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Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to the NFL Players Podcast. I am

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Speaker 1: a nist williams our guest. It is NFL legend and

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Speaker 1: former linebacker for the San Francisco forty nine is Kina Turner.

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Speaker 1: Kena will be talking about his journey from the gridironed

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Speaker 1: to college graduation after forty years. Let's listen in al rite, Keena.

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Speaker 1: I don't know if anyone's ever had the gust to

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Speaker 1: ask you where did your name come from? Yeah? Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I tell you, man, that's always been a storyline for me. Um,

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Speaker 1: And here's here's where I'll started. So my brother's name

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Speaker 1: is Michael Anthony Turner. So how do you go from,

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Speaker 1: you know, the pretty comment to Kina? And Uh? The

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Speaker 1: story is my dad was actually in the service, and

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Speaker 1: he was actually overseas when I was born, and so

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Speaker 1: it was left up to mom to do on her own.

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Speaker 1: And there was a little Indian boy on a on

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Speaker 1: a television program, uh that she heard and liked and

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Speaker 1: and that was it, and right and and no middle

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Speaker 1: name right? Because what do you follow Keena with? Thankfully?

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Speaker 1: And uh, no middle name right? And uh and so

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Speaker 1: along the way, growing up, you know, I was kind

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Speaker 1: of Keeno Kenny Tina. That was the big one, all right.

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Speaker 1: I was Tina everywhere I went right. So, and look,

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Speaker 1: you just got to be the same for you though,

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Speaker 1: and it is, I mean, you have a very different too.

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Speaker 1: Come on, man, don't even get into calling me anus man.

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Speaker 1: She dropped the mic. So it wasn't a musician. It

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Speaker 1: was your mother watching a program a little Indian young man.

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Speaker 1: His name was Kina, and that's where she got it from. Yeah. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: And over the years, you know, I've gotten some some

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Speaker 1: communication from folks who actually did a little little history,

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Speaker 1: found a little found the program, found a little Indian boy,

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Speaker 1: and have sent me kind of the movie or the

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Speaker 1: the show that, yeah, that he showed it in. And

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Speaker 1: so I've definitely over the years come to embrace it

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Speaker 1: and actually love it well. Being on the defense or

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Speaker 1: that that team, and we're talking about that great dynasty

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Speaker 1: that you're part of. You had pretty much a lot

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Speaker 1: of no names. I know Ronnie was there running a lot,

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Speaker 1: but you have some no names. So what was it

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Speaker 1: like having that unusual name stand out on that defense?

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Speaker 1: Was that a plus for you? I don't know if

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Speaker 1: it was a plus, man, but you hit it right

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Speaker 1: on the head and this when you talk about, you know,

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Speaker 1: your teammates and the team, because that's that's really what

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Speaker 1: it was all about. And I just was fortunate to

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Speaker 1: play with a lot of great players. You mentioned Ryannie

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Speaker 1: and Fred Dean, I mean, and Eric Wright, you know,

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Speaker 1: and there and there was five of us that kind

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Speaker 1: of played on all four teams together, along with Joe

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Speaker 1: and Mike Wilson, and so you know, we had a

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Speaker 1: core group, right, and we had some other great players

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Speaker 1: that came along throughout the years for us that did

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Speaker 1: an unbelievable job. And uh, you know with Bill at

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Speaker 1: the league, you know, with the philosophy that that was

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Speaker 1: put in place in the foundation, you know, things things

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Speaker 1: turned out okay. You know, it's interesting. What was it like,

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Speaker 1: Keena being a part of a team that was information

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Speaker 1: it's always I joined the Rams two years after they

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Speaker 1: won their first Super Bowl. But you literally a part

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Speaker 1: of the draft class. You and Rynie twenty three years

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Speaker 1: old playing with UH coach Bill Walsh who's in his formation.

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Speaker 1: Tell us what that was like to be a part

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Speaker 1: of building Yeah, called yeah, you're exactly right. I mean

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Speaker 1: my rookie year, we went six and ten and we

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Speaker 1: lost eight games in a row, right, Uh, somewhere in

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Speaker 1: that stretch. And so I came the year before running

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Speaker 1: and so Ronnie UH and Eric and that group come

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Speaker 1: in my second year and UH, and then we take

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Speaker 1: off and one in and win that first super Bowl,

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Speaker 1: super Bowl sixteen and so forth. Ye yeah, my second year, right,

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Speaker 1: And so our formation happened really over those three years

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Speaker 1: for me. My first year we went six and ten.

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Speaker 1: My second year we go thirteen and three, I think,

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Speaker 1: and win a super Bowl. But the very next year

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Speaker 1: we went three and six and a strike short year

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Speaker 1: and didn't make the playoffs. Had to beat the Rams

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Speaker 1: the last game of the season, lost that game, didn't

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Speaker 1: make the playoffs, And so that was a part of

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Speaker 1: our formation. Realizing that you win it, right, you kind

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Speaker 1: of think you've arrived, but you realize every year is

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Speaker 1: uh is singular to itself, right, And so we had

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Speaker 1: to climb back up that mountain. And my third year, UH,

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Speaker 1: then we lose to the Redskins in the NFC Championship game,

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Speaker 1: and that was a part of the formation. And then

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Speaker 1: we come back my fourth year and winning again uh

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Speaker 1: in Super Bowl nineteen, which was which was obviously set

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Speaker 1: us up eight. Uh, in terms of the rest of

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Speaker 1: my my years with the nine is in term of

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Speaker 1: our you know, our attitude, our philosophy, and our approach.

