August 27, 2024 • 37 mins
Growing up in California, he wanted to be like his favorite Raider’s player, Howie Long. Coincidentally, Travis Kirschke paralleled Howie’s NFL position (defensive end) and longevity in the league (13 years). Howie stayed with the same team and won one Super Bowl. Travis made 3 stops in the NFL, with the final one providing him two Super Bowl rings.
Travis was a standout high school player in The Golden State, earning a California Player of the Year Award and the Glenn Davis Award for the best high school player in the Los Angeles area. His career at UCLA wasn’t nearly as illustrious as he endured a few coaching changes and injuries. The result was being undrafted in 1997.
He stuck with his goal, however, and got on with the Detroit Lions where he became a starter his 3rd year and stayed for 6 seasons. From there he moved on (by choice) to the 49’ers and had one of his best seasons, starting nearly every game and racking up 43 tackles. After San Fransisco, he was courted by the Saints and Steelers and felt Pittsburgh was the best fit. Smart move. Travis helped build a solid defense with names like Polamalu and Porter and won two Super Bowls. After 13 seasons, Travis knew his time had come.
He had moved to Colorado during his NFL career with his wife and three kids and returned there to start the next chapter. In retirement, he has stayed busy as an assistant football coach at Valor High School and being dad to three athletes. Currently his two youngest sons are college student athletes with Gabe playing football at Colorado State and Blake playing lacrosse at the University of Denver.
Travis was a standout high school player in The Golden State, earning a California Player of the Year Award and the Glenn Davis Award for the best high school player in the Los Angeles area. His career at UCLA wasn’t nearly as illustrious as he endured a few coaching changes and injuries. The result was being undrafted in 1997.
He stuck with his goal, however, and got on with the Detroit Lions where he became a starter his 3rd year and stayed for 6 seasons. From there he moved on (by choice) to the 49’ers and had one of his best seasons, starting nearly every game and racking up 43 tackles. After San Fransisco, he was courted by the Saints and Steelers and felt Pittsburgh was the best fit. Smart move. Travis helped build a solid defense with names like Polamalu and Porter and won two Super Bowls. After 13 seasons, Travis knew his time had come.
He had moved to Colorado during his NFL career with his wife and three kids and returned there to start the next chapter. In retirement, he has stayed busy as an assistant football coach at Valor High School and being dad to three athletes. Currently his two youngest sons are college student athletes with Gabe playing football at Colorado State and Blake playing lacrosse at the University of Denver.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The last game it was. It was a good game,
but it just was weird. It was kind of lackluster
because when weren't going to the playoffs or anything, it
just was kind of like, oh, my career is done,
you know, and you're walking off in an away stadium
and so no family around. It was a weird you know,
to hop on the plane and just be like, wow,
(00:20):
this is it. You know, to do it from when
you're eight years old till I think I was thirty five,
thirty six or something, and then all of a sudden
to have it gone. It's kind of like, oh, that's weird.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Welcome to cut, traded, fired, retired. I know the title
is a mouthful, but it covers nearly everything that can
happen to a professional athlete or coach, and my goal
is to talk to as many as I can. By
the way, this is episode number one hundred Wow, so
that we can all gain some new or different perspectives,
learn from challenges, and maybe find some inspiration for our
(00:50):
own lives. I'm your host, Susie Wargen. This episode's guest
has lived in Colorado since the early two thousands, when
he was in the midst of his thirteen year NFL
career defensive end. Travis Kirshky had visited his brother in
Colorado prior to living here and loved it, so he
and his wife, Amy decided the Denver area was a
good midway point to wherever his career might take him
(01:11):
for many years. That meant Amy packed up their three
kids and traveled from Colorado to Pittsburgh for the football season,
and then come back to Colorado to finish out the
school year and the off season. Travis's long career traveled
the US from Detroit to San Francisco and then to Pittsburgh.
He was that solid veteran player that was reliable and
stayed the course, winning two Super Bowl rings along the way.
(01:33):
After retirement, Travis thought coaching high school football would be
a good outlet and a way to pay it forward
and show respect for the inspiring coaches he'd had in
his career. Today, he's still an assistant coach at Valor
High School and enjoying the athletic and professional careers of
his three children, including his son Gabe, who's playing for
my alma mater, Colorado State University. Ladies and Gentlemen, Travis
(01:56):
Kirshky Cut Traded Fired Retire podcast with Susie Wargin Travis Kirshki.
How you doing.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
I'm doing great.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
It's good to have you in here. You are. It's
interesting because I talk to people and I always say
they have a Colorado tie. And while you didn't play
high school, college or pro here, you've made Colorado your
home for twenty two years and did that during your
NFL career, so I kind of feel like you belong.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
I do belong. I feel like I belong. This place
is amazing.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Yeah, And you've also been an assistant football coach at
Valor for fourteen some years, so you've been involved in
the community in a lot of ways. So it's it's
cool to have you in here. You and I first
met at a Super Bowl party at the McCaffrey's house.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Didn't we correct, Yes, yep.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
That was back when they used to have Super Bowl
parties when their kids weren't playing in them, and now.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
They're going to them in person and watching their own
sun yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Which is just crazy. Yeah. So it's fun to catch
up with you here. We're going to go through your story.
I love where you came from. You were obviously a
great football player in California. But then don't get drafted
and have this phenomenal career and you're a two time
Super Bowl champs. We're going to kind of go through
all of that, and I'm sure there were some ups
and downs along the way.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Yep, sure was. Yeah. All right.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
So you're born in California, that's where you grow up,
go to Esperanza High School. You are named the California
Player of the Year your senior year. How did you
kind of get into sports? Was it always football or
did you have other ones that you loved and maybe
you thought you were going to be something else other
than a football player.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
I always thought I was going to be a football player, Okay.
I grew up just loving the game, watching the game.
I idolized Howie Long, just wanted to be a lot
like him. So I just kind of as a young kid,
I just inspired to kind of follow those footsteps.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Were always on the defensive side, I did you play,
That's the side.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
I did play offense. I played offensive guard and then
defensive tackle, but I always aired towards the defensive side
of the ball. But I enjoyed being a guard. I
just that position you can pull and hit people, and
I enjoyed that part of the game of being physic,
so I would have embraced either one. But I'm glad
I was able to play on the defensive line.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Yeah. Absolutely. Did you play other sports aside from football
or did you really just concentrate on that.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Yeah, most of my focus was on football. I did
do track. Our defensive coordinator was the track.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
What did you do in track?
Speaker 1 (04:17):
It wasn't running, okay, yeah, yeah, you you you got it.
Shot put in discus Okay. It just aligned with.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
What you have the body style for shot put in discus.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Not a sprinter, I thought I was.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Of course you did like it.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Most people do. That's basically the only other.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Sport, okay that I did. That was your concentration. You
also won the Glenn Davis Award, which is for the
best high school player in the LA area. That's a
pretty big deal.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
It is, you know, looking back and just realizing, you
know how many people are in California, and yeah, to
be honored with those type of awards, yeah, I felt
very honored.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
I bet you did. How many schools were recruiting you
when you were in high school A lot?
Speaker 1 (04:57):
I bet probably almost every call across the nation. The
East would spend less time, kind of knowing my heart
was towards the West, but they would reach out and
offer me the opportunity, but they wouldn't spend too much time.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Where'd you take your visits?
Speaker 1 (05:12):
I only took two visits. I took one to Washington
with the Huskies and then to UCLA. I really liked
sc as well. I had a visit set up for
Notre Dame and see you, but I kind of knew
my top schools were either Washington or Ucla, with UCLA
(05:33):
being at the top of it. So I took my
trip to Washington, and then after going there, I kind
of solidified kind of my thoughts that I wanted to
be at UCLA.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
And why was that close to home obviously rest of home?
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Yeah, I just I grew up watching that team and
just enjoyed the brand of football that they played, and
so when I had the opportunity to be a part
of it, I took it.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
You did well one hundred and four tackles, six and
a half sacks. Did you go to East West Shrine games?
Did you go to the Senior Bowl anything like that? Afterwards?
Speaker 1 (06:02):
I went to one. It was the blue Gray game.
My college career was nothing like my high school. There
was a lot of up and downs and changes with coaches.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
How many coaches did you have? Head coaches?
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Well, I had like three D line coaches, two head coaches,
two defensive coordinators, and then just dealing with some injuries
during that process and then playing through them. So I
didn't play to the ability that I think I could
have played. Okay to my senior year, we changed our defense.
