August 13, 2024 • 37 mins
Between high school, college and the NFL, he played with two future Pro Football Hall of Famers and one Heisman Trophy winner. Of course Kenny Bell had no idea when he played for Greenwich High School that his quarterback Steve Young would go on to be a 3-time Super Bowl Champion and wear a gold jacket. However, they did win a LOT of games and Kenny played a big role in that success. He was inducted into his high school’s Hall of Fame in 2015.
Kenny also didn’t know when he chose Boston College that his quarterback, Doug Flutie, would be a Heisman Trophy winner and have incredible success in both the Canadian Football League as well as the NFL. Kenny just kept playing, only missing one of his 48 games with the Eagles and honing his skills as a return specialist.
He also had no idea when he made the Broncos roster as an undrafted free agent in 1986, that his quarterback John Elway would be a 2-time Super Bowl champion and have his bust in Canton. Kenny just kept doing what he did well on special teams. Coaches adored him and teammates loved his style.
He went to three Super Bowls during his tenure in orange and blue. Unfortunately, he never saw a win in the big game before retiring from the game. After football Kenny dabbled in the restaurant business, then got into management in health care and later hospitality. Today, he can be found managing employees at the Denver Convention Center.
Kenny also didn’t know when he chose Boston College that his quarterback, Doug Flutie, would be a Heisman Trophy winner and have incredible success in both the Canadian Football League as well as the NFL. Kenny just kept playing, only missing one of his 48 games with the Eagles and honing his skills as a return specialist.
He also had no idea when he made the Broncos roster as an undrafted free agent in 1986, that his quarterback John Elway would be a 2-time Super Bowl champion and have his bust in Canton. Kenny just kept doing what he did well on special teams. Coaches adored him and teammates loved his style.
He went to three Super Bowls during his tenure in orange and blue. Unfortunately, he never saw a win in the big game before retiring from the game. After football Kenny dabbled in the restaurant business, then got into management in health care and later hospitality. Today, he can be found managing employees at the Denver Convention Center.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I make the calls in the back, whether it's going
to be me, say me, me, me, or you And I
told so. I said, Gino, on this particular kick, I
want you to run up and make a stab at it.
Ball gets kicked. I look over, Gino doesn't move. I'm like, okay,
well it goes straight up and jump straight down and
then it bounces. In my mind, I figured the best
thing I could do is to just fall on that football.
(00:22):
Whereas if you hear the commentators, because I listened to
it for thirty years and commentators, why didn't he pick
it up and run with it? I had no shot
at that. So the best thing I could do was
make John Elway solidify as legendary stay oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Welcome to Cut, Traded, Fired, Retired, a weekly podcast featuring
conversations with professional athletes and coaches who have experienced being cut, traded, fired,
and or they're retired. I'm your host, Susie Wargen. It's
tough not to say wow when you hear who Kenny
Bell's quarterbacks have been during his football career. Steve Young
in high school, Doug Flutie in college, and John Elway
(00:58):
in the pros. You said, wow, didn't you. Of course,
Kenny experienced success at all of those levels, thanks in
part to those names, but he also had a good
head on his shoulders and kept himself in the game
however he could, whether it was as a running back,
wide receiver, or return specialist. He went on drafted after
Boston College, but caught on with the Broncos as a
return specialist, and it didn't take long before he became
(01:20):
popular with coaches and fans after averaging just over twenty
three yards of return his rookie season. Kenny also played
a part in the drive and while many will say
he muffed a kickoff return which put the Broncos on
the two, Kenny has a different story. After his playing days,
Kenny had a restaurant with Mark Jackson, then later got
into management and healthcare and hospitality, which he's still doing today.
(01:43):
Ladies and Gentlemen, Kenny Bell cut Traded fired retired podcast
with Susie Wargin. Kenny Bell, how you doing, I'm doing great.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
How are you see?
Speaker 2 (01:54):
I'm doing just fine. Thank you, thanks for coming in today.
Appreciate it. You have a cool star with the Broncos.
I was just asking you before we start Hey, is
it Kenny or Ken? And you said Kenny because you
have a funny story about Ken.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Yeah. The story goes after practice one day because back
in Greeley, we were the only show in town basically,
and I mean there were hundreds and thousands of people
that would show up to our practices. Yeah, our practices.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Every day and the heat and stink.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Oh yeah, and not in that particular order. And so I,
in my mind I thought I was clever. I said, well,
you know, I'm going to continue to sign on these autographs.
I'm going to go from I'm going to sign it
from Kenny to Ken, and I can sign a lot
more my deductive reasoning. So that went on for a
(02:42):
couple of weeks, and then I had a couple of
good practices, a couple of good scrimmages and preseason games.
So I'm starting to get alone a notoriety and on
television one night I hear him saying and Ken Bell
has a great and I'm like, who is Ken? And
then I realized, I'm like, how did And then I
realized just shortening my name, the media picked up on it,
(03:03):
and that's what they Oh, how funny that was my name?
Speaker 2 (03:06):
And So did you become more Ken Bell than you
did Kenny Bell? Yeah, okay, but you prefer Kenny Okay,
then we're going to go with that, all right. So Kenny,
you were born in Connecticut, that's where you grow up.
Talk a little bit about growing up. What sports you
were into. Obviously football one of them.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Well with me, I really didn't get introduced to football.
I didn't start playing football until eleven. My mom did
not want me playing football. It's funny. I gave the
speech I got inducted into my high school Hall of
Fame a few years ago.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Oh nice, congratulations, thank you.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
It was pretty pretty cool. Yeah, And so I was
I was sharing the story then of how you know,
my mom she just wasn't really into all that violence.
She thought that, you know, you're going to get hurt,
so I can't have you getting hurt. And I lived
with my grandmother growing up for about eight years. And
my grandmother saw this energy from this young kid, grandson
of hers, and she said, no, we got to get
(04:00):
you into something. So my grandmother never drove. She was
a live out nanny, so she would go clean houses
and take care of the kids during the day and
then come home to us. She was able to put
together enough money to buy my first uniform. Oh yeah,
it was so cool. It was so cool. And she
walked me up the hill to where the kids were
playing ball and she said, you take him.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
And he's yours.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Yeah, but if he gets hurt, you're gonna have to
deal with his mom. So, oh my gosh. But she noticed.
You know, once I was out there, I was the
fastest kid. You know, I'm running away from every had
no idea what I was doing. They just would give
me this thing called the football and they would say
go that way, and I did really well. The funniest
part of this whole thing is one day, because like
(04:44):
I said, my grandmother never drove, I had to go
to a game. I'm at the game and I guess
my grandmother says, hey, Jerry, can you my mom? Can
you take me to the store. Well it was a
lure to try to get her. So as she's as
we're driving to the store, she's saying, can we stop
by this little field for a second? And I was like,
what are we doing? I just like watching these kids
play football, and it's like okay, and then I guess
(05:06):
I take off on this long run and it's just me,
you know, breaking out for this long touchdown run. And
she goes look at that little bow legged boy right there,
and my mom's like, is that my son?
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Oh my gosh. That was so she had no idea
you were playing football.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
You had no idea.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Oh wow.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Yeah. So she obviously got out of the car and
started watching. She realized he's okay, he's not getting hurt.
All right, okay, but if anything happens, this is on you.
And so that's how I got into football.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Wow. And then was she supportive after that?
Speaker 1 (05:35):
She knows the game better to me. She's seventy seven
years old. She knows the game better to me.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Really, she was.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Asking me last season about like why why did the
lineman pull out and why didn't he have the backside?
Speaker 2 (05:45):
I'm like, well, wait, I love it. Oh my gosh,
that's awesome.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
She loves it.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
That is cool. So then she became supportive of it,
and it became did it become your only sport or
did you do other sports?
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Then she a little bit of basketball. It wasn't the
best basketball. I was a great athlete. Yeah, so you
know I can go out there and compete with everybody,
but I ran track in high school.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
I was to say you had to ran track.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Yep, ran track, and that was really to try to
help me with my speed and quickness and agility and
all that stuff when it came to football. So yeah,
I did a little bit of track, one season of
basketball and then basically off the college and was very
blessed to have some great opportunities. Maryland was after me,
Penn State was after me, pitt was after me. And
Boston College and wow, from what I felt was going
(06:30):
to be a good proximity for my mom to be
able to travel to Boston was only three hours from
exactly three hours from Greenwich. I thought it would be
a good opportunity for her to be able to come
to most of my games, and I ended up choosing BC.
Momis boy, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
I got that. But back in high school, you were
teammates with Steve Young. Yes, So yeah, you had a
pretty good all high school team, didn't you.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Yes, didn't win state that year, once state the year
after he left, but hey, it was an awesome relationship
to have with somebody who who eventually becomes an NFL
MVP and Super Bowl champion. So yeah, uh and a great,
great family, the whole young family, stud athletes, the sisters
that he's.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
Not the only one.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Oh my gosh. They were all, I'm like, how are you?
How do you make so many good I mean.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Everybody was kind of jeans, do we have going on
here in the young household?
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Yes? And a great family. They kind of took me
in and took me under their wing.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Oh nice, Yeah, you're still friends with him these I
haven't seen.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Him forever, I guess. A friend of mine was at
the Lake Tahoe Celebrity Tournament and my friend had his
boat pulled up to where Steve was teeing off and
he goes, hey, Kenny Bell says hi, and Steve was like, yeah, okay, uh.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
High.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
But I haven't seen him in a while.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
So that's pretty cool though. That's impressive. And so you
end up going to Boston College and then you play
with Doug Flutie.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Unbelievable timing, timing and life is everything.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
And then we're going to get to the third one
in a little bit that that guy, Yeah, there's some
other guy. We're number seven. Yeah, So playing at BC,
what was that like? And then playing with Doug Flutie,
we were chatting beforehand. Boston College is not was not
at that time for sure known as a football school.
