September 18, 2025 • 10 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, Rich Wingo’s football journey began under legendary Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, whose tough, uncompromising style forged players into men prepared for more than just Saturdays in Tuscaloosa. Bryant’s influence followed Wingo beyond his college years and into the NFL, where he suited up for the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. It was in those two worlds, the Crimson Tide and the Packers, that Wingo’s understanding of discipline, perseverance, and faith deepened. Looking back, he shares how the lessons from a storied college football program and one of the NFL’s most iconic franchises transformed not just his playing career, but his entire outlook on life.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
And we continue with our American stories. Up next, a
story from Rich Wingo. Wingo played football at the University
of Alabama under legendary coach Paul Bahar Bryant. Brian is
considered by many to be one of the greatest college
football coaches of all time. Wingo also played five seasons
(00:30):
for the Green Bay Packers from nineteen seventy nine to
nineteen eighty four. Here's Rich Wingo with the story of
how his time under coach Bryant and with the Green
Bay Packers transformed his life.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
I was raised in northern Indiana, Elkhart. It's right on
the Michigan line. Coach Bryant recruited me. I was looking
to go to had committed to Notre Dame and coach Bryant.
I just felt it was too far from home and
actually committed to Notre Dame and my father. I came
(01:05):
home from that visit that weekend and my father said,
that's a great school.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
You get a great education.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
He said, but Rich, I don't want to see you
come through that back door until Christmas time because I
was twenty minutes from Notre Dame. And when you know,
when he was seventeen and left high school. He went
and fought in the World War, and he wanted me
to separate. And so that after that, that's you know,
hurt my failings actually, you know, honestly. And I told
my high school coach I wanted to visit Alabama because
(01:31):
they had recruited me.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
And I did. I came down here. It was February.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
It was seventy degrees and beautiful, and I left thirteen
below in Chicago. But I wanted to be a part
of something special. Coach Bryant said, if I wanted to
be a part of something and work hard, pay a price.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
I was welcome.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
If I didn't put me on a plane and send
me home, well, Coach Brian, I don't think like me
too much. One day at practice a week before our
first game, I was a starting medal i'mbacker, and he
kicked me off the team, kicked me off the field.
And I met him in his office that night after practice,
and he told me he thought I was a good player,
(02:09):
he thought he was a good coach, but he just
wasn't sure if he wanted me on his team.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
It broke my heart, crushed me.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
He told me that I was satisfied and content with
where I was, and he said, I want people around
me that are.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Sold out, all in committed, and he said rich or not.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
I was starting the year before as a sophomore, but
that's not what he was taught. He said he could
take people less of an athlete. He said, I can
take those guys, and I can win championships with those
guys because they want to get a little better every
single day. And he was spot on, and by the
grace of God, the next day he took me back.
(02:47):
He told me that will pretend like nothing ever happened,
and in fact, everything happened. I was the first person
on the field, the last to leave, the one that
was in every drill, gave it everything had, you know,
in the weight room, in the in the film room.
You know, that day, the next day, the next day,
and over a period of time, you know, I got it.
(03:09):
I came from a place of commit content to commit it.
And it's because he cared enough about me to push
me to take me to a place that I didn't
want to go.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
And I'm so thankful that he got me there.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
In the years at Green Bay, the seven years I
played at Green Bay, I mean, you know, I would
always look back on that and that was the difference
in my football and probably my life as far as effort. So,
Coach Bryant had a huge impact on my life. But
one thing I do worry about today. You know, I
(03:42):
couldn't imagine being a coach today with having the ability
to know that if I get on this player because
he desperately needs someone to tough love him and make
him do things that he doesn't want to do. I mean,
that's what coaches do. That he has the opportunity to
(04:03):
never come back. He's going to the portal, he's going
to transfer tomorrow, and he's being paid. He can leave
whenever he wants to leave. I mean, I'm sorry, but
when I was eighteen nineteen years old, I was very immature.
I do stupid things and we don't like to be
told what to do. At that age, I couldn't imagine
(04:24):
coaching today.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
You know.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
When I was there, we lived in a dorm. They
paid for our food, they paid for our education. We
felt blessed that we were getting a free education.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
We had to work for it, but what an honor.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
And today I feel like these young people feel entitled
because they're made to feel entitled, and I think it's
just I wouldn't raise my sons that way. You know,
if you really love someone, the greatest thing, the best
thing you can do is make them do.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Things they don't want to do. That's the beauty of sport.