I moved positions, so it took a bit to adjust
(06:33):
to that. So going into the NFL or having them
see my tape, it wasn't necessarily the best, but you
learn and it's all part of the process. And I
was given an opportunity with the NFL and made the
most of it.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Yeah, was it hard at UCLA then having not as
much success as you did in high school? It probably
came a whole lot easier in high school.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Yeah, you know, you learn how important I got away
with just being bigger, stronger, faster, And then you get
to college and then everybody's that. Everybody has strength and
they're fast and they're big.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
How do you set yourself apart?
Speaker 1 (07:09):
And how do you set Yeah, and that that's through
great technique and learning different ways to train, and so
you learn all that process and I think, you know,
just going through those tough times, you're going to hit
it at some point in your career, whether it's in
college or in the pros. So I'm kind of glad
that it happened in college and you find solutions and
then it just makes you better. You know. When I
(07:31):
got to the NFL, and I always believe in myself,
the bumps were there, but I wasn't afraid to go
to work and do what it took to have success.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
I feel like you're kind of a bring your lunch
pail to work guy.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
I am. Yeah, I am. There's not much flashy about me,
and I think that's why I was able to have
a thirteen year career because I didn't overthink over an analyzer,
get too high or too low. It just you know,
and show up the next day and try to get better.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Yeah, so you go undrafted and end up landing with
the Lions. Did you have your choice of a few
teams that were calling you and you had to We
were just chatting about your son going to CSU and
how important it is to figure out the scheme with
the player, and sometimes I talked to undrafted free agents
and they were like, I would have loved to have
been drafted, but it was actually nice that I got
(08:19):
to choose where to go.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Correct. I did have five to seven teams that I
could have chosen from. My agent felt that Detroit was
a good place and a good opportunity. Their depth wasn't great,
they had good players there, but he just felt I
can compete first spot there and it was a system
that fit me well. So yeah, to stay there for
(08:41):
six years, yeah, six years there.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Yeah, and you had some good years there. Let's see,
you had an injury your second year that kind of
took you out right. What were kind of some of
your ailments body wise that you dealt with.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Yeah, There's been a lot, yeah, throughout the years, but
that one in particular. I had a sports hernia that
I was dealing with, so I had to have it
surgically repaired.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
It does take a long time to come back from it,
they do.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
I tried playing through it and just couldn't. So yeah,
I liketed to have the surgery and then kind of
sat out that year and then came back the following year.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Yeah, and every year you had Let's see, you had
double digit tackles the last four years. So what happens
then after your you know, your sixth season with Detroit,
You're an unrestricted free agent at that point, right correct, Okay, yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
We are looking to sign there. But then I had
that opportunity to go out to San Fran. They had
just lost their starting nose tackle to free agency, so
they were trying to bring in people to take over
that starting spot. So that is what kind of lured
me to San Fran who.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Was the coach then Dennis Ericson okay.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
And Jim Mora was the decoordinator. So I just felt
like that'd be a good opportunity and I was able
to earn the starting job there with San Fran.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Yeah. So in one year there with San Francisco, you
start fifteen of sixteen games, you have forty three tackles, like,
blew all your stats out of the water from previous
years in Detroit, right, Yeah, So you have this great year.
So then what happened? Did you just sign a one
year contract with them?
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Yeah? So I just had a one year.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
You play out of your mind, had a good.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Year, Yeah, And I had an opportunity to stay there,
but San Fran at that time was financially wasn't in
a good spot. Not that I was worth much of anything,
but that kind of just tells you kind of where
they were financially. If they couldn't resign me, that's not
a good spot, right. So that enabled me to have
(10:32):
some opportunities in free agency to kind of move on
from there.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
And why Pittsburgh, you know, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
I had a few trips set up and I went there.
The money was pretty similar, opportunities were similar. I just
kind of chose it and didn't really know what I
was getting into. But I'm so glad that, oh my gosh,
I chose that team. Just from the ownership down to
(10:59):
the players, to the people inside the building. It's an
amazing organization to work for. So I'm so glad and
blessed to be able to play for a team like that.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Was there something though when you visited that kind of kacha.
Was it coach or was it I mean, did you
meet anybody?
Speaker 1 (11:15):
Or It's weird because I was down in New Orleans
the day before and they treated me like I've never
been treated, picking me up in the Limo, put me
in the penthouse at the Ritz. You know, just the
first class treatment that I haven't been being a hundrafted
free agent. You don't get treated that way too often.
So I was like wow. And then I go up
(11:35):
the day later up to Pittsburgh and it was like
the complete opposite. They picked me up in a town car,
not a stretch limo with my jersey in there.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
The jersey in the stretch limo.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Yeah. So they had it all set up with a
bag with all the stuff for my kids and my
wife with all the gear. WHOA. So I go up
to Pittsburgh and they picked me up. The trainer picks
me up, and they put me in a I don't
mean to it. All was still was nice, but that's
blue collar, but it's where blue collar pits or something
like they don't even want me here, like this team
(12:07):
down here. But just when I got in the building
and just kind of how they do things. I think
we talked about earlier. I'm kind of that blue collar
type guy. And Bill Kauer was the coach at the
time and just kind of a blue collar type guy.
And I just enjoyed having my meeting with him and
felt like I would enjoy playing. And then Dick lebou
(12:28):
was the defensive coordinator, which he's legendary both as a
player and a coach. But there wasn't a ton of
bells or whistles to really say there's one thing that
grabbed me. But I just it just felt right, It
felt good, But I didn't realize until you get there
on how good it is.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Yeah. You know, every franchise is so different, so different,
and you see it as a player fans, we just go, ah,
they're all teams, but inside they're all ran so differently,
and how it's ran on the inside is what shows
on the outside.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
Yeah, the Rooney family, we talk about that blue collar.
It starts with them even though they're owners and you
know they've been doing a long time at a high
level and obviously makes really good money at what they do.
But they don't act. You feel like they're in the
trenches with you. That's cool, and they have conversations with
everybody and so it's a real family feel.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
I remember getting treatment right next to you know, the owners.
He had a bad back. I had a bad back
and we're having great conversation. Oh that's cool, and he's
asking just you know, about family and things beyond the game,
which I think is important.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Very Pat Bowen used to do the same thing. He
was a triathlete and so he'd be in running on
the treadmill next to players having conversations. And that gets
lost sometimes and we have people that are buying teams
that are just wins or losses, doesn't matter. You're just
somebody on their ledger, and that's not how it should be, right.
It makes a big difference.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
So it's just really neat to be a part of that,
see that. Yeah, you learn so much about that that
way when you're in those same Not that I'd ever
be an owner, but just levels of influence. Yes, you know,
you kind of see, okay, that's how it should be done.
So I just real thankful for that.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
And while you're there, you win two super Bowls.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Yeah, which is quite nice, you know, and we were
close to a couple other years as well, and to
kind of go and nothing again, So I'm thankful for
my time in Detroit. But you kind of see, Okay,
this is how it's supposed to be done.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
And their goal was to win the Super Bowl.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
And that was the expectation when you walked in the building,
and you didn't want to be the piece that was
going to make it where they're not going to be
able to achieve that. So you did everything in your
willpower to live up to the expectation. But it wasn't
like the pressure wasn't overbearing, but you wanted to just
kind of respect the organization and the players, and yeah,
(14:51):
it was. It was awesome.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
I bet it was. So you win super Bowl forty
and also forty three, so two super Bowls then those
that short time frame, which just to win one is amazing,
and then to have a second one? What was that
like as far as just did you feel like you
were top of the mountain and everything is great? And
then you after that second super Bowl? You were done?
(15:13):
After that year?
Speaker 1 (15:15):
I had one more season? Did you have one more season?
After season after the super Bowl?
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Oh? Because that was two thousand and eight. I was
getting messed up when the Super bowls happened and then
that's okay, there we go.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Yep, it confuses me as well, but yeah, it is.
It's just kind of segueing into leaving the NFL. It's
weird because you spend your whole life in football. You
put a lot into it. You live and breathe it,
and then all of a sudden, it's it's dumb. I
remember my last game being down in Miami. I kind
of knew that was going to be my last game.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
How'd you know?
Speaker 1 (15:47):
My body was just to a point where it was
hard to work through it. When you weren't recovering from
week to week where you felt good going back out
the next week.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
You still felt horrible on Tuesday as you did on Monday.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
Exactly, and then you run out of the tunnel on
a Sunday and you feel like you just played the
game the day before, and it gets hard to get
through that. So I kind of just knew that physically
I was done. The last game it was. It was
a good game, but it just was weird. It was
kind of lackluster because when weren't going to the playoffs
or anything, it just was kind of like, oh, my
(16:19):
career is done, you know, and you're walking off in
an away stadium and so no family around. It was
a weird. You know, to hop on the plane and
just be like, wow, this is it.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
You leave the terminal and that you're done.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
And you're done, and you know to do it from
when you're eight years old till I think I was
thirty five, thirty six or something, and then all of
a sudden to have it gone. It's kind of like, oh,
that's weird. But it really hits is when the next
season begins and you kind of have the biological clock
of I got to be preparing and going to training
(16:53):
camp and all those things, and when you don't have
to do it, it feels extremely weird.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Did Amy tell you to get out of the house
and go do something?