More so now we've seen more great players come out
of Boston College that we know about. But in the eighties, no.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
No, not. And at that time when we went to
our first bowl game in nineteen eighty three eighty two
eighty three season, we hadn't been to a bowl game
since nineteen thirty nine.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
Oh geez, so we wow broke the drought.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
And again timings everything played with end Up, who ended
up being a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback and go on
to play nineteen years professionally between the NFL and CFLs CFL.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Yeah, that's amazing. He was unbelievable and he was a
great leader.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
He taught me so much about the game. He was
all about football when it came to stepping onto the
field and preparation and commitment and being a great teammate.
I learned a lot from Doug. Great great guy, great
mentor for somebody who had a lot on his shoulders.
He was carrying the city of Boston.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Oh yeah, shoulders for sure. Along with the fact that
a you're not a prototypical quarterback, how are you doing this.
I mean, he had a lot of physical things that
he had to prove himself with and then obviously he
did it.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
He was he was ahead of his time. The shorter
quarterback was not if.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
He was Steve Young and John Elway, that's your prototypical
that was who was going to be your quarterback? Not
a Doug.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Flutie exactly six foot four, you know with the Yeah,
I think that if he had a chance to play
in today's game, he would play oh oh and make
the game so much fun.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
He'd be amazing.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
You see the stuff that Mahomes does with the you know,
the side arm pack. Dougy did this. Dougie did some
of those. I think they showed a couple of highlights
of him throwing with his left hand. Yeah, he would improvise.
He was the best improvising quarterback I've ever been around.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Position wise, Kenny, were you always on offense in high
school and in college? I mean in college, I'm sure
you were, But in high school as well? Did you
ever play on the defensive side? No special teams too.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
No, we had a pretty good in high school team,
so I didn't have to go both ways. I could have.
I was a pretty good corner, the quickness and explosion
where I can, you know, play those types of positions.
But we had a really good team my junior senior year,
so I only had to play one position, and that
was running back.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
And did you stick with that college? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (10:11):
I did a little kickoff return.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Did you stick with running back in college as well?
Speaker 1 (10:14):
Yep, I was running back.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Did you play the mini wide receiver?
Speaker 1 (10:18):
I might as well have been. I should have played
wide receivers, okay, because I came out of it. I
led the lead BC in receptions as a running back
two years. I could have played that when I did
play that position.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Actually, well, I know you did. That's what I was
wondering if you played it before you did it when
you came here. No, okay, but when.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
You're played with Doug Floty, you know you do a
lot of things out of the backfield where you're getting
a lot of opportunities.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
For to catch balls and yeah, through I.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Mean even the short passes, you you learned how to
catch football or you dislocated finger grip. And that helped
me so much. When I went pro, I bet with
John because John his first couple of years he had
to kind of get a little better with his velocity
on the dump offs.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Right, Okay, so when you finish at BC do you graduate? Yes,
what your degree.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
In political science? I thought I was going to get
into that realm and then and then I said, well,
maybe I can get into coaching. That was seemingly my
mindset at that time. And then of course I ended
up extending.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
My yeah, going into the NFL. So how did that happen?
Did you get invited to any of the games or
Combine or anything like that.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
I got invited to the NFL. I was sponsored by
the New England Patriots, so I've had an opportunity to
go to the Combine. The only thing about going to
the Combine that year, for whatever reason, our banquet was
scheduled during the week that the skill position players were
going down to New Orleans, and it was a New
Orleans that year, so I had to go with the linemen.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Oh geez.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
So it was really weird. I didn't get a chance
to test out with my peers.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
I was interesting.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
So I'm running drills and so they had to kind
of augment some of what they were doing so that
I can still they can do the skill position type
stuff with all the the guys.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Right with the guys who are not as skilled, right,
skilled in other ways. Yes, yes, I don't want to say.
I don't want to. I'm not knocking Lineman.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Not at all, not at all. They're my best friend.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
Yes, absolutely they are. Yeah. Yeah, So you go to
the combine then, so what's that like? How do you do?
Do you go through interviews and all of that.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
I did pretty well for someone who I didn't have
a lot of time to prepare because when I found
out about it, I think we only had like three
weeks to basically prepare for the combine and I really
wasn't sure what I was preparing for, to be honest
with the other. And I know that the forty yard
dash is a big deal, right, So we had the
forty yard dash shuttle on and all the other fun stuff.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Because back then it wasn't televised. You didn't see any
of it. I mean, all you would see is the forty.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
And that's all you hear about because that was that
was all that people were interested in. Yes, it's the
fastest guy out there. So but I held my own
and it was and I thought I had I did
pretty well there are some teams that when the draft
came up, they were interested and ready to go.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
So you got some phone calls during the draft and got.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
Some that's zuzy how those go? Oh my gosh. So
I'm still in school. I'm at school on draft day
and happened to be the Boston Marathon. So my roommates are,
let's see, pretty wasted from partying during the marathon. Is
come back to the room and I'm like, okay, and
we didn't have TV to watch the draft or cable
(13:11):
or anything like that. So I'm trying to share with
my roommates that phone's gonna ring. It's probably gonna be
some head coaches or general managers from the NFL, and
they're like, what do you talk? Can he spe quiet?
First one who calls me Coach parcels.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
My roommate answers, who play He played basketball at BC.
Roger answers. He's He's like, there's some guy saying he's
Bill Parcells on the phone. I'm like, Roger, give me
the phone on Roger's six foot five, two seventy. It's
not like I'm gonna just go in there and take
it from him. I got to learn more about this
this guy, hey coach. So you know, he's talking to
(13:47):
him and having trying I'm like, oh my gosh, please
get me the phone. You were going to screw my chance.
And he's having this long, drawn on conversation with him.
He's just talking away, and I'm like, okay, I think
he really wants to speak to me.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Uh huh, yeah, that's why he called. Oh my gosh,
did you get to talk to him?
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Then? Oh yeah, okay for a brief moment.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
And did he say what they're thinking about taking you?
Speaker 1 (14:09):
We were, yeah, we're really how would you like to
be a giant? I'm like, of course, I mean I'd
love to be a giant. He said, well, we only
have eight picks this year, so if we can't get
you in the draft, we're looking at you as a
free agent, so be prepared for something like that. I said, Okay,
I got you. Coincidentally enough, Broncos were in the same
position because that was the year prior they had traded
(14:29):
their picks away to get Steve Sewell, so they only
had eight picks that year. Okay as well.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
Because this is when the draft was like twenty three
rounds back in the old days when there were many, many,
many rounds exactly, and you.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Could bring in teams can bring in as many players
as they wanted so and back then I was out
of So when I ended up selecting the Broncos, I
was out of like one hundred and twenty two players.
I was one hundred and twenty. So I found out
they were I think bringing me in just to be
a camp dummy, and okay, thanks for your help and
we're going to get now. But I showed them.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
You did show them a thing or two. Okay, So
you go undrafted, even though you get some phone calls
during the draft, and I think it's always interesting the
undrafted free agent. While it stinks to not be drafted,
you then hopefully get a choice of teams that are
calling you, and you can kind of figure out where
do I fit in best, because you know your low
man on the totem pole going in, So where do
you have the best chance? So who all contacted you?
Speaker 1 (15:24):
I got calls from the Giants, Broncos, Cincinnati, and I
want to say Tampa Bay and Cleveland. So out of those,
I mean obviously would have had an opportunity to win
a Super Bowl. With the Giants. Plus there no hard feelings, no,
But as far as opportunity to make the team, my
agent and I when we looked at everything, I felt
like the Broncos presented the best opportunity for me to
(15:46):
make the team, not necessarily as a running back, but
I knew that my opportunity was going to come through
special teams. Right. Not a lot of people want to
play special teams. I love special teams actually because I play,
and I played that in college as well. So I
knew what where I was going to have an opportunity,
and I took advantage of that.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
Yeah, So in nineteen eighty six, that's when you come
to the Broncos. Who's in your room as the running backs?
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Oh my gosh, so Sammy Winder, Jean Lang, Gerald Willheit,
Steve Sowell, I mean, oh Man, Yeah, and.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Me and you? Yeah? Hi, Kenny Bell Or is a Ken?
Speaker 1 (16:18):
I don't know exactly anything you want back then?
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Who was returning?
Speaker 1 (16:23):
So? VJ? Yeah? VJ was their star returner. But I
wasn't so much worried about because I knew he was
their starting He was a starting wide receiver.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
Yeah, so there's really want him out there.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Right, and I said, this may be my opportunity. So
he can focus on his skill, I can focus on,
you know, special teams. And it worked out for me
to be able to have that opportunity, and I played
all special things. I was kick cover, kick returner, punk returner,
everything except for field goal block and field goal.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
What did you like the best on special teams? Did
you have a favorite.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Honestly, I loved being the gunner on kickoff cover because
being a return guy, I could to take it out
on some of those guys ever beating up on me
so like it was fun. You know, you get forty
fifty yards of you know, running at top speed and right,
it's funny. I was listening to a couple of of
your other podcasts and Coop talking about some how you
(17:12):
go down and get some nice little concussions or injuries
along the way. And one game against Kansas City, I
think it was Monday night. I'm gonna kick off cover
and balls kicked, guy catches it. I make my guy miss.
