August 19, 2025 • 22 mins
Whether you saw him play for the Huskers or not, you need to hear the story of Ricky C. Simmons.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Scott Gorgeous.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
I want to go back just a few years to
how it sounded here on KFAB Radio when Ricky Simmons
got the ball. Here's Lyle Bremser with the call show.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
With the ball at the thirty eight yard line. Quarterback
Matpison just stood straight up and he hit a fly
pattern down the left sideline. Ricky Simmons got in behind
the cornerback on the left side. He got behind him,
had a perfect strike from Mapison, who can really throw
the football, and Ricky Simmons was never touched as he
(00:33):
burst down the left side of the field. They just
couldn't run him down.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Couldn't run him down. Ricky Simmons joins us here on
News Radio eleven ten KFAB. Welcome back to KFAB.
Speaker 4 (00:44):
Well, thank you very much, Scott. I really appreciate this opportunity.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Yeah, good to have your name back on this radio station,
not mister football doing it. So when you hear that clip,
what's that take you back to? Before we got into
the rest of the story. We're going to get into
an event coming up this Saturday that our friend Randy
Goodwin's going to tell us about. In a second, let's
just start with that clip. What's that do to you?
Speaker 4 (01:08):
Here? It gets me a little excited. You know, every
year about this time, I always I'm a diehard Husker fan.
Let's get that out there. I in my mind, I
started thinking about the times when things were really good
for Nebraska football, and I wish and hope for those
things to return very soon. So every time I hear
(01:30):
something like that, it reminds me of when things were
really good.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
You haven't played football in several decades, but here we
are at the time when high school football they're already
in two a day's class getting back in there. We
got the first game of the season this Saturday, and
college football preseason, NFL football is on there. Once a
football player, always a football player this time of year, right.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
Well, absolutely, I mean I'm I'm a bigger fan than
I am as far as a player, and I'll get
into that later, but I I just think that, you know,
it's it's a time when everybody can kind of put
their differences aside and pull and root for a common goal.
Speaker 5 (02:11):
Ricky C.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Simmons with us here on news radio eleven ten KFAB.
I'm always impressed by guys who can pull off using
their middle initial. I want to bring another one in.
Here's our good friend, Randy J.
Speaker 5 (02:24):
Goodwin.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Terrible athletes, so he went into acting at least I think,
is that how your life story goes?
Speaker 5 (02:31):
Randy Well?
Speaker 1 (02:33):
You know, as an actor, I can play a football player,
I can play a boxer. I can play anything I
want without actually getting hurt and dirty and sweaty.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Randy Goodwin from everything from Gray's Anatomy to Vampire Diaries
to Dynasty to my favorite car commercial of all time.
It's always a pleasure having you on here. Your group
fallen Giant Films online at Fallengiantfilms dot com. You guys
are you're hosting the event this Saturday. Give me the
details about this event on Saturday for the RCS. That's
(03:05):
Ricky C. Simmons Triumph Foundation at Randy Well.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Ricky does some great work out in the community. He
travels many places other states as outside of Nebraska, including Nebraska,
helping young people, helping older people. It doesn't matter. He
can tell you all about that side of it. But
I've witnessed him sharing his story and you know, it's
(03:34):
very touching. And the documentary that we did on him
looked like somebody the Ricky Simmons story has impacted so
many people. I just really wanted to help him do
more for the RCS Triumph Foundation. So I just told him, Hey,
I'm going to throw a fundraiser for you on Saturday.
Speaker 5 (03:59):
What is Saturday twenty third? This Saturday twenty third.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Yeah, the twenty third, And we've been gearing up for
a couple of months. Unfortunately, Scott, I.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Just had to Ricky, Oh, you're unfortunately, your phone's cutting
out here?
Speaker 5 (04:13):
Are you there?
Speaker 1 (04:16):
Yep?
Speaker 5 (04:16):
Okay, sorry, yeah, unfortunately you said what.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Sorry, I'm in the hotel in California here. Unfortunately, I
just shared with Ricky not too long ago the movie
that I'm working on here with Jeez Ron Pearlman and
James Franco. Important scenes got pushed and we had to
(04:41):
move the date to next month. I literally just shared
this with him hours ago.
Speaker 5 (04:45):
So you're not going to be here this Saturday.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
It is not happening this Saturday. I'm hosting it, so
it can't happen unless I'm there.
Speaker 5 (04:54):
Okay, So there is no event this Saturday.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
No, it's in September now, Okay.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
That's fine. Well, we'll just promote it again in September.
All right, see you guys know we'll do We want
to talk to Ricky about a story here. I know
you're at the mercy of producers and directors and so forth,
and Ron Pearlman's schedule, I'm guessing and everything going on here.