Speaker 1 (17:00):
She did? You know? It's yeah. As a family, the
seasons are interesting because they get used to you. Your
wife kind of gets used to you being away and
being focused into your sport, and they kind of take
charge of the family in the house and not that
you don't help out in things, but it just looks different.
And then all of a sudden, the off season comes
(17:22):
and you're around and you have input and they're kind
of like, we're kind of fine without you.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
At Leasta telling me that about Ed, She's like, you know,
we did this just fine without you, so stop.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
Yeah. So there every year you have this acclamation period. Yeah,
that's pretty interesting. But now you're.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
Done and you're around all the time.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
You're around all the time until you find other things
to go do. And that's where I thought coaching at
the high school level would be good for me because
it's still kind of was within something I really enjoy
and love and to be able to pour into high
school kids. So it was a great fit for me.
Even though there was parts on my it just helped
keep my mind focused.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
And you have to find something, yeah, find something? Yeah,
absolutely well. And what's interesting we chatted about this before
because I was like, how did you end up here?
And you can tell that story because it happened midway
through your career that you guys bought a house here
in Denver.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
Yeah. So after Detroit, I wasn't sure if we were
going to be kind of hopping from team to team,
and we wanted to set up a home base. My
brother had moved out to Colorado from California quite a
few years prior. We'd go out and visit, loved it
and said, why not set up a home base here
in Colorado. If we don't like it, we can always
(18:37):
go back to California, where we're both from. Obviously, Colorado's
we've loved it because we've been here ever.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
Since you never left since two thousand and two, and.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
I tried during my career to try to be at
the Broncos, and I guess at some point it was
really close.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
That would have been nice. Cool too, yeah, well, and
interesting with your kids too, is that you have your
house here, but then you spend the time with Pittsburgh,
so you would uproot the family and they would go there,
and the kids would do half the year in Pittsburgh
and then come here and finish out the school year. Yeah,
that's a lot.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
It is a lot. And my wife I would always
I never was contract. I treated every season as if
I didn't make the team until I made it. So
even if it was the first year of my four
year contract, I treated it.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
As if it was you could get cut tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
I can get cut tomorrow, and the likelihood of that
is very slim. But that's just the way I treated it.
And so I would usually call her a couple weeks
into camp and be like, Okay, I think we're good,
pack up the.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
I'm taking reps with the first team. Okay, come on here.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
Yeah, I think we're safe. The coach asked it, you know,
when's your wife coming? Out, So I'm like, okay, if
he's asking, we're good. So yeah, so she would pack
up the car, the kids. We had a trailer that
she would pull just kind of we didn't want to
have double of everything, so she would pack some of
the stuff up and if she would go.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
And we forget how important wives are to players and
coaches and how much. I mean, yeah, you can make
great money and have movers and things like that, there's
still so many logistics that go in and because you're
doing it so much, you don't want to pay for
movers every single time.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
Single time. Yeah, they're amazing what they really hold it
all together make it easier for us to focus on
the game.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
But I bet it was nice when you got here
permanently and then the kids could just be in school
full time and everything is more stable.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
Yeah, going back and forth, it was interesting for the
kids because they would start with one school and the
curriculum being somewhat similar wouldn't be so then they have
halfway through would have to kind of adjust not only
their friend groups, but.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
Yeah, the school work. And your daughter's the oldest, yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
So she had to deal with yeah, the most. There
were some tough parts about it, but I feel that
it made her resilient today. It's helped her in many ways.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
I'm sure. Yeah, that's awesome. And then you and Amy
are actually like high school sweethearts. We are, which I
think is so cool.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Yeah, her freshman year, my sophomore.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
Year, that's when you started dating.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
When we started dating that, oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
Wow. And then she went to UCLA as well, yep.
And then you guys have been together ever since.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
And three kids. You got your daughter Ella, who was
a swimmer at UCLA now out, and then your two sons,
Gabe and Blake. Gabe is going to be at CSU
this year, yep, did the old transfer thing and is
going to join a group of other players that are
the sons of professional and college players, a lot of
them that went to CSU, which is pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Yeah, he's very excited to be back in Colorado. He
was previously with Wisconsin, spent two years there. He's a
Colorado kid, so when he had the opportunity to get
back here, he was very excited about it. Sean Moran,
who has a son Jack on the team, actually played
with him in San fran.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
That's how you guys know each other.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
That's how we know each other. Yea, yeah, and then
the Howls. I know them because Jack played for Valor
for a little bit, so we know their family really well.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
So it's you're going into some family and we call
it ramily. Just yes, you're already in the vernacular.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Yeah, I can't wait. I think CSU is gonna have
a great, great year, so I'm really excited for it.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Yeah, that's funny. Then your son Blake is going to
do you as a lacrosse player. You've got swimming, football,
and lacrosse, very well rounded athletes. Was Amy an athlete
as well?
Speaker 1 (22:28):
She wasn't. No, Yeah, she wanted to be. She wished
she would, but she she did competition cheer.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
That okay, okay it is you know, I am all in.
I'm a dance mom. My daughter did dance and palms
and I'm like, those are athletes. Don't tell me other way.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
She can tumble and all the whatever. She's an athlete, yes,
like the typical ball sport deal.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
Right, Oh yeah, daughter anything, but yeah can either.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
That's why she went into the pool.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
There you go, there you go. Well, that's fun and
it's fun to watch the kids, and as I'm sure
also probably a little nerve racking to watch them now
go through what you went through in college.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
Yeah, it's definitely harder to watch your kids go through
it because you don't have control of it. Yeah, you know,
but it's it's so much fun. Sport gave me so
much relationships, how to work with people, to be a
team player, how to work for others, put the team
in front of yourself, you know, all those things. Just
being resilient when you get knocked down, getting back up,
(23:36):
you know, just all those things. And for them to
have that same opportunity, I'm really thankful for that.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Yeah, absolutely, talking about getting knocked down getting back up.
You never got cut, did you.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
I didn't all of your.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
Situations, which to be an undrafted free agent you never
got cut is crazy, Travis, It is crazy.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
It never got cut.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
You got to make your own decisions.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Yeah, I felt like I mean that cut day. Those
are walking in the building not knowing and then somebody
just grabs you and tells you you're done. And I
never had to go through that.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Which you saw a lot of guys that did.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
And a lot of guys that did.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
Yeah, any stories of coaches that did take you in
where you thought this could be the one or this
could be the time. Did you ever have any of
those kind of moments?
Speaker 1 (24:22):
I didn't know. Wow, Yeah, which is really surprising, very
use most everyone. If you play long enough, you're going
to have a time in your career. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
So you never got yelled at, You never know, you're
just that guy. Yeah, it just kind of like whoo
and suddenly thirteen years go by.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
Yeah, fool them for thirteen years.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
That is great, That is awesome. I want to talk
more about what you do as an assistant coach with
valor and the fact that your kids are long gone
out of high school and yet you're still there. Tell
me about coaching high school athletes and why I just
have such respect for people that give their time to
do that because it's so important. And so many people
I talked to talk about that coach they had in
(25:06):
high school that made all the difference and put them
on a different path.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
Yeah, well that's what makes it such it's worthwhile of
your time. It's really not about you, it's about you know,
just being able to give to them and to be
able to have that opportunity to do that. It's kind
of a payback what you just talked about. So many
coaches in my life were just huge mentors and I've
taken little nuggets from each one and it's helped shape
(25:30):
who I am. So if I can be a small
part of that to someone else, it's awesome. And just
you know, watching a kid grow from their freshman year
to the senior year, Yeah, it's very rewarding. And then
to be able to be a part of helping them
reach their dreams and accomplish what they want to accomplish.
And if they don't help them walk through that, there's
(25:51):
things beyond the sport. It's going to be taken away
from all of us at some point. Oh yeah, how
do you adjust to that? Yeah, it's it's cool. Yeah,
that's really cool.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
Do you talk to them a lot? Are you a yeller?
I don't perceive you as being a yellow I'm not.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
I'm definitely an intense coach.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
Okay, I could see.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
I don't like yell to yell, but I definitely like
loud to make sure they can hear me, bar bark,
get after them because all the little details. But I
feel like I owe that to them, that energy to
pour into them each and every play, to know when
they're doing good, to reward them when they do good,
but to also let them know that that's not good
(26:28):
enough and that they can do better. And I'm a
big John Wooden fan, you know, he talks about getting
the most that if each person, not necessarily comparing yourself
to someone else, but becoming like the best version of yourself.
