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June 4, 2025 13 mins
DJ Kristyles sits down with Ray Freeman, a former NFL player and a proud member of the National High School Football Hall of Fame . Freeman shares his journey from his standout days at Warrensville Heights High School to playing for the Denver Broncos . He opens up about the challenges that led to his early retirement and a life-threatening battle with kidney failure, which ultimately led to a second chance at life through a kidney transplant.
  
Beyond the field, Freeman discusses his transition into community leadership and his efforts to uplift youth through mentorship and advocacy. Tune in to hear how this hometown hero turned personal trials into triumphs, continuing to make a lasting impact both on and off the field . 

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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
This is WOVU Studios, the number one DJ in the game.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Well one, two three, you're in the mix with DJ
and Chris Styles.

Speaker 1 (00:13):
Ninety five point now f Magy Boy, DJ, Chris Styles
WII is here and I love football because I just
got Doun coaching high school football and it is over
for me now nowork coaching high school football.

Speaker 3 (00:29):
I got Ray Freeman here at National Hote. What's that?

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Right? Was good? What's up? Man?

Speaker 1 (00:35):
How you doing, sir, blessing blessed? That'd be a great
time for you right now.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
Correct, it's a great, great time. I got a couple
of events happening, and I'm just glad to be on
your show, sir.

Speaker 3 (00:49):
I'm glad that you're here. So tell us.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
Warrenceville Heights High School went to Colorado State University, OH
four ride, played in the league. I heard that your
first time was your first check, You paid off a
house in the car.

Speaker 2 (01:05):
Gods, you did your homework. That's exactly right. Who told
you all that? But yeah, that's right.

Speaker 1 (01:11):
Listen, this is what we do here. But we've got
to get ready right now. We do what we got
to do.

Speaker 3 (01:16):
So tell us about playing in the league. Man, at
what eighty five, eighty six, eighty.

Speaker 2 (01:22):
Seven, eighty eight. Okay, yeah it was good. I got lucky.
I supposed to get drafted in the sixth or seventh round,
and I had a sut Door Sanders type of night.
So I'm sitting in my dorm room. I'm thinking I'm
gonna get drafted. I had my agent on the other line,

(01:43):
ready to go have my buddies, had my girlfriend at
the time, and my name didn't get called. They didn't
call my name, but then I had reflected. I was like, well,
I didn't work out for Cleveland. I didn't work out
for Arizona. I didn't work out for the Jets because
at the time, Bill Belichick, who became a Cleveland's coach,

(02:03):
was the defensive coordinator with the Jets. So right after
all that happened, I got a call from my track coach,
Chuck Herring, and his brother that I didn't know was
actually the Broncos special teams coach. So I guess Coach
Herring is like, hey, I got this kid. He been

(02:25):
with me for three years. I made him run track
last two You guys really need to sign him up
and look at him. So two days later from that
I got a call from Denver to sign as a
free agent and come to the camp.

Speaker 1 (02:40):
It tells us about that cap, tell us about that
experience in the NFL camp, because remember you got way
more players at the time on a ross. Tell us
about that entering, putting on that jersey OTAs or if
you had OTA's back there.

Speaker 2 (02:55):
Oh, we did have OTAs. It was good because when
the draft took place, I had literally three weeks to
get my stuff in order, and luckily I had some
good friends and my college teammate John Colbert. John helped
me out and we worked out and then, uh, it

(03:16):
was about I would say about sixty guys came into
camp with me one and I'm dating myself. And I
know you wouldn't know, but he played at Glenville and
he went to Akron. Clarence Kelly.

Speaker 3 (03:28):
Yes, yes, he ran track.

Speaker 2 (03:31):
He was like the third he took third place in
the high hurdles. But we became friends in high school
and who would have known. He went to Akron, got
picked up as a free agent with Denvers. I me
and him's together. But it was rough. It was rough
for me because you know, when you don't get drafted,
you go into OTA's or I did with the mindset

(03:53):
like I'm better than these guys. I'm much better. So
I might have been much better, but I didn't get drafted.
But I had to prepare and I had to do
some extraordinary in camp in OTAs and I did that.
And at the end of OTA's they kept me on
their practice roster because at the time they had practice teams,

(04:15):
and they kept me on their roster.

Speaker 3 (04:17):
And that's a good thing.

Speaker 2 (04:18):
You got.

Speaker 1 (04:19):
You gotta study check get to work at nice little salary.
How long would you signed to the different broncos.

