1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:03,480 Speaker 1: I was aware of the magnitude of the moment. They 2 00:00:03,560 --> 00:00:07,040 Speaker 1: had been talked about all week locally, you know, the 3 00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:12,959 Speaker 1: news papers. But I think as a player, I just tried. 4 00:00:13,039 --> 00:00:15,560 Speaker 1: I tried to block it out. It's early December two 5 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:18,200 Speaker 1: thousand and six and Ladinia Tomlinson is one of the 6 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:21,439 Speaker 1: best football players on the planet. His Chargers are ten 7 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 1: and two and looking to grab the best record in 8 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 1: pro football. Thomlinson himself entered this week four team matchup 9 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:31,200 Speaker 1: with a record of his own insight, Sean Alexander's NFL 10 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:34,560 Speaker 1: record of twenty eight total touchdowns in a single season. 11 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 1: You know, I actually, to be honest, I didn't know 12 00:00:38,159 --> 00:00:41,440 Speaker 1: to what happened that day. I really didn't know, because 13 00:00:41,479 --> 00:00:44,600 Speaker 1: I knew Denver had a really good defense, and they 14 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:47,640 Speaker 1: knew well, we knew that we were gonna try to 15 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:52,760 Speaker 1: get that record, I mean, and so I tried to 16 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:55,120 Speaker 1: block it out in terms of they're gonna play it 17 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 1: hard today, It's gonna be a rough day and I 18 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:01,680 Speaker 1: know that. So those were my expectations. But as a 19 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:06,959 Speaker 1: gag he bombed, you know, I think it was it 20 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:10,560 Speaker 1: was clear that something was building. The future league MVP 21 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:13,679 Speaker 1: was correct, and whether he was ready or not. Ladanian 22 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:20,399 Speaker 1: Tomlinson was on the verge of running for history. In 23 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 1: the two thousands, the letters LT were synonymous with touchdowns. 24 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:27,080 Speaker 1: As the premier running back of the decade, Ladanian Tomlinson 25 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:29,720 Speaker 1: frequently made defenders look foolish as he put up video 26 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:32,440 Speaker 1: game like numbers year in and year out. He was 27 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:34,720 Speaker 1: the face of the Chargers, the heart of San Diego, 28 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,440 Speaker 1: and became a legend who transcended Southern California football. But 29 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 1: in two thousand and six, LT was on a different level, 30 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:44,039 Speaker 1: latching a record breaking thirty one total scores over twenty 31 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:46,679 Speaker 1: three hundred all purpose yards and earning the NFL's Walter 32 00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: Payton Managed the Year award and of course, the league MVP. 33 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:53,040 Speaker 1: Over the course of the next six episodes, our series 34 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:56,400 Speaker 1: will show you exactly how Tomlinson got there. From his 35 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:59,440 Speaker 1: youth watching his idols Walter Payton and Emmett Smith play 36 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:03,320 Speaker 1: the position, to record breaking performances at TCU, to his 37 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:07,200 Speaker 1: dominance in Southern California. Chargers fans have been witnesses to 38 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 1: history and everything in between. But first we have to 39 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: go back to where it all begin. For Haleio Wood, 40 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:17,560 Speaker 1: I'm Chris Harry. This is Running for History presented by 41 00:02:17,639 --> 00:02:28,160 Speaker 1: Lazy Dog, San Diego Chargers Select Immortality and the Hand 42 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:37,280 Speaker 1: Off to Thominson and he Will Gallops Episode one, Built 43 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 1: by Texas. Hey, everybody, have you checked out the TV 44 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:43,639 Speaker 1: dinners over at Lazy Dog Yet They're great for those 45 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:46,000 Speaker 1: days where you just don't feel like cooking. They're made 46 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:49,520 Speaker 1: in house, frozen in retro style trays, and ready to 47 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:51,640 Speaker 1: pop in the oven whenever you need them. One of 48 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 1: my favorites the chicken pot pie. It's filled with slow roasted, 49 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:59,160 Speaker 1: hand shredded chicken breast, seasonal vegetables in a pie dough crust. 50 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:01,800 Speaker 1: And now for the fall, they've got a new oven 51 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:05,800 Speaker 1: roasted turkey dinner. I'm talking turkey, gravy and all the trimmics. 52 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:09,640 Speaker 1: It's even got a salted caramel pumpkin cheesecake with Graham 53 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:12,720 Speaker 1: cracker crumble for dessert. Get him at Lazy Dog for 54 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:15,240 Speaker 1: pickup or delivery and you can check it out at 55 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:24,000 Speaker 1: Lazy Dog Restaurants dot com. Born at small Town Rosebud, Texas, Ladinia, 56 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 1: Thomlinson learned about hard work at a young age. As 57 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:32,440 Speaker 1: a child, your parents really said the I guess the 58 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:36,680 Speaker 1: pace and kind of the tempo of what it means 59 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:40,200 Speaker 1: to work and how you can get things done and 60 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:45,840 Speaker 1: how to provide and just what responsibility is all about. 61 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:50,160 Speaker 1: Tomlinson's mother, Laurienne, sometimes worked two to three jobs to 62 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 1: support her family. When he saw me as well as 63 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:57,120 Speaker 1: the other two saw me working, that is still than them, 64 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 1: that this is what adults do. I filmed like I 65 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:05,400 Speaker 1: knew the value hard work, and she would always say 66 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:08,560 Speaker 1: to me, hard work pays off. Now that Timlinson had 67 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 1: a model of what work ethic looks like, it was 68 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:14,720 Speaker 1: time to find an outlet worth being great at. And 69 00:04:14,840 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 1: you know, to be honest with you, he was. He 70 00:04:17,400 --> 00:04:21,520 Speaker 1: was an amazing young man even back then. You know, 71 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:25,360 Speaker 1: he asked us, he me and his dad to buy 72 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 1: him waits when he was six years old. I mean 73 00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:33,520 Speaker 1: the weights, you know, and so I'm I'm thinking, okay, 74 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:36,240 Speaker 1: where do you get that from? But it was always 75 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:41,120 Speaker 1: in the neighborhood, pitching