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Speaker 1: So your rookie year, when did Bill Walsh get there?

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Speaker 1: Was he already there when you got there? Yes? So

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Speaker 1: Bill came in seventy nine and uh, and I came

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Speaker 1: in eighty and and Joe came in seventy nine. So

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Speaker 1: Joe was there the year uh, the year before me,

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Speaker 1: and we had Steve the Berg my rookie years, our quarterback,

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Speaker 1: and Joe started to play just a little bit uh

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Speaker 1: that year, and then obviously the next year Joe took

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Speaker 1: off and kind of the rest is history, all right,

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Speaker 1: so give us, give us these uh, these opticals. You'll

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Speaker 1: watching this because Bill Walsh already there a year or

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Speaker 1: so before you. Did you see something special happening when

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Speaker 1: you were drafted there? Initially? Well, here's what I knew

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Speaker 1: when I walked in the door. Right, So you know,

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Speaker 1: Joe was at Notre Dame and I was at pretty

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Speaker 1: So so we're playing Notre Dame. I think it's Joe

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Speaker 1: senior year, right, and we're banging him and this we

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Speaker 1: got him, right, We got our hands around their neck. Man,

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Speaker 1: we're just about have it out of them, right, And

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Speaker 1: Joe is the third string quarterback for Notre Dame. But

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Speaker 1: the third trade, we put the first guy out. He

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Speaker 1: wasn't playing well enough. They brought the second guy in.

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Speaker 1: We we broke his collar alone. They took him out

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Speaker 1: and put the first guy back in. He couldn't get

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Speaker 1: it done. Finally, then somewhere around the end of the

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Speaker 1: third quarter, they looked down there and put Joe in, right,

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Speaker 1: And Joe came in and beat us and went on

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Speaker 1: and won a national championship or something that you know,

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Speaker 1: and and set himself up just drafting a third round

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Speaker 1: about the fortnight. So when I walked in the door

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Speaker 1: as a rookie, I said, well, I don't know about

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Speaker 1: everybody else, but I know who that dude is. I

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Speaker 1: know what that dude is capable of. Right, So I

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Speaker 1: don't know if I felt all of that early on,

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Speaker 1: but I knew we had a quarterback that in crunch

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Speaker 1: time time could play. And uh. And then obviously the

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Speaker 1: rest of the pieces came together, and and coach Bill Walsh,

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Speaker 1: being an office of minded coach, obviously did you see

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Speaker 1: this kicking off with him? Well, and yeah, I don't.

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Speaker 1: I don't know if I I mean, as a young guy,

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Speaker 1: I don't know if I saw all that. But but

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Speaker 1: what I did see it was the was our early

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Speaker 1: formation of an approach. Right. Bill was focused on perfection

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Speaker 1: of his offense right and uh, Mike Homegram told his

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Speaker 1: story once about working for Bill about a day in

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Speaker 1: practice where Bill, you know, Joe was dropping back just

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Speaker 1: you know, throwing some some deep goals right, and Dwight

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Speaker 1: takes off. Joe throws a goo and Mike Homegraam says, man,

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Speaker 1: nice throw. And Bill walks by and said, no, I

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Speaker 1: wasn't It wasn't you know, Dwight had to turn just

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Speaker 1: a little bit right. And uh, Bill walk by and said, remember,

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Speaker 1: I want the ball ten inches away from his check us.

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Speaker 1: And and that was the way Bill coached every day. Right.

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Speaker 1: We ran the offense, ran plays over and over because

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Speaker 1: he was looking for perfection. And I think that was

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Speaker 1: kind of a part of kind of who we were.

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Speaker 1: It was never enough, You never quite got it right.

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Speaker 1: Even when you want a super Bowl, you still felt

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Speaker 1: like there was something missing because it wasn't perfect, and

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Speaker 1: you had to stay on that edge to constantly achieve

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Speaker 1: and get better. So, I mean, I don't know that

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Speaker 1: I saw that as a young player, but looking back,

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Speaker 1: I think that's what developed in us in our approach.

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Speaker 1: And then you know, hall of famers make the difference. Man,

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Speaker 1: you got some of them on your team. You got

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Speaker 1: a chance, right, and we were fortunate to have a few. Now,

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Speaker 1: when did you come in contact with this, this guy

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Speaker 1: that's known as catching bricks back in Mississippi, Ye, Jerry Rice,

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Speaker 1: Mississippi Valley State. What was it like when you first

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Speaker 1: saw him in practice? Yeah, well, Jerry came him along

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Speaker 1: and uh, you know, there were a couple of things

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Speaker 1: that played. We were already a successful team, right, We

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Speaker 1: had won two Super Bowls by the time Jerry got

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Speaker 1: in the building. And I so, I think who he

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Speaker 1: was as an athlete and a player and what we

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Speaker 1: were as a team and an organization made sense to him.