That's my biggest thing is, Okay, are you reaching your capabilities?
Yours might not be a Christian McCaffrey's outcome, but it
(26:52):
could be the best version of your ability, right, and
let's get that out of you. That's what's fun about
coaching is trying to get each kids abilities out of home. Yeah,
they're their best.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
I love that. Yeah, that's very cool. So last question
for you, and you've kind of answered it a little bit,
but what do you tell the student athletes, or even
your own kids as they're going through things, or anybody
else when they have those down moments And even though
you never got cut, you had the injuries, and you've
been on a very lonely training table, sometimes it's a
horrible place to be when everybody else is having a
(27:25):
great time and you can't connect with your teammates. So
how do you come back from those moments, pick yourself
back up, keeping the game mentally, and keep moving forward.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
I think it goes back to it's that challenge within
yourself and not giving into the circumstances around you, but
just trying to focus in on what you can control.
So that's really what I try to do throughout my
whole career. You know, starting out in high school you
kind of name some of the awards, things were going
extremely well. My college career wasn't even my pro you know,
(27:54):
you have dreams of being the best of the best.
I had a very solid career. I'm very thankful for it,
but it's not, you know, where I dreamt it to be.
But on the other side of that, I look back
and I'm like, holy smokes, that was pretty darn good
in terms of I got to do something I dreamt
of doing, and I got to do it for thirteen years.
(28:15):
I got to provide for my family through it. I
got to meet a lot of great people, have a
lot of great experiences. So all in all, you know,
the outcome was pretty darn good. Yeah, So I kind
of just rest in that and it kind of goes
back to the john Wood and I was doing the
best with what I was given. You always feel like
you can always do better, because that's what makes people great,
(28:37):
is keep pushing yourself and thinking you can do better.
But you also got to be thankful for what you
have been given. So I try to kind of think
about that as much as I think about the other stuff.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
That's awesome, I said last question, but I do have
one more because I forgot about this. In your early
time in Pittsburgh, you played with two former CSU players
in Joey Porter and Clark Kagan's. Yeah, I think it's
kind of neat. It's almost circle that your son is
up there. How close were you with them, I'm assuming Yeah,
you guys are pretty close. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
Our team, that's the one unique thing with the Steelers
were extremely.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
Close, especially those defenses.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
And those defenses we had a lot of success together.
We held each other accountable. It's fun because winning Super
Bowls you get to go back for reunions and we
all get back and we kind of talk about like
why were we so good, and a lot of it
was just how we respected one another and how close
we were. Yet we're all very different but we all
(29:34):
kind of had the same common goal and we loved
one another. We helped each other. And you know, those
two guys, Clark Haayans and Joey Porter were huge leaders
on our team, and especially Joey Porter's He's pretty outspoken
and energetic and love Joey yeah yeah all the time
because he played right next to me, and he would
(29:56):
be talking to the offensive lineman quite a bit to
get him fired up. And I'm like, I'm going against
him more than you are. We have to fire that
guy up more than he already. Yet he goes, he goes,
he goes, trav I just do it because then I
have to hold myself accountable to what I'm saying. So
it gets me going. I'm like, okay, I guess that's
that's good. But now you got to fire it up,
and I'm probably gonna he's gonna take it out on me.
(30:21):
You'll probably be dropping into coverage or something.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
You know, it's like, oh my gosh, that's funny. Sounds
exactly like something joy Oh yeah, yeah. And obviously very
sad with what happened with Clark Kagan's last year, and
and you know, you just talked about how close you
guys all were. How did that affect you and Joey
and a lot of your other guys.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
It affected us hard. We considered us a very close
knick group. When we all heard the news, we're quickly
into our phones just sharing memories and just just kind
of our feelings behind it.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
It surprised a lot of people. I mean, at least
I mean there's always the people on the outside I
think that don't know that the struggles that go on
inside of a lot of players, or even a lot
of people just in general that don't know.
Speaker 1 (31:06):
Yeah, I think we all sense that he had been
struggling for years, but we didn't think it would end
in that way. Yeah, you kept hearing he would he
was getting better and then I think kind of slid
back and then get better. But when, yeah, when then
we heard the news that he had passed. It was hard.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
What do you guys do as players to try and
kind of help alleviate situations like that and make sure
that you guys stay in touch.
Speaker 1 (31:33):
Well, just like what you just said is staying in touch, yeah,
and communicating with them, checking in. I know organizations are
doing a much better job these days and trying to
do that. I know the Detroit Lions, they have a
group of people that reach out to pass players and
check in and try to find ways if you are
struggling to help you on it. That's the same with
(31:55):
the Pittsburgh Steelers. In fact, I just got a text
this morning from the old GM Kevin Colbert, and he's
trying to formulate a group where, you know, find platforms
and ways to check in and communically. Yeah, it's really good.
So I think they've come a long way and they're
moving in the right direction.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
Does the NFL start any of those initiatives or do
you find that it's more people who have been in
the game like Kevin or or been in the on
the front office side.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
I think both sides are trying to find ways. Okay,
over the years, I feel like from when I first
entered the NFL until now, both sides have come a
long way. Football is a unique sport or just way
of life of you can't find it outside of Once
you're done, it's there's no more football. You can't go
(32:45):
to the next job within the same field. It's over
and you.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
Can't get that feeling again. I think that's the hardest
part for guys that play is that Where's that rush
that high when you go on the field.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Yeah, and it just all of a sudden, overnight, it's
stripped away your whole life. You spend training for it,
it's all all involved, like every ounce of yourself to
be at that level. You have to put so much
into it, and then all of a sudden it's just
taken away. And now you're just thrown into the real
world and kind of say good luck. And that's where
I think the NFL and the organizations are doing better
(33:20):
of trying to encourage guys in off seasons to try
to tap in to life after football so you can
better handle that transition. So they're definitely heading in the
right directions with that. It's up to the players to
take advantage of it. Otherwise you will be kind of
stuck in an empty spot, kind of going, Okay, who
am I and what am I supposed to be doing?
(33:42):
What do I have a passion for? And it's hard
to find something out there that you had that type
of passion for. You might like something, but to get
that same rush, that same feeling.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
And the brother the brotherhood that you guys form in
the locker rooms is huge, and that's very difficult to
find elsewhere it is.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
And that's probably one of the reasons why I got
into coaching high school football with a group of coaches
is it's another way of kind of tapping into that
same locker room feeling. Because you ask most guys when
they're done, what do you miss most, and it is
probably the locker room.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
Yeah, it's not getting hit, it's not getting hit.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
Yeah, it might be like delivering the hit, yeah yeah,
but not taking them. Yeah, they're not taking them. So yeah,
it's hard to find.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
I wonder too, does it affect guys more the longer
that they've played, Like Joey and Clark had very long careers.
You had a long career. The guys that are only
in for maybe one or two years, yes, it's hard,
but they're still young, they're in their mid twenties, and
they can maybe go find something else that kind of
gets like going. But the guys that are in for
a long time and then it's done, I think that's
(34:49):
even more difficult.
Speaker 1 (34:50):
I think both are very hard. People ask me about
my transition. I think the reason I was able to
deal with it reasonably well is because I did have
a long career in the sense that I didn't feel
like I have much more to give. Where if your
career is cut short, that you feel that it got
cut short, You're always.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
Like, what if that's true?
Speaker 1 (35:10):
And I think those players struggle with that. So if
I felt like I had tons more to give into
the game and then I felt like it was taken
from me, that would be hard.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
And then also, like you mentioned, being in it for
a long time, it's just you're in something that much
longer into your life, and you're set into something that
much longer, and all of a sudden it's gone, and
then you have to kind of recreate yourself and that's hard,
you know. Just hopefully the teams and the NFL keep
finding great ways to pour into the young men and
help them to transition.
Speaker 2 (35:43):
Yeah, I hope. So who do you keep in touch
with the most or they're guys that you really are
in touch with quite a bit.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
Yeah, I probably from the Detroit Lions, it's Luther Ellis
and then Bryan Young from the forty nine ers. With Pittsburgh,
it's Aaron Smith, Brett Keesl, Chris Hoak. Mostly the defensive line,
Troy Polamalu.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
That's great.
Speaker 1 (36:05):
Yeah, it's awesome when we do get together, especially with
the Pittsburgh group when they bring us back for recognizing
us for the Super Bowls that we won and stuff
like that, it feels like you never left. Yeah, it's
just fun getting back together talking about life, telling old stories.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
Do the stories get better as the years go on?