footballs, playing baseball. You know, he'd 76 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:43,719 Speaker 1: go find a game. You know, I played everything as 77 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:47,039 Speaker 1: a kid. I first started with baseball. Baseball was the 78 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:50,040 Speaker 1: first sport I played because I think t ball at 79 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:52,919 Speaker 1: that time started be like five years old. When you 80 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:56,240 Speaker 1: played t ball. So I started, you know, playing t 81 00:04:56,400 --> 00:05:00,600 Speaker 1: ball first, and then I went into playing basketball at 82 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 1: the Boys and Girls Club where I grew up, and 83 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:09,120 Speaker 1: obviously that led to me finally having a chance to 84 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:12,960 Speaker 1: play tackle football. But before that, I did play flag 85 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:15,159 Speaker 1: football for the Boys and Girls club. That was kind 86 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:19,560 Speaker 1: of my introduction to football because I wasn't old enough 87 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:22,120 Speaker 1: to tackle. And when he finally did get to put 88 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:25,080 Speaker 1: the pads on, I mean that that was the moment 89 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:28,400 Speaker 1: because as most people would tell you, most guys who 90 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:31,680 Speaker 1: play football, there's gonna come that moment where when it's 91 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:35,640 Speaker 1: time to get tackled, you're gonna need it say no, 92 00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:39,040 Speaker 1: this is not for me, or okay, I think I can, 93 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:41,839 Speaker 1: I think I can do this. At that moment happened 94 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:44,159 Speaker 1: for me early, you know, the first time I put 95 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:47,240 Speaker 1: on those paths in practice and we had a one 96 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:50,640 Speaker 1: drill where we had to you know, basically there was 97 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:53,280 Speaker 1: a defender and the ball carrying and you went up 98 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:56,039 Speaker 1: against each other and the ball carry tried to break 99 00:05:56,040 --> 00:05:59,440 Speaker 1: the tackle of the defender and vice verses. Obviously the 100 00:05:59,480 --> 00:06:04,000 Speaker 1: defender to tackle ball carrying and so having you know 101 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:07,520 Speaker 1: that time where I really got I got now as 102 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:11,440 Speaker 1: the kid, you know, my order kid, I had that moment, 103 00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:15,040 Speaker 1: It's true, is this what I want to do? And 104 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:19,440 Speaker 1: crazy enough, I said, you know what, that wasn't so bad. 105 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:21,880 Speaker 1: I think I can stick this out. Now. He get 106 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:24,039 Speaker 1: out there sometimes mix it up with the kids. But 107 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:26,359 Speaker 1: if all the kids came around, like my daughter was 108 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:29,280 Speaker 1: seven years older than he was, if her boyfriend of 109 00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:31,479 Speaker 1: friends came around, I bet you I can beat you 110 00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:34,039 Speaker 1: running down to the end of the road. I bet 111 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:35,960 Speaker 1: you you can't beat me this and you can't beat me. 112 00:06:36,839 --> 00:06:40,800 Speaker 1: So he was always competitive, like that football on television. 113 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:42,880 Speaker 1: For one. I mean, you know, I was the kid 114 00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:46,960 Speaker 1: that watched everything, but there was something about football that 115 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:50,120 Speaker 1: drew me to football. But his love for the game 116 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:53,520 Speaker 1: wouldn't be enough. Using the work ethic his mother instilled 117 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:56,640 Speaker 1: in him growing up, the young Tomlinson still had to 118 00:06:56,720 --> 00:06:59,320 Speaker 1: learn how to become great. I had a really good 119 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:03,400 Speaker 1: Pop Warner coach that really taught discipline and hard work. 120 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:05,640 Speaker 1: And I mean when we went out to practice, even 121 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:09,680 Speaker 1: at Pop Warner. Remember growing up in Texas, it was hot, 122 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:12,640 Speaker 1: you know, it was one hundred degrees and so there 123 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:16,440 Speaker 1: was no excuses, there was no you know, hey, it's 124 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:18,480 Speaker 1: two hot, I hear, coach, can I take a break? 125 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:21,480 Speaker 1: I had a tough, you know, little league coach that 126 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:25,400 Speaker 1: he kind of sent I guess the structure of what 127 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:28,440 Speaker 1: it meant to work hard on the football field to 128 00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:31,920 Speaker 1: accomplish something and get a goal set. It was clear 129 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:35,240 Speaker 1: Tomlinson was growing into his new found passion, but even 130 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:37,840 Speaker 1: at a young age, he had a perspective that would 131 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:40,600 Speaker 1: help him grow as an athlete, not just a football player. 132 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:44,040 Speaker 1: I always felt like it was important to play other 133 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: sports because football obviously at that time, you know, it's 134 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:51,440 Speaker 1: really was at year round. You know, you played football 135 00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:54,640 Speaker 1: for three months and then you were off. And so 136 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:59,320 Speaker 1: I wanted to find tune my skills by playing basketball, baseball, 137 00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:03,520 Speaker 1: even running track because I ultimately I knew, ultimately it 138 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:06,240 Speaker 1: wouldn't help me out in football. Tom Winson believed that 139 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:09,240 Speaker 1: focusing on his athletic career would put him on track 140 00:08:09,320 --> 00:08:11,640 Speaker 1: to become a star running back like the legends. He 141 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:14,360 Speaker 1: grew up by the lights. When I think about it, 142 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:17,320 Speaker 1: that they were the ones getting the ball back, and 143 00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:20,480 Speaker 1: you know, they got the ball a lot, and so 144 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:23,320 Speaker 1: you always saw those guys on TV, car and the 145 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:27,200 Speaker 1: football and you know you know, as a kid, when 146 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:30,920 Speaker 1: you see that and then they make him look so effortless, 147 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:34,679 Speaker 1: it looked like it's glorious and fun. Walter Payton was 148 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:38,760 Speaker 1: his man, Sweetness. He even named his dog after Sweetness. 