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Speaker 1: And you know, the guy that I think influenced Jerry

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Speaker 1: the most, uh and a ton in the very beginning

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Speaker 1: was a guy by the name of Roger Craig. And

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Speaker 1: Roger Craig was an animal man when it came to

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Speaker 1: conditioning and and being prepared and how you approached the game.

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Speaker 1: And being a team guy. You know, Roger was, you know,

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Speaker 1: was everything that you wanted, and Jerry just attached to

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Speaker 1: Rogers you know approach, you know, Jerry Jerry. You know,

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Speaker 1: Jerry obviously gets remembered for his you know, his work habits,

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Speaker 1: but a lot of that came from what he saw

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Speaker 1: and Roger when he walked into the door. You know,

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Speaker 1: in practice, whenever Roger touched the ball, he went to

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Speaker 1: the gold line, he went to the end zone. And

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Speaker 1: you look around, and whenever Jerry touched the ball, they

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Speaker 1: went to the They went to the end zone every

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Speaker 1: time they touched the ball. And Jerry was constantly catching

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Speaker 1: the ball when he wasn't in on an offensive series.

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Speaker 1: So he would you know, he would catch from the

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Speaker 1: you know, the equipment guys whenever he wasn't in, and

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Speaker 1: that's all he did. And when it went to Steve Young,

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Speaker 1: we had a left handed you know, equipment guy that

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Speaker 1: Jerry would catch balls from. So they just never quit working, uh,

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Speaker 1: to be perfect in this Bill Walsh idea of how

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Speaker 1: you approached it. So so yeah, Jerry came in and

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Speaker 1: and just I mean, you know, saw a record and

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Speaker 1: now about who he was and the type of player.

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Speaker 1: Uh that he was. Uh, you know, Steve Young tells

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Speaker 1: this story about when they won the Super Bowl in

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Speaker 1: ninety four and how after it was all over, you know,

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Speaker 1: a few weeks later, he came in the locker room

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Speaker 1: to clean out his locker and he heard some noise

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Speaker 1: out back, and uh, He's like, who's who's here? You know?

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Speaker 1: And he he opens up and looks out on the

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Speaker 1: field and Jerry's out there running routes. Right. So, a

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Speaker 1: few weeks after the Super Bowl, So I think, you know,

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Speaker 1: when you you know, like you and this, you know,

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Speaker 1: you want to be the best man, you gotta work

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Speaker 1: at it. And uh, you know you and the guys

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Speaker 1: that I had the opportunity to play with had that

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Speaker 1: same kind of attitude. You know. Is that the Russian

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Speaker 1: I read Coach go Wash his book The Making of Champions,

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Speaker 1: and that's when I read in that book the story

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Speaker 1: you just told me. So literally after I read that, Keena,

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Speaker 1: every interception, every former recovery, I ran back full speed,

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Speaker 1: got to the nearest sideline every practice literally where it became,

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Speaker 1: uh under coach level, at least with the with the Rams,

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Speaker 1: it became that's what we did as I always thought, Uh,

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Speaker 1: is it any wonder our Jerry's shadowed the record? Right?

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Speaker 1: We don't know if that ever ever be caught. Uh,

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Speaker 1: someone ever break that record. But when people ask me,

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Speaker 1: they say, what was it like catching two interceptions? Uh?

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Speaker 1: In a division around against the Packers against red Ford?

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Speaker 1: Always tell him just like practice, because literally learning that

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Speaker 1: from what Jerry was doing. And Bill put it in

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Speaker 1: his book. Here's a question for you, Kina, having a

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Speaker 1: success that you've had playing in a in a dynasty

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Speaker 1: and essence for a dynasty, how how was it transitioning?

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Speaker 1: What was that like in terms of of of transitioning

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Speaker 1: from that level of excellence and then into uh the

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Speaker 1: next phase of your life? Yeah, you know it was.

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Speaker 1: You know, it had its challenges, you know. I think, uh,

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Speaker 1: I think a lot of a lot of guys that reach,

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Speaker 1: you know, like myself, you've reached that point in your

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Speaker 1: career where you know, you know, you don't have any

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Speaker 1: more snaps left for me. I had an A C

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Speaker 1: L and like my eighth years, so you know, after that,

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Speaker 1: I kind of knew my days with number, but I

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Speaker 1: still wasn't prepared, you know, And I think, uh, I

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Speaker 1: think physically it's easier to get to a point where

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Speaker 1: you know you can't do it anymore, and mentally you

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Speaker 1: kind of get in line with that. I think the

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Speaker 1: tough part becomes emotionally, you know, how you handle the

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Speaker 1: adjustment emotionally, and that becomes more than just mentally, you know,

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Speaker 1: accepting it. And uh and I struggled with that, you know,

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Speaker 1: struggled with the idea of what do I do and

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Speaker 1: you know, what will I be known for now? And

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Speaker 1: where do you get started? And uh? And I think

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Speaker 1: I had to learn and accept that that makeup of

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Speaker 1: you know, wanting to be good at what you do,

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Speaker 1: willing to put the work into whatever it is, you know,

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Speaker 1: stays with you. And that transitions, right that that attitude

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Speaker 1: that that you know, I'm not gonna be worked, I'm