But see today, if he were to kick rich Wingo
off the team his junior year starting inside linebacker, I
would have had my nose in the air and I
would have gone to the portal and I would have
gone to just given up and missed the greatest lesson
(05:16):
that I could have learned. It was my.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Fourth year at Green Bay. I had a made married
to my college sweetheart, starting middle linebacker for the Green
Bay Packers, and that was my life's dream. God, I mean,
you know, doesn't get any better. But about halfway through
the season, there was something terribly missing and it had
nothing to do with football. But football didn't fulfill and
(05:41):
I came to a place in my life where I
just said, there's got to be more to life than this.
And I was searching and really searching, and God stationed
a man in my life. His name was John Anderson.
Andy was an All American outside linebacker for Michigan. Andy
was my roommate for saying years. When we would travel
(06:02):
on the road, Andy was in charge of chapel services,
and he would always invite me to chapel, and seldom
would I ever go. We'd get in town on a
Saturday afternoon, we'd meet and have chapel and then play
the game on Sunday.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
But seldom did I go.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Just because I knew what was right, but I always
chose what was wrong. My parents did a wonderful job.
My dad was a deacon, my mom taught Sunday school.
I mean, listen, I was raised in the church. I
knew what was right. It's just that I chose to do.
I wanted to live my life, and I was lost.
You know, the Bible says that the evidence of your
(06:41):
salvation is by the fruit, and I was burying no fruit.
I walked the aisle, I checked the box. I was baptized.
I checked that back when I was twelve years old.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
But I was as lost as lost could be.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
And Andy invited me to chapel.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
We were playing the New York.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Jets in New York, and he said, Rich, come, there's
going to be a famous baseball player New York Yankee
Hall of famer, and so I thought, well, I'm searching,
I'll go. So I went, I don't even remember his name.
I just remember one thing that he said. He said
he envisioned Judgment Day being like this, and he said
that he stepped through a turnstile and Jesus Christ was
(07:19):
seated on his right and Satan was seated on his left.
And he said, Almighty God was on this unbelievable throne.
And he said it was just he said the words
I couldn't even explo I couldn't even look at. He
had my attention, and he said, when it was my turn,
this huge semi truck backed up, and Satan stands up,
opens the tractor trailer doors and it's packed full of
(07:40):
computer print out paper that the truck. You know, remember
how computer print out paper was. It was all connected
and the smallest print and he said, he said that
Satan grabbed the end of it and he started reading.
And he said, he's reading the filthiest, sickest, most perverted
sin you and I have ever heard. And he said,
in front of God. And he said, in front of Jesus,
(08:01):
who gave his life for the sin. And he said,
all of a sudden I realized that what he was
reading was my sin. Those were all That truck is
packed full of my sin. Now he's really got my attention.
And he said that, he said in front of God,
and he said, it just goes on and on. The
sins of the mind, the sins of the mouth, the arrogance,
(08:22):
the flesh, the filth, the lust, the anger, the pain.
He said, it's all and he just goes on. He's
loving it, and it's God finally interrupts him and looks
at him, and he said, what about it? And he said,
before I could just say, Father, just cast me to hell,
because that's what I deserve, he said. Jesus stood up,
put his hand to the Father and said, Father, he's
(08:43):
with me. And I remember sitting there in that New
York hotel meeting room say to myself, Jesus.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Christ would never stand for me. I'm a joke. I'm
a liar.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
From the world's view, I was a good guy. I
didn't do drugs. I didn't cheat on my wife, but
I would have because I was searching and I couldn't
wait to get out of there. I'd like to tell
you I gave my life to Christ. I was too prideful,
too arrogant. I didn't want my teammates to see me.
(09:17):
And three weeks I ran from Almighty God and I
found myself in an empty Green Bay locker room one night,
the last guy there.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
I don't know how to know why.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
I don't know where the managers, I don't know where
the trainers were. I was just in my locker and
I was just sitting there saying, I mean, I'm I'm
the middle linebacker for the Green Bay, I'm the signal caller,
I'm the quarterback of the day, and I could care
less about the game.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
And I just begged Jesus Christ. I said, Man, if
you are real, come into my life, change me, take
control of my life.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
No longer am I the authority of my life, that
you be the authority. And then I put my faith
and my trust in you.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
And he did.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
I mean, I was one of those guys that was
radically changed. I mean, people thought I'd got a concussion
or something. You know, I was the talk did you
hear about?
Speaker 3 (10:09):
Did you see? You know? How was that guy? Amen?
Speaker 1 (10:13):
And a terrific job on the production and editing by
Greg Hengler. A special thanks to rich Wingo for sharing
his story and a shout out to eighteen nineteen News
and they're a media company in Alabama. And my goodness,
that story about Bear Bryant and that confrontation. Bear says,
I want people who are sold out, all in and committed,
(10:35):
and you're not. And as Wingo told us, everything changed.