149 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:41,559 Speaker 1: But yeah, he wanted to play with the He he 150 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:44,679 Speaker 1: told me, I don't even know if he was but 151 00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:47,840 Speaker 1: ten years old, eleven something like that. Here he wasn't 152 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:50,720 Speaker 1: a teenager yet. He said, I'm going I'm gonna play 153 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:55,000 Speaker 1: professional football. You know, the hot stepping when he took 154 00:08:55,080 --> 00:08:57,720 Speaker 1: guys on in the hall and he would bounce out 155 00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:00,320 Speaker 1: of the town and running straight up and then he's 156 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:03,640 Speaker 1: running an open field. He's galloping like it was so 157 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:08,200 Speaker 1: beautiful to watch as a kid. But local hero Emmett Smith, 158 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:11,000 Speaker 1: the star with the star on his helmet, was the 159 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:14,240 Speaker 1: one to capture Thomlinson's heart. He was obviously playing for 160 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:18,000 Speaker 1: my hometow my home state team, you know, basically my 161 00:09:18,080 --> 00:09:21,800 Speaker 1: hometown team who we cheered for. Everybody cheered for the Cowboys, 162 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:25,880 Speaker 1: and so you always saw all the news stories, you know, 163 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:28,479 Speaker 1: on a local news it was all about the Cowboys. 164 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:31,640 Speaker 1: And so I followed him in very closely to the 165 00:09:31,679 --> 00:09:33,960 Speaker 1: fact that I got a chance to meet him for 166 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:36,400 Speaker 1: the first time when I was twelve years old, and 167 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:40,800 Speaker 1: that really changed my life as well. After successfully pleading 168 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:42,839 Speaker 1: with his mom to go to a football camp put 169 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:46,839 Speaker 1: on by Cowboys tight end je Nova check, Thomlinson wasn't 170 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:48,880 Speaker 1: sure if he would get to meet his idol. He 171 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:51,560 Speaker 1: got something much better than that, you know, as a kid, 172 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:54,520 Speaker 1: like when you're getting ready to meet your idol or 173 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:57,640 Speaker 1: think you're gonna see your idol, like you think of 174 00:09:57,880 --> 00:10:01,559 Speaker 1: all all kinds of things that's gonna go wrong, everything 175 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:05,120 Speaker 1: that could go wrong, Like I bet you he's really 176 00:10:05,160 --> 00:10:07,960 Speaker 1: not gonna be there, you know, like you think of 177 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:10,680 Speaker 1: everything in your head. And then when you get there, 178 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:14,880 Speaker 1: and I remember the first time actually laying eyes on it, 179 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:18,080 Speaker 1: you know, I was just starstruck in terms of it's 180 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:21,800 Speaker 1: really him, Like this is the and remember this is 181 00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:24,560 Speaker 1: the first time as a kid that I got the 182 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:28,800 Speaker 1: chance to me or see my idol, you know, in 183 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:31,920 Speaker 1: person like that that was unheard of for most kids. 184 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:37,520 Speaker 1: And having that first interaction with him, I just thought 185 00:10:37,559 --> 00:10:40,800 Speaker 1: it was like how ironic that he jumps in the 186 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:43,880 Speaker 1: running back drill and he's handing the ball out to me, 187 00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:46,920 Speaker 1: Like how ironic is that? Like this can't be happening 188 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:51,559 Speaker 1: to me. But beyond that, I think just the conversation, 189 00:10:51,720 --> 00:10:56,760 Speaker 1: the affirmation from him and himself. After the camp was over, 190 00:10:57,400 --> 00:10:59,480 Speaker 1: he coming up to him and putting his arms around 191 00:10:59,559 --> 00:11:03,480 Speaker 1: and say, hey, kid, you have something special. You know 192 00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:06,640 Speaker 1: if you keep going, you know, keep your grades up, 193 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:10,120 Speaker 1: keep playing, you know, you're you're going to be something. 194 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:13,000 Speaker 1: And he was so excited. And that's the one thing 195 00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:16,000 Speaker 1: that parents just want to see that smiling their kids 196 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:20,120 Speaker 1: facing them, be excited. But he worked for them. I 197 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:23,240 Speaker 1: was in, uh, you know, a difficult place at that time, 198 00:11:23,720 --> 00:11:27,160 Speaker 1: um in terms of I have I have broken my foot. 199 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:30,880 Speaker 1: You know, I went from being like the best athlete 200 00:11:30,920 --> 00:11:33,400 Speaker 1: on my team and you know, as a kid around 201 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:36,800 Speaker 1: ten eleven years old, UM, to breaking my foot to 202 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:40,200 Speaker 1: being one of the worst, like sitting the bench at 203 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:43,160 Speaker 1: that time where I didn't even really play, and so 204 00:11:43,240 --> 00:11:46,040 Speaker 1: I lost my confidence a lot. I didn't believe I 205 00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:49,840 Speaker 1: was good in football anymore. And going to that camp 206 00:11:50,040 --> 00:11:54,880 Speaker 1: and having that movement, uh, it really boosted my confidence 207 00:11:55,080 --> 00:12:00,120 Speaker 1: and really inspired me, I should say, inspire me to 208 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:05,680 Speaker 1: continue to work hard to do everything that I could 209 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:09,040 Speaker 1: do possible to make it to college. I think that 210 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:11,480 Speaker 1: was the moment where I felt like, you know what, 211 00:12:11,679 --> 00:12:14,199 Speaker 1: I'm gonna have a chance to do it because Emmett 212 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:20,000 Speaker 1: Emmitt himself said so. But then as I went back home, 213 00:12:20,679 --> 00:12:23,400 Speaker 1: that's when, you know, I felt the work started. I 214 00:12:23,520 --> 00:12:26,680 Speaker 1: learned some things at that camp that I was able 215 00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:30,280 Speaker 1: to take back home and apply and really helped me 216 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:34,199 Speaker 1: evolve until the player I will ultimately become. But things 217 00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:37,600 Speaker 1: didn't go exactly how he planned. Tomlinson wasn't the only 218 00:12:37,679 --> 00:12:40,400 Speaker 1: kid dreaming of being the next Emmett Smith or Walter Payton, 219 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:43,120 Speaker 1: and by the time he reached high school, other kids 220 00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:46,440 Speaker 1: were starting ahead of him at running back. Tomlinson had 221 00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:48,360 Speaker 1: to find another way to get on the field. As 222 00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:51,840 Speaker 1: his high school coach, Leroy Coleman remembers, one another Damien 223 00:12:52,320 --> 00:12:56,920 Speaker 1: came to us. He started planning, you know when he 224 00:12:56,960 --> 00:13:01,040 Speaker 1: first got there, and we played him at outside linebacker 225 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:05,600 Speaker 1: and played him at fullback. And of course at that time, 226 00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:09,160 Speaker 1: both our bats carried the ball and he was sensational. 