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Speaker 1: gonna I'm gonna show up, I'm gonna be the right team,

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Speaker 1: all of those things transition into whatever you decide is

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Speaker 1: your next phase. But I think it takes, you know,

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Speaker 1: it takes some time in the adjustment, uh, to accept

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Speaker 1: that and go fight forward and and stay in the

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Speaker 1: game as Ronnie would stay. You know, you gotta you know,

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Speaker 1: you can't go on the sideline. You gotta be in

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Speaker 1: the game, and uh, and I think that attitude. Uh,

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Speaker 1: you know, I was fortunate enough along the way to

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Speaker 1: meet a lot of great people that supported assistant directed

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Speaker 1: and uh, you know help me get to uh, you know,

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Speaker 1: help help me get to the right place. So as

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Speaker 1: you because you share with me earlier, you said, Okay,

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Speaker 1: I went to work with Bill Bill wash coach Walts

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Speaker 1: at Stanford. You work with your former teammate Ronnie a

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Speaker 1: lot within the car business. You've had this your third

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Speaker 1: stint with the forty niners. How would you encourage today's player,

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Speaker 1: the current players on what they should be thinking or

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Speaker 1: the legend? How did they now find that that next passion?

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Speaker 1: What advice would you have? Well, I think it's I

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Speaker 1: think one just like uh, young folks in college, you

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Speaker 1: don't necessarily have to know what you want to do.

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Speaker 1: You have to be committed to searching for it and

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Speaker 1: that whatever you're doing and staying and stand busy and

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Speaker 1: trying all kinds of different things, don't say no. Put

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Speaker 1: all your effort in and start to you know, whittle

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Speaker 1: down to what you really enjoy and you can focus on.

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Speaker 1: But it's okay not to know what you want to do.

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Speaker 1: As you search. As long as you're searching, as long

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Speaker 1: as you're willing to work and put the time in. UM,

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Speaker 1: it will you know it will, it will come clear

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Speaker 1: to you and uh. And so for me, it was

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Speaker 1: about taking advantage of some opportunities that were presented. Uh.

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Speaker 1: In looking back, I wish I would have taken advantage

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Speaker 1: of more of them in terms of opportunities, and not

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Speaker 1: gotten in my own head that maybe there was a

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Speaker 1: reason I couldn't do something. Uh. But but enjoy those

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Speaker 1: moments and go after it with full velocity like you

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Speaker 1: did as an athlete and a player, and just look

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Speaker 1: to get better every single day. Can you give an example.

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Speaker 1: You said, looking back, there were some opportunities that I

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Speaker 1: should have that I talked myself out of it. Can

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Speaker 1: you give us an example? Yeah, I mean there there

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Speaker 1: were moments in this and you know I did. I

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Speaker 1: can remember, you know, was asked to do the fourth

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Speaker 1: of July Lincoln's portrait UH, and I and I did it,

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Speaker 1: and I and I can remember, you know, doing a

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Speaker 1: movie scene with Michael Douglas and I did it. But

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Speaker 1: there were all these other times of opportunities maybe like

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Speaker 1: that or you know, or maybe business meetings I didn't

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Speaker 1: take or people I didn't meet, you know, or I

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Speaker 1: didn't make time for uh because I wasn't focused enough

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Speaker 1: at times. I you know, I don't want to live

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Speaker 1: life that there's regrets. But there are definitely things OUT

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Speaker 1: have done differently. You know. My first time around at Perdue,

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Speaker 1: I didn't graduate because I wasn't focused on school. Um

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Speaker 1: and UH, and so there are there are those opportunities

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Speaker 1: in life that you know you want to you know,

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Speaker 1: you want to be able to be, you know, taking

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Speaker 1: full advantage of. UH. I was fortunate that things worked

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Speaker 1: worked a certain way for me, but uh, you know

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Speaker 1: that that's what I would have done a little bit differently.

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Speaker 1: So the college kids that are going to hear this podcast,

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Speaker 1: the Player's podcast, what do you say to them? Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I think I started by saying, it's never too late, right,

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Speaker 1: I mean, forty two years later, I was able to

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Speaker 1: go back and accomplish something, uh that that was always

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Speaker 1: there for me, hanging out there for me, unfin this

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Speaker 1: business for me in a in a way. And so

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Speaker 1: it's never too late to do good things. It's never

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Speaker 1: too late to do the right things, those right things

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Speaker 1: that you feel are important for you and uh and uh,

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Speaker 1: you know, one of the one of the wonderful things

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Speaker 1: that's uh that's come out of this for me is

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Speaker 1: I've had you know, I've had a couple of young

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Speaker 1: players come up to me and say, hey, I saw

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Speaker 1: your story. That's so wonderful and it's made me think

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Speaker 1: about my journey, you know, and wanting to go back

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Speaker 1: and finish and and I and I and that made

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Speaker 1: me feel so good that they would see that in

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Speaker 1: the story, right, and uh, and I'll tell them. I said, hey, man,

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Speaker 1: it's just you know, how would you eat an elephant?