I have a straight shot at the kick returner. He
doesn't see me, and I'm thinking, I think I'm gonna kill.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Him because you're going so fast.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
I'm going I'm running and I know that, Yeah, it
doesn't see me, and I'm like, god, oh, and I
hit him. I hit him so hard that imous. I
knocked myself a little out.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
Oh jeez.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
My teammates like going crazy. I heard a crowd going crazy.
I can hear all that, and then I think a
couple guys picked me up. And I start jogging to
the Kansas City sideline, and of all the people in
the stadium, I can hear Sammy Winder from the other
side our sideline go bell this way and turn around
and run over, run back over. I sit on the bench.
He looks at me for a few seconds. He goes,
(18:04):
and I'm not going to use the words he used,
but he goes, You're pretty messed up, aren't you. I go, yeah,
but please don't tell the coaches, because I don't want
to lose my job.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Yeah, And that's how that was. That's the react, whereas
today they pull you in a heartbeat. But back then, yeah, no,
it was shake it off, shake it off. Here's some
smelling salts and.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
And then something, oh yeah, go back out, get back
out there. And there are quite a few moments like that.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
That's a little scary when you look back on it, right.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
It is scary. Yeah, But that was your passion, that
was what you wanted to do. You as a kid
growing up that you're playing the childhood game and kids game.
And I was listening to your podcast with Mark Cooper
and it's so funny. He's like, there's no way you're
going to come off that field because if you come off,
somebody else can come on and that's all. That's all
it takes for that person to have a good series
or a good play and you're.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Gone and the paycheck be gone.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Exactly, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
Yeah. So for you not even really thinking about getting
into the NFL, you end up staying with the Broncos
for a few seasons and three out of those you
go to the Super Yeah, it was in the world.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
Like I said, yes, and I get to play with
John Away seven was amazing. He was an amazing leader.
But I will say my biggest advocates each and every
season through Camp Koop Gary Kobyek.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
Is that right?
Speaker 1 (19:17):
Oh my gosh, he was awesome. He was awesome because
I played more time than that. I would play with
him in preseason games. He was just a big supporter,
big advocate and when he saw I guess he saw
something in me and he I remember him pulling me
in to the side one day and he said, hey, KB,
keep doing what you're doing. You're you're getting noticed, You're
getting it. Just keep doing what you're doing, You're getting noticed.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Was he almost a coach back then? As John's backup?
Speaker 1 (19:40):
He was a coach on the field. He knows as
obviously knows the game very well.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Yeah, there's been more players who have complimented how he
accepted his position as a backup, you know, with John
and what he did. And then obviously I mean it,
you know, later in life when he reinvents himself as
a as a coach, everything pays off for him. Carrying
the clipboard and being that backup guy was huge for him.
But just was like, Okay, this is what I'm going
(20:07):
to be. I'm not going to beat John elway out
and I'll learn. I mean, took that opportunity which most
people be like, I'm a backup, this stinks, and made
it into something else that he won a super Bowl
with later in life.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
You know, and I looked at that because that's exactly right.
I mean, he he knew his role, and he knew
that that guy and wearing number seven is probably going
to continue on and in the starting role, and he
embraced it. Yeah, not a lot of people. That's hard.
That's a big slice of humble pie. You have to
eat huge. You know. Back then, when you and I
played against him and when he was at A and M,
(20:39):
oh you did that was the was funny. I was
also listening to one of your piecasts or somebody said,
I'd never traveled out it. I had never really traveled
that far before. And then we go to Texas my
very first college game to play A and M, and
that was Coops. I think that was Coop's senior year.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
Because he was good. Gosh, he was a great athlete.
He was really good A and M amazing athletes. Yeah, okay,
so the Super Bowls losses. I was in high school
and college at that time. Everybody just thought each time
we got this, we got this, We're going to win.
Did you guys feel that too?
Speaker 1 (21:11):
We did? We did? We going into it, I mean,
especially coming off the regular seasons that we had. I
think one year, my rookie year, we started out like
seven and zero and just plowed through our schedule. Yeah,
and then you get to the Super Bowl, and the
first bullet of the three that I played in was
against the New York Giants and Phil Simms and those guys,
and we had a great first half. We had a
(21:33):
great first I don't know what happened. I just felt
like we have an opportunity at winning this game, and
they just kind of took it from us. And I
believe the next Super Bowl that was a little bit
of a coming out party for a quarterback, right. That
was fun.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
That one was a little more brutal.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Yeah, that one, Yeah, because it just kind of avalanched
on us and there was no recovery from him. Yes,
And I guess the same could be kind of said
for the for the forty nine ers. The Super Bowl
against the forty nine ers, I almost felt like there
were fourteen guys on the field on their offense, did you, Yeah,
they were everywhere.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
That happens, and I look back at Super Bowl forty
eight and that very first play. I mean, just once
things start to snowball, sometimes you can't recover. It's so difficult.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
It really is. At the professional sports level, it's hard
to recover because now it's in your mental. Yes, and
it's it's interesting because you would think that maybe a
couple of guys, but no, it gets into everybody's heads like, Okay,
how do we get out of this one? And how
do we recover from this one? And you know, sometimes
you just it's it's their day exactly.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
There was a time, however, I want you to tell
me about the play that happened before the drive started
in Cleveland, because they were able to recover from that,
and you had a big part of the play before.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
I did, so return. Yes, so as that story goes.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
So I had to bring up bad memories, but you're
part of the story.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
I'm part of the story. Yeah, that's what makes it fun.
And I I do enjoy talking about it because it's
a debate with some folks as to whether or not
I was gonna cat anyway, So as we it was
Geene Lange and I back there for the kickoffs, and
that particular game, the wind was howling and Mark Moseley,
(23:18):
the kicker for the Cleveland Browns, was kicking a knuckleball.
As knuckleballs go, the ball doesn't move and spin, It
doesn't spin, It kind of just goes where the wind
takes it and then it'll just die or drop or
flop wherever it so chooses. So as I picked up
on that, I make the calls in the back whether
it's going to be me, say me, me, me, or
(23:39):
you you. And I told so. I said, Gino, on
this particular kick, I want you to run up and
make a stab at it, and then I'll back you up.
Ball gets kicked. I look over, Gino doesn't move. I'm like, okay,
well I'm gonna run up here. And he moved, but
he didn't. He didn't make a stab at it the
way I wanted him to. So I go up, and
(24:00):
of course it just drops straight It goes straight up
and jumped straight down and then it bounces.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
And in my mind, I figured the best thing I
could do is to just fall on that football. Whereas
if you hear the commentators, because I listened to it
for thirty years and commentators, why didn't he pick it
up and run with it? I had no shot at that.
So the best thing I could do was make John
Lway solidify as legendary stand oh.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Yeah, which which he did then with the ninety eight
yard drive. So you didn't muffet, no, no, not at all.
You couldn't have even got it, not at all.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
Yeah. It was one of those. Yeah. It wasn't even
kicked far enough for me to run up and grab it,
just went straight up and then came straight down. It
was crazy.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
I'm glad you like tell the story. I was like, okay,
do I ask about it?
Speaker 1 (24:42):
No. I enjoyed it because it is. It is fun.
It's fun to relive it because I know exactly what
I was thinking.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Well, yeah, yeah, how crazy was it to watch that drive?
Speaker 1 (24:53):
It was surreal? Yeah, you're you're seeing something happen.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
Were you in on any of the plays?
Speaker 1 (24:59):
No? I wasn't there on now because we were just
running so fast with you know, just trying to utilize
the clock. You know, we had certain personnel out there
that they wanted to keep out there for most of
that drive. And it worked out. Yeah, obviously it worked out.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
Yeah, it was.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
It was an amazing game.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
All right. So then after your time is done with
the Broncos, what happens do they cut you? Is it?
What's your story on on being done with the NFL.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
I got released by the Broncos in ninety and right
around that time, the World League of American Football, the
WLAF was being established and coming into existence, and so
I actually owned a restaurant myself, Mark Jackson, and another
partner of ours, Oh Scribbles, which.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
Is what we talked about that Yes, yes.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
So old Scribbles, which is where the melting pot is
in Littleton. That was our spot. So we had that
going for a little bit. But then Mark got picked
up by the New York Giants and so his focus
wasn't so much on the restaurant. I take off and
go down to Birmingham to play for the burming Him
Fire in the World League of American Football, which I
ended up playing for my former Broncos coach Chan Gaily.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
Who are such a small world.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
I know. It was well, he originally wanted me to
be a player coach, and I was like, well, I
still want to. I think I still want to play.
I've only played a few years. I still got some
life left in me. I want to Anyway, went down
there and played that season, ended up having a pretty
good season, ended up getting hurt near the end of
the season. So it's funny I got cut, go down
to the World League, get injured. It was hard for
(26:29):
me to come back after that. I tore my ligament
off my ankle.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
And oh yikes.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
Yeah, as a skill position player, that was that was
tough trying to rehab on my own.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Yeah. Yeah, because then you're not with a team and
so you're trying to do it all by yourself. Who
cuts you at the Broncos. Does anybody bring you in
and thank you for your time or yeah?
Speaker 1 (26:47):
I mean it's a standard process. Well, I guess team's doing.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
Everybody does a little different. Everybody's got a story.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
Mine. We call him the hatchet man, but uh coach
Stan Jones, who was a former offensive line coach defensive
line coach, Stan he was he was the grim Reaper.