227 00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:15,000 Speaker 1: You know, with linebacker it's all about seaball, get ball, attacking, 228 00:13:15,240 --> 00:13:18,240 Speaker 1: you know, and that's what they did with me on defense. 229 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:21,120 Speaker 1: You know, I would just run and get the ball 230 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:24,320 Speaker 1: and sometimes line up on the end of the line 231 00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:27,520 Speaker 1: of scrimmage and go get the quarterback. Because I was 232 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:31,360 Speaker 1: fast and one no tackle, gonna be able to get 233 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:34,880 Speaker 1: out there and give me. You know, he knew how 234 00:13:34,920 --> 00:13:40,280 Speaker 1: to decipher different looks, different techniques, different styles, and I 235 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:43,240 Speaker 1: think that using that when he got on the other 236 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:45,800 Speaker 1: side of the ball, happen to be able to approach 237 00:13:45,840 --> 00:13:49,280 Speaker 1: those things a little bit better. I hung around a 238 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:52,760 Speaker 1: lot of defensive players I you know, that was kind 239 00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:57,800 Speaker 1: of my best friends, linebackers, safeties, And the reason why 240 00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:00,240 Speaker 1: I did that because I wanted to get us out 241 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:03,000 Speaker 1: their mind. I wanted to know how they thought, because 242 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:05,680 Speaker 1: if I know how they thought, then I could beat them, 243 00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:08,000 Speaker 1: you know. And so it was just kind of that 244 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:11,520 Speaker 1: that psychological thing of getting to know how they think 245 00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:15,280 Speaker 1: so that I can use that against them. And linebackers 246 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:18,520 Speaker 1: they were always aggressive. You know. They want to go 247 00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:20,960 Speaker 1: right away, they want to hit right away. As so 248 00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:23,560 Speaker 1: as a runner, I can outsmart them a lot of 249 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:26,800 Speaker 1: times because they're so aggressive, and that's the times where 250 00:14:26,840 --> 00:14:30,960 Speaker 1: I need to be somewhat passive and use my agility 251 00:14:31,240 --> 00:14:36,000 Speaker 1: against their aggressiveness. Tomlinson understood the sacrifices needed to reach 252 00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:39,320 Speaker 1: his goals, what he needed to do to achieve greatness. 253 00:14:39,760 --> 00:14:42,000 Speaker 1: He was always one of the first one into the 254 00:14:42,040 --> 00:14:44,880 Speaker 1: field house, one of the last one to lead to leave. 255 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:48,800 Speaker 1: And he really had a lot of character about him 256 00:14:48,800 --> 00:14:51,680 Speaker 1: because he he showed what an example when he was 257 00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:54,720 Speaker 1: on that field. He worked as hard to see good, 258 00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:57,960 Speaker 1: maybe even too hard. According to his high school coach, 259 00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:00,680 Speaker 1: he put more pressure on him SA that I think 260 00:15:00,720 --> 00:15:04,240 Speaker 1: he needed to, because he really really wanted to attain 261 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:07,200 Speaker 1: the goals that he had set out, and so a 262 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:09,000 Speaker 1: lot of times we would call him in and and we 263 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:11,240 Speaker 1: were just talk to him and say, be patient. It's 264 00:15:11,280 --> 00:15:13,320 Speaker 1: going to work out for you. I know you might 265 00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:15,680 Speaker 1: not feel like it right now, but just be patient. 266 00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:19,200 Speaker 1: Coach was right. By his senior year, the patients paid 267 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:22,400 Speaker 1: off and Tomlinson had finally earned the starting running back 268 00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:26,440 Speaker 1: position at University High That is until his mother announced 269 00:15:26,640 --> 00:15:29,240 Speaker 1: she was moving to the Dallas Fort Worth area for 270 00:15:29,280 --> 00:15:33,320 Speaker 1: a new job. I see on her face at that 271 00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:37,480 Speaker 1: time when we had that conversation about moving to Dallas 272 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:41,160 Speaker 1: how much she had hurt her. You know that she 273 00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:45,160 Speaker 1: was going to take me away from what she felt 274 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:48,560 Speaker 1: like was a great opportunity obviously for me, going into 275 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:51,360 Speaker 1: my stay of year. Tomlinson poured his heart out to 276 00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:55,000 Speaker 1: his mother. He was always my easiest child. I'll say 277 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:57,200 Speaker 1: it like that. So all you can do is get 278 00:15:57,200 --> 00:16:00,560 Speaker 1: behind what he believed in and he believed and what 279 00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:04,160 Speaker 1: he told us, and so we believed in him. Please 280 00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:07,360 Speaker 1: trust me. You know that I'm you know I'm a 281 00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:11,040 Speaker 1: I'm a young man. Now you know I'm a young man, 282 00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:14,240 Speaker 1: and I'm ready to take responsibility from my life because 283 00:16:14,280 --> 00:16:16,440 Speaker 1: this is what I want. And she looked at me, 284 00:16:16,840 --> 00:16:19,800 Speaker 1: and the trust that she had and me meant everything 285 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:22,160 Speaker 1: to me. Tom would submit to deal with his mom 286 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:24,960 Speaker 1: to stay and wake up with a family friend so 287 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:28,720 Speaker 1: that he could chase his dreams. It was just it 288 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:31,080 Speaker 1: was a hard thing for me, really really hard thing. 289 00:16:31,480 --> 00:16:33,760 Speaker 1: And she was trusting me that I was going to 290 00:16:33,840 --> 00:16:36,800 Speaker 1: do the right things off the field. She knew I 291 00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:39,080 Speaker 1: would do the right things on the field. She was 292 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:40,840 Speaker 1: trusting to me that I would do the right things 293 00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:44,440 Speaker 1: off the field while she was away. Like I told him, 294 00:16:45,400 --> 00:16:49,400 Speaker 1: I know that you you will represent this family you 295 00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:52,840 Speaker 1: always have and your dad gave you a good name 296 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:55,160 Speaker 1: and I know you will keep it. But being physically 297 00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:58,480 Speaker 1: away from his family wouldn't break their bond. His mother 298 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:01,160 Speaker 1: would and brother there would come down and watch you 299 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:04,720 Speaker 1: play every Friday. Every Friday, and when they went into 300 00:17:04,720 --> 00:17:08,640 Speaker 1: the playoffs, we would come wherever they were playing, Austin 301 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:13,200 Speaker 1: or Saint Markers, wherever they played, we would. We never 302 00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:16,359 Speaker 1: missed a game. So he had a remarkable the family 303 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:19,440 Speaker 1: that really helped him. Llroy Coleman has coached high school 304 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:23,159 Speaker 1: football for half a century, fifty plus years, and what 305 00:17:23,280 --> 00:17:26,359 Speaker 1: happened at the start of thomlinson senior year is something 306 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:29,200 Speaker 1: that he would never forget. I can remember the first 307 00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:33,440 Speaker 1: game he played indown in Austin at Austin LPJ. He's 308 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:37,120 Speaker 1: scoring six times in that game, and so that was remarkable. 