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Speaker 1: You know, you're eating one bite at a time. And

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Speaker 1: that's that's the approach, right, no matter how much is

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Speaker 1: left to do, is simply taking you know, steps toward it, uh,

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Speaker 1: to get to the end. Now we bury the lead

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Speaker 1: this because you went back got your degree from Purdue,

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Speaker 1: except you walked with your middle child Ellen. Yeah. Yeah, man, Yeah,

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Speaker 1: what was that? Unbelievable? Man? I mean that, you know,

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Speaker 1: people asked me, you know that a couple interviews before

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Speaker 1: the graduation when I was back in West life. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: and they said, hey, tell us your most memorable moment

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Speaker 1: at Purdue. And I said, well, I'm pretty sure it's

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Speaker 1: gonna happen. This comin sadity, and looking back on it,

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Speaker 1: it was. It was an unbelievable moment. Uh. And this

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Speaker 1: I mean, obviously it was a very special day whenever

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Speaker 1: you have, uh, you know, one of your kids graduate, right,

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Speaker 1: so to be there for her special day and to

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Speaker 1: be there in that way, to walk into a stadium

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Speaker 1: I played my college career in and to sit and

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Speaker 1: watch her and then be a part of it because

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Speaker 1: I've accomplished something that was you know, a goal of mind,

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Speaker 1: that was unfinished business. So all of that culminating on

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Speaker 1: that day. Uh was so very special. Um, you know,

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Speaker 1: my kids being born out of highlights for me, but

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Speaker 1: that day it's somewhere around there, you know. It's it

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Speaker 1: was very very cool. How how did you cry? What

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Speaker 1: was it like? Because I'm getting emotional. Yeah, yeah I did.

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Speaker 1: I didn't that day, but I have since, you know,

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Speaker 1: and just uh just replaying the moment, you know. And

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Speaker 1: we we had a little get together right after the

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Speaker 1: graduation where uh, you know, two or three families down

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Speaker 1: in West Lafayette had had kids that graduate, and we

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Speaker 1: got together and that was a very touchy moment. Because

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Speaker 1: every you know, all the graduates kind of went around

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Speaker 1: talking about how special the day was and for me

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Speaker 1: to talk about it right after, so you know, so

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Speaker 1: soon after it was just very moving, right and uh

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Speaker 1: and I still get moved when I see the pictures.

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Speaker 1: And I have to admit to you, man, I've been

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Speaker 1: looking at the pictures from that day over and over. Man,

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Speaker 1: I can't get enough of them, right and uh, you know,

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Speaker 1: to see the smile on my daughter's face, Um, and

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Speaker 1: the rest of the family being there, uh, supporting it all.

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Speaker 1: You know, we missed my oldest stater, she couldn't get

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Speaker 1: away uh that time, but uh, it was so so cool.

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Speaker 1: Uh a moment I'll never ever ever forget. Now, did

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Speaker 1: you go back and spend time in a classroom or

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Speaker 1: were you able to do most of it online? Yeah?

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Speaker 1: Most of it, you know. And and the rest of

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Speaker 1: the story about kind of how we got there is uh,

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Speaker 1: you know, so I actually went back to school. Uh.

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Speaker 1: Dr Harry was in Bill started a degree completion program

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Speaker 1: at the nine is why I was playing. And so

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Speaker 1: I started the program. And then when I went to Stanford,

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Speaker 1: I kind of inish and so I actually had my

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Speaker 1: degree from USF in San Francisco. So this is the

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Speaker 1: Purdue degree was just unfinished business from my wife is

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Speaker 1: where it started, right, She's like, you gotta go back

387
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Speaker 1: and finish her to I mean, that's what you started.

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Speaker 1: So she she started this project twelve years ago wanting

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Speaker 1: to kind of surprise me around my fiftieth birthday. Uh,

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Speaker 1: it didn't work out. The kids were getting older. It

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Speaker 1: just it moved around on the priority list. And then

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Speaker 1: my daughter Ella decides to go to Purdue four years ago,

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Speaker 1: which caught me, you know, off guard because I didn't

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Speaker 1: see it. And then then, you know, my wife breathed

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Speaker 1: life back into this idea again and she said, we

396
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Speaker 1: gotta do it now. And and so as we're moving

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Speaker 1: through it, it becomes a possibility to walk with my daughter.

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Speaker 1: And once that was put on the table and is

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Speaker 1: I was, I'm like, yeah, I'm in right and so

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Speaker 1: uh and so I was able to take these few

401
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Speaker 1: classes online that I had to finish up. And I

402
00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:06,040
Speaker 1: tell you, man, it wasn't you know this physical geography

403
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Speaker 1: kick my butt, man, it wasn't you know. I won't

404
00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:12,680
Speaker 1: no joke, right, So I'm I'm getting proctor quizzes during

405
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Speaker 1: the week. I'm you know, I took it during the

406
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Speaker 1: dumb me. I took it during the season, right, so

407
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Speaker 1: I had to I'm in I'm in my hotel room

408
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Speaker 1: in the middle of the night, trying to get these

409
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Speaker 1: quizzes done being procted in front of the camera before midnight.

410
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Speaker 1: So it was an experience, right, it was. There were

411
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Speaker 1: times when I, uh, you know, because of the technology

412
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Speaker 1: world where now, right, I had everybody at the house

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Speaker 1: working on something. My daughter, you know, ellis telling me

414
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Speaker 1: how to you know, engage through the computer. And I

415
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Speaker 1: got my oldest daughter, who's a teacher, on the phone

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Speaker 1: right there. Okay, Dad, let's load down, let's get it done.