So if you he would get a call from him
and say, hey, you know, come on down, bring your
playbook and coach wants to talk to you. That's that's
the stand. You know, do you already? Yeah? Do you know?
But no hard feelings. I mean, it was one of
(27:14):
those things where they want to bring in the best
fifty two. I got it. You know. You just hope
that you have an opportunity to play again, and I
did in the World League. I had some teams looking
at me. I think the Dolphins were looking at me.
I was, I had a great season in the World League.
My agent was calling me and I was getting some
good and then I got hurt and.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
That was it. Yeah, so what do you do to
try and find something that satisfies that football fire? When
you get done, I.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
Get behind the microphone. Was the most seamless and natural
thing to do. So I think I was telling you
earlier how I was on a show count Down to
kick Off every Sunday Broncos AOA with Tim Smile and
it was fun. It was a lot of fun. And
then I would also do some things with Mike.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
Rose, little political talk.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
Well yeah, well it was also an opportunity to learn,
like what it really takes to be in the media
and broadcasting business. And it's a lot of work. It
is a lot of work, and I was, you know,
just kind of doing it casually and part time.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
But I think there's a lot of athletes that'll get
into it thinking, oh, it's super easy to get on
the other side of what all these people have been
doing all this time, and it's a little more difficult
than that.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
I have a lot of respect for your media folks
who put in that time effort, and I really understand
what it takes to put on a good show, because
that's what it is.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
You're putting on a show, you are, You're entertaining.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
You're entertaining.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
Yeah, and just like football or anything else, work goes
into entertaining. It doesn't just happen magically. Seems like it
does because we just press a button.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
Yeah. No, But when I was on Mike Rosen shaw Man.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
I learned he was to be scared to go on
a show.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
He was amazing. Yeah, he was simply amazing.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
That's great. So you do some broadcasting for a little while.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
Did a little broadcasting for a little while, and then
right as we were closing the restaurant, I had some
regulars that came in, and just coincidentally enough, one of
the gentlemen of one of the regulars that came in
right before we close, he said, hey, Kenny Man, you
seem like you really embrace managing people and being in
the customer service type industry. I got a guy that
(29:10):
our company that I think you might excel working for
if you ever get out of this, I'm going to
own this restaurant forever. We closed like a few months later,
so he's like, you got the guys that I'm still there.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Yeah, about that guy's number.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
So I ended up reaching out to the gentleman to
that company, and I got into healthcare in February of
nineteen ninety four. I started out in nursing homes. I
was a manager, the housekeeping manager for a nursing home.
They wanted to fast track me. I said, no, I
want to go. I want to start at the bottom
so that way nobody can ever tell me you don't
know how hard this job is. So I started out.
(29:47):
I worked as a housekeeper. I worked as a janitor.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
You did all the jobs.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
I worked as a laundry worker.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
Good for you.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
I wouldn't have traded it for anything, because now they
can't say you don't know how hard this job is,
boy do I? Oh, yeah, And I highly respect the
work that you do. So I worked my way up.
I was a manager, and a district manager and an
area manager, and then I became like a startup manager
for them, and I'd go to different cities around the
Midwest and help get new accounts, going hiring, training, share
(30:14):
meveloping the staff. And then I'd come back here for
a little bit. And then I graduated from I call
it the nursing home side to the hospital side. Basically
transitioned over into the acute care side, I want to say,
in two thousand and four with a company that allowed
me to manage, then district managed, and regional manage. And
so I was in that until two thousand and nineteen,
(30:37):
and then I transitioned over to I called myself wanting
to phase down a little bit. And so I go
to the Colorado. I'm at the convention center, and yeah,
I go from two hundred and seventy employees to fifty.
And I tell you what fifty is challenging.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
It seems like it is because we've tried to schedule
a couple of times and you're like, man, I'm down
a manager here and there, and I'm like, all right,
come out on a weekend.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
Yeah exactly, exactly.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
So you've been managing people for thirty years.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
Thirty years? Yeah, and I love it, do you Okay?
I love teaching people and bringing people along. I found
a few people along the way that have come from
whether it's the housekeeping ranks or assistant manager ranks. And
now I got a friend of mine who's a professor
down in San Antonio and I got another one that's
a CFO, and I mean it's so cool to see
(31:24):
how people have just took advantage of opportunities and maybe
made it a huge career.
Speaker 2 (31:29):
That is really cool. Yeah, yeah, that's neat that you
like that and not at all what you did for
your degree. Would you have imagined when you were at
BC that you would be doing this, not at all later.
Speaker 1 (31:38):
In life, managing people. I never thought I'd have the
patience for it, but I love it. I absolutely love it.
Speaker 2 (31:43):
That's great. And then you stay involved with the Broncos,
with the alumni.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
I am still Yeah, I'm trying to get more involved.
It's just, you know, work right limits the opportunities. But yeah,
definitely involved with the alumni Association. Try to attend as
many of the of the meeting's outreach programs and things
like that that they haven't do.
Speaker 2 (31:59):
You feel like Ownership's doing a good job right now
and making more of an effort to get you guys
back involved.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
Yes, And don't get me wrong, mister b was the best.
Oh yeah, no question about it. The new Ownership group
is taking it to another level. Much appreciative and I
can tell that a bunch of my former Bronco teammates
and the same feeling, have the same feeling as me.
That's great, it really is. It's huge difference. And they're
(32:25):
continuously investing in us.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
That is so important. And I think the NFL in general,
I hope the NFL in general will continue to understand,
you know, the guys from the seventies and the eighties
and the nineties, that there needs to be that help
for you guys because there were a lot of things
that were happening. Like you said, don't tell the coach,
I got to go back in, and there's a lot
of damage done physically and mentally to players in those eras,
(32:49):
and I hope that the NFL will continue to help
those players.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
I hope so too. And I like again, like I said,
listening to other podcasts, I echo some of the sentiments
of some of my former Bronco alumni or some of
US alumni that you know, we can use as much
of the help as we can get. There's some guys
that are struggling a lot in a lot different situations
and others, and definitely want to make sure that they
have all the help and support that they need because
(33:14):
it's tough. It is tough. You know, I'm going to
be sixty years old this year. I can't even believe it,
but I feel.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
It now do you Okay?
Speaker 1 (33:21):
Oh you don't look I mean I look I feel it.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
Yeah, you look great. You look like you stay in
shape and you yeah, I try.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
Yeah, it's back permitting, right.
Speaker 2 (33:31):
Yeah. Who do you stay in touch with? Teammate wise
or is there anybody that you kind of will reach
out to to check in with?
Speaker 1 (33:36):
And Mark Jackson, Mark I m Jay's the He's going
to reach out to you if you don't reach out
to him.
Speaker 2 (33:41):
Oh yeah, No, he's very and he takes that very
seriously and not just how are you, but how are
you doing?
Speaker 1 (33:48):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (33:48):
Tell me?
Speaker 1 (33:49):
And there are quite a few guys that are like that,
Rich and Eggie and you know some of the that
they've been very supportive and have helped me. And because
I when I moved away and I was in Texas
and I got a little disconnected and when I got back,
I didn't get reconnected right away. Back in fourteen when
I moved back here from Austin, and you know, over
the last few years, I've gotten even more connected and
(34:09):
it's been amazing. It really is to support from the guys,
the camaraderie again, you know, just have an opportunity to
talk a little smack every now and again. Yeah, and
then then also just to share our feelings, our thought
and feelings about how the organization's doing and where we
feel like we're headed and what it's going to take
to get there again. Because when we played well, Mark
and I and some of the other guys, Carlisle and
(34:30):
the standard was a standard back then and we played
playoff football. We're going to Super Bowls. You know, we
need to get back to that. And I know that
it takes work, and I know that Coach Payton is
definitely up up to the challenge of getting these guys
out there and prepared and I know that take a
little bit of luck too, because you know, the injury
bug and something right.
Speaker 2 (34:50):
Yeah, but that that mindset needs to start at the
top and then you know, go down. And you know,
other organizations aren't always built like that. I'll talk to
a lot of people that are like, you would not
believe how different it was here with the expectations compared
to when I went someplace else. And it's just like
guys are just running the show. And nobody else is,
which is kind of crazy. I think it's it's really
(35:12):
cool with the Broncos alumni. I had Emory Moore head
in and he said, I played one year with the Broncos,
but you'd think I played ten with the way they
welcome me in and I'm invited to everything and they're
always having we tell great stories, And I think that's
really cool that there can be that camaraderie with you guys.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
Yeah, that support you guys need it, definitely.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
You really do, all right. Last question for a Kenny,
what do you tell people You've got six kids, you've
had to help through you know, good times, bad times,
ups and downs, and you manage people. What do you
tell them when they have their down times on how
to kind of get back up and maybe reinvent themselves
or try something different if they need to the.
Speaker 1 (35:54):
Biggest thing, Because when I go through it myself, I
have to remind my The biggest thing I try to
remind myself you're not alone. People out there. You can
talk to your close friends, your family, and others that
you can reach out to that can help you through
those dark moments and through those times when you feel
like gosh, you feel like you're in the room by yourself,
but you're really not. And it helps to be able
(36:15):
to share and to talk and to discuss and work
through some of those things because you know, trying to
get through those those moments, and they are moments, and
that's what the other thing I try to They may
feel like they're lasting, they're going to last a lifetime,
but their moments. Yeah, and if you don't get too
far ahead of that, you'll be able to come out
the other side, and you'll come out stronger. Yes, you know,
(36:36):
it's all in your hands.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
This too shall pass. Yes, one of my favorite sayings.