So tell me about before we let you go here, Randy,
(05:20):
tell me about the movie you're working on.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
It is a collaboration Fall and Giant Films is actually
one of the producing partners on it, with Timothy Woodward Junior,
who was also the director of Patrick Stibbs The Call
Back in twenty nineteen. He's done over sixty movies, and
you know, this project came up. And the only reason
I wanted to be in this movie was because Nick
(05:45):
Nolty was originally in the character that Ron Pearlman's playing.
And when I got here, they said, hey, we've got
some bad news. We couldn't work out Noltzy's schedule, and
I go, That's the main reason I wanted to come,
because I wanted to talk to a guy from Nebraska
and bring him back to working some projects with us.
(06:06):
But Lone Perlman is awesome, so it worked out. And
the movie is very gritty, and real, and it's about addiction,
and there's some crime and there's some action, and it's
really good. It's gonna be a good piece.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
No part of that dovetails into Ricky's story. Randy will
let you get back to shooting. Sorry, we're not gonna
be able to do this fundraiser this Saturday. But yeah,
there'll be details on Fallen Giantfilms dot com. I'm sure
Ricky's got his own website and we'll get all the
details on that one as well. But Randy will cut
(06:40):
you loose here this morning. And I appreciate, appreciate introducing
me to Ricky. I'm looking forward to talking to him.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
All right, You guys enjoy and I will talk.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
To you soon.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
All right, all right, little brother Randy Goodwin here on
news radio eleven ten kfa B. I love that guy,
so I've already had a chance to talk to him
a number of times. Get a little bit of his story. Ricky,
I'm just meeting here for the first time. When we
come back here in just a few minutes. Your story,
as Randy was just talking about that movie, it has
to do with addiction and crime and so forth. That's
(07:13):
your story as well. It was so set up for
stardom and greatness when it came to professional football and
didn't work out that way.
Speaker 5 (07:23):
We'll talk with Ricky C.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Simmons next Scott Voice News Radio eleven ten KFAB. We
just talked to Randy J. Goodwin Fallen Giantfilms dot Com,
who says, sorry, but the event this Saturday is off,
but we'll do something next month. So this is a
preview for an event to be named later for the
(07:47):
RCS Triumph Foundation RCS.
Speaker 5 (07:51):
Ricky C.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Simmons, who's here in the studio here by way of Greenville, Texas. Yea,
how did you end up then recruited to come play
football for Nebraska?
Speaker 4 (08:02):
Man? Let me see where did I start with this?
First of all, I gotta be honest with your audience.
Grew up in Texas and really wasn't a big football
fan or a fan of football. I should say it's
the time, but fifth grade something happened. My dad approached
me with a with a proposition. You know, it's like,
(08:25):
play football, I'll get you all these little things you
gotta have. Well, it got carried away, you know. I
wanted to bicycle, then you know, then clothes and then
a car. Well, I'm playing football for the for the
reasons that are not the best of reasons.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
And did your dad want you to play football to
kind of get you focused on being a part of
a team, listening to a coach, being accountable, all that stuff.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
That's a great question, Scott. I'm not really sure why
it was so important to him. I know he was
a good athlete, you know, and he made that really clear.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Yeah, or he just wanted you to play football because hey, Simmons,
men's play football.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
Go play basically, so what he said. You know, I
was a pretty good football player in my day. I
wish you know, I'd like for you to play football.
I'll get you all these little things you think you
got to have. Well, like I said, it got carried
all the way all the way into high school. And
I happened to play in a district that was one
of the toughest districts in the state of Texas. And
I'm allergic to contact. And I don't know if that
(09:31):
makes sense, but I'm just saying I'm playing this game
where it's all about contact, and I don't want to
be touched.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Well, as a winging back, you don't want to be touched. No, No,
I'll be the best, most elusive runner I can be
and they won't touch me.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
Right. And actually I was a running back in high
school so that I could kind of control how things
turned out. If I could not run you, I could
run o bounds or I could fall. And after ten
games I had over fifteen hundred yards and eighteen touchdowns.
And so all these schools started recruiting me to go
(10:07):
play college football, which I had no desire to do.
But the thing I will say is this when I.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Went don't pay attention to him. We're just on a
radio show.
Speaker 5 (10:18):
That's all right.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
Em Rose had to come in here to shake your
hand while you were talking.
Speaker 4 (10:22):
That's all good. Yeah, that's all good.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
We have commercial breaks for that kind of thing. But
go ahead there, Ricky.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
Well, you know, after having success on the football field,
all these schools showed up at my house. And I
had a high school teammate that was playing for Oklahoma.
He was a year older than me. He was a
freshman on OU's team, and him and Barry Swisser come
to the house. So I was like, well, I don't
really want to play college football, but if I know,
(10:48):
if I got to play. I'd rather play, you know,
in Oklahoma where I can run out of the wishbowe. Well,
while I was talking to Oklahoma or a knock at
the door and there's this young man named Tom osbo
was at the door. And when he came in, you know,
Barry Swisser was not very happy, but my parents.