Speaker 1 (36:22):
I probably do. Yeah, like the old fish stories, they
get better. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:28):
The hits were harder catches and we're longer.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
Yeah yeah, no doubt makes makes stories better.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
Yeah. Well that's great. Well, it's good that you stay
in touch with guys like that. I think it's super
important and it just hits home that much more when
someone like Clark passes and you go, gosh, darn it,
you wish you could have done more, but sometimes you
just can't. But you can do more with the people
that you're in touch with right now.
Speaker 1 (36:50):
That's right, all right.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
Travis, thanks for coming in. Really appreciate this.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
This has been Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (36:55):
Absolutely, Thank you, Travis. New episodes of Cut, Traded, Fired,
Retired are released on Tuesdays. Please follow and download this
podcast wherever you listen to podcasts and keep up on
new releases by following on Twitter and Instagram at ctf
our podcast and also on the website ctfurpodcast dot com.
If you like this episode, share it with someone, or,
(37:17):
better yet, share the whole podcast. There's some fantastic guests
on here. I'm your host, Susie Wargin. To find out
more about me, visit susieworgin dot com. Thanks for listening,
and until next time, please be careful, be safe, and
be kind. Take care
The last game it was. It was a good game,
but it just was weird. It was kind of lackluster
because when weren't going to the playoffs or anything, it
just was kind of like, oh, my career is done,
you know, and you're walking off in an away stadium
and so no family around. It was a weird you know,
to hop on the plane and just be like, wow,
(00:20):
this is it. You know, to do it from when
you're eight years old till I think I was thirty five,
thirty six or something, and then all of a sudden
to have it gone. It's kind of like, oh, that's weird.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Welcome to cut, traded, fired, retired. I know the title
is a mouthful, but it covers nearly everything that can
happen to a professional athlete or coach, and my goal
is to talk to as many as I can. By
the way, this is episode number one hundred Wow, so
that we can all gain some new or different perspectives,
learn from challenges, and maybe find some inspiration for our
(00:50):
own lives. I'm your host, Susie Wargen. This episode's guest
has lived in Colorado since the early two thousands, when
he was in the midst of his thirteen year NFL
career defensive end. Travis Kirshky had visited his brother in
Colorado prior to living here and loved it, so he
and his wife, Amy decided the Denver area was a
good midway point to wherever his career might take him
(01:11):
for many years. That meant Amy packed up their three
kids and traveled from Colorado to Pittsburgh for the football season,
and then come back to Colorado to finish out the
school year and the off season. Travis's long career traveled
the US from Detroit to San Francisco and then to Pittsburgh.
He was that solid veteran player that was reliable and
stayed the course, winning two Super Bowl rings along the way.
(01:33):
After retirement, Travis thought coaching high school football would be
a good outlet and a way to pay it forward
and show respect for the inspiring coaches he'd had in
his career. Today, he's still an assistant coach at Valor
High School and enjoying the athletic and professional careers of
his three children, including his son Gabe, who's playing for
my alma mater, Colorado State University. Ladies and Gentlemen, Travis
(01:56):
Kirshky Cut Traded Fired Retire podcast with Susie Wargin Travis Kirshki.
How you doing.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
I'm doing great.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
It's good to have you in here. You are. It's
interesting because I talk to people and I always say
they have a Colorado tie. And while you didn't play
high school, college or pro here, you've made Colorado your
home for twenty two years and did that during your
NFL career, so I kind of feel like you belong.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
I do belong. I feel like I belong. This place
is amazing.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Yeah, And you've also been an assistant football coach at
Valor for fourteen some years, so you've been involved in
the community in a lot of ways. So it's it's
cool to have you in here. You and I first
met at a Super Bowl party at the McCaffrey's house.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Didn't we correct, Yes, yep.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
That was back when they used to have Super Bowl
parties when their kids weren't playing in them, and now.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
They're going to them in person and watching their own
sun yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Which is just crazy. Yeah. So it's fun to catch
up with you here. We're going to go through your story.
I love where you came from. You were obviously a
great football player in California. But then don't get drafted
and have this phenomenal career and you're a two time
Super Bowl champs. We're going to kind of go through
all of that, and I'm sure there were some ups
and downs along the way.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Yep, sure was. Yeah. All right.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
So you're born in California, that's where you grow up,
go to Esperanza High School. You are named the California
Player of the Year your senior year. How did you
kind of get into sports? Was it always football or
did you have other ones that you loved and maybe
you thought you were going to be something else other
than a football player.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
I always thought I was going to be a football player, Okay.
I grew up just loving the game, watching the game.
I idolized Howie Long, just wanted to be a lot
like him. So I just kind of as a young kid,
I just inspired to kind of follow those footsteps.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Were always on the defensive side, I did you play,
That's the side.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
I did play offense. I played offensive guard and then
defensive tackle, but I always aired towards the defensive side
of the ball. But I enjoyed being a guard. I
just that position you can pull and hit people, and
I enjoyed that part of the game of being physic,
so I would have embraced either one. But I'm glad
I was able to play on the defensive line.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Yeah. Absolutely. Did you play other sports aside from football
or did you really just concentrate on that.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Yeah, most of my focus was on football. I did
do track. Our defensive coordinator was the track.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
What did you do in track?
Speaker 1 (04:17):
It wasn't running, okay, yeah, yeah, you you you got it.
Shot put in discus Okay. It just aligned with.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
What you have the body style for shot put in discus.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Not a sprinter, I thought I was.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Of course you did like it.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Most people do. That's basically the only other.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Sport, okay that I did. That was your concentration. You
also won the Glenn Davis Award, which is for the
best high school player in the LA area. That's a
pretty big deal.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
It is, you know, looking back and just realizing, you
know how many people are in California, and yeah, to
be honored with those type of awards, yeah, I felt
very honored.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
I bet you did. How many schools were recruiting you
when you were in high school A lot?
Speaker 1 (04:57):
I bet probably almost every call across the nation. The
East would spend less time, kind of knowing my heart
was towards the West, but they would reach out and
offer me the opportunity, but they wouldn't spend too much time.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Where'd you take your visits?
Speaker 1 (05:12):
I only took two visits. I took one to Washington
with the Huskies and then to UCLA. I really liked
sc as well. I had a visit set up for
Notre Dame and see you, but I kind of knew
my top schools were either Washington or Ucla, with UCLA
(05:33):
being at the top of it. So I took my
trip to Washington, and then after going there, I kind
of solidified kind of my thoughts that I wanted to
be at UCLA.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
And why was that close to home obviously rest of home?
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Yeah, I just I grew up watching that team and
just enjoyed the brand of football that they played, and
so when I had the opportunity to be a part
of it, I took it.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
You did well one hundred and four tackles, six and
a half sacks. Did you go to East West Shrine games?
Did you go to the Senior Bowl anything like that? Afterwards?
Speaker 1 (06:02):
I went to one. It was the blue Gray game.
My college career was nothing like my high school. There
was a lot of up and downs and changes with coaches.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
How many coaches did you have? Head coaches?
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Well, I had like three D line coaches, two head coaches,
two defensive coordinators, and then just dealing with some injuries
during that process and then playing through them. So I
didn't play to the ability that I think I could
have played. Okay to my senior year, we changed our defense.
I moved positions, so it took a bit to adjust
(06:33):
to that. So going into the NFL or having them
see my tape, it wasn't necessarily the best, but you
learn and it's all part of the process. And I
was given an opportunity with the NFL and made the
most of it.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Yeah, was it hard at UCLA then having not as
much success as you did in high school? It probably
came a whole lot easier in high school.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Yeah, you know, you learn how important I got away
with just being bigger, stronger, faster, And then you get
to college and then everybody's that. Everybody has strength and
they're fast and they're big.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
How do you set yourself apart?