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Speaker 1: So you could have you could have coached during this pandemic.

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Speaker 1: You could have coached some of the students because you

419
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Speaker 1: had already had this virtual experience. I don't know about

420
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Speaker 1: coaching studies about school, but but it's how important it is.

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Speaker 1: You mentioned your wife and Ronnie Ronnie a lot. How

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Speaker 1: important when a player want a legend transition or are

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Speaker 1: their spouse and there the former teammates. How important was

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Speaker 1: that to you? Well, and that's and that's a great question,

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Speaker 1: is and uh, I know, for me, you know, what

426
00:24:30,359 --> 00:24:34,240
Speaker 1: I've grown to and mature to is the understanding of

427
00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:38,520
Speaker 1: just how important relationships are, you know. And you know,

428
00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:42,480
Speaker 1: we tend to look back on our time as players,

429
00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:46,800
Speaker 1: and we talked about the camaraderie the locker room, and

430
00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:51,000
Speaker 1: the reality is that's relationships. We're talking about the relationships

431
00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:55,520
Speaker 1: that get formed in those environments under the stress of

432
00:24:55,560 --> 00:24:58,760
Speaker 1: the business and the pressure and all that you go

433
00:24:58,920 --> 00:25:02,880
Speaker 1: through U to perform and be on the stage at

434
00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:07,080
Speaker 1: the highest level. It's those relationships really that you know,

435
00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:10,640
Speaker 1: that that builds us, that that become who we are.

436
00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:15,119
Speaker 1: And so for sure for me, uh, you know, I

437
00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:18,639
Speaker 1: have lifelong relationships built out of out of football and

438
00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:22,280
Speaker 1: sports and all of those uh you know, memories and

439
00:25:22,359 --> 00:25:26,840
Speaker 1: experiences that we have together. And and the family is

440
00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:29,560
Speaker 1: is you know, the epitome of that, you know, in

441
00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:33,320
Speaker 1: terms of what it's about and supporting one another and

442
00:25:33,359 --> 00:25:36,520
Speaker 1: loving one another and getting through the very difficult times

443
00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:41,200
Speaker 1: and enjoying, uh, all of the great experiences that come

444
00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:45,360
Speaker 1: along with family. So it is the support system is unbelievable.

445
00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:47,800
Speaker 1: And as you know, you know a lot of our

446
00:25:48,080 --> 00:25:53,280
Speaker 1: teammates and UH and other alumni have struggled uh, deeply

447
00:25:54,359 --> 00:25:59,240
Speaker 1: with the emotion, you know, the emotional scars of the business,

448
00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:02,160
Speaker 1: you know, and and it's really not the business. These

449
00:26:02,320 --> 00:26:06,040
Speaker 1: these emotional scars just happen in life, you know, and ours,

450
00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:08,960
Speaker 1: you know, come out of you know, maybe a profession,

451
00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:11,800
Speaker 1: but but we have a whole society of folks that

452
00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:15,800
Speaker 1: are dealing with some really rough emotions, uh, that need

453
00:26:16,040 --> 00:26:19,920
Speaker 1: that need all of our support. You now, you took

454
00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:24,000
Speaker 1: advantage you mentioned earlier, you took advantage of some tuition

455
00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:29,240
Speaker 1: reimbursement that that the Niners actually established there or did

456
00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:33,000
Speaker 1: you take advantage also of some of the tuition reimbursement

457
00:26:33,080 --> 00:26:36,359
Speaker 1: that the league offers to legends. Yeah, I mean there's

458
00:26:36,359 --> 00:26:38,840
Speaker 1: some great programs that are out there and not you know,

459
00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:43,400
Speaker 1: uh remember way back when Dr Harryetwards and Bill Wallace

460
00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:47,200
Speaker 1: put in place in our building something that wasn't universal

461
00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:51,400
Speaker 1: around the league, right, So, player programs, player engagement all

462
00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:55,640
Speaker 1: kind of grew out of these ideas that Dr Edwards

463
00:26:55,680 --> 00:26:59,960
Speaker 1: and Bill formulated at our team. And it's been wonderful

464
00:27:00,119 --> 00:27:03,440
Speaker 1: to see the history of you know, player programs, player

465
00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:07,920
Speaker 1: engagement be standardized around the league where there's these uh

466
00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:12,479
Speaker 1: host of resources that support players in a variety of ways.