Rich Wingo's story of Bear Bryant and the faith journey
of Rich Wingo. Here on our American Stories
And we continue with our American stories. Up next, a
story from Rich Wingo. Wingo played football at the University
of Alabama under legendary coach Paul Bahar Bryant. Brian is
considered by many to be one of the greatest college
football coaches of all time. Wingo also played five seasons
(00:30):
for the Green Bay Packers from nineteen seventy nine to
nineteen eighty four. Here's Rich Wingo with the story of
how his time under coach Bryant and with the Green
Bay Packers transformed his life.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
I was raised in northern Indiana, Elkhart. It's right on
the Michigan line. Coach Bryant recruited me. I was looking
to go to had committed to Notre Dame and coach Bryant.
I just felt it was too far from home and
actually committed to Notre Dame and my father. I came
(01:05):
home from that visit that weekend and my father said,
that's a great school.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
You get a great education.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
He said, but Rich, I don't want to see you
come through that back door until Christmas time because I
was twenty minutes from Notre Dame. And when you know,
when he was seventeen and left high school. He went
and fought in the World War, and he wanted me
to separate. And so that after that, that's you know,
hurt my failings actually, you know, honestly. And I told
my high school coach I wanted to visit Alabama because
(01:31):
they had recruited me.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
And I did. I came down here. It was February.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
It was seventy degrees and beautiful, and I left thirteen
below in Chicago. But I wanted to be a part
of something special. Coach Bryant said, if I wanted to
be a part of something and work hard, pay a price.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
I was welcome.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
If I didn't put me on a plane and send
me home, well, Coach Brian, I don't think like me
too much. One day at practice a week before our
first game, I was a starting medal i'mbacker, and he
kicked me off the team, kicked me off the field.
And I met him in his office that night after practice,
and he told me he thought I was a good player,
(02:09):
he thought he was a good coach, but he just
wasn't sure if he wanted me on his team.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
It broke my heart, crushed me.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
He told me that I was satisfied and content with
where I was, and he said, I want people around
me that are.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Sold out, all in committed, and he said rich or not.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
I was starting the year before as a sophomore, but
that's not what he was taught. He said he could
take people less of an athlete. He said, I can
take those guys, and I can win championships with those
guys because they want to get a little better every
single day. And he was spot on, and by the
grace of God, the next day he took me back.
(02:47):
He told me that will pretend like nothing ever happened,
and in fact, everything happened. I was the first person
on the field, the last to leave, the one that
was in every drill, gave it everything had, you know,
in the weight room, in the in the film room.
You know, that day, the next day, the next day,
and over a period of time, you know, I got it.
(03:09):
I came from a place of commit content to commit it.
And it's because he cared enough about me to push
me to take me to a place that I didn't
want to go.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
And I'm so thankful that he got me there.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
In the years at Green Bay, the seven years I
played at Green Bay, I mean, you know, I would
always look back on that and that was the difference
in my football and probably my life as far as effort. So,
Coach Bryant had a huge impact on my life. But
one thing I do worry about today. You know, I
(03:42):
couldn't imagine being a coach today with having the ability
to know that if I get on this player because
he desperately needs someone to tough love him and make
him do things that he doesn't want to do. I mean,
that's what coaches do. That he has the opportunity to
(04:03):
never come back. He's going to the portal, he's going
to transfer tomorrow, and he's being paid. He can leave
whenever he wants to leave. I mean, I'm sorry, but
when I was eighteen nineteen years old, I was very immature.
I do stupid things and we don't like to be
told what to do. At that age, I couldn't imagine
(04:24):
coaching today.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
You know.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
When I was there, we lived in a dorm. They
paid for our food, they paid for our education. We
felt blessed that we were getting a free education.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
We had to work for it, but what an honor.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
And today I feel like these young people feel entitled
because they're made to feel entitled, and I think it's
just I wouldn't raise my sons that way. You know,
if you really love someone, the greatest thing, the best
thing you can do is make them do.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Things they don't want to do. That's the beauty of sport.
But see today, if he were to kick rich Wingo
off the team his junior year starting inside linebacker, I
would have had my nose in the air and I
would have gone to the portal and I would have
gone to just given up and missed the greatest lesson
(05:16):
that I could have learned. It was my.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Fourth year at Green Bay. I had a made married
to my college sweetheart, starting middle linebacker for the Green
Bay Packers, and that was my life's dream. God, I mean,
you know, doesn't get any better. But about halfway through
the season, there was something terribly missing and it had
nothing to do with football. But football didn't fulfill and
(05:41):
I came to a place in my life where I
just said, there's got to be more to life than this.
