement year.
You know, it would have been a cool way to
(38:35):
go out with a regular season, right, and then Drake
comes in to help take over, has some medical issues.
You end up coming back for the latter part of
the twenty twenty three season. The twenty twenty two to
twenty three season which ends up being an NBA championship.
Speaker 1 (38:50):
Yeah, crazy, how does that happen?
Speaker 4 (38:52):
So you do get to go out on somewhat of
a high note, but then there's also a lot of
stuff happening behind the scenes with Drake, and that's not
only your replacement, but it's your son too, So that's hard,
and so you need to be there as a dad
but also as a mentor. And it just kind of
got funky, and now Drake is no longer.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
There, right, It's yeah, it's kind of like a death.
It was really a special experience that I suggested that
they embrace and run with, you know, leave out names
and things like that, but at least tell people something.
You know, I'm all about the mystique of the character
and anything that there's a line. I just suggested, Hey,
(39:32):
let's as an organization. There's so much that I could
still contribute, And there's so much that can grow out
of this, the story and everything, you know, with two
kids in the league and things like that. Yeah, there's
that's kind of a unique situation. It could have been
spun different ways and things like that. But yeah, you know,
(39:52):
and Drake did a great job.
Speaker 2 (39:54):
Man.
Speaker 1 (39:55):
That first year. It was so fun.
Speaker 4 (39:58):
So they've grown up watching you do this. I mean
they were babies out there with you on the court.
Oh yeah, this is their whole life.
Speaker 1 (40:04):
Oh yeah, both you know, Drake and cad here were
assisting me. They knew the timing, they knew everything. And
so when Drake got in costume, man, he just it
was magic. He was NBA ready. He was hitting shots.
If he missed a shot, though, it was always like
in the back, hey man, hey, Ken, you gotta you know,
get that boy, you're.
Speaker 3 (40:23):
Some give him some pointers and some pointers.
Speaker 1 (40:27):
Come on. He missed one shot, okay, missed two shots
two games in a row.
Speaker 4 (40:30):
They forget about all the ones you missed, right, Yeah,
you didn't make every single one of them.
Speaker 1 (40:34):
Oh well no, at that point I had made every
shot I had ever thrown, right, Like.
Speaker 3 (40:38):
You never missed and your son misses all the time. No, no, no.
Speaker 1 (40:41):
No, right.
Speaker 3 (40:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
Good times though, And unfortunately he had some some medical
issues that ended up, you know, just in all honesty
here ended up not being an issue in the long run. Yeah,
in the long run, not being an issue. And but
they decided to go in a different direction.
Speaker 3 (40:59):
So yeah, that's hard.
Speaker 1 (41:02):
Yeah, it was it was.
Speaker 3 (41:03):
I mean not just for you, but the whole family.
I mean, I've talked to a lot of people on
this podcast about the retirement factor, and you know, what
do you do afterwards? How do you move on? And
I mean that's.
Speaker 4 (41:14):
Over thirty years of you and your family and this community,
and that's a really long time. I mean there's guys
that are in a league for three to four years
and that's hard to walk away from. You can't ever
get that feeling again. You could at least still kind
of get the feeling if Drake's in costume and you
can be there and mentor him, and then now it's
just like gone, yeah, and you need to watch somebody
(41:36):
else trying to be what you have built for so long,
and that's got to be really hard.
Speaker 1 (41:40):
Yeah. I haven't watched too much, to be honest, I'm
sure just haven't gone there yet.
Speaker 3 (41:44):
So what does everybody do now?
Speaker 1 (41:46):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (41:46):
Man?
Speaker 1 (41:47):
You know what I mean? Hate with any adversity, it's
a learning and growing experience and sometimes you have to
break something down to be fixed or you know whatever.
I mean, it's I've got a lot of things goinging on.
My boys have a lot of things going on. And
a lot of opportunities that are opening up that we
would have never thought see. Yeah, good, and so there's
(42:11):
always a silver lining, you know, and lessons to be learned.
And yeah for me, if you want to get into.
Speaker 4 (42:16):
That, yes, I absolutely what you're into. You're doing a podcast, right, yep.