309 00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:41,159 Speaker 1: That's right, six touchdowns in his first game as starting 310 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:44,080 Speaker 1: running back. Thomason had finally earned the top job he 311 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:46,520 Speaker 1: coveted and he sure wasn't going to give it up. 312 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:50,880 Speaker 1: It was an incredible day. And when you have six 313 00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:55,080 Speaker 1: touchdowns and some very long runs, you know, eighty yard 314 00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:59,000 Speaker 1: runs and seventy yard runs, you know that can that 315 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:02,720 Speaker 1: can bring you to exhaustion. Obviously, on his final score 316 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:06,080 Speaker 1: of the day, Tomlinson fell over an exhaustion. You can 317 00:18:06,119 --> 00:18:08,400 Speaker 1: just see his own friends and Ben had just gone 318 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:11,200 Speaker 1: up and down and heaven and that's and I said, 319 00:18:11,359 --> 00:18:14,119 Speaker 1: he don't worry, don't worry. We got some more for you. 320 00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:17,200 Speaker 1: So we put him back in there for another player too, 321 00:18:17,520 --> 00:18:19,480 Speaker 1: and then that we got him in. I was not 322 00:18:19,680 --> 00:18:23,359 Speaker 1: celebrating at all. I could not walk after that. I mean, 323 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:26,199 Speaker 1: that was that was a time where I left it 324 00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:29,080 Speaker 1: all out there, you know, And my coach actually came 325 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:32,840 Speaker 1: ran out there to pick me up, and I think, 326 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:35,639 Speaker 1: you're right. He was running out there to try to stop, 327 00:18:35,960 --> 00:18:38,679 Speaker 1: what are you doing? Stop celebrating, But he saw me 328 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:42,360 Speaker 1: laying down exhausted, and you know, he picked me up, 329 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:45,479 Speaker 1: carried me back to the sideline. It was really a 330 00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:49,639 Speaker 1: great day, great energy. Everybody was motivating, they were excited 331 00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:52,439 Speaker 1: for him. In fact, that think they carried him out 332 00:18:52,520 --> 00:18:54,840 Speaker 1: to theelo left the game was over. He was so exhaustive. 333 00:18:55,080 --> 00:18:57,240 Speaker 1: It wouldn't be the last time LT would be carried 334 00:18:57,280 --> 00:19:00,280 Speaker 1: off the field either. It was a performance coach Holman 335 00:19:00,359 --> 00:19:05,640 Speaker 1: had never seen before, never never having this I've been coaching. 336 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:09,720 Speaker 1: Tomlinson finished his senior season at University High with a 337 00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:13,399 Speaker 1: staggering two thousand, five hundred and fifty four yards in 338 00:19:13,640 --> 00:19:16,800 Speaker 1: thirty nine touchdowns, making him one of the best backs 339 00:19:16,840 --> 00:19:19,439 Speaker 1: in Texas. He was a kind of back that he 340 00:19:19,520 --> 00:19:22,159 Speaker 1: could run over here if he needed to, or he 341 00:19:22,240 --> 00:19:24,760 Speaker 1: could run around you if he had to. He was 342 00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:29,600 Speaker 1: not He had great scale, great lateral movement, and the 343 00:19:29,760 --> 00:19:32,280 Speaker 1: big thing that he had about him with vision, he 344 00:19:32,359 --> 00:19:35,520 Speaker 1: could really see. Tomlinson was also the kind of kid 345 00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:38,320 Speaker 1: who had come home with pleasure to have in class 346 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:41,080 Speaker 1: written on his report card. Oh, he had great character. 347 00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:42,919 Speaker 1: He could hit a teacher's talk about it all the 348 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:45,640 Speaker 1: time up in the plassroom, you know, and in the halls, 349 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:50,080 Speaker 1: because leadership was not only on a football field, but 350 00:19:50,119 --> 00:19:52,560 Speaker 1: it was in the plassroom. Because they didn't have any 351 00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:56,120 Speaker 1: problems for from him. And yet, with all of that 352 00:19:56,160 --> 00:19:59,440 Speaker 1: going for him, top colleges in the state still didn't 353 00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:02,960 Speaker 1: view Tom as their next star running back because of 354 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:07,840 Speaker 1: his size. At that time, most of the college teams 355 00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:12,560 Speaker 1: were recruiting the big, tall running back with a lot 356 00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:16,120 Speaker 1: of way in that type of thing. But Ladanien had 357 00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:19,560 Speaker 1: those intangibles that some of those guys didn't have. And 358 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:24,000 Speaker 1: so when TCU came important and tried to recruit him, 359 00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:26,600 Speaker 1: you know, he jumped on that right away. I felt 360 00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:29,880 Speaker 1: the sense of the loyalty from TCU that man, they 361 00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:33,199 Speaker 1: were committed to me. They were the first university to 362 00:20:33,359 --> 00:20:37,560 Speaker 1: offer me. They were the first university to really setting 363 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:40,000 Speaker 1: out a plan for how they thought my career could 364 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:43,600 Speaker 1: go in terms of coming in playing right away, you know, 365 00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:46,320 Speaker 1: switching in and out with another guy and didn't eventually 366 00:20:46,560 --> 00:20:49,040 Speaker 1: becoming a guy. I mean they laid the plan out, 367 00:20:49,760 --> 00:20:52,520 Speaker 1: so they had a great plan for me. And attending 368 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:56,359 Speaker 1: TCU gave Thomlinson an opportunity to stay close to the 369 00:20:56,359 --> 00:20:58,960 Speaker 1: most important person in his life. You know, my mom 370 00:20:59,119 --> 00:21:02,399 Speaker 1: was in the metropol and that was important to me 371 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:05,199 Speaker 1: for my mom to see me play. I wanted. I 372 00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:08,320 Speaker 1: wanted her to have, you know, access to being able 373 00:21:08,359 --> 00:21:11,080 Speaker 1: to see me play every weekend if we played at home, 374 00:21:11,119 --> 00:21:15,080 Speaker 1: if she could. And then the other thing was, you know, 375 00:21:15,119 --> 00:21:19,200 Speaker 1: being able to go home sometimes, being able to just 376 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:22,359 Speaker 1: go see her and being close to her. She needed something. 