Speaker 1 (07:09):
And how do you set Yeah, and that that's through
great technique and learning different ways to train, and so
you learn all that process and I think, you know,
just going through those tough times, you're going to hit
it at some point in your career, whether it's in
college or in the pros. So I'm kind of glad
that it happened in college and you find solutions and
then it just makes you better. You know. When I
(07:31):
got to the NFL, and I always believe in myself,
the bumps were there, but I wasn't afraid to go
to work and do what it took to have success.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
I feel like you're kind of a bring your lunch
pail to work guy.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
I am. Yeah, I am. There's not much flashy about me,
and I think that's why I was able to have
a thirteen year career because I didn't overthink over an analyzer,
get too high or too low. It just you know,
and show up the next day and try to get better.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Yeah, so you go undrafted and end up landing with
the Lions. Did you have your choice of a few
teams that were calling you and you had to We
were just chatting about your son going to CSU and
how important it is to figure out the scheme with
the player, and sometimes I talked to undrafted free agents
and they were like, I would have loved to have
been drafted, but it was actually nice that I got
(08:19):
to choose where to go.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Correct. I did have five to seven teams that I
could have chosen from. My agent felt that Detroit was
a good place and a good opportunity. Their depth wasn't great,
they had good players there, but he just felt I
can compete first spot there and it was a system
that fit me well. So yeah, to stay there for
(08:41):
six years, yeah, six years there.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Yeah, and you had some good years there. Let's see,
you had an injury your second year that kind of
took you out right. What were kind of some of
your ailments body wise that you dealt with.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Yeah, There's been a lot, yeah, throughout the years, but
that one in particular. I had a sports hernia that
I was dealing with, so I had to have it
surgically repaired.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
It does take a long time to come back from it,
they do.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
I tried playing through it and just couldn't. So yeah,
I liketed to have the surgery and then kind of
sat out that year and then came back the following year.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Yeah, and every year you had Let's see, you had
double digit tackles the last four years. So what happens
then after your you know, your sixth season with Detroit,
You're an unrestricted free agent at that point, right correct, Okay, yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
We are looking to sign there. But then I had
that opportunity to go out to San Fran. They had
just lost their starting nose tackle to free agency, so
they were trying to bring in people to take over
that starting spot. So that is what kind of lured
me to San Fran who.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Was the coach then Dennis Ericson okay.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
And Jim Mora was the decoordinator. So I just felt
like that'd be a good opportunity and I was able
to earn the starting job there with San Fran.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Yeah. So in one year there with San Francisco, you
start fifteen of sixteen games, you have forty three tackles, like,
blew all your stats out of the water from previous
years in Detroit, right, Yeah, So you have this great year.
So then what happened? Did you just sign a one
year contract with them?
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Yeah? So I just had a one year.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
You play out of your mind, had a good.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Year, Yeah, And I had an opportunity to stay there,
but San Fran at that time was financially wasn't in
a good spot. Not that I was worth much of anything,
but that kind of just tells you kind of where
they were financially. If they couldn't resign me, that's not
a good spot, right. So that enabled me to have
(10:32):
some opportunities in free agency to kind of move on
from there.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
And why Pittsburgh, you know, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
I had a few trips set up and I went there.
The money was pretty similar, opportunities were similar. I just
kind of chose it and didn't really know what I
was getting into. But I'm so glad that, oh my gosh,
I chose that team. Just from the ownership down to
(10:59):
the players, to the people inside the building. It's an
amazing organization to work for. So I'm so glad and
blessed to be able to play for a team like that.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Was there something though when you visited that kind of kacha.
Was it coach or was it I mean, did you
meet anybody?
Speaker 1 (11:15):
Or It's weird because I was down in New Orleans
the day before and they treated me like I've never
been treated, picking me up in the Limo, put me
in the penthouse at the Ritz. You know, just the
first class treatment that I haven't been being a hundrafted
free agent. You don't get treated that way too often.
So I was like wow. And then I go up
(11:35):
the day later up to Pittsburgh and it was like
the complete opposite. They picked me up in a town car,
not a stretch limo with my jersey in there.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
The jersey in the stretch limo.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Yeah. So they had it all set up with a
bag with all the stuff for my kids and my
wife with all the gear. WHOA. So I go up
to Pittsburgh and they picked me up. The trainer picks
me up, and they put me in a I don't
mean to it. All was still was nice, but that's
blue collar, but it's where blue collar pits or something
like they don't even want me here, like this team
(12:07):
down here. But just when I got in the building
and just kind of how they do things. I think
we talked about earlier. I'm kind of that blue collar
type guy. And Bill Kauer was the coach at the
time and just kind of a blue collar type guy.
And I just enjoyed having my meeting with him and
felt like I would enjoy playing. And then Dick lebou
(12:28):
was the defensive coordinator, which he's legendary both as a
player and a coach. But there wasn't a ton of
bells or whistles to really say there's one thing that
grabbed me. But I just it just felt right, It
felt good, But I didn't realize until you get there
on how good it is.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Yeah. You know, every franchise is so different, so different,
and you see it as a player fans, we just go, ah,
they're all teams, but inside they're all ran so differently,
and how it's ran on the inside is what shows
on the outside.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
Yeah, the Rooney family, we talk about that blue collar.
It starts with them even though they're owners and you
know they've been doing a long time at a high
level and obviously makes really good money at what they do.
But they don't act. You feel like they're in the
trenches with you. That's cool, and they have conversations with
everybody and so it's a real family feel.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
I remember getting treatment right next to you know, the owners.
He had a bad back. I had a bad back
and we're having great conversation. Oh that's cool, and he's
asking just you know, about family and things beyond the game,
which I think is important.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Very Pat Bowen used to do the same thing. He
was a triathlete and so he'd be in running on
the treadmill next to players having conversations. And that gets
lost sometimes and we have people that are buying teams
that are just wins or losses, doesn't matter. You're just
somebody on their ledger, and that's not how it should be, right.
It makes a big difference.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
So it's just really neat to be a part of that,
see that. Yeah, you learn so much about that that
way when you're in those same Not that I'd ever
be an owner, but just levels of influence. Yes, you know,
you kind of see, okay, that's how it should be done.
So I just real thankful for that.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
And while you're there, you win two super Bowls.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Yeah, which is quite nice, you know, and we were
close to a couple other years as well, and to
kind of go and nothing again, So I'm thankful for
my time in Detroit. But you kind of see, Okay,
this is how it's supposed to be done.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
And their goal was to win the Super Bowl.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
And that was the expectation when you walked in the building,
and you didn't want to be the piece that was
going to make it where they're not going to be
able to achieve that. So you did everything in your
willpower to live up to the expectation. But it wasn't
like the pressure wasn't overbearing, but you wanted to just
kind of respect the organization and the players, and yeah,
(14:51):
it was. It was awesome.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
I bet it was. So you win super Bowl forty
and also forty three, so two super Bowls then those
that short time frame, which just to win one is amazing,
and then to have a second one? What was that
like as far as just did you feel like you
were top of the mountain and everything is great? And
then you after that second super Bowl? You were done?
(15:13):
After that year?
Speaker 1 (15:15):
I had one more season? Did you have one more season?
After season after the super Bowl?
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Oh? Because that was two thousand and eight. I was
getting messed up when the Super bowls happened and then
that's okay, there we go.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Yep, it confuses me as well, but yeah, it is.
It's just kind of segueing into leaving the NFL. It's
weird because you spend your whole life in football. You
put a lot into it. You live and breathe it,
and then all of a sudden, it's it's dumb. I
remember my last game being down in Miami. I kind
of knew that was going to be my last game.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
How'd you know?
Speaker 1 (15:47):
My body was just to a point where it was
hard to work through it. When you weren't recovering from
week to week where you felt good going back out
the next week.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
You still felt horrible on Tuesday as you did on Monday.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
Exactly, and then you run out of the tunnel on
a Sunday and you feel like you just played the
game the day before, and it gets hard to get
through that. So I kind of just knew that physically
I was done. The last game it was. It was
a good game, but it just was weird. It was
kind of lackluster because when weren't going to the playoffs
or anything, it just was kind of like, oh, my
(16:19):
career is done, you know, and you're walking off in
an away stadium and so no family around. It was
a weird. You know, to hop on the plane and
just be like, wow, this is it.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
You leave the terminal and that you're done.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
And you're done, and you know to do it from
when you're eight years old till I think I was
thirty five, thirty six or something, and then all of
a sudden to have it gone. It's kind of like, oh,
that's weird. But it really hits is when the next
season begins and you kind of have the biological clock
of I got to be preparing and going to training
(16:53):
camp and all those things, and when you don't have
to do it, it feels extremely weird.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Did Amy tell you to get out of the house
and go do something?
Speaker 1 (17:00):
She did? You know? It's yeah. As a family, the
seasons are interesting because they get used to you. Your
wife kind of gets used to you being away and
being focused into your sport, and they kind of take
charge of the family in the house and not that
you don't help out in things, but it just looks different.
And then all of a sudden, the off season comes
(17:22):
and you're around and you have input and they're kind
of like, we're kind of fine without you.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
At Leasta telling me that about Ed, She's like, you know,
we did this just fine without you, so stop.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
Yeah. So there every year you have this acclamation period. Yeah,
that's pretty interesting. But now you're.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
Done and you're around all the time.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
You're around all the time until you find other things
to go do. And that's where I thought coaching at
the high school level would be good for me because
it's still kind of was within something I really enjoy
and love and to be able to pour into high
school kids. So it was a great fit for me.