Speaker 5 (11:09):
Was Switzer there at the time.
Speaker 4 (11:11):
Yeah, I was getting ready to actually sign with Oklahoma.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
So you're sitting there with Barry Switzer coach Oklahoma. Here
comes Nebraska head football coach Tom Osborne at the same time, at.
Speaker 5 (11:21):
The same time recruit underneath Barry swet.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
And the funniest thing about it was I was all
in with Oklahoma, but my parents, who were both in
heaven now, but they they had the meeting with coach
Osborne before the meeting, So, uh, my mom asked me,
before I make the final decision, let's hear what the
coach from Nebraska has to say. I wasn't very happy,
(11:47):
but I was like respectful, So I said, all right, okay.
You know, you know I told coach Swisser and my
high school teammate that was on Oklahoma team. I said, hey, man,
y'all just come wait outside, and so as I listened
to this drive.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
You know, as a as a diehard Husker fan who
loves and respects Oklahoma football, especially the Bootleggers boy coach Switzer,
I love that story.
Speaker 5 (12:08):
Hey, coach, why don't you sit outside? I'm gonna talk
to I.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
Want to talk to him. But when I get done
talking to Coach Osborne, I'm coming back, man, and we're gonna,
we're gonna.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
What did he say to you that caused you to
come to Nebraska.
Speaker 4 (12:21):
Well, that's that's what I mean by the meeting. Before
the meeting, Coach Osborne and my parents made the decision
before I even knew that I had to say so.
And uh after I asked a couple of questions which
went nowhere because Coach Osborne and then never answered me.
(12:41):
My mom answered for Coach Osborne, you know, and basically
letting me know the things that I wasn't gonna get
from Oklahoma, but you know, this is the opportunity you
have in Nebraska. Well I wasn't happy with that, but
my dad's a real no nonsense since guy World War
two veteran, very serious man, and when I tried to
(13:08):
stand up for myself, well, he stood up, and when
he stood up, you know, he was he had this
look and he's a very serious man. And when he
started coming toward me with his fistball up, I made
a business decision and I kind of started backing up.
And then I uh, I was like that where are
(13:30):
we going? He said, We're going Nebraska. I was like,
go be red.
Speaker 5 (13:35):
So that's how you ended up coming here.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
Yes, it wasn't it would be.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
And I have to jump ahead quite a bit in
the story here. I mean we could talk for hours
here as we're talking with Ricky Simmons about your time
playing football for Nebraska. That's a big part of your
story around here. But it would be years later when
coach Osborne would come to you again this is when
(13:59):
you were in jail.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
Yeah, I was actually in prison.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
So Nebraska football, you go into the USFL, Yeah, I
go there for you get into the NFL. The Falcons,
you know, pull you out of the USFL to come
play NFL football. How did you I mean we've only
got a couple of minutes here, like five minutes here.
How did you end up in jail?
Speaker 4 (14:20):
Well? I basically the cliff nosed version is I I
went to Atlanta Falcons, and before I could get started
really with them, I I had picked up a cocaine
addiction in the USFL.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
And I've read about the us FL, Yeah, and that
was all too common. That was not a serious football league.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
No.
Speaker 4 (14:42):
I mean it paid well, but it was real loose
and relax. Well. Anyways, I quit the Atlanta Falcons to
become a full time drug addict and landed me in
prison four times. Ten treatment centers graduated nine of them.
By the time I I was in prison for the
fourth time, I had lost everything. And uh, one day
(15:06):
in prison a guard that picked on me all the
time came up came. Uh, he came up to me.
It was a letter, and I was really pissed because
he was like, you know, inmate, Simmons, you got mailed.
And I was like, I don't get I don't have mail, sir.
And so I guess at this time he realized I
was kind of tired of him, so he threw this
letter on the floor and he took off. So I
(15:28):
don't even know why I choose to call it god,
but uh, I picked this letter up off the floor
and the letter was from the University of Nebraska, Athletic Department.
I hadn't talked to these people for over two decades.
Speaker 5 (15:39):
Like they want money?
Speaker 4 (15:40):
Is that well, I don't know what they want. I mean,
I didn't even know they knew I was in prison.
And I read opened up the letter after I got
past the embarrassment, and the letter was a paragraph. It said,
dear Ricky, I know your parents believed in you. I
believe in you and up on your release. If there's
anything I can do to help you, feel free to
contact me. And it was signed Tom Osborne. So right
then and there my prison cell, I fell on my
(16:02):
knees and I turned my life over to Christ and
sixteen years in counting later, I'm cleaning sober. I traveled
the country to speak to all different age groups, all
different populations, because I never want to see anyone make
the mistakes that I made.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
You don't get that letter from Coach Osborne. How do
you think your life goes.