377 00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:28,960 Speaker 1: I was there to be able to provide it. Hey, everybody, 378 00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:31,199 Speaker 1: have you checked out the TV dinners over at Lazy 379 00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:33,439 Speaker 1: Dog Yet They're great for those days where you just 380 00:21:33,480 --> 00:21:35,840 Speaker 1: don't feel like cooking. You just pop them in the 381 00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:38,760 Speaker 1: oven and you're done. One of my favorites the chicken 382 00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:42,160 Speaker 1: pot pie. It's filled with slow roasted, hand shredded chicken 383 00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:46,359 Speaker 1: breast and seasonal vegetables and a pie dough crust. And 384 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:48,800 Speaker 1: now for the fall, they've got a new oven roasted 385 00:21:48,800 --> 00:21:52,840 Speaker 1: turkey dinner. I'm talking turkey with gravy and all the trimmings. 386 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:55,719 Speaker 1: It's even got a pumpkin cheesecake dessert. Get them at 387 00:21:55,760 --> 00:21:58,360 Speaker 1: Lazy Dog for pickup or delivery, and you could check 388 00:21:58,359 --> 00:22:04,879 Speaker 1: it out at Lazy Dog Restaurants dot com. The recruiting 389 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:08,240 Speaker 1: process also gave Tomlinson the opportunity to meet the guy 390 00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:12,520 Speaker 1: who would play an instrumental role in TCU's plans for him, 391 00:22:12,640 --> 00:22:16,119 Speaker 1: his future running mate in Partner in Crime nineteen ninety 392 00:22:16,119 --> 00:22:19,680 Speaker 1: four recruit Basil mitchell I was his host. I hosted 393 00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:25,400 Speaker 1: LT on his visit so UH, and there was another 394 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:30,560 Speaker 1: running back who was actually more highly talented than LT, 395 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:33,160 Speaker 1: and they both came on the same weekend you made. 396 00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:37,080 Speaker 1: His name was Joe Walker. He ended up playing cornerback 397 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:40,320 Speaker 1: for Tennessee and UH he went to the brand up 398 00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:43,200 Speaker 1: going in Nebraska. But I hosted those two guys that 399 00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:47,280 Speaker 1: night knowing that we wanted those two running backs and 400 00:22:47,359 --> 00:22:49,640 Speaker 1: my goals was trying to convince him to get there. 401 00:22:49,880 --> 00:22:53,240 Speaker 1: You know. He had a strange way of motivate you 402 00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:57,640 Speaker 1: at the same time challenging you. Um and and honestly, 403 00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:02,879 Speaker 1: you know, he came He came off at first, you know, 404 00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:05,639 Speaker 1: when I first all my visit as a bit of 405 00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:08,399 Speaker 1: a jerk, you know. And he was part of the 406 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:11,680 Speaker 1: reason why I wanted to really go there, because this 407 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:14,040 Speaker 1: is what he told me. We sit on the couch 408 00:23:14,040 --> 00:23:16,080 Speaker 1: at the party, man, and we talked football man. We 409 00:23:16,160 --> 00:23:18,560 Speaker 1: just talked, and I got a good feeling about him. 410 00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:21,280 Speaker 1: And he looks at me and another running back that's 411 00:23:21,320 --> 00:23:24,720 Speaker 1: on the visit, and he said, hey, you know, you 412 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:26,720 Speaker 1: guys could come here if you want, but you're gonna 413 00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:30,080 Speaker 1: sit the bench untim done, you know. And I was thinking, like, man, 414 00:23:30,119 --> 00:23:35,240 Speaker 1: this dude is, oh okay, he's bold for telling us that. 415 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:40,359 Speaker 1: But LT recognized Basil's competitive streak in himself. Tomlinson already 416 00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:43,840 Speaker 1: began to envision how he may fit into TCU's plants. 417 00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:46,160 Speaker 1: I asked him at something, man, what are you thinking, 418 00:23:46,200 --> 00:23:49,280 Speaker 1: I Jael, He's like, I ain't coming. He already knew 419 00:23:49,280 --> 00:23:51,200 Speaker 1: he was going. He's like, I'm going to the brass 420 00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:55,000 Speaker 1: and LT said, I'm coming here. No, he just got 421 00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:56,919 Speaker 1: a good feeling. I got a good feeling from him. 422 00:23:56,960 --> 00:23:59,040 Speaker 1: You know. Basil was a guy that was easy to 423 00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:02,600 Speaker 1: talk to. You know, he really shared information with you. 424 00:24:02,920 --> 00:24:05,600 Speaker 1: He wasn't a guy that was jealous, you know, of 425 00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:09,159 Speaker 1: your talent. He believed in his own talent. And that 426 00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:13,080 Speaker 1: was just the beginning of a lifelong friendship. Mitchell served 427 00:24:13,119 --> 00:24:16,160 Speaker 1: as a role model that LT could watch and learn from, 428 00:24:16,200 --> 00:24:18,840 Speaker 1: seeing him go through some of the ups and downs 429 00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:22,879 Speaker 1: as well, playing a running back position, being injured sometimes, 430 00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:27,080 Speaker 1: you know, having to fight for your position early on 431 00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:30,480 Speaker 1: in his career. It really gave me a new found 432 00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:35,840 Speaker 1: respect for Basil. LT was in a All Star game, 433 00:24:36,119 --> 00:24:39,520 Speaker 1: a high school all star game that they played at 434 00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:43,719 Speaker 1: Amon G. Carter at TCU, so I was around him there. 435 00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:45,280 Speaker 1: That was. That was when you may have heard that 436 00:24:45,440 --> 00:24:47,960 Speaker 1: Drew Brees was the quarterback on the team LT was on. 437 00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:50,360 Speaker 1: The first time I met him was at that All 438 00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:54,040 Speaker 1: Star game, and ironically we just kind of, I guess 439 00:24:54,080 --> 00:24:55,880 Speaker 1: we just kind of hit it off. I mean, we 440 00:24:56,160 --> 00:24:59,240 Speaker 1: ate together. We you know, we just kind of after 441 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:01,200 Speaker 1: practice when we will walk back to the door, arms 442 00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:05,680 Speaker 1: together and I think I think the reason why is 443 00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:09,040 Speaker 1: because we both felt slighted. Yeah, we were on the 444 00:25:09,320 --> 00:25:11,520 Speaker 1: we were on the all state team. You know, he 445 00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:14,560 Speaker 1: was the all state quarterback that year. I was the 446 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:20,200 Speaker 1: All state running back. But yet no big Texas colleges 447 00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:25,480 Speaker 1: offered us scholarships, University of Texas, Texas and them, you know, 448 00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:28,719 Speaker 1: and so we felt slighted a little bit about you know, 449 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:33,080 Speaker 1: how how we were I guess, uh dismissed during the 450 00:25:34,119 --> 00:25:38,600 Speaker 1: you know, recruiting process. And I remember Drew the just 451 00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:42,920 Speaker 1: kind of the I would say, the knowledge he had 452 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:46,280 Speaker 1: at that time as a high school player in terms 453 00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:49,439 Speaker 1: of the game and it's understanding for defenses, even at 454 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:52,280 Speaker 1: that time being able to throw the football. I knew 455 00:25:52,359 --> 00:25:55,439 Speaker 1: that this guy would go to Perdue and have an 456 00:25:55,480 --> 00:25:58,240 Speaker 1: outstanding career. But that wasn't the only bonding moment that 457 00:25:58,359 --> 00:26:00,880 Speaker 1: Tomlinson shared with the future team. You know. So they 458 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:03,119 Speaker 1: used our locker rooms. They were there that week, and 459 00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:05,440 Speaker 1: you know, I was giving corners and talk to him 460 00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:09,560 Speaker 1: and and but that was the day that I watched 461 00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:11,720 Speaker 1: him playing that game. I said, Man, this kid, this 462 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:14,160 Speaker 1: kid's good. This kid is gonna be a really good 463 00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:18,320 Speaker 1: football player. Tomlinson was beginning to earn Mitchell's respect, but 464 00:26:18,400 --> 00:26:22,040 Speaker 1: the TCU football program was still searching for some respect 465 00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:25,080 Speaker 1: of its own. While Tomlinson finished his freshman year with 466 00:26:25,160 --> 00:26:27,840 Speaker 1: nearly six hundred and fifty yards of total offense and 467 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:31,840 Speaker 1: six scores, his team started the season and ten. But 468 00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:35,080 Speaker 1: at that time, you know, we were a bit on discipline. 