467
00:27:12,560 --> 00:27:15,119
Speaker 1: And in one of those ways that are the is

468
00:27:15,119 --> 00:27:21,000
Speaker 1: the reimbursement program. Uh, that's set up around tuition, further education,

469
00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:25,720
Speaker 1: degree completion, all of those kinds of things that players

470
00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:30,720
Speaker 1: are encouraged incentivized to do. And I just think it's

471
00:27:30,760 --> 00:27:34,080
Speaker 1: a wonderful program and and and done in a very

472
00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:39,479
Speaker 1: nice way. Would you say going back into your degree

473
00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:42,119
Speaker 1: played a role in even the position that you're in

474
00:27:42,200 --> 00:27:45,960
Speaker 1: now special assistant to a friend of mine, General manager

475
00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:51,199
Speaker 1: John Lynch inducte uh this summer into the Pro Football

476
00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:55,040
Speaker 1: Hall of Fame. Do you think that played a role. Uh, Well,

477
00:27:55,080 --> 00:27:57,680
Speaker 1: for sure, you know, Spend. You know, I was fortunate

478
00:27:57,680 --> 00:28:00,480
Speaker 1: that I met John when I had those three years

479
00:28:00,600 --> 00:28:04,320
Speaker 1: at at at Stanford and uh, and so I've known

480
00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:07,919
Speaker 1: John for a long time and uh so thankful that

481
00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:12,199
Speaker 1: Bill Walsh uh talked him into coming back to Stanford

482
00:28:12,280 --> 00:28:15,399
Speaker 1: for his fifth year. As you know, he had a

483
00:28:15,400 --> 00:28:20,639
Speaker 1: baseball career ahead of him that he could have chosen Bill. Yeah,

484
00:28:20,720 --> 00:28:24,119
Speaker 1: so Bill taught John into coming back to Stanford for

485
00:28:24,160 --> 00:28:28,080
Speaker 1: a fifth year, putting off the baseball and uh, and

486
00:28:28,160 --> 00:28:31,120
Speaker 1: John was unbelievable. We were tending three that first year

487
00:28:31,119 --> 00:28:35,400
Speaker 1: at Stanford and uh, you know be Penn State Blockbuster

488
00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:37,639
Speaker 1: Bowl or something like that. And John went on and

489
00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:40,680
Speaker 1: had obviously this Hall of Fame career. So I've I've

490
00:28:40,720 --> 00:28:44,400
Speaker 1: known John for a long time and always had great

491
00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:50,080
Speaker 1: appreciation for the athlete football player uh that he was.

492
00:28:50,080 --> 00:28:54,440
Speaker 1: Was not surprised at the career he put together. Um

493
00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:58,320
Speaker 1: and like you man, I mean, he is this dude.

494
00:28:58,560 --> 00:29:02,440
Speaker 1: You can't find a better man, a better leader than

495
00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:07,400
Speaker 1: this dude. And so my relationship with him is absolutely

496
00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:11,400
Speaker 1: a positive influence on, you know, the direction of my life,

497
00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:16,400
Speaker 1: how I treat others because he he walks to talk right.

498
00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:17,880
Speaker 1: You know, a lot a lot of us can talk

499
00:29:17,960 --> 00:29:20,960
Speaker 1: about who we are and what we are, and but

500
00:29:21,040 --> 00:29:23,440
Speaker 1: it ends up being how you walk that talk right.

501
00:29:23,560 --> 00:29:25,840
Speaker 1: You know who you are every day and he liked

502
00:29:25,840 --> 00:29:28,960
Speaker 1: you as a guy. That is who he says, he

503
00:29:29,160 --> 00:29:32,920
Speaker 1: is is who he's who you see, and uh, for

504
00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:35,320
Speaker 1: sure has made me a better uh you know, a

505
00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:39,680
Speaker 1: better a better employee, a better man, and definitely a

506
00:29:39,680 --> 00:29:41,800
Speaker 1: better better father when you when you look at a

507
00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:46,080
Speaker 1: guy like him and influence he has had. You know, briefly, Keena,

508
00:29:47,280 --> 00:29:50,800
Speaker 1: John got the job having no GM experience, and I

509
00:29:50,840 --> 00:29:53,320
Speaker 1: don't know how much front off his experience he has.

510
00:29:53,400 --> 00:29:57,120
Speaker 1: So there were there were people talking, what what what

511
00:29:57,160 --> 00:30:02,920
Speaker 1: do you attribute to John being successful? Maybe not having

512
00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:06,160
Speaker 1: some of the experiences that others have gone through what

513
00:30:06,240 --> 00:30:09,320
Speaker 1: they call sweat equity going through the business. How he

514
00:30:09,920 --> 00:30:12,400
Speaker 1: what attributes have you seen would cause him to be

515
00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:16,320
Speaker 1: successful in that position? Now, well, you know a few

516
00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:18,360
Speaker 1: things that I look at it. This is you've got

517
00:30:18,360 --> 00:30:20,800
Speaker 1: to be bright. You know, you've got to You've got

518
00:30:20,800 --> 00:30:23,680
Speaker 1: to be a bright guy that uh that can look

519
00:30:23,680 --> 00:30:30,000
Speaker 1: at situations, take information and be decisive, um and be

520
00:30:30,120 --> 00:30:34,280
Speaker 1: able to communicate and uh with people. And so so

521
00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:37,280
Speaker 1: John has a skill set, right that that has to

522
00:30:37,320 --> 00:30:42,320
Speaker 1: do with, you know, smart enough to you know, nobody knows,

523
00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:45,840
Speaker 1: nobody doesn't know. Uh. And he brought a perspective, right,

524
00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:49,520
Speaker 1: He brought a fourteen year career of plan He brought

525
00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:53,880
Speaker 1: up you know, tenuere career of kind of watching the

526
00:30:53,920 --> 00:30:57,000
Speaker 1: game and talking about the game and uh. And then

527
00:30:57,080 --> 00:31:00,680
Speaker 1: he brought the ability to have relationships and communicate with people.