Even though there was parts on my it just helped
keep my mind focused.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
And you have to find something, yeah, find something? Yeah,
absolutely well. And what's interesting we chatted about this before
because I was like, how did you end up here?
And you can tell that story because it happened midway
through your career that you guys bought a house here
in Denver.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
Yeah. So after Detroit, I wasn't sure if we were
going to be kind of hopping from team to team,
and we wanted to set up a home base. My
brother had moved out to Colorado from California quite a
few years prior. We'd go out and visit, loved it
and said, why not set up a home base here
in Colorado. If we don't like it, we can always
(18:37):
go back to California, where we're both from. Obviously, Colorado's
we've loved it because we've been here ever.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
Since you never left since two thousand and two, and.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
I tried during my career to try to be at
the Broncos, and I guess at some point it was
really close.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
That would have been nice. Cool too, yeah, well, and
interesting with your kids too, is that you have your
house here, but then you spend the time with Pittsburgh,
so you would uproot the family and they would go there,
and the kids would do half the year in Pittsburgh
and then come here and finish out the school year. Yeah,
that's a lot.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
It is a lot. And my wife I would always
I never was contract. I treated every season as if
I didn't make the team until I made it. So
even if it was the first year of my four
year contract, I treated it.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
As if it was you could get cut tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
I can get cut tomorrow, and the likelihood of that
is very slim. But that's just the way I treated it.
And so I would usually call her a couple weeks
into camp and be like, Okay, I think we're good,
pack up the.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
I'm taking reps with the first team. Okay, come on here.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
Yeah, I think we're safe. The coach asked it, you know,
when's your wife coming? Out, So I'm like, okay, if
he's asking, we're good. So yeah, so she would pack
up the car, the kids. We had a trailer that
she would pull just kind of we didn't want to
have double of everything, so she would pack some of
the stuff up and if she would go.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
And we forget how important wives are to players and
coaches and how much. I mean, yeah, you can make
great money and have movers and things like that, there's
still so many logistics that go in and because you're
doing it so much, you don't want to pay for
movers every single time.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
Single time. Yeah, they're amazing what they really hold it
all together make it easier for us to focus on
the game.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
But I bet it was nice when you got here
permanently and then the kids could just be in school
full time and everything is more stable.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
Yeah, going back and forth, it was interesting for the
kids because they would start with one school and the
curriculum being somewhat similar wouldn't be so then they have
halfway through would have to kind of adjust not only
their friend groups, but.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
Yeah, the school work. And your daughter's the oldest, yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
So she had to deal with yeah, the most. There
were some tough parts about it, but I feel that
it made her resilient today. It's helped her in many ways.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
I'm sure. Yeah, that's awesome. And then you and Amy
are actually like high school sweethearts. We are, which I
think is so cool.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Yeah, her freshman year, my sophomore.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
Year, that's when you started dating.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
When we started dating that, oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
Wow. And then she went to UCLA as well, yep.
And then you guys have been together ever since.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
And three kids. You got your daughter Ella, who was
a swimmer at UCLA now out, and then your two sons,
Gabe and Blake. Gabe is going to be at CSU
this year, yep, did the old transfer thing and is
going to join a group of other players that are
the sons of professional and college players, a lot of
them that went to CSU, which is pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Yeah, he's very excited to be back in Colorado. He
was previously with Wisconsin, spent two years there. He's a
Colorado kid, so when he had the opportunity to get
back here, he was very excited about it. Sean Moran,
who has a son Jack on the team, actually played
with him in San fran.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
That's how you guys know each other.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
That's how we know each other. Yea, yeah, and then
the Howls. I know them because Jack played for Valor
for a little bit, so we know their family really well.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
So it's you're going into some family and we call
it ramily. Just yes, you're already in the vernacular.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Yeah, I can't wait. I think CSU is gonna have
a great, great year, so I'm really excited for it.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Yeah, that's funny. Then your son Blake is going to
do you as a lacrosse player. You've got swimming, football,
and lacrosse, very well rounded athletes. Was Amy an athlete
as well?
Speaker 1 (22:28):
She wasn't. No, Yeah, she wanted to be. She wished
she would, but she she did competition cheer.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
That okay, okay it is you know, I am all in.
I'm a dance mom. My daughter did dance and palms
and I'm like, those are athletes. Don't tell me other way.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
She can tumble and all the whatever. She's an athlete, yes,
like the typical ball sport deal.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
Right, Oh yeah, daughter anything, but yeah can either.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
That's why she went into the pool.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
There you go, there you go. Well, that's fun and
it's fun to watch the kids, and as I'm sure
also probably a little nerve racking to watch them now
go through what you went through in college.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
Yeah, it's definitely harder to watch your kids go through
it because you don't have control of it. Yeah, you know,
but it's it's so much fun. Sport gave me so
much relationships, how to work with people, to be a
team player, how to work for others, put the team
in front of yourself, you know, all those things. Just
being resilient when you get knocked down, getting back up,
(23:36):
you know, just all those things. And for them to
have that same opportunity, I'm really thankful for that.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Yeah, absolutely, talking about getting knocked down getting back up.
You never got cut, did you.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
I didn't all of your.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
Situations, which to be an undrafted free agent you never
got cut is crazy, Travis, It is crazy.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
It never got cut.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
You got to make your own decisions.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Yeah, I felt like I mean that cut day. Those
are walking in the building not knowing and then somebody
just grabs you and tells you you're done. And I
never had to go through that.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Which you saw a lot of guys that did.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
And a lot of guys that did.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
Yeah, any stories of coaches that did take you in
where you thought this could be the one or this
could be the time. Did you ever have any of
those kind of moments?
Speaker 1 (24:22):
I didn't know. Wow, Yeah, which is really surprising, very
use most everyone. If you play long enough, you're going
to have a time in your career. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
So you never got yelled at, You never know, you're
just that guy. Yeah, it just kind of like whoo
and suddenly thirteen years go by.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
Yeah, fool them for thirteen years.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
That is great, That is awesome. I want to talk
more about what you do as an assistant coach with
valor and the fact that your kids are long gone
out of high school and yet you're still there. Tell
me about coaching high school athletes and why I just
have such respect for people that give their time to
do that because it's so important. And so many people
I talked to talk about that coach they had in
(25:06):
high school that made all the difference and put them
on a different path.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
Yeah, well that's what makes it such it's worthwhile of
your time. It's really not about you, it's about you know,
just being able to give to them and to be
able to have that opportunity to do that. It's kind
of a payback what you just talked about. So many
coaches in my life were just huge mentors and I've
taken little nuggets from each one and it's helped shape
(25:30):
who I am. So if I can be a small
part of that to someone else, it's awesome. And just
you know, watching a kid grow from their freshman year
to the senior year, Yeah, it's very rewarding. And then
to be able to be a part of helping them
reach their dreams and accomplish what they want to accomplish.
And if they don't help them walk through that, there's
(25:51):
things beyond the sport. It's going to be taken away
from all of us at some point. Oh yeah, how
do you adjust to that? Yeah, it's it's cool. Yeah,
that's really cool.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
Do you talk to them a lot? Are you a yeller?
I don't perceive you as being a yellow I'm not.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
I'm definitely an intense coach.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
Okay, I could see.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
I don't like yell to yell, but I definitely like
loud to make sure they can hear me, bar bark,
get after them because all the little details. But I
feel like I owe that to them, that energy to
pour into them each and every play, to know when
they're doing good, to reward them when they do good,
but to also let them know that that's not good
(26:28):
enough and that they can do better. And I'm a
big John Wooden fan, you know, he talks about getting
the most that if each person, not necessarily comparing yourself
to someone else, but becoming like the best version of yourself.
That's my biggest thing is, Okay, are you reaching your capabilities?
Yours might not be a Christian McCaffrey's outcome, but it
(26:52):
could be the best version of your ability, right, and
let's get that out of you. That's what's fun about
coaching is trying to get each kids abilities out of home. Yeah,
they're their best.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
I love that. Yeah, that's very cool. So last question
for you, and you've kind of answered it a little bit,
but what do you tell the student athletes, or even
your own kids as they're going through things, or anybody
else when they have those down moments And even though
you never got cut, you had the injuries, and you've
been on a very lonely training table, sometimes it's a
horrible place to be when everybody else is having a
(27:25):
great time and you can't connect with your teammates. So
how do you come back from those moments, pick yourself
back up, keeping the game mentally, and keep moving forward.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
I think it goes back to it's that challenge within
yourself and not giving into the circumstances around you, but
just trying to focus in on what you can control.
So that's really what I try to do throughout my
whole career. You know, starting out in high school you
kind of name some of the awards, things were going
extremely well. My college career wasn't even my pro you know,
(27:54):
you have dreams of being the best of the best.