Speaker 1 (36:41):
Very much, so very much.
Speaker 2 (36:42):
One of my favorite sayings. Yeah, hey, this has been fun.
Thank you for coming in. I appreciate and I know
that you are super busy with everything that you're doing,
and it's great to reconnect. And hopefully we'll get to
see you around at some games and some other events.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
Definitely looking forward to it, and I'm looking forward to a
big season this year.
Speaker 2 (36:59):
Yeah, same, all right, Kenny, Thank you, thank you, Thank
you so much. Kenny. New episodes have, Cut, Traded, Fired, Retired,
come out on Tuesdays on nearly every podcast platform. Get
social with the podcast on Twitter and Instagram at ctf
our podcast, and also check out the website ctfurpodcast dot com.
I'm your host, Susie Warton. To learn more about me,
(37:20):
visit Susiewarton dot com. Thanks for listening, and until next time,
please be careful, be safe and be kind. Take care
I make the calls in the back, whether it's going
to be me, say me, me, me, or you And I
told so. I said, Gino, on this particular kick, I
want you to run up and make a stab at it.
Ball gets kicked. I look over, Gino doesn't move. I'm like, okay,
well it goes straight up and jump straight down and
then it bounces. In my mind, I figured the best
thing I could do is to just fall on that football.
(00:22):
Whereas if you hear the commentators, because I listened to
it for thirty years and commentators, why didn't he pick
it up and run with it? I had no shot
at that. So the best thing I could do was
make John Elway solidify as legendary stay oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Welcome to Cut, Traded, Fired, Retired, a weekly podcast featuring
conversations with professional athletes and coaches who have experienced being cut, traded, fired,
and or they're retired. I'm your host, Susie Wargen. It's
tough not to say wow when you hear who Kenny
Bell's quarterbacks have been during his football career. Steve Young
in high school, Doug Flutie in college, and John Elway
(00:58):
in the pros. You said, wow, didn't you. Of course,
Kenny experienced success at all of those levels, thanks in
part to those names, but he also had a good
head on his shoulders and kept himself in the game
however he could, whether it was as a running back,
wide receiver, or return specialist. He went on drafted after
Boston College, but caught on with the Broncos as a
return specialist, and it didn't take long before he became
(01:20):
popular with coaches and fans after averaging just over twenty
three yards of return his rookie season. Kenny also played
a part in the drive and while many will say
he muffed a kickoff return which put the Broncos on
the two, Kenny has a different story. After his playing days,
Kenny had a restaurant with Mark Jackson, then later got
into management and healthcare and hospitality, which he's still doing today.
(01:43):
Ladies and Gentlemen, Kenny Bell cut Traded fired retired podcast
with Susie Wargin. Kenny Bell, how you doing, I'm doing great.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
How are you see?
Speaker 2 (01:54):
I'm doing just fine. Thank you, thanks for coming in today.
Appreciate it. You have a cool star with the Broncos.
I was just asking you before we start Hey, is
it Kenny or Ken? And you said Kenny because you
have a funny story about Ken.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Yeah. The story goes after practice one day because back
in Greeley, we were the only show in town basically,
and I mean there were hundreds and thousands of people
that would show up to our practices. Yeah, our practices.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Every day and the heat and stink.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Oh yeah, and not in that particular order. And so I,
in my mind I thought I was clever. I said, well,
you know, I'm going to continue to sign on these autographs.
I'm going to go from I'm going to sign it
from Kenny to Ken, and I can sign a lot
more my deductive reasoning. So that went on for a
(02:42):
couple of weeks, and then I had a couple of
good practices, a couple of good scrimmages and preseason games.
So I'm starting to get alone a notoriety and on
television one night I hear him saying and Ken Bell
has a great and I'm like, who is Ken? And
then I realized, I'm like, how did And then I
realized just shortening my name, the media picked up on it,
(03:03):
and that's what they Oh, how funny that was my name?
Speaker 2 (03:06):
And So did you become more Ken Bell than you
did Kenny Bell? Yeah, okay, but you prefer Kenny Okay,
then we're going to go with that, all right. So Kenny,
you were born in Connecticut, that's where you grow up.
Talk a little bit about growing up. What sports you
were into. Obviously football one of them.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Well with me, I really didn't get introduced to football.
I didn't start playing football until eleven. My mom did
not want me playing football. It's funny. I gave the
speech I got inducted into my high school Hall of
Fame a few years ago.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Oh nice, congratulations, thank you.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
It was pretty pretty cool. Yeah, And so I was
I was sharing the story then of how you know,
my mom she just wasn't really into all that violence.
She thought that, you know, you're going to get hurt,
so I can't have you getting hurt. And I lived
with my grandmother growing up for about eight years. And
my grandmother saw this energy from this young kid, grandson
of hers, and she said, no, we got to get
(04:00):
you into something. So my grandmother never drove. She was
a live out nanny, so she would go clean houses
and take care of the kids during the day and
then come home to us. She was able to put
together enough money to buy my first uniform. Oh yeah,
it was so cool. It was so cool. And she
walked me up the hill to where the kids were
playing ball and she said, you take him.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
And he's yours.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Yeah, but if he gets hurt, you're gonna have to
deal with his mom. So, oh my gosh. But she noticed.
You know, once I was out there, I was the
fastest kid. You know, I'm running away from every had
no idea what I was doing. They just would give
me this thing called the football and they would say
go that way, and I did really well. The funniest
part of this whole thing is one day, because like
(04:44):
I said, my grandmother never drove, I had to go
to a game. I'm at the game and I guess
my grandmother says, hey, Jerry, can you my mom? Can
you take me to the store. Well it was a
lure to try to get her. So as she's as
we're driving to the store, she's saying, can we stop
by this little field for a second? And I was like,
what are we doing? I just like watching these kids
play football, and it's like okay, and then I guess
(05:06):
I take off on this long run and it's just me,
you know, breaking out for this long touchdown run. And
she goes look at that little bow legged boy right there,
and my mom's like, is that my son?
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Oh my gosh. That was so she had no idea
you were playing football.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
You had no idea.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Oh wow.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Yeah. So she obviously got out of the car and
started watching. She realized he's okay, he's not getting hurt.
All right, okay, but if anything happens, this is on you.
And so that's how I got into football.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Wow. And then was she supportive after that?
Speaker 1 (05:35):
She knows the game better to me. She's seventy seven
years old. She knows the game better to me.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Really, she was.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Asking me last season about like why why did the
lineman pull out and why didn't he have the backside?
Speaker 2 (05:45):
I'm like, well, wait, I love it. Oh my gosh,
that's awesome.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
She loves it.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
That is cool. So then she became supportive of it,
and it became did it become your only sport or
did you do other sports?
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Then she a little bit of basketball. It wasn't the
best basketball. I was a great athlete. Yeah, so you
know I can go out there and compete with everybody,
but I ran track in high school.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
I was to say you had to ran track.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Yep, ran track, and that was really to try to
help me with my speed and quickness and agility and
all that stuff when it came to football. So yeah,
I did a little bit of track, one season of
basketball and then basically off the college and was very
blessed to have some great opportunities. Maryland was after me,
Penn State was after me, pitt was after me. And
Boston College and wow, from what I felt was going
(06:30):
to be a good proximity for my mom to be
able to travel to Boston was only three hours from
exactly three hours from Greenwich. I thought it would be
a good opportunity for her to be able to come
to most of my games, and I ended up choosing BC.
Momis boy, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
I got that. But back in high school, you were
teammates with Steve Young. Yes, So yeah, you had a
pretty good all high school team, didn't you.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Yes, didn't win state that year, once state the year
after he left, but hey, it was an awesome relationship
to have with somebody who who eventually becomes an NFL
MVP and Super Bowl champion. So yeah, uh and a great,
great family, the whole young family, stud athletes, the sisters
that he's.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
Not the only one.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Oh my gosh. They were all, I'm like, how are you?
How do you make so many good I mean.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Everybody was kind of jeans, do we have going on
here in the young household?
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Yes? And a great family. They kind of took me
in and took me under their wing.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Oh nice, Yeah, you're still friends with him these I
haven't seen.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Him forever, I guess. A friend of mine was at
the Lake Tahoe Celebrity Tournament and my friend had his
boat pulled up to where Steve was teeing off and
he goes, hey, Kenny Bell says hi, and Steve was like, yeah, okay, uh.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
High.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
But I haven't seen him in a while.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
So that's pretty cool though. That's impressive. And so you
end up going to Boston College and then you play
with Doug Flutie.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Unbelievable timing, timing and life is everything.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
And then we're going to get to the third one
in a little bit that that guy, Yeah, there's some
other guy. We're number seven. Yeah, So playing at BC,
what was that like? And then playing with Doug Flutie,
we were chatting beforehand. Boston College is not was not
at that time for sure known as a football school.
More so now we've seen more great players come out
of Boston College that we know about. But in the eighties, no.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
No, not. And at that time when we went to
our first bowl game in nineteen eighty three eighty two
eighty three season, we hadn't been to a bowl game
since nineteen thirty nine.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
Oh geez, so we wow broke the drought.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
And again timings everything played with end Up, who ended
up being a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback and go on
to play nineteen years professionally between the NFL and CFLs CFL.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Yeah, that's amazing. He was unbelievable and he was a
great leader.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
He taught me so much about the game. He was
all about football when it came to stepping onto the
field and preparation and commitment and being a great teammate.