Speaker 2 (04:25):
Well, they did it year by year, but every year
I got picked up it. In eighty nine I got
released and that's when and I'll see him the High
School Hall of Fame weekend. But good friend Steve at
Water that drastic for dinners that they brought.

Speaker 3 (04:41):
In, Steve.

Speaker 1 (04:42):
I mean, listen, they had to get a Hall of
Famer to replace you. Just know that, Just know they
had to get you. Always said, listen, they had to
bring somebody.

Speaker 3 (04:51):
That was like that, like that all Tapa liked that
to bring me in because I was there.

Speaker 1 (04:56):
And now wrong with that. You made it to the Lego.
So talk about kids Northeast Ohio, because you know, this
is a talented, rich area of football, and you was
one of the ones to be able to say a
I don't the NFL uniformed. Tell us how that feels
like around your community? And how was that looked at?

Speaker 2 (05:16):
Well, at the time, I think everybody expected me to
play some type of football. They didn't know, you know,
what levels I would go to. But it wasn't It
wasn't a big deal back then in eighty seven, wasn't
a big deal at all.

Speaker 3 (05:33):
I mean, I think that's dope to be able to
do that.

Speaker 1 (05:36):
So after let's talk about after the league and after
you stopped playing football, that transition in life, how was
that like? What do you make that transition and be like, okay,
what do I do next?

Speaker 2 (05:49):
Well, it was rough on me because what happened. My
father got sick. So when you get a relative, especially
your father, gets sick, you don't you don't concentrated on
the little boys sport no more. So he got sick
in Cleveland. I went over to Toronto and I signed with Toronto.
He got sick, and then I played and then I

(06:10):
had come back and then I had to bury him
in like NTO eighty nine. I went over there and
played to a ninety and then I just gave it up.
I was like, man, I'm tired of it. I've been
playing football since I was six years old, and I
didn't feel it anymore. I didn't have that love for it.

Speaker 3 (06:28):
It happens, man, real quick. Though.

Speaker 1 (06:30):
It happens fast. I felt it because I'm a former
athlete too. It happens fast.

Speaker 2 (06:35):
Man.

Speaker 3 (06:36):
Once you you want, you don't feel it. It's over correct.

Speaker 2 (06:40):
I agree with you.

Speaker 3 (06:41):
But n a five pointed out film.

Speaker 1 (06:44):
We got Ray Freeman the building this he got a
weekend coming up. National High School Hall of Fame. Does
that field called? It just means you one of the
best ever in the state of Ohio.

Speaker 2 (06:57):
It feels great because I get to see my inaugural class.
My great friend Lamart Robinson had a mindset back twenty
some years ago to do something like this, and he
had told me I didn't think it would ever come
to Fruition. So I get to see Marcus Dupree, who
had well over seventy five hundred yards in high school.

(07:20):
And I get to see a bunch of guys Mike
DAWs from Camp McKinley and a bunch of guys. You
know that I went in with Bernie Kozyre. So me
and Bernie is my buddy. He talks to me. But
it's a good weekend. It's a great time to be
in football, be down in Canton. It's a good time. Man.

Speaker 1 (07:40):
You say Marcus Dupre Marcus. People don't know a lot
about him. I think they did it like an ESPN
at thirty for thirty for him, like he was the
running back, size, speed, agility, Like, tell us a little
bit about him.

Speaker 2 (07:55):
He was a man child. I mean, the kid is
six' two at the, time strong as an, ox probably
left about bench press ball five hundred, pounds and he
was just he was running people over in high? School, uh.

Speaker 1 (08:12):
Was it one player that you played? Against uh In Northeast?
Ohio you was, like, MAN i got to match up
against him. Again like whether it was your, conference whether
in the state? Playoffs is that one player in high? Schools, like,
man we gotta have a worse one tonight.

Speaker 2 (08:28):
In high? School it really wasn't that one in high
school That, uh Maybe hiawatha Or francisco out Of, Cincinnati,
Moler hiawatha.

Speaker 1 (08:40):
And we'll just talk about you went To Colorado STATE,
us talk about that was it one player when you
was in? College you was, like, yup it's gonna be
a rough one when you're going through.

Speaker 3 (08:49):
Film.

Speaker 2 (08:51):
Uh Sammy seal who played with The, Raiders Sammy seal
was a nightmare because he was only five. Eight but
one thing about him is that, he, uh he was.
Fast he was like five, seven but he was very.