Speaker 1 (42:20):
So I've got a podcast that's been going for a
few years talking to mascots about backstories and lessons and
you know, crazy stuff and not so crazy stuff that's
just more life stuff. And a lot of people don't
realize that there's a lot going on behind the scenes,
that there's a person inside there.
Speaker 4 (42:39):
You know.
Speaker 1 (42:39):
I got into one recently with a buddy of mine.
You know, he and I both struggled with depression at
one point, some deep depression and some dark darkness and things.
Speaker 4 (42:50):
Like that that people wouldn't think about because you're so
happy all the time.
Speaker 1 (42:54):
Right, what makes you sad?
Speaker 3 (42:56):
Right? Right? I don't know when you say things about me.
Speaker 1 (43:00):
Yeah, yeah, there's uh, you know, and and life happens.
But writing a book you are, Yeah, I got some
other projects.
Speaker 3 (43:06):
Going on, okay, good?
Speaker 4 (43:08):
And and you're moving I am moving, yes, yes, you're
leaving Colorado.
Speaker 1 (43:14):
Yeah, unfortunately it's tough.
Speaker 3 (43:16):
It's why I had to get you now.
Speaker 1 (43:17):
Yeah, before you leave, you got to get in right.
I'll be back and forth. I still have ties here
and things like that. But you know, my wife is
from Texas and she she says, can we go home now?
Speaker 3 (43:28):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (43:28):
And she's been here for me, so got to be
there for her.
Speaker 3 (43:31):
That's good.
Speaker 4 (43:32):
So last question then, as you look back through your
career and probably you have canceled your sons and others
when there is that adversity, when things come up, when
it's not going your way and somebody's you know, giving
you crap for not making a shot or whatever it
is that it happens to be, or like what's happened
just in the last year, how do you pick up
move on?
Speaker 3 (43:50):
What do you tell people?
Speaker 1 (43:51):
Wow? Uh, you know, I tell people, look, everything happens
for a reason. Whatever goes around comes around. I tell
people to keep moving, keep stepping forward, whatever it is,
whether it's the right or wrong decision, at that point,
you know, just start just push, just take a step.
And as long as you're trying to do something better,
(44:12):
as long as you're trying to improve yourself and slogan,
as you're trying to be good and good to others. Man.
That comes back, It really does. And there's a lot
more to this life, and you have so many more
ways you can contribute, you know. I the Nuggets one time,
I was I'd gotten arrested. Let me tell you this,
(44:34):
I'd gotten arrested.
Speaker 3 (44:35):
I didn't want to bring that up unless you wanted
to bring that up. Yeah, you had your time.
Speaker 1 (44:39):
Yeah, and you know, it was just a domestic thing
that didn't escalate. There was nothing behind it. There was,
you know, but at the time, you know, you had
to Hey, somebody's got to go. And it was me
and man, it was all over the news and my
mugshot and and things like that. I just thought, you
know what, I'll never recover from this. I thought I
(44:59):
was done. I thought I was done when I broke
my back, but the Nuggets stood by me. And then,
you know, when this happened, I thought, now there's no
way I am continuing with Rocky. This is it.
Speaker 3 (45:10):
And that was two thousand and five.
Speaker 1 (45:12):
Yes, yeah, and it was that was you know, that's
that was the start of a dark time. I was
pulled into the President's office the next day after I
got out of clink.
Speaker 3 (45:23):
You stayed at night in jail, didn't you.
Speaker 1 (45:25):
I spent the weekend in jail. Oh jeez, And I
got stories about that for days.
Speaker 3 (45:31):
Put that in your book.
Speaker 1 (45:32):
Yeah. So I was called in to the President's office.
It was don Ellman at the time, and walk in
there very intimidated by first of all my situation, and
then all the people in the room. I mean it
was a filled room. Sat right in front of his
desk while everybody else was sitting around me or standing,
and you know, leans forward in his chair and he says,
tell me what happened. So I let it fly. I
(45:55):
told him everything, and then he leaned back in his
chair afterwards, and he said, ken, I can relate. He says,
I'll tell you what we're gonna do. We're going to
stand by you through this thing. And I started bawling.
I bawled, and he said until sorry. He says, until
(46:26):
you are found guilty of anything. If you're found guilty
of anything, he says, you will be dismissed, but we'll
stand by till that point. I looked back in and
I said, then I'll be here for a long time
because I did nothing wrong. And he says, okay, meeting adjourned.