I learned a lot from Doug. Great great guy, great
mentor for somebody who had a lot on his shoulders.
He was carrying the city of Boston.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Oh yeah, shoulders for sure. Along with the fact that
a you're not a prototypical quarterback, how are you doing this.
I mean, he had a lot of physical things that
he had to prove himself with and then obviously he
did it.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
He was he was ahead of his time. The shorter
quarterback was not if.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
He was Steve Young and John Elway, that's your prototypical
that was who was going to be your quarterback? Not
a Doug.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Flutie exactly six foot four, you know with the Yeah,
I think that if he had a chance to play
in today's game, he would play oh oh and make
the game so much fun.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
He'd be amazing.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
You see the stuff that Mahomes does with the you know,
the side arm pack. Dougy did this. Dougie did some
of those. I think they showed a couple of highlights
of him throwing with his left hand. Yeah, he would improvise.
He was the best improvising quarterback I've ever been around.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Position wise, Kenny, were you always on offense in high
school and in college? I mean in college, I'm sure
you were, But in high school as well? Did you
ever play on the defensive side? No special teams too.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
No, we had a pretty good in high school team,
so I didn't have to go both ways. I could have.
I was a pretty good corner, the quickness and explosion
where I can, you know, play those types of positions.
But we had a really good team my junior senior year,
so I only had to play one position, and that
was running back.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
And did you stick with that college? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (10:11):
I did a little kickoff return.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Did you stick with running back in college as well?
Speaker 1 (10:14):
Yep, I was running back.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Did you play the mini wide receiver?
Speaker 1 (10:18):
I might as well have been. I should have played
wide receivers, okay, because I came out of it. I
led the lead BC in receptions as a running back
two years. I could have played that when I did
play that position.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Actually, well, I know you did. That's what I was
wondering if you played it before you did it when
you came here. No, okay, but when.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
You're played with Doug Floty, you know you do a
lot of things out of the backfield where you're getting
a lot of opportunities.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
For to catch balls and yeah, through I.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Mean even the short passes, you you learned how to
catch football or you dislocated finger grip. And that helped
me so much. When I went pro, I bet with
John because John his first couple of years he had
to kind of get a little better with his velocity
on the dump offs.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Right, Okay, so when you finish at BC do you graduate? Yes,
what your degree.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
In political science? I thought I was going to get
into that realm and then and then I said, well,
maybe I can get into coaching. That was seemingly my
mindset at that time. And then of course I ended
up extending.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
My yeah, going into the NFL. So how did that happen?
Did you get invited to any of the games or
Combine or anything like that.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
I got invited to the NFL. I was sponsored by
the New England Patriots, so I've had an opportunity to
go to the Combine. The only thing about going to
the Combine that year, for whatever reason, our banquet was
scheduled during the week that the skill position players were
going down to New Orleans, and it was a New
Orleans that year, so I had to go with the linemen.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Oh geez.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
So it was really weird. I didn't get a chance
to test out with my peers.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
I was interesting.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
So I'm running drills and so they had to kind
of augment some of what they were doing so that
I can still they can do the skill position type
stuff with all the the guys.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Right with the guys who are not as skilled, right,
skilled in other ways. Yes, yes, I don't want to say.
I don't want to. I'm not knocking Lineman.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Not at all, not at all. They're my best friend.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
Yes, absolutely they are. Yeah. Yeah, So you go to
the combine then, so what's that like? How do you do?
Do you go through interviews and all of that.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
I did pretty well for someone who I didn't have
a lot of time to prepare because when I found
out about it, I think we only had like three
weeks to basically prepare for the combine and I really
wasn't sure what I was preparing for, to be honest
with the other. And I know that the forty yard
dash is a big deal, right, So we had the
forty yard dash shuttle on and all the other fun stuff.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Because back then it wasn't televised. You didn't see any
of it. I mean, all you would see is the forty.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
And that's all you hear about because that was that
was all that people were interested in. Yes, it's the
fastest guy out there. So but I held my own
and it was and I thought I had I did
pretty well there are some teams that when the draft
came up, they were interested and ready to go.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
So you got some phone calls during the draft and got.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
Some that's zuzy how those go? Oh my gosh. So
I'm still in school. I'm at school on draft day
and happened to be the Boston Marathon. So my roommates are,
let's see, pretty wasted from partying during the marathon. Is
come back to the room and I'm like, okay, and
we didn't have TV to watch the draft or cable
(13:11):
or anything like that. So I'm trying to share with
my roommates that phone's gonna ring. It's probably gonna be
some head coaches or general managers from the NFL, and
they're like, what do you talk? Can he spe quiet?
First one who calls me Coach parcels.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
My roommate answers, who play He played basketball at BC.
Roger answers. He's He's like, there's some guy saying he's
Bill Parcells on the phone. I'm like, Roger, give me
the phone on Roger's six foot five, two seventy. It's
not like I'm gonna just go in there and take
it from him. I got to learn more about this
this guy, hey coach. So you know, he's talking to
(13:47):
him and having trying I'm like, oh my gosh, please
get me the phone. You were going to screw my chance.
And he's having this long, drawn on conversation with him.
He's just talking away, and I'm like, okay, I think
he really wants to speak to me.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Uh huh, yeah, that's why he called. Oh my gosh,
did you get to talk to him?
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Then? Oh yeah, okay for a brief moment.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
And did he say what they're thinking about taking you?
Speaker 1 (14:09):
We were, yeah, we're really how would you like to
be a giant? I'm like, of course, I mean I'd
love to be a giant. He said, well, we only
have eight picks this year, so if we can't get
you in the draft, we're looking at you as a
free agent, so be prepared for something like that. I said, Okay,
I got you. Coincidentally enough, Broncos were in the same
position because that was the year prior they had traded
(14:29):
their picks away to get Steve Sewell, so they only
had eight picks that year. Okay as well.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
Because this is when the draft was like twenty three
rounds back in the old days when there were many, many,
many rounds exactly, and you.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Could bring in teams can bring in as many players
as they wanted so and back then I was out
of So when I ended up selecting the Broncos, I
was out of like one hundred and twenty two players.
I was one hundred and twenty. So I found out
they were I think bringing me in just to be
a camp dummy, and okay, thanks for your help and
we're going to get now. But I showed them.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
You did show them a thing or two. Okay, So
you go undrafted, even though you get some phone calls
during the draft, and I think it's always interesting the
undrafted free agent. While it stinks to not be drafted,
you then hopefully get a choice of teams that are
calling you, and you can kind of figure out where
do I fit in best, because you know your low
man on the totem pole going in, So where do
you have the best chance? So who all contacted you?
Speaker 1 (15:24):
I got calls from the Giants, Broncos, Cincinnati, and I
want to say Tampa Bay and Cleveland. So out of those,
I mean obviously would have had an opportunity to win
a Super Bowl. With the Giants. Plus there no hard feelings, no,
But as far as opportunity to make the team, my
agent and I when we looked at everything, I felt
like the Broncos presented the best opportunity for me to
(15:46):
make the team, not necessarily as a running back, but
I knew that my opportunity was going to come through
special teams. Right. Not a lot of people want to
play special teams. I love special teams actually because I play,
and I played that in college as well. So I
knew what where I was going to have an opportunity,
and I took advantage of that.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
Yeah, So in nineteen eighty six, that's when you come
to the Broncos. Who's in your room as the running backs?
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Oh my gosh, so Sammy Winder, Jean Lang, Gerald Willheit,
Steve Sowell, I mean, oh Man, Yeah, and.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Me and you? Yeah? Hi, Kenny Bell Or is a Ken?
Speaker 1 (16:18):
I don't know exactly anything you want back then?
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Who was returning?
Speaker 1 (16:23):
So? VJ? Yeah? VJ was their star returner. But I
wasn't so much worried about because I knew he was
their starting He was a starting wide receiver.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
Yeah, so there's really want him out there.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Right, and I said, this may be my opportunity. So
he can focus on his skill, I can focus on,
you know, special teams. And it worked out for me
to be able to have that opportunity, and I played
all special things. I was kick cover, kick returner, punk returner,
everything except for field goal block and field goal.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
What did you like the best on special teams? Did
you have a favorite.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Honestly, I loved being the gunner on kickoff cover because
being a return guy, I could to take it out
on some of those guys ever beating up on me
so like it was fun. You know, you get forty
fifty yards of you know, running at top speed and right,
it's funny. I was listening to a couple of of
your other podcasts and Coop talking about some how you
(17:12):
go down and get some nice little concussions or injuries
along the way. And one game against Kansas City, I
think it was Monday night. I'm gonna kick off cover
and balls kicked, guy catches it. I make my guy miss.
I have a straight shot at the kick returner. He
doesn't see me, and I'm thinking, I think I'm gonna kill.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Him because you're going so fast.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
I'm going I'm running and I know that, Yeah, it
doesn't see me, and I'm like, god, oh, and I
hit him. I hit him so hard that imous. I
knocked myself a little out.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
Oh jeez.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
My teammates like going crazy. I heard a crowd going crazy.
I can hear all that, and then I think a
couple guys picked me up. And I start jogging to
the Kansas City sideline, and of all the people in
the stadium, I can hear Sammy Winder from the other
side our sideline go bell this way and turn around
and run over, run back over. I sit on the bench.