469 00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:39,560 Speaker 1: We weren't a team. We didn't play together. But I 470 00:26:39,600 --> 00:26:43,520 Speaker 1: think as the season progressed, I saw the growth in 471 00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:46,240 Speaker 1: our team. Going into the final game of the season 472 00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:50,200 Speaker 1: against rival SMU, TCU was at risk of going winless 473 00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:53,120 Speaker 1: for the first time in over twenty years. I remember 474 00:26:53,359 --> 00:26:57,439 Speaker 1: that night, man, we play our best game, and they 475 00:26:57,520 --> 00:27:00,880 Speaker 1: really taught me a lot about the fire, that it's 476 00:27:00,920 --> 00:27:03,400 Speaker 1: not gonna always go your way, but you keep battling, 477 00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:07,800 Speaker 1: you keep believing no matter what. Coming from what he 478 00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:10,640 Speaker 1: did in high school and then he comes to college 479 00:27:10,680 --> 00:27:14,520 Speaker 1: thinking that he's gonna change everything like overnight. It didn't happen, 480 00:27:14,560 --> 00:27:16,760 Speaker 1: and I know it's feeling this hurt. So the talk 481 00:27:16,800 --> 00:27:19,280 Speaker 1: that we had was, you know, just keep your head up, 482 00:27:19,359 --> 00:27:22,399 Speaker 1: you're doing your job, and eventually it's going to happen. 483 00:27:22,760 --> 00:27:26,200 Speaker 1: After one intense season, head coach Pat Sullivan was replaced 484 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:30,320 Speaker 1: with former New Mexico head coach Dennis FRENCHIONI with a 485 00:27:30,359 --> 00:27:33,960 Speaker 1: new coach comes a new culture, taking on this off 486 00:27:33,960 --> 00:27:37,800 Speaker 1: of your own job, doing your job sort of speak, 487 00:27:39,400 --> 00:27:42,600 Speaker 1: and then a structure and a discipline. This is the 488 00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:44,800 Speaker 1: way it's gonna be. This is how we play, this 489 00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:47,720 Speaker 1: is how we do things. By this point, Mitchell was 490 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:49,920 Speaker 1: a senior and not going to let his last chance 491 00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:55,920 Speaker 1: slip away. New system, new enthusiasm and last opportunity. And 492 00:27:56,760 --> 00:28:00,560 Speaker 1: the class of guys that I had with me that 493 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:03,120 Speaker 1: was our senior year, Man, and we made a pack 494 00:28:03,240 --> 00:28:07,160 Speaker 1: after that one and ten season my groups and man, 495 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:09,760 Speaker 1: it's no way we're going out like that our senior year. 496 00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:14,520 Speaker 1: And the one thing that I remember about coach Francion 497 00:28:14,760 --> 00:28:18,760 Speaker 1: is he believed in preparation. You know. He would go 498 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:24,920 Speaker 1: over and over in meetings, video meetings about testing us. 499 00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:27,639 Speaker 1: And so the young guys were supporting, they were playing 500 00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:30,200 Speaker 1: their role, and it's just how it worked. And man 501 00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:34,440 Speaker 1: and Frank came in with a great system. We were 502 00:28:34,480 --> 00:28:39,160 Speaker 1: always well prepared and we wanted it, you know. And 503 00:28:39,200 --> 00:28:42,560 Speaker 1: as a young person learning that structure of how to 504 00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:46,280 Speaker 1: prepare what it takes to win, you know, the preparation 505 00:28:46,400 --> 00:28:48,600 Speaker 1: that it takes to win, discipline that you got to 506 00:28:48,640 --> 00:28:51,880 Speaker 1: have to win. As you start to see it um 507 00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:56,440 Speaker 1: take place and obviously start to see it be successful, 508 00:28:56,880 --> 00:29:00,240 Speaker 1: then you start to adopt those qualities like, Okay, this 509 00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:02,480 Speaker 1: is this is how, this is how you win. These 510 00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:05,720 Speaker 1: are the things. This is the magic recipe, right, this 511 00:29:05,800 --> 00:29:08,480 Speaker 1: is the this is the formula to win it. As 512 00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:10,920 Speaker 1: Thomlinson learned how to be a winner at the next level, 513 00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:14,760 Speaker 1: he inspired others, even as mentor Basil, to play their best. 514 00:29:15,480 --> 00:29:19,000 Speaker 1: LT became the startup before my senior year based on 515 00:29:19,120 --> 00:29:23,080 Speaker 1: his work in the off season. UM and then but 516 00:29:23,360 --> 00:29:25,680 Speaker 1: so so that pushed me. I said, I gotta I 517 00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:28,240 Speaker 1: gotta change what I'm doing. So I went to the 518 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:31,760 Speaker 1: strength coach and me and the strength coach worked out 519 00:29:31,800 --> 00:29:35,200 Speaker 1: a different program for me and defensive tackle David Bobo 520 00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:39,320 Speaker 1: remembers how Mitchell showed Tomlinson the ropes. Basil taught him 521 00:29:39,360 --> 00:29:42,720 Speaker 1: every little trick that he knew. And whether that was 522 00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:47,800 Speaker 1: you know, just the knowledge that Basil was carrying in 523 00:29:48,160 --> 00:29:52,840 Speaker 1: or how he ran the football, um, whatever it was, 524 00:29:53,240 --> 00:29:56,840 Speaker 1: he gave it to LT coach. One coach recognized that 525 00:29:56,880 --> 00:29:59,800 Speaker 1: we would the best two backs that we had on 526 00:29:59,840 --> 00:30:02,640 Speaker 1: the team, with the best two backs that we had 527 00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:05,600 Speaker 1: on team, and his goal was to get us both 528 00:30:05,640 --> 00:30:08,440 Speaker 1: on the field at the same time. That that was 529 00:30:08,840 --> 00:30:13,160 Speaker 1: what coach was trying to do. And LT is a 530 00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:15,920 Speaker 1: bigger guy than me. I'm fast, I was fashion more shifty, 531 00:30:16,080 --> 00:30:17,800 Speaker 1: and I was, you know, at the times, a better 532 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:20,280 Speaker 1: receiver out in the backfield. LT was bigger and he 533 00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:24,280 Speaker 1: played fullback in high school, so they moved LT the fullback. 534 00:30:24,560 --> 00:30:27,680 Speaker 1: It's a decision that coach FRENCHIONI looks at a little 535 00:30:27,760 --> 00:30:30,400 Speaker 1: differently all these years later. Yeah, that was one of 536 00:30:30,440 --> 00:30:33,680 Speaker 1: my weaker moments when as a coach. Well, I wanted 537 00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:35,480 Speaker 1: to get him in basil on the field at the 538 00:30:35,520 --> 00:30:41,480 Speaker 1: same time, and his body was a little bit more 539 00:30:41,520 --> 00:30:44,800 Speaker 1: closer to being full back size, and we were gonna 540 00:30:44,800 --> 00:30:48,400 Speaker 1: make him a blocker, but we just wanted to utilize 541 00:30:48,480 --> 00:30:50,480 Speaker 1: him maybe in split backs on the field at the 542 00:30:50,520 --> 00:30:53,080 Speaker 1: same time. And when we were in the eye, he 543 00:30:53,240 --> 00:30:56,400 Speaker 1: felt like he was the better tailback and he felt 544 00:30:56,440 --> 00:30:59,680 Speaker 1: like he should have been starting. I put it back 545 00:30:59,720 --> 00:31:02,600 Speaker 1: on the him. I said, Okay, I don't care who's 546 00:31:02,640 --> 00:31:06,760 Speaker 1: in the game. I'm not gonna call plays any differently. 