Speaker 1 (09:05):
Fast those five seven guys are. Fast talking about? Fast
what was your forty? TIME i, LIKE i like the
to ask athlete the forty. Times we all want to
know how fast were? YOU i ran four four Forty oh, yeah,
yeah you knew he was going to the. LEAGUE i
mean four four still. Fast, now it's a lot of
people that's playing in the league now that's not running

(09:26):
a four to.

Speaker 3 (09:27):
Four it is exactly. Right and then you say you
ran track, too? Right what was you one hundred time
in the?

Speaker 2 (09:34):
TRACK i think it was ten, Something BUT i didn't run.
SPEED i. RAN i ran the four, hundred AND i
ran high. Hurdles.

Speaker 1 (09:44):
No four hundred is a man's is a man's race right,
there that's a that's straight speed all the way. Around
we Got Ray freeman here in the. Buildings So i've
Loved i've did some research on. YOU i love what
you're doing for the community Of. Warrensville also your youth.
Clinics tell us a little bit about youth clinics that you.

Speaker 2 (10:02):
Have, well this gould be my first time actually holding my.
Own i've done like seven In, colorado but this is
my first youth clinic In. Warrnstone That's june twenty, first
from nine to. One the kids asked for, it and
you got to help the. Youth SO i decided to have.

Speaker 1 (10:18):
One and tell us a little bit what's going on
behind that? Clinic that football clipic is like?

Speaker 3 (10:22):
Drills is? It do you do a lot of speeches like, Talking.

Speaker 2 (10:27):
We'll be speeches from various, coaches a lot of. Drills
it's just mainly the. BASICS i, mean you got kids
from seven to, fourteen so these are the. Basics.

Speaker 1 (10:36):
Basic and tell us a little bit About so you
said this is your first one, Here so you do
go back To colorado.

Speaker 2 (10:44):
OFTEN i haven't been there in two, years BUT i go. Back,
YES i Love.

Speaker 3 (10:49):
Colorado that's a great. State that's a great.

Speaker 1 (10:51):
State what made you come back To. Warrensville what made
you come? Back like back here To ohio my? Dad, okay, Okay,
now also he talked about your. DAD i also know that.
YOU i think you had an issue with your liver
or you had an issue of issue with a, kidney,
Kidney and tell us a little bit about, that BECAUSE
i know you said talk about second. CHANCES i seen

(11:11):
a bunch of articles talking about second. Chances tell us about,
that a little bit about.

Speaker 2 (11:15):
That in, TEN i WASN'T i wasn't feeling. Good my
ankles were. SWELLING i went to the doctor and they
said THAT i had a chronic kidney. Disease and they
SAID i need to get an actual little. Donor SO
i received the donor from a GIRL i was. Dating
and that was in twenty, thirteen And i've been good

(11:37):
for the last twelve.

Speaker 3 (11:38):
Years, man thank you For Thank god for. Her i'm
glad you.

Speaker 1 (11:43):
Was i'm glad you wasn't doing anything dirty with, her like,
YEAH i mean because a girl woman real quickly like,
NAH i ain't give you my.

Speaker 3 (11:51):
Kidney you must have been.

Speaker 2 (11:52):
It, NO i. Was she was a beautiful. Thing she's
beautiful at to the. Day.

Speaker 3 (11:58):
Uh blessings to, you my. Man we talk about. Health.
Man i'm real big on black man's.

Speaker 1 (12:04):
Health and do you do advocacy for black man's health
because we don't like to go to the doctor at.

Speaker 2 (12:09):
All we. Don't BUT i got with Doctor Charles mattlin
who used to be With Colleen. Clinic he's With mesro
now and he has a minisphere AND i work with.

Speaker 1 (12:24):
HIM i love, it AND i appreciate everything that you
do for the. COMMUNITY i appreciate you coming. ON i
will see you during that. Weekend we got to chop it,
up take, pictures get you back on the air and
talk football Because i'm real big on that and anything
you want to say to the.

Speaker 2 (12:40):
People, no just come. Out come out to The National
High School Football hall Of fame looking At june the
thirteenth through the, fifteenth and then my football clinic is
on the twenty first Of june nine.

Speaker 3 (12:54):
ONE i will be.

Speaker 1 (12:56):
There we're gonna go out, there have a good time and.
FELLOWSHIP i appreciate you and everything that you do in the.

Speaker 3 (13:02):
Community my. Man, congratulations have a great, day good one.

Speaker 1 (13:07):
TOO i Was freeman in the building And Ray freeman
is in the building nine to five point nine F.
M because we're doing it like we're doing it for
t V. A i got that From. Mace if y'all
don't listen TO, mas THEN i don't. KNOW i don't
like any of you guys for, real
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