He looks at me for a few seconds. He goes,
(18:04):
and I'm not going to use the words he used,
but he goes, You're pretty messed up, aren't you. I go, yeah,
but please don't tell the coaches, because I don't want
to lose my job.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Yeah, And that's how that was. That's the react, whereas
today they pull you in a heartbeat. But back then, yeah, no,
it was shake it off, shake it off. Here's some
smelling salts and.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
And then something, oh yeah, go back out, get back
out there. And there are quite a few moments like that.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
That's a little scary when you look back on it, right.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
It is scary. Yeah, But that was your passion, that
was what you wanted to do. You as a kid
growing up that you're playing the childhood game and kids game.
And I was listening to your podcast with Mark Cooper
and it's so funny. He's like, there's no way you're
going to come off that field because if you come off,
somebody else can come on and that's all. That's all
it takes for that person to have a good series
or a good play and you're.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Gone and the paycheck be gone.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Exactly, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
Yeah. So for you not even really thinking about getting
into the NFL, you end up staying with the Broncos
for a few seasons and three out of those you
go to the Super Yeah, it was in the world.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
Like I said, yes, and I get to play with
John Away seven was amazing. He was an amazing leader.
But I will say my biggest advocates each and every
season through Camp Koop Gary Kobyek.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
Is that right?
Speaker 1 (19:17):
Oh my gosh, he was awesome. He was awesome because
I played more time than that. I would play with
him in preseason games. He was just a big supporter,
big advocate and when he saw I guess he saw
something in me and he I remember him pulling me
in to the side one day and he said, hey, KB,
keep doing what you're doing. You're you're getting noticed, You're
getting it. Just keep doing what you're doing, You're getting noticed.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Was he almost a coach back then? As John's backup?
Speaker 1 (19:40):
He was a coach on the field. He knows as
obviously knows the game very well.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Yeah, there's been more players who have complimented how he
accepted his position as a backup, you know, with John
and what he did. And then obviously I mean it,
you know, later in life when he reinvents himself as
a as a coach, everything pays off for him. Carrying
the clipboard and being that backup guy was huge for him.
But just was like, Okay, this is what I'm going
(20:07):
to be. I'm not going to beat John elway out
and I'll learn. I mean, took that opportunity which most
people be like, I'm a backup, this stinks, and made
it into something else that he won a super Bowl
with later in life.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
You know, and I looked at that because that's exactly right.
I mean, he he knew his role, and he knew
that that guy and wearing number seven is probably going
to continue on and in the starting role, and he
embraced it. Yeah, not a lot of people. That's hard.
That's a big slice of humble pie. You have to
eat huge. You know. Back then, when you and I
played against him and when he was at A and M,
(20:39):
oh you did that was the was funny. I was
also listening to one of your piecasts or somebody said,
I'd never traveled out it. I had never really traveled
that far before. And then we go to Texas my
very first college game to play A and M, and
that was Coops. I think that was Coop's senior year.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
Because he was good. Gosh, he was a great athlete.
He was really good A and M amazing athletes. Yeah, okay,
so the Super Bowls losses. I was in high school
and college at that time. Everybody just thought each time
we got this, we got this, We're going to win.
Did you guys feel that too?
Speaker 1 (21:11):
We did? We did? We going into it, I mean,
especially coming off the regular seasons that we had. I
think one year, my rookie year, we started out like
seven and zero and just plowed through our schedule. Yeah,
and then you get to the Super Bowl, and the
first bullet of the three that I played in was
against the New York Giants and Phil Simms and those guys,
and we had a great first half. We had a
(21:33):
great first I don't know what happened. I just felt
like we have an opportunity at winning this game, and
they just kind of took it from us. And I
believe the next Super Bowl that was a little bit
of a coming out party for a quarterback, right. That
was fun.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
That one was a little more brutal.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Yeah, that one, Yeah, because it just kind of avalanched
on us and there was no recovery from him. Yes,
And I guess the same could be kind of said
for the for the forty nine ers. The Super Bowl
against the forty nine ers, I almost felt like there
were fourteen guys on the field on their offense, did you, Yeah,
they were everywhere.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
That happens, and I look back at Super Bowl forty
eight and that very first play. I mean, just once
things start to snowball, sometimes you can't recover. It's so difficult.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
It really is. At the professional sports level, it's hard
to recover because now it's in your mental. Yes, and
it's it's interesting because you would think that maybe a
couple of guys, but no, it gets into everybody's heads like, Okay,
how do we get out of this one? And how
do we recover from this one? And you know, sometimes
you just it's it's their day exactly.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
There was a time, however, I want you to tell
me about the play that happened before the drive started
in Cleveland, because they were able to recover from that,
and you had a big part of the play before.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
I did, so return. Yes, so as that story goes.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
So I had to bring up bad memories, but you're
part of the story.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
I'm part of the story. Yeah, that's what makes it fun.
And I I do enjoy talking about it because it's
a debate with some folks as to whether or not
I was gonna cat anyway, So as we it was
Geene Lange and I back there for the kickoffs, and
that particular game, the wind was howling and Mark Moseley,
(23:18):
the kicker for the Cleveland Browns, was kicking a knuckleball.
As knuckleballs go, the ball doesn't move and spin, It
doesn't spin, It kind of just goes where the wind
takes it and then it'll just die or drop or
flop wherever it so chooses. So as I picked up
on that, I make the calls in the back whether
it's going to be me, say me, me, me, or
(23:39):
you you. And I told so. I said, Gino, on
this particular kick, I want you to run up and
make a stab at it, and then I'll back you up.
Ball gets kicked. I look over, Gino doesn't move. I'm like, okay,
well I'm gonna run up here. And he moved, but
he didn't. He didn't make a stab at it the
way I wanted him to. So I go up, and
(24:00):
of course it just drops straight It goes straight up
and jumped straight down and then it bounces.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
And in my mind, I figured the best thing I
could do is to just fall on that football. Whereas
if you hear the commentators, because I listened to it
for thirty years and commentators, why didn't he pick it
up and run with it? I had no shot at that.
So the best thing I could do was make John
Lway solidify as legendary stand oh.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Yeah, which which he did then with the ninety eight
yard drive. So you didn't muffet, no, no, not at all.
You couldn't have even got it, not at all.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
Yeah. It was one of those. Yeah. It wasn't even
kicked far enough for me to run up and grab it,
just went straight up and then came straight down. It
was crazy.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
I'm glad you like tell the story. I was like, okay,
do I ask about it?
Speaker 1 (24:42):
No. I enjoyed it because it is. It is fun.
It's fun to relive it because I know exactly what
I was thinking.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Well, yeah, yeah, how crazy was it to watch that drive?
Speaker 1 (24:53):
It was surreal? Yeah, you're you're seeing something happen.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
Were you in on any of the plays?
Speaker 1 (24:59):
No? I wasn't there on now because we were just
running so fast with you know, just trying to utilize
the clock. You know, we had certain personnel out there
that they wanted to keep out there for most of
that drive. And it worked out. Yeah, obviously it worked out.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
Yeah, it was.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
It was an amazing game.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
All right. So then after your time is done with
the Broncos, what happens do they cut you? Is it?
What's your story on on being done with the NFL.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
I got released by the Broncos in ninety and right
around that time, the World League of American Football, the
WLAF was being established and coming into existence, and so
I actually owned a restaurant myself, Mark Jackson, and another
partner of ours, Oh Scribbles, which.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
Is what we talked about that Yes, yes.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
So old Scribbles, which is where the melting pot is
in Littleton. That was our spot. So we had that
going for a little bit. But then Mark got picked
up by the New York Giants and so his focus
wasn't so much on the restaurant. I take off and
go down to Birmingham to play for the burming Him
Fire in the World League of American Football, which I
ended up playing for my former Broncos coach Chan Gaily.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
Who are such a small world.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
I know. It was well, he originally wanted me to
be a player coach, and I was like, well, I
still want to. I think I still want to play.
I've only played a few years. I still got some
life left in me. I want to Anyway, went down
there and played that season, ended up having a pretty
good season, ended up getting hurt near the end of
the season. So it's funny I got cut, go down
to the World League, get injured. It was hard for
(26:29):
me to come back after that. I tore my ligament
off my ankle.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
And oh yikes.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
Yeah, as a skill position player, that was that was
tough trying to rehab on my own.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Yeah. Yeah, because then you're not with a team and
so you're trying to do it all by yourself. Who
cuts you at the Broncos. Does anybody bring you in
and thank you for your time or yeah?
Speaker 1 (26:47):
I mean it's a standard process. Well, I guess team's doing.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
Everybody does a little different. Everybody's got a story.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
Mine. We call him the hatchet man, but uh coach
Stan Jones, who was a former offensive line coach defensive
line coach, Stan he was he was the grim Reaper.
So if you he would get a call from him
and say, hey, you know, come on down, bring your
playbook and coach wants to talk to you. That's that's
the stand. You know, do you already? Yeah? Do you know?
But no hard feelings. I mean, it was one of
(27:14):
those things where they want to bring in the best
fifty two. I got it. You know. You just hope
that you have an opportunity to play again, and I
did in the World League. I had some teams looking
at me. I think the Dolphins were looking at me.
I was, I had a great season in the World League.