547 00:31:08,120 --> 00:31:13,000 Speaker 1: And so you guys, you regulate your playing time, you 548 00:31:13,120 --> 00:31:16,960 Speaker 1: manage it, you decide who's in. Once again, Frenchion, he 549 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:20,440 Speaker 1: found a way to test his players. This time they passed. 550 00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:23,280 Speaker 1: Those two are awesome. They'd wave each other back into 551 00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:25,480 Speaker 1: the game. You know, one of them to be out 552 00:31:25,520 --> 00:31:28,640 Speaker 1: there and sacrifice playing because they knew the other one 553 00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:32,960 Speaker 1: was in rhythm. I intentionally a lot of times tapped 554 00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:35,240 Speaker 1: out because I wanted to be on the field, because 555 00:31:35,240 --> 00:31:37,440 Speaker 1: I knew I Hardy were the one two punch of 556 00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:41,360 Speaker 1: Basil and LT turned into a devastating rushing attack. And 557 00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:43,280 Speaker 1: then then it got to the Then it got to 558 00:31:43,320 --> 00:31:46,240 Speaker 1: the point where coaches didn't care who was in the 559 00:31:46,280 --> 00:31:50,120 Speaker 1: game because when LT got his shot, he was he 560 00:31:50,160 --> 00:31:53,840 Speaker 1: was being LT, and we may I would always start 561 00:31:53,880 --> 00:31:57,800 Speaker 1: the game, and if I was hot, I would stay. 562 00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:01,160 Speaker 1: If I came in I was struggling, let LT come in. 563 00:32:01,520 --> 00:32:04,080 Speaker 1: LT if he founded me, it was his game, he 564 00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:07,120 Speaker 1: just had a just he was just on point. I'd 565 00:32:07,160 --> 00:32:09,560 Speaker 1: let him stand when that's that's how it became my 566 00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:13,240 Speaker 1: senior year. The entire time, the two continue to support 567 00:32:13,280 --> 00:32:16,320 Speaker 1: each other, whether it was on the field, the sidelines, 568 00:32:16,600 --> 00:32:18,840 Speaker 1: or before a game. We were just walking onto the 569 00:32:18,880 --> 00:32:21,560 Speaker 1: field and LT let's set me said, man, you look 570 00:32:21,680 --> 00:32:23,400 Speaker 1: good at me? He said, you look ready. You know 571 00:32:23,480 --> 00:32:27,360 Speaker 1: I'm like I was clean, uniforms like guns will blade like, man, 572 00:32:27,840 --> 00:32:30,640 Speaker 1: you look good. You got it. So it was it 573 00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:34,240 Speaker 1: was just always love. The duo combined for over eighteen 574 00:32:34,360 --> 00:32:37,920 Speaker 1: hundred rushing yards in fourteen scores, helping the horn Frogs 575 00:32:37,960 --> 00:32:41,120 Speaker 1: to a seven and five record. TCU would go in 576 00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:44,480 Speaker 1: to defeat Carson Palmer and the USC Trojans twenty eight 577 00:32:44,600 --> 00:32:48,400 Speaker 1: nineteen behind a career day from Basil Mitchell. The victory 578 00:32:48,400 --> 00:32:51,560 Speaker 1: would be the horn Frogs's first Bowl winning over forty years. 579 00:32:52,080 --> 00:32:55,520 Speaker 1: TCU had improved six wins in one season behind one 580 00:32:55,560 --> 00:32:58,720 Speaker 1: of the best rushing attacks in college football. But now 581 00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:02,000 Speaker 1: that was over. Basil Mitchell had graduated. He was onder 582 00:33:02,040 --> 00:33:05,120 Speaker 1: the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent. So 583 00:33:05,320 --> 00:33:09,600 Speaker 1: LT he had the backfield and the responsibility all to himself. 584 00:33:10,120 --> 00:33:13,720 Speaker 1: But was he ready for it Beasil certainly believed. So, yeah, 585 00:33:13,800 --> 00:33:15,840 Speaker 1: my brother was in town. He came to visit me. 586 00:33:15,920 --> 00:33:18,479 Speaker 1: So we went over to LTS and we were just uh, 587 00:33:18,600 --> 00:33:23,000 Speaker 1: we were playing dominos and talking and and they went 588 00:33:23,080 --> 00:33:27,120 Speaker 1: back l ten and my brother went to his room, 589 00:33:27,480 --> 00:33:31,680 Speaker 1: went to LT's room, and he saw all the pictures 590 00:33:31,720 --> 00:33:34,560 Speaker 1: of like he had Emmitt Smith, I'm the wye at 591 00:33:34,600 --> 00:33:36,720 Speaker 1: Walter to Pay. He had all his favorite running backs. 592 00:33:36,760 --> 00:33:39,160 Speaker 1: And my brother was like, man, he said, LT, now 593 00:33:39,280 --> 00:33:41,520 Speaker 1: you He said, man, you you you really want to 594 00:33:41,520 --> 00:33:44,840 Speaker 1: did a good football player? And he said he looked 595 00:33:44,840 --> 00:33:46,239 Speaker 1: at him and said now he said, I wanted the 596 00:33:46,240 --> 00:33:51,120 Speaker 1: best player ever. So on our way home, my brother 597 00:33:51,240 --> 00:33:54,240 Speaker 1: was like, hey, he said, man, listen, he said, man, LT. 598 00:33:54,880 --> 00:33:58,520 Speaker 1: He said, watch him next year. He's he's man, watch 599 00:33:58,600 --> 00:34:00,760 Speaker 1: just watch what he does. Because they said the look 600 00:34:00,840 --> 00:34:03,440 Speaker 1: in his eyes when he told me that he was 601 00:34:03,480 --> 00:34:07,240 Speaker 1: gonna be the best ever A breats. I believed beside 602 00:34:07,320 --> 00:34:10,080 Speaker 1: just just the way he told me, because I believe me. 603 00:34:10,200 --> 00:34:12,160 Speaker 1: He said, watch LT this year, and that was that 604 00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:15,040 Speaker 1: was my senior. I was already in Green Bay, so 605 00:34:15,200 --> 00:34:17,600 Speaker 1: it was coming up. Yeah. So this is LT's first 606 00:34:17,640 --> 00:34:23,759 Speaker 1: year starting at TCU. Hey, everybody, have you checked out 607 00:34:23,760 --> 00:34:26,359 Speaker 1: the TV dinners over at Lazy Dog Yet They're great 608 00:34:26,400 --> 00:34:28,600 Speaker 1: for those days where you just don't feel like cooking. 609 00:34:28,880 --> 00:34:31,040 Speaker 1: You just pop them in the oven and you're done. 610 00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:34,200 Speaker 1: One of my favorites, the chicken pot pie it's filled 611 00:34:34,200 --> 00:34:38,360 Speaker 1: with slow roasted, hand shredded chicken breast and seasonal vegetables 612 00:34:38,600 --> 00:34:41,200 Speaker 1: and a pie dough crust. And now for the fall, 613 00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:44,400 Speaker 1: they've got a new oven roasted turkey dinner. I'm talking 614 00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:47,560 Speaker 1: turkey with gravy and all the trimmings. It's even got 615 00:34:47,560 --> 00:34:50,440 Speaker 1: a pumpkin cheesecake dessert. Get them at Lazy Dog for 616 00:34:50,480 --> 00:34:52,960 Speaker 1: pickup or delivery, and you could check it out at 617 00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:59,560 Speaker 1: Lazy Dog Restaurants dot com. In nineteen ninety nine, the 618 00:34:59,600 --> 00:35:03,399 Speaker 1: feature halfback role was LT's for the taking. Coach FRANCIONI 619 00:35:03,440 --> 00:35:06,719 Speaker 1: remembers it was an opportunity Tomlinson did not take lightly. 620 00:35:07,120 --> 00:35:08,920 Speaker 1: It wasn't so much I'm the guy I'm going to 621 00:35:09,040 --> 00:35:12,080 Speaker 1: kick it in the second gear. It was I'm going 622 00:35:12,160 --> 00:35:15,080 Speaker 1: to have more carriers. I have to be in great 623 00:35:15,120 --> 00:35:20,200 Speaker 1: shape to handle the hits and the contact that I'm 624 00:35:20,239 --> 00:35:23,239 Speaker 1: going to take this year. And Coach FRANCIONI helped me 625 00:35:23,360 --> 00:35:28,120 Speaker 1: deal with success that I was having at the college level, 626 00:35:28,120 --> 00:35:31,040 Speaker 1: and I think that was vital because he carried me 627 00:35:31,520 --> 00:35:35,879 Speaker 1: into Obviously the next level ben't able to handle success, 628 00:35:36,360 --> 00:35:39,319 Speaker 1: and success doesn't get much bigger than breaking the all 629 00:35:39,360 --> 00:35:42,400 Speaker 1: time record for rushing yards in a single game. He 630 00:35:42,520 --> 00:35:44