528
00:31:00,920 --> 00:31:05,960
Speaker 1: And here's the other thing that I think is hugely important. Uh.

529
00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:09,560
Speaker 1: You know John is uh, John is not an insecure

530
00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:16,440
Speaker 1: guy when it comes to having bright, qualified, competent people

531
00:31:17,080 --> 00:31:22,760
Speaker 1: working with him. He's inclusive. Okay, he's inclusive. He wants

532
00:31:22,760 --> 00:31:26,080
Speaker 1: your input, he wants your ideas. Now it's his job

533
00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:29,400
Speaker 1: to make the decision, but he is looking to include

534
00:31:29,480 --> 00:31:34,320
Speaker 1: folks uh in the process, and that's important. He's supportive.

535
00:31:34,640 --> 00:31:37,600
Speaker 1: He wants you know. So he's he uh he He

536
00:31:37,720 --> 00:31:40,600
Speaker 1: has a lot of qualities that you're looking for, right

537
00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:44,120
Speaker 1: and especially in today's game. Man, when you've got you know,

538
00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:47,760
Speaker 1: when you've got individual athletes that have a voice that

539
00:31:47,920 --> 00:31:50,680
Speaker 1: need to be heard, that need to be understood and

540
00:31:50,720 --> 00:31:53,200
Speaker 1: need to be supported. They need to be led, they

541
00:31:53,240 --> 00:31:55,720
Speaker 1: need to be directed, they need to be pulled, they

542
00:31:55,720 --> 00:32:00,440
Speaker 1: need to be pushed, and uh, you gotta do it, hey, man, job,

543
00:32:02,560 --> 00:32:06,080
Speaker 1: it's a big job. And so yeah, man, there's a

544
00:32:06,120 --> 00:32:08,360
Speaker 1: lot going on. And now you've got social media that

545
00:32:08,480 --> 00:32:12,560
Speaker 1: don't let nothing go by. So there's a lot going on, man,

546
00:32:12,680 --> 00:32:17,600
Speaker 1: and you gotta be able to handle and manage the

547
00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:22,880
Speaker 1: whole pot. And ain't just picking the right guy, there's all.

548
00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:26,360
Speaker 1: There's a lot to it. And I didn't know about

549
00:32:26,480 --> 00:32:29,600
Speaker 1: John's baseball career. And one of the things he had

550
00:32:30,040 --> 00:32:32,480
Speaker 1: he had the opportunity to throw the first pitch in

551
00:32:32,520 --> 00:32:36,760
Speaker 1: the history of the Miami Marlins franchise. So next time

552
00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:38,720
Speaker 1: I get with him, I'll haven't throw a pitch so

553
00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:40,120
Speaker 1: I can hit it out the park because I was

554
00:32:40,160 --> 00:32:42,480
Speaker 1: a good hitter. Yeah, you get the clock on that,

555
00:32:42,560 --> 00:32:45,200
Speaker 1: because I'm curious. You know, he still may say he

556
00:32:45,240 --> 00:32:49,239
Speaker 1: can go a hug and so exactly, Kenna, as we

557
00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:52,239
Speaker 1: as we close this out, So your daughter, Shena, who

558
00:32:52,280 --> 00:32:55,000
Speaker 1: went to USC was a Shea. Yeah, yeah, my oldest

559
00:32:55,040 --> 00:32:58,520
Speaker 1: George Shea went to sc right and to produe. And

560
00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:03,120
Speaker 1: then your son is playing basketball at the universit of Portland. Yeah, yes, yes,

561
00:33:03,280 --> 00:33:06,120
Speaker 1: so he's uh yeah, so he's uh, he's the baby,

562
00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:09,760
Speaker 1: and so we'll see what happens next year for him. Wow,

563
00:33:10,280 --> 00:33:12,280
Speaker 1: we'll give him. I'm the baby too, so give him

564
00:33:12,280 --> 00:33:14,680
Speaker 1: a fist pump from me. All right, definitely do that.

565
00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:20,000
Speaker 1: Then this has been outstanding. I've always had just every

566
00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:23,400
Speaker 1: time I've heard your name and uh seeing you play

567
00:33:23,680 --> 00:33:27,080
Speaker 1: in that entire team. Man, thank you. You know all

568
00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:30,680
Speaker 1: of us that came behind you, guys stand uh we

569
00:33:30,840 --> 00:33:34,600
Speaker 1: stand on y'all shoulders. Man, So thank you for being

570
00:33:34,640 --> 00:33:36,640
Speaker 1: with us. And the best is yet to come. On. Man,

571
00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:39,760
Speaker 1: I appreciate that and this, you'd be well, my friend.

572
00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:43,120
Speaker 1: Keep doing what you're doing, Stay out front. Tell John

573
00:33:43,120 --> 00:33:51,200
Speaker 1: and Dr Harry I say hello, We'll do. To provide

574
00:33:51,240 --> 00:33:55,000
Speaker 1: feedback or requested topic for discussion, email us at NFL

575
00:33:55,120 --> 00:34:08,160
Speaker 1: Legends at NFL dot com