My agent was calling me and I was getting some
good and then I got hurt and.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
That was it. Yeah, so what do you do to
try and find something that satisfies that football fire? When
you get done, I.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
Get behind the microphone. Was the most seamless and natural
thing to do. So I think I was telling you
earlier how I was on a show count Down to
kick Off every Sunday Broncos AOA with Tim Smile and
it was fun. It was a lot of fun. And
then I would also do some things with Mike.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
Rose, little political talk.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
Well yeah, well it was also an opportunity to learn,
like what it really takes to be in the media
and broadcasting business. And it's a lot of work. It
is a lot of work, and I was, you know,
just kind of doing it casually and part time.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
But I think there's a lot of athletes that'll get
into it thinking, oh, it's super easy to get on
the other side of what all these people have been
doing all this time, and it's a little more difficult
than that.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
I have a lot of respect for your media folks
who put in that time effort, and I really understand
what it takes to put on a good show, because
that's what it is.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
You're putting on a show, you are, You're entertaining.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
You're entertaining.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
Yeah, and just like football or anything else, work goes
into entertaining. It doesn't just happen magically. Seems like it
does because we just press a button.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
Yeah. No, But when I was on Mike Rosen shaw Man.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
I learned he was to be scared to go on
a show.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
He was amazing. Yeah, he was simply amazing.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
That's great. So you do some broadcasting for a little while.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
Did a little broadcasting for a little while, and then
right as we were closing the restaurant, I had some
regulars that came in, and just coincidentally enough, one of
the gentlemen of one of the regulars that came in
right before we close, he said, hey, Kenny Man, you
seem like you really embrace managing people and being in
the customer service type industry. I got a guy that
(29:10):
our company that I think you might excel working for
if you ever get out of this, I'm going to
own this restaurant forever. We closed like a few months later,
so he's like, you got the guys that I'm still there.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Yeah, about that guy's number.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
So I ended up reaching out to the gentleman to
that company, and I got into healthcare in February of
nineteen ninety four. I started out in nursing homes. I
was a manager, the housekeeping manager for a nursing home.
They wanted to fast track me. I said, no, I
want to go. I want to start at the bottom
so that way nobody can ever tell me you don't
know how hard this job is. So I started out.
(29:47):
I worked as a housekeeper. I worked as a janitor.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
You did all the jobs.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
I worked as a laundry worker.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
Good for you.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
I wouldn't have traded it for anything, because now they
can't say you don't know how hard this job is,
boy do I? Oh, yeah, And I highly respect the
work that you do. So I worked my way up.
I was a manager, and a district manager and an
area manager, and then I became like a startup manager
for them, and I'd go to different cities around the
Midwest and help get new accounts, going hiring, training, share
(30:14):
meveloping the staff. And then I'd come back here for
a little bit. And then I graduated from I call
it the nursing home side to the hospital side. Basically
transitioned over into the acute care side, I want to say,
in two thousand and four with a company that allowed
me to manage, then district managed, and regional manage. And
so I was in that until two thousand and nineteen,
(30:37):
and then I transitioned over to I called myself wanting
to phase down a little bit. And so I go
to the Colorado. I'm at the convention center, and yeah,
I go from two hundred and seventy employees to fifty.
And I tell you what fifty is challenging.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
It seems like it is because we've tried to schedule
a couple of times and you're like, man, I'm down
a manager here and there, and I'm like, all right,
come out on a weekend.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
Yeah exactly, exactly.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
So you've been managing people for thirty years.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
Thirty years? Yeah, and I love it, do you Okay?
I love teaching people and bringing people along. I found
a few people along the way that have come from
whether it's the housekeeping ranks or assistant manager ranks. And
now I got a friend of mine who's a professor
down in San Antonio and I got another one that's
a CFO, and I mean it's so cool to see
(31:24):
how people have just took advantage of opportunities and maybe
made it a huge career.
Speaker 2 (31:29):
That is really cool. Yeah, yeah, that's neat that you
like that and not at all what you did for
your degree. Would you have imagined when you were at
BC that you would be doing this, not at all later.
Speaker 1 (31:38):
In life, managing people. I never thought I'd have the
patience for it, but I love it. I absolutely love it.
Speaker 2 (31:43):
That's great. And then you stay involved with the Broncos,
with the alumni.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
I am still Yeah, I'm trying to get more involved.
It's just, you know, work right limits the opportunities. But yeah,
definitely involved with the alumni Association. Try to attend as
many of the of the meeting's outreach programs and things
like that that they haven't do.
Speaker 2 (31:59):
You feel like Ownership's doing a good job right now
and making more of an effort to get you guys
back involved.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
Yes, And don't get me wrong, mister b was the best.
Oh yeah, no question about it. The new Ownership group
is taking it to another level. Much appreciative and I
can tell that a bunch of my former Bronco teammates
and the same feeling, have the same feeling as me.
That's great, it really is. It's huge difference. And they're
(32:25):
continuously investing in us.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
That is so important. And I think the NFL in general,
I hope the NFL in general will continue to understand,
you know, the guys from the seventies and the eighties
and the nineties, that there needs to be that help
for you guys because there were a lot of things
that were happening. Like you said, don't tell the coach,
I got to go back in, and there's a lot
of damage done physically and mentally to players in those eras,
(32:49):
and I hope that the NFL will continue to help
those players.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
I hope so too. And I like again, like I said,
listening to other podcasts, I echo some of the sentiments
of some of my former Bronco alumni or some of
US alumni that you know, we can use as much
of the help as we can get. There's some guys
that are struggling a lot in a lot different situations
and others, and definitely want to make sure that they
have all the help and support that they need because
(33:14):
it's tough. It is tough. You know, I'm going to
be sixty years old this year. I can't even believe it,
but I feel.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
It now do you Okay?
Speaker 1 (33:21):
Oh you don't look I mean I look I feel it.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
Yeah, you look great. You look like you stay in
shape and you yeah, I try.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
Yeah, it's back permitting, right.
Speaker 2 (33:31):
Yeah. Who do you stay in touch with? Teammate wise
or is there anybody that you kind of will reach
out to to check in with?
Speaker 1 (33:36):
And Mark Jackson, Mark I m Jay's the He's going
to reach out to you if you don't reach out
to him.
Speaker 2 (33:41):
Oh yeah, No, he's very and he takes that very
seriously and not just how are you, but how are
you doing?
Speaker 1 (33:48):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (33:48):
Tell me?
Speaker 1 (33:49):
And there are quite a few guys that are like that,
Rich and Eggie and you know some of the that
they've been very supportive and have helped me. And because
I when I moved away and I was in Texas
and I got a little disconnected and when I got back,
I didn't get reconnected right away. Back in fourteen when
I moved back here from Austin, and you know, over
the last few years, I've gotten even more connected and
(34:09):
it's been amazing. It really is to support from the guys,
the camaraderie again, you know, just have an opportunity to
talk a little smack every now and again. Yeah, and
then then also just to share our feelings, our thought
and feelings about how the organization's doing and where we
feel like we're headed and what it's going to take
to get there again. Because when we played well, Mark
and I and some of the other guys, Carlisle and
(34:30):
the standard was a standard back then and we played
playoff football. We're going to Super Bowls. You know, we
need to get back to that. And I know that
it takes work, and I know that Coach Payton is
definitely up up to the challenge of getting these guys
out there and prepared and I know that take a
little bit of luck too, because you know, the injury
bug and something right.
Speaker 2 (34:50):
Yeah, but that that mindset needs to start at the
top and then you know, go down. And you know,
other organizations aren't always built like that. I'll talk to
a lot of people that are like, you would not
believe how different it was here with the expectations compared
to when I went someplace else. And it's just like
guys are just running the show. And nobody else is,
which is kind of crazy. I think it's it's really
(35:12):
cool with the Broncos alumni. I had Emory Moore head
in and he said, I played one year with the Broncos,
but you'd think I played ten with the way they
welcome me in and I'm invited to everything and they're
always having we tell great stories, And I think that's
really cool that there can be that camaraderie with you guys.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
Yeah, that support you guys need it, definitely.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
You really do, all right. Last question for a Kenny,
what do you tell people You've got six kids, you've
had to help through you know, good times, bad times,
ups and downs, and you manage people. What do you
tell them when they have their down times on how
to kind of get back up and maybe reinvent themselves
or try something different if they need to the.
Speaker 1 (35:54):
Biggest thing, Because when I go through it myself, I
have to remind my The biggest thing I try to
remind myself you're not alone. People out there. You can
talk to your close friends, your family, and others that
you can reach out to that can help you through
those dark moments and through those times when you feel
like gosh, you feel like you're in the room by yourself,
but you're really not. And it helps to be able
(36:15):
to share and to talk and to discuss and work
through some of those things because you know, trying to
get through those those moments, and they are moments, and
that's what the other thing I try to They may
feel like they're lasting, they're going to last a lifetime,
but their moments. Yeah, and if you don't get too
far ahead of that, you'll be able to come out
the other side, and you'll come out stronger. Yes, you know,
(36:36):
it's all in your hands.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
This too shall pass. Yes, one of my favorite sayings.
Speaker 1 (36:41):
Very much, so very much.
Speaker 2 (36:42):
One of my favorite sayings. Yeah, hey, this has been fun.
Thank you for coming in. I appreciate and I know
that you are super busy with everything that you're doing,
and it's great to reconnect. And hopefully we'll get to
see you around at some games and some other events.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
Definitely looking forward to it, and I'm looking forward to a
big season this year.
Speaker 2 (36:59):
Yeah, same, all right, Kenny, Thank you, thank you, Thank
you so much. Kenny. New episodes have, Cut, Traded, Fired, Retired,
come out on Tuesdays on nearly every podcast platform. Get
social with the podcast on Twitter and Instagram at ctf
our podcast, and also check out the website ctfurpodcast dot com.
I'm your host, Susie Warton. To learn more about me,
(37:20):
visit Susiewarton dot com. Thanks for listening, and until next time,
please be careful, be safe and be kind. Take care
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