Speaker 3 (46:46):
Wow, yeah, still emotional.
Speaker 1 (46:50):
Yeah, as nineteen years ago. He stood by me, and
you know what, then after a while, things calm down
in the crowd, and because I got some heat at first,
he says, take a few games off. Yeah, and let's
let's let us settle a little.
Speaker 4 (47:05):
So hard though, to hear things from people when you
got back out, probably.
Speaker 1 (47:09):
Oh yeah, and people people were shouting things, people were
whispering things to me just in the crowd, and it
was man, it was just you know, knife after knife
after knife being stuck and twisted.
Speaker 3 (47:23):
And there was no guilt. No, it got figured out.
Speaker 1 (47:25):
Yep. And you know, like I said, whatever goes around
comes around. I didn't do anything wrong. Hey, something bad
happened to me, but I kept pushing and people stood
by me. And that's the thing is. I also tell people,
don't judge. You don't know what's going on in that
person's life. Yeah, you don't know their backstory, so stop
worrying about them. Clean up your own backyard.
Speaker 4 (47:44):
Oh yeah, people to throw stones, They probably got plenty
going on in their own backyard exactly. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (47:49):
Just usually try to divert the attention somewhere else exactly.
Speaker 3 (47:53):
Yeah. Wow, well thanks for coming in. I'm looking forward
to what you do.
Speaker 1 (47:57):
Yeah, I appreciate that.
Speaker 3 (47:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (47:59):
I forgot to ment to one thing I'm doing now though. Sorry. Yeah,
I've done some public speaking lately. Ooh okay, not just
podcasts and stuff, so nice.
Speaker 3 (48:09):
Okay, So what kind of public speaking? Motivational speaking?
Speaker 1 (48:13):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (48:14):
Okay, yeah, all right, let's get you out there. Yeah,
and you have a website.
Speaker 1 (48:18):
I saw that I do. Yeah, Cantsolomon dot com.
Speaker 4 (48:21):
People just have to know your name. You probably couldn't
do Rocky dot com. Right, was that taken?
Speaker 1 (48:26):
No?
Speaker 3 (48:26):
Actually, you should buy that domain and then have it
just direct to you, yeah or something.
Speaker 1 (48:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (48:33):
Do you have a costume? Did they let you keep one?
Speaker 1 (48:36):
I will not comment on that one. Oh okay on
that one.
Speaker 4 (48:40):
Okay, all right, Oh that's fine. I was just curious.
My daughter's like, if you do a picture with him,
have him do one. I was like, I don't know
if he can. He probably can't. Yeah, oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (48:50):
Podcast.
Speaker 3 (48:51):
Yes, and it's called.
Speaker 4 (48:52):
Between the Between the fur right, Okay, find it anywhere
you can listen to podcasts, I assume yep.
Speaker 3 (48:56):
Good. How often you put out new episodes.
Speaker 1 (48:58):
Uh uh on in one or two weeks there.
Speaker 3 (49:01):
Oh nice. Yeah, that's kind of where I'm at too.
Speaker 1 (49:03):
Yeah. Good, love this though.
Speaker 3 (49:05):
Man, it's such a it's fun, and you're my first mascot.
This is great.
Speaker 4 (49:09):
Well, well, I always say professional athletes and coaches, but really,
I mean I would consider you a professional athlete.
Speaker 3 (49:15):
I mean with everything that you did. Wow, so talented.
Speaker 1 (49:19):
Yeah, this is an honor.
Speaker 3 (49:21):
Yeah, well thanks, Ken, appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (49:23):
Yeah all right, thank you.
Speaker 3 (49:24):
Thank you. Ken.
Speaker 2 (49:25):
New episodes of Cut, Traded, Fired, Retired are released on Tuesdays.
Please download and like this podcast wherever you listen to podcasts,
and keep up on new releases by following on Twitter
and Instagram at CTFR podcast and also on the website
ctfrpodcast dot com. I'm your host, Susie Wargen. To find
out more about me, visit Susiewargen dot com. Thanks for listening,
(49:47):
and until next time, please be careful, be safe, and
be kind.
Speaker 3 (49:50):
Take care
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