Speaker 4 (16:22):
Well that particular day? And that's the one thing I
always give Coach Osborne credit for, because I visited him
weekly for the last sixteen years. The timing of the
letter was just as important as what was on the letter,
because I was kind of at a position a point
in my life where I didn't really care about much
of anything, and I was probably going to do something
(16:43):
to this guard that would have probably kept me incarcerated
for life.
Speaker 5 (16:48):
Man, that you know.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
In this era now of nil and we got players
coming in and out of programs for weeks or months
rather than careers. You you just don't know how many
of today's football coaches would be there for someone who
and let's face it, we talk about those early to
mid eighties and Nebraska football programs. You were a good player, right,
(17:14):
You weren't a superstar on those teams.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
No, Well, I had Irvin Fryar was the other receiver,
and then Micro's Turner Gill Roger Craig.
Speaker 5 (17:24):
It's a good player.
Speaker 4 (17:25):
Oh yeah, well you you had to earn your playing time.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
Yeah, you know, even guys like was it Andrew Franklin,
Jeff Davis right around that same Yeah, it touched down
Tony Davis.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
I mean, it was a lot of guys that came through. Man,
I'm talking guys that were really good, and I mean
the list goes on and on. I mean it was
Jeff Smith, it was Doug de Boss, it was I
am Hip Jarvis RedWine, you know, Paul Smith. It was
just a lot of great players.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
The fact that coach Osborn had kept tabs on you,
he knew this is not even I mean long before internet.
How did he even know you were in jail?
Speaker 4 (18:05):
That is a great question. I don't really know, but
I do know he have a long reach and I'm
pretty sure that somebody brought it to his attention and
he took the time to write that letter. It was
only a paragraph, but that's not the most important part.
It was the fact that he still believed in me,
(18:25):
and it was a deal that I'm pretty sure he
made with my parents. That was probably the meeting before
the meeting, like I will look after your son long
after he's done playing ball.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
One of my favorite stories about Coach Osburn comes from
Eric Crouch, and it's coach Osburn's last game. It's the
national what ends up being a National championship type game
against Tennessee and it's the night before the game and
Coach Osburn is sitting there. He's called Eric Crouch into
(18:58):
the room to you him out. Now, Eric was traveling
with the team, but as a red shirt, he wasn't
playing that day. Correct, but he's subject to the same
rules for the team, and he broke curfew and on
right before what ends up being his final game national
Championship implications, he's there calling out a red shirt freshman
(19:22):
who's never even played a snap for Nebraska to say,
you need to do better, you need to be the leader.
You're the future of this program and it starts right now.
That's the kind of man Coach Osbourne is.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
Absolutely you know, Scott, I couldn't I couldn't agree with
you more. And the reason why I say that is
because there's a lot of people that are all talk
and there are a lot of people about their action
and Coach Osborne has done some things for me personally
that I know he didn't have to do, and that
(19:53):
to me is priceless.
Speaker 5 (19:55):
You that is Ricky C. Simmons.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
He started the RCS Triumph found Fund we mentioned earlier
with thought they have an event this weekend, but it's
going to be pushed till next month.
Speaker 5 (20:05):
That's fine.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
If people are saying, look, I don't know when the
offenite is, how what is the Triumph Foundation about and
how can I help?
Speaker 4 (20:12):
Well, basically the foundation is thanks to coach Osborne back
in twenty seventeen. I actually created this foundation because I
was traveling around the country speaking and trying to help
youth an adults with the decision making and positive choices,
and also trying to be an example of redemption as possible.
(20:34):
But I was doing it all my dye and Coach
Osborne wasn't pleased with that. And on one of my
weekly meetings he made that really clear. You know. He says,
we've been hearing great things that you're doing, but we'd
like to know how many hotels, how many plane tickets,
how many you know, tanks of gas are you getting
for free? And I'm like, none, none. He was, no
(20:54):
more free stuff, Ricky. So I and I personally have
a problem asking for help, you know, I and I
think that's due to my past addiction. But uh, that's
why I create this foundation and coach Coach Osborne has
been behind it. And Randy has a similar problem too.
He doesn't like to ask for help, but he will
do he will ask for help from others. And so
(21:18):
he decided he brought this up. He's like, let's I'm
gonna do a found a fundraiser for your foundation. So I,
I mean I'm beyond thankful because I just don't have
it in me to say, hey, Scott, can you help me?
But this is just so that I can go around
the country and help people. I know that sounds kind
(21:38):
of old fashioned, but that's just the way my mind works,
and I just want to help as many people be
successful and not make poor choices like I did.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
Details online at Ricky C. Simmons dot com. Rickycsimmons dot
com you can learn more about his life and the
RCS Triumph Foundation. Rickycsimmons dot com. Ricky, so good to
meet you. We will definitely talk again.
Speaker 4 (22:02):
I will look forward to Scott Scott.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
Voies mornings nine to eleven our
Speaker 5 (22:08):
News Radio eleven ten KFAB
Scott Gorgeous.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
I want to go back just a few years to
how it sounded here on KFAB Radio when Ricky Simmons
got the ball. Here's Lyle Bremser with the call show.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
With the ball at the thirty eight yard line. Quarterback
Matpison just stood straight up and he hit a fly
pattern down the left sideline. Ricky Simmons got in behind
the cornerback on the left side. He got behind him,
had a perfect strike from Mapison, who can really throw
the football, and Ricky Simmons was never touched as he
(00:33):
burst down the left side of the field. They just
couldn't run him down.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Couldn't run him down. Ricky Simmons joins us here on
News Radio eleven ten KFAB. Welcome back to KFAB.
Speaker 4 (00:44):
Well, thank you very much, Scott. I really appreciate this opportunity.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Yeah, good to have your name back on this radio station,
not mister football doing it. So when you hear that clip,
what's that take you back to? Before we got into
the rest of the story. We're going to get into
an event coming up this Saturday that our friend Randy
Goodwin's going to tell us about. In a second, let's
just start with that clip. What's that do to you?
Speaker 4 (01:08):
Here? It gets me a little excited. You know, every
year about this time, I always I'm a diehard Husker fan.
Let's get that out there. I in my mind, I
started thinking about the times when things were really good
for Nebraska football, and I wish and hope for those
things to return very soon. So every time I hear
(01:30):
something like that, it reminds me of when things were
really good.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
You haven't played football in several decades, but here we
are at the time when high school football they're already
in two a day's class getting back in there. We
got the first game of the season this Saturday, and
college football preseason, NFL football is on there. Once a
football player, always a football player this time of year, right.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
Well, absolutely, I mean I'm I'm a bigger fan than
I am as far as a player, and I'll get
into that later, but I I just think that, you know,
it's it's a time when everybody can kind of put
their differences aside and pull and root for a common goal.
Speaker 5 (02:11):
Ricky C.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Simmons with us here on news radio eleven ten KFAB.
I'm always impressed by guys who can pull off using
their middle initial. I want to bring another one in.
Here's our good friend, Randy J.
Speaker 5 (02:24):
Goodwin.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Terrible athletes, so he went into acting at least I think,
is that how your life story goes?
Speaker 5 (02:31):
Randy Well?
Speaker 1 (02:33):
You know, as an actor, I can play a football player,
I can play a boxer. I can play anything I
want without actually getting hurt and dirty and sweaty.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Randy Goodwin from everything from Gray's Anatomy to Vampire Diaries
to Dynasty to my favorite car commercial of all time.
It's always a pleasure having you on here. Your group
fallen Giant Films online at Fallengiantfilms dot com. You guys
are you're hosting the event this Saturday. Give me the
details about this event on Saturday for the RCS. That's
(03:05):
Ricky C. Simmons Triumph Foundation at Randy Well.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Ricky does some great work out in the community. He
travels many places other states as outside of Nebraska, including Nebraska,
helping young people, helping older people. It doesn't matter. He
can tell you all about that side of it. But
I've witnessed him sharing his story and you know, it's
(03:34):
very touching. And the documentary that we did on him
looked like somebody the Ricky Simmons story has impacted so
many people. I just really wanted to help him do
more for the RCS Triumph Foundation. So I just told him, Hey,
I'm going to throw a fundraiser for you on Saturday.
Speaker 5 (03:59):
What is Saturday twenty third? This Saturday twenty third.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Yeah, the twenty third, And we've been gearing up for
a couple of months. Unfortunately, Scott, I.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Just had to Ricky, Oh, you're unfortunately, your phone's cutting
out here?
Speaker 5 (04:13):
Are you there?
Speaker 1 (04:16):
Yep?
Speaker 5 (04:16):
Okay, sorry, yeah, unfortunately you said what.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Sorry, I'm in the hotel in California here. Unfortunately, I
just shared with Ricky not too long ago the movie
that I'm working on here with Jeez Ron Pearlman and
James Franco. Important scenes got pushed and we had to
(04:41):
move the date to next month. I literally just shared
this with him hours ago.
Speaker 5 (04:45):
So you're not going to be here this Saturday.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
It is not happening this Saturday. I'm hosting it, so
it can't happen unless I'm there.
Speaker 5 (04:54):
Okay, So there is no event this Saturday.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
No, it's in September now, Okay.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
That's fine. Well, we'll just promote it again in September.
All right, see you guys know we'll do We want
to talk to Ricky about a story here. I know
you're at the mercy of producers and directors and so forth,
and Ron Pearlman's schedule, I'm guessing and everything going on here.
So tell me about before we let you go here, Randy,
(05:20):
tell me about the movie you're working on.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
It is a collaboration Fall and Giant Films is actually
one of the producing partners on it, with Timothy Woodward Junior,
who was also the director of Patrick Stibbs The Call
Back in twenty nineteen. He's done over sixty movies, and
you know, this project came up. And the only reason
I wanted to be in this movie was because Nick
(05:45):
Nolty was originally in the character that Ron Pearlman's playing.
And when I got here, they said, hey, we've got
some bad news. We couldn't work out Noltzy's schedule, and
I go, That's the main reason I wanted to come,
because I wanted to talk to a guy from Nebraska
and bring him back to working some projects with us.
(06:06):
But Lone Perlman is awesome, so it worked out. And
the movie is very gritty, and real, and it's about addiction,
and there's some crime and there's some action, and it's
really good. It's gonna be a good piece.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
No part of that dovetails into Ricky's story. Randy will
let you get back to shooting. Sorry, we're not gonna
be able to do this fundraiser this Saturday. But yeah,
there'll be details on Fallen Giantfilms dot com. I'm sure
Ricky's got his own website and we'll get all the
details on that one as well. But Randy will cut
(06:40):
you loose here this morning. And I appreciate, appreciate introducing
me to Ricky. I'm looking forward to talking to him.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
All right, You guys enjoy and I will talk.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
To you soon.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
All right, all right, little brother Randy Goodwin here on
news radio eleven ten kfa B. I love that guy,
so I've already had a chance to talk to him
a number of times. Get a little bit of his story. Ricky,
I'm just meeting here for the first time. When we
come back here in just a few minutes. Your story,
as Randy was just talking about that movie, it has
to do with addiction and crime and so forth. That's
(07:13):
your story as well. It was so set up for
stardom and greatness when it came to professional football and
didn't work out that way.
Speaker 5 (07:23):
We'll talk with Ricky C.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Simmons next Scott Voice News Radio eleven ten KFAB. We
just talked to Randy J. Goodwin Fallen Giantfilms dot Com,
who says, sorry, but the event this Saturday is off,
but we'll do something next month. So this is a
preview for an event to be named later for the
(07:47):
RCS Triumph Foundation RCS.
Speaker 5 (07:51):
Ricky C.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Simmons, who's here in the studio here by way of Greenville, Texas. Yea,
how did you end up then recruited to come play
football for Nebraska?
Speaker 4 (08:02):
Man? Let me see where did I start with this?
First of all, I gotta be honest with your audience.
Grew up in Texas and really wasn't a big football
fan or a fan of football. I should say it's
the time, but fifth grade something happened. My dad approached
me with a with a proposition. You know, it's like,
(08:25):
play football, I'll get you all these little things you
gotta have. Well, it got carried away, you know. I
wanted to bicycle, then you know, then clothes and then
a car. Well, I'm playing football for the for the
reasons that are not the best of reasons.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
And did your dad want you to play football to
kind of get you focused on being a part of
a team, listening to a coach, being accountable, all that stuff.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
That's a great question, Scott. I'm not really sure why
it was so important to him. I know he was
a good athlete, you know, and he made that really clear.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Yeah, or he just wanted you to play football because hey, Simmons,
men's play football.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
Go play basically, so what he said. You know, I
was a pretty good football player in my day. I
wish you know, I'd like for you to play football.
I'll get you all these little things you think you
got to have. Well, like I said, it got carried
all the way all the way into high school. And
I happened to play in a district that was one
of the toughest districts in the state of Texas. And
I'm allergic to contact. And I don't know if that
(09:31):
makes sense, but I'm just saying I'm playing this game
where it's all about contact, and I don't want to
be touched.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Well, as a winging back, you don't want to be touched. No, No,
I'll be the best, most elusive runner I can be
and they won't touch me.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
Right. And actually I was a running back in high
school so that I could kind of control how things
turned out. If I could not run you, I could
run o bounds or I could fall. And after ten
games I had over fifteen hundred yards and eighteen touchdowns.
And so all these schools started recruiting me to go
(10:07):
play college football, which I had no desire to do.
But the thing I will say is this when I.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Went don't pay attention to him. We're just on a
radio show.
Speaker 5 (10:18):
That's all right.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
Em Rose had to come in here to shake your
hand while you were talking.
Speaker 4 (10:22):
That's all good. Yeah, that's all good.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
We have commercial breaks for that kind of thing. But
go ahead there, Ricky.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
Well, you know, after having success on the football field,
all these schools showed up at my house. And I
had a high school teammate that was playing for Oklahoma.
He was a year older than me. He was a
freshman on OU's team, and him and Barry Swisser come
to the house. So I was like, well, I don't
really want to play college football, but if I know,
(10:48):
if I got to play. I'd rather play, you know,
in Oklahoma where I can run out of the wishbowe. Well,
while I was talking to Oklahoma or a knock at
the door and there's this young man named Tom osbo
was at the door. And when he came in, you know,
Barry Swisser was not very happy, but my parents.
Speaker 5 (11:09):
Was Switzer there at the time.
Speaker 4 (11:11):
Yeah, I was getting ready to actually sign with Oklahoma.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
So you're sitting there with Barry Switzer coach Oklahoma. Here
comes Nebraska head football coach Tom Osborne at the same time, at.
Speaker 5 (11:21):
The same time recruit underneath Barry swet.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
And the funniest thing about it was I was all
in with Oklahoma, but my parents, who were both in
heaven now, but they they had the meeting with coach
Osborne before the meeting, So, uh, my mom asked me,
before I make the final decision, let's hear what the
coach from Nebraska has to say. I wasn't very happy,
(11:47):
but I was like respectful, So I said, all right, okay.
You know, you know I told coach Swisser and my
high school teammate that was on Oklahoma team. I said, hey, man,
y'all just come wait outside, and so as I listened
to this drive.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
You know, as a as a diehard Husker fan who
loves and respects Oklahoma football, especially the Bootleggers boy coach Switzer,
I love that story.
Speaker 5 (12:08):
Hey, coach, why don't you sit outside? I'm gonna talk
to I.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
Want to talk to him. But when I get done
talking to Coach Osborne, I'm coming back, man, and we're gonna,
we're gonna.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
What did he say to you that caused you to
come to Nebraska.
Speaker 4 (12:21):
Well, that's that's what I mean by the meeting. Before
the meeting, Coach Osborne and my parents made the decision
before I even knew that I had to say so.
And uh after I asked a couple of questions which
went nowhere because Coach Osborne and then never answered me.
(12:41):
My mom answered for Coach Osborne, you know, and basically
letting me know the things that I wasn't gonna get
from Oklahoma, but you know, this is the opportunity you
have in Nebraska. Well I wasn't happy with that, but
my dad's a real no nonsense since guy World War
two veteran, very serious man, and when I tried to
(13:08):
stand up for myself, well, he stood up, and when
he stood up, you know, he was he had this
look and he's a very serious man. And when he
started coming toward me with his fistball up, I made
a business decision and I kind of started backing up.
And then I uh, I was like that where are
(13:30):
we going? He said, We're going Nebraska. I was like,
go be red.
Speaker 5 (13:35):
So that's how you ended up coming here.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
Yes, it wasn't it would be.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
And I have to jump ahead quite a bit in
the story here. I mean we could talk for hours
here as we're talking with Ricky Simmons about your time
playing football for Nebraska. That's a big part of your
story around here. But it would be years later when
coach Osborne would come to you again this is when
(13:59):
you were in jail.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
Yeah, I was actually in prison.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
So Nebraska football, you go into the USFL, Yeah, I
go there for you get into the NFL. The Falcons,
you know, pull you out of the USFL to come
play NFL football. How did you I mean we've only
got a couple of minutes here, like five minutes here.
How did you end up in jail?
Speaker 4 (14:20):
Well? I basically the cliff nosed version is I I
went to Atlanta Falcons, and before I could get started
really with them, I I had picked up a cocaine
addiction in the USFL.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
And I've read about the us FL, Yeah, and that
was all too common. That was not a serious football league.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
No.
Speaker 4 (14:42):
I mean it paid well, but it was real loose
and relax. Well. Anyways, I quit the Atlanta Falcons to
become a full time drug addict and landed me in
prison four times. Ten treatment centers graduated nine of them.
By the time I I was in prison for the
fourth time, I had lost everything. And uh, one day
(15:06):
in prison a guard that picked on me all the
time came up came. Uh, he came up to me.
It was a letter, and I was really pissed because
he was like, you know, inmate, Simmons, you got mailed.
And I was like, I don't get I don't have mail, sir.
And so I guess at this time he realized I
was kind of tired of him, so he threw this
letter on the floor and he took off. So I
(15:28):
don't even know why I choose to call it god,
but uh, I picked this letter up off the floor
and the letter was from the University of Nebraska, Athletic Department.
I hadn't talked to these people for over two decades.
Speaker 5 (15:39):
Like they want money?
Speaker 4 (15:40):
Is that well, I don't know what they want. I mean,
I didn't even know they knew I was in prison.
And I read opened up the letter after I got
past the embarrassment, and the letter was a paragraph. It said,
dear Ricky, I know your parents believed in you. I
believe in you and up on your release. If there's
anything I can do to help you, feel free to
contact me. And it was signed Tom Osborne. So right
then and there my prison cell, I fell on my
(16:02):
knees and I turned my life over to Christ and
sixteen years in counting later, I'm cleaning sober. I traveled
the country to speak to all different age groups, all
different populations, because I never want to see anyone make
the mistakes that I made.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
You don't get that letter from Coach Osborne. How do
you think your life goes.