And I was searching and really searching, and God stationed
a man in my life. His name was John Anderson.
Andy was an All American outside linebacker for Michigan. Andy
was my roommate for saying years. When we would travel
(06:02):
on the road, Andy was in charge of chapel services,
and he would always invite me to chapel, and seldom
would I ever go. We'd get in town on a
Saturday afternoon, we'd meet and have chapel and then play
the game on Sunday.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
But seldom did I go.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Just because I knew what was right, but I always
chose what was wrong. My parents did a wonderful job.
My dad was a deacon, my mom taught Sunday school.
I mean, listen, I was raised in the church. I
knew what was right. It's just that I chose to do.
I wanted to live my life, and I was lost.
You know, the Bible says that the evidence of your
(06:41):
salvation is by the fruit, and I was burying no fruit.
I walked the aisle, I checked the box. I was baptized.
I checked that back when I was twelve years old.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
But I was as lost as lost could be.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
And Andy invited me to chapel.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
We were playing the New York.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Jets in New York, and he said, Rich, come, there's
going to be a famous baseball player New York Yankee
Hall of famer, and so I thought, well, I'm searching,
I'll go. So I went, I don't even remember his name.
I just remember one thing that he said. He said
he envisioned Judgment Day being like this, and he said
that he stepped through a turnstile and Jesus Christ was
(07:19):
seated on his right and Satan was seated on his left.
And he said, Almighty God was on this unbelievable throne.
And he said it was just he said the words
I couldn't even explo I couldn't even look at. He
had my attention, and he said, when it was my turn,
this huge semi truck backed up, and Satan stands up,
opens the tractor trailer doors and it's packed full of
(07:40):
computer print out paper that the truck. You know, remember
how computer print out paper was. It was all connected
and the smallest print and he said, he said that
Satan grabbed the end of it and he started reading.
And he said, he's reading the filthiest, sickest, most perverted
sin you and I have ever heard. And he said,
in front of God. And he said, in front of Jesus,
(08:01):
who gave his life for the sin. And he said,
all of a sudden I realized that what he was
reading was my sin. Those were all That truck is
packed full of my sin. Now he's really got my attention.
And he said that, he said in front of God,
and he said, it just goes on and on. The
sins of the mind, the sins of the mouth, the arrogance,
(08:22):
the flesh, the filth, the lust, the anger, the pain.
He said, it's all and he just goes on. He's
loving it, and it's God finally interrupts him and looks
at him, and he said, what about it? And he said,
before I could just say, Father, just cast me to hell,
because that's what I deserve, he said. Jesus stood up,
put his hand to the Father and said, Father, he's
(08:43):
with me. And I remember sitting there in that New
York hotel meeting room say to myself, Jesus.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Christ would never stand for me. I'm a joke. I'm
a liar.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
From the world's view, I was a good guy. I
didn't do drugs. I didn't cheat on my wife, but
I would have because I was searching and I couldn't
wait to get out of there. I'd like to tell
you I gave my life to Christ. I was too prideful,
too arrogant. I didn't want my teammates to see me.
(09:17):
And three weeks I ran from Almighty God and I
found myself in an empty Green Bay locker room one night,
the last guy there.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
I don't know how to know why.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
I don't know where the managers, I don't know where
the trainers were. I was just in my locker and
I was just sitting there saying, I mean, I'm I'm
the middle linebacker for the Green Bay, I'm the signal caller,
I'm the quarterback of the day, and I could care
less about the game.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
And I just begged Jesus Christ. I said, Man, if
you are real, come into my life, change me, take
control of my life.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
No longer am I the authority of my life, that
you be the authority. And then I put my faith
and my trust in you.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
And he did.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
I mean, I was one of those guys that was
radically changed. I mean, people thought I'd got a concussion
or something. You know, I was the talk did you
hear about?
Speaker 3 (10:09):
Did you see? You know? How was that guy? Amen?
Speaker 1 (10:13):
And a terrific job on the production and editing by
Greg Hengler. A special thanks to rich Wingo for sharing
his story and a shout out to eighteen nineteen News
and they're a media company in Alabama. And my goodness,
that story about Bear Bryant and that confrontation. Bear says,
I want people who are sold out, all in and committed,
(10:35):
and you're not. And as Wingo told us, everything changed.
Rich Wingo's story of Bear Bryant and the faith journey
of Rich Wingo. Here on our American Stories
Host
Lee Habeeb
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