I had a very solid career. I'm very thankful for it,
but it's not, you know, where I dreamt it to be.
But on the other side of that, I look back
and I'm like, holy smokes, that was pretty darn good
in terms of I got to do something I dreamt
of doing, and I got to do it for thirteen years.
(28:15):
I got to provide for my family through it. I
got to meet a lot of great people, have a
lot of great experiences. So all in all, you know,
the outcome was pretty darn good. Yeah, So I kind
of just rest in that and it kind of goes
back to the john Wood and I was doing the
best with what I was given. You always feel like
you can always do better, because that's what makes people great,
(28:37):
is keep pushing yourself and thinking you can do better.
But you also got to be thankful for what you
have been given. So I try to kind of think
about that as much as I think about the other stuff.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
That's awesome, I said last question, but I do have
one more because I forgot about this. In your early
time in Pittsburgh, you played with two former CSU players
in Joey Porter and Clark Kagan's. Yeah, I think it's
kind of neat. It's almost circle that your son is
up there. How close were you with them, I'm assuming Yeah,
you guys are pretty close. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
Our team, that's the one unique thing with the Steelers
were extremely.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
Close, especially those defenses.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
And those defenses we had a lot of success together.
We held each other accountable. It's fun because winning Super
Bowls you get to go back for reunions and we
all get back and we kind of talk about like
why were we so good, and a lot of it
was just how we respected one another and how close
we were. Yet we're all very different but we all
(29:34):
kind of had the same common goal and we loved
one another. We helped each other. And you know, those
two guys, Clark Haayans and Joey Porter were huge leaders
on our team, and especially Joey Porter's He's pretty outspoken
and energetic and love Joey yeah yeah all the time
because he played right next to me, and he would
(29:56):
be talking to the offensive lineman quite a bit to
get him fired up. And I'm like, I'm going against
him more than you are. We have to fire that
guy up more than he already. Yet he goes, he goes,
he goes, trav I just do it because then I
have to hold myself accountable to what I'm saying. So
it gets me going. I'm like, okay, I guess that's
that's good. But now you got to fire it up,
and I'm probably gonna he's gonna take it out on me.
(30:21):
You'll probably be dropping into coverage or something.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
You know, it's like, oh my gosh, that's funny. Sounds
exactly like something joy Oh yeah, yeah. And obviously very
sad with what happened with Clark Kagan's last year, and
and you know, you just talked about how close you
guys all were. How did that affect you and Joey
and a lot of your other guys.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
It affected us hard. We considered us a very close
knick group. When we all heard the news, we're quickly
into our phones just sharing memories and just just kind
of our feelings behind it.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
It surprised a lot of people. I mean, at least
I mean there's always the people on the outside I
think that don't know that the struggles that go on
inside of a lot of players, or even a lot
of people just in general that don't know.
Speaker 1 (31:06):
Yeah, I think we all sense that he had been
struggling for years, but we didn't think it would end
in that way. Yeah, you kept hearing he would he
was getting better and then I think kind of slid
back and then get better. But when, yeah, when then
we heard the news that he had passed. It was hard.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
What do you guys do as players to try and
kind of help alleviate situations like that and make sure
that you guys stay in touch.
Speaker 1 (31:33):
Well, just like what you just said is staying in touch, yeah,
and communicating with them, checking in. I know organizations are
doing a much better job these days and trying to
do that. I know the Detroit Lions, they have a
group of people that reach out to pass players and
check in and try to find ways if you are
struggling to help you on it. That's the same with
(31:55):
the Pittsburgh Steelers. In fact, I just got a text
this morning from the old GM Kevin Colbert, and he's
trying to formulate a group where, you know, find platforms
and ways to check in and communically. Yeah, it's really good.
So I think they've come a long way and they're
moving in the right direction.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
Does the NFL start any of those initiatives or do
you find that it's more people who have been in
the game like Kevin or or been in the on
the front office side.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
I think both sides are trying to find ways. Okay,
over the years, I feel like from when I first
entered the NFL until now, both sides have come a
long way. Football is a unique sport or just way
of life of you can't find it outside of Once
you're done, it's there's no more football. You can't go
(32:45):
to the next job within the same field. It's over
and you.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
Can't get that feeling again. I think that's the hardest
part for guys that play is that Where's that rush
that high when you go on the field.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Yeah, and it just all of a sudden, overnight, it's
stripped away your whole life. You spend training for it,
it's all all involved, like every ounce of yourself to
be at that level. You have to put so much
into it, and then all of a sudden it's just
taken away. And now you're just thrown into the real
world and kind of say good luck. And that's where
I think the NFL and the organizations are doing better
(33:20):
of trying to encourage guys in off seasons to try
to tap in to life after football so you can
better handle that transition. So they're definitely heading in the
right directions with that. It's up to the players to
take advantage of it. Otherwise you will be kind of
stuck in an empty spot, kind of going, Okay, who
am I and what am I supposed to be doing?
(33:42):
What do I have a passion for? And it's hard
to find something out there that you had that type
of passion for. You might like something, but to get
that same rush, that same feeling.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
And the brother the brotherhood that you guys form in
the locker rooms is huge, and that's very difficult to
find elsewhere it is.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
And that's probably one of the reasons why I got
into coaching high school football with a group of coaches
is it's another way of kind of tapping into that
same locker room feeling. Because you ask most guys when
they're done, what do you miss most, and it is
probably the locker room.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
Yeah, it's not getting hit, it's not getting hit.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
Yeah, it might be like delivering the hit, yeah yeah,
but not taking them. Yeah, they're not taking them. So yeah,
it's hard to find.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
I wonder too, does it affect guys more the longer
that they've played, Like Joey and Clark had very long careers.
You had a long career. The guys that are only
in for maybe one or two years, yes, it's hard,
but they're still young, they're in their mid twenties, and
they can maybe go find something else that kind of
gets like going. But the guys that are in for
a long time and then it's done, I think that's
(34:49):
even more difficult.
Speaker 1 (34:50):
I think both are very hard. People ask me about
my transition. I think the reason I was able to
deal with it reasonably well is because I did have
a long career in the sense that I didn't feel
like I have much more to give. Where if your
career is cut short, that you feel that it got
cut short, You're always.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
Like, what if that's true?
Speaker 1 (35:10):
And I think those players struggle with that. So if
I felt like I had tons more to give into
the game and then I felt like it was taken
from me, that would be hard.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
And then also, like you mentioned, being in it for
a long time, it's just you're in something that much
longer into your life, and you're set into something that
much longer, and all of a sudden it's gone, and
then you have to kind of recreate yourself and that's hard,
you know. Just hopefully the teams and the NFL keep
finding great ways to pour into the young men and
help them to transition.
Speaker 2 (35:43):
Yeah, I hope. So who do you keep in touch
with the most or they're guys that you really are
in touch with quite a bit.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
Yeah, I probably from the Detroit Lions, it's Luther Ellis
and then Bryan Young from the forty nine ers. With Pittsburgh,
it's Aaron Smith, Brett Keesl, Chris Hoak. Mostly the defensive line,
Troy Polamalu.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
That's great.
Speaker 1 (36:05):
Yeah, it's awesome when we do get together, especially with
the Pittsburgh group when they bring us back for recognizing
us for the Super Bowls that we won and stuff
like that, it feels like you never left. Yeah, it's
just fun getting back together talking about life, telling old stories.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
Do the stories get better as the years go on?
Speaker 1 (36:22):
I probably do. Yeah, like the old fish stories, they
get better. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:28):
The hits were harder catches and we're longer.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
Yeah yeah, no doubt makes makes stories better.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
Yeah. Well that's great. Well, it's good that you stay
in touch with guys like that. I think it's super
important and it just hits home that much more when
someone like Clark passes and you go, gosh, darn it,
you wish you could have done more, but sometimes you
just can't. But you can do more with the people
that you're in touch with right now.
Speaker 1 (36:50):
That's right, all right.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
Travis, thanks for coming in. Really appreciate this.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
This has been Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (36:55):
Absolutely, Thank you, Travis. New episodes of Cut, Traded, Fired,
Retired are released on Tuesdays. Please follow and download this
podcast wherever you listen to podcasts and keep up on
new releases by following on Twitter and Instagram at ctf
our podcast and also on the website ctfurpodcast dot com.
If you like this episode, share it with someone, or,
(37:17):
better yet, share the whole podcast. There's some fantastic guests
on here. I'm your host, Susie Wargin. To find out
more about me, visit susieworgin dot com. Thanks for listening,
and until next time, please be careful, be safe, and
be kind. Take care
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