Speaker 4 (16:22):
Well that particular day? And that's the one thing I
always give Coach Osborne credit for, because I visited him
weekly for the last sixteen years. The timing of the
letter was just as important as what was on the letter,
because I was kind of at a position a point
in my life where I didn't really care about much
of anything, and I was probably going to do something
(16:43):
to this guard that would have probably kept me incarcerated
for life.
Speaker 5 (16:48):
Man, that you know.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
In this era now of nil and we got players
coming in and out of programs for weeks or months
rather than careers. You you just don't know how many
of today's football coaches would be there for someone who
and let's face it, we talk about those early to
mid eighties and Nebraska football programs. You were a good player, right,
(17:14):
You weren't a superstar on those teams.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
No, Well, I had Irvin Fryar was the other receiver,
and then Micro's Turner Gill Roger Craig.
Speaker 5 (17:24):
It's a good player.
Speaker 4 (17:25):
Oh yeah, well you you had to earn your playing time.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
Yeah, you know, even guys like was it Andrew Franklin,
Jeff Davis right around that same Yeah, it touched down
Tony Davis.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
I mean, it was a lot of guys that came through. Man,
I'm talking guys that were really good, and I mean
the list goes on and on. I mean it was
Jeff Smith, it was Doug de Boss, it was I
am Hip Jarvis RedWine, you know, Paul Smith. It was
just a lot of great players.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
The fact that coach Osborn had kept tabs on you,
he knew this is not even I mean long before internet.
How did he even know you were in jail?
Speaker 4 (18:05):
That is a great question. I don't really know, but
I do know he have a long reach and I'm
pretty sure that somebody brought it to his attention and
he took the time to write that letter. It was
only a paragraph, but that's not the most important part.
It was the fact that he still believed in me,
(18:25):
and it was a deal that I'm pretty sure he
made with my parents. That was probably the meeting before
the meeting, like I will look after your son long
after he's done playing ball.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
One of my favorite stories about Coach Osburn comes from
Eric Crouch, and it's coach Osburn's last game. It's the
national what ends up being a National championship type game
against Tennessee and it's the night before the game and
Coach Osburn is sitting there. He's called Eric Crouch into
(18:58):
the room to you him out. Now, Eric was traveling
with the team, but as a red shirt, he wasn't
playing that day. Correct, but he's subject to the same
rules for the team, and he broke curfew and on
right before what ends up being his final game national
Championship implications, he's there calling out a red shirt freshman
(19:22):
who's never even played a snap for Nebraska to say,
you need to do better, you need to be the leader.
You're the future of this program and it starts right now.
That's the kind of man Coach Osbourne is.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
Absolutely you know, Scott, I couldn't I couldn't agree with
you more. And the reason why I say that is
because there's a lot of people that are all talk
and there are a lot of people about their action
and Coach Osborne has done some things for me personally
that I know he didn't have to do, and that
(19:53):
to me is priceless.
Speaker 5 (19:55):
You that is Ricky C. Simmons.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
He started the RCS Triumph found Fund we mentioned earlier
with thought they have an event this weekend, but it's
going to be pushed till next month.
Speaker 5 (20:05):
That's fine.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
If people are saying, look, I don't know when the
offenite is, how what is the Triumph Foundation about and
how can I help?
Speaker 4 (20:12):
Well, basically the foundation is thanks to coach Osborne back
in twenty seventeen. I actually created this foundation because I
was traveling around the country speaking and trying to help
youth an adults with the decision making and positive choices,
and also trying to be an example of redemption as possible.
(20:34):
But I was doing it all my dye and Coach
Osborne wasn't pleased with that. And on one of my
weekly meetings he made that really clear. You know. He says,
we've been hearing great things that you're doing, but we'd
like to know how many hotels, how many plane tickets,
how many you know, tanks of gas are you getting
for free? And I'm like, none, none. He was, no
(20:54):
more free stuff, Ricky. So I and I personally have
a problem asking for help, you know, I and I
think that's due to my past addiction. But uh, that's
why I create this foundation and coach Coach Osborne has
been behind it. And Randy has a similar problem too.
He doesn't like to ask for help, but he will
do he will ask for help from others. And so
(21:18):
he decided he brought this up. He's like, let's I'm
gonna do a found a fundraiser for your foundation. So I,
I mean I'm beyond thankful because I just don't have
it in me to say, hey, Scott, can you help me?
But this is just so that I can go around
the country and help people. I know that sounds kind
(21:38):
of old fashioned, but that's just the way my mind works,
and I just want to help as many people be
successful and not make poor choices like I did.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
Details online at Ricky C. Simmons dot com. Rickycsimmons dot
com you can learn more about his life and the
RCS Triumph Foundation. Rickycsimmons dot com. Ricky, so good to
meet you. We will definitely talk again.
Speaker 4 (22:02):
I will look forward to Scott Scott.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
Voies mornings nine to eleven our
Speaker 5 (22:08):
News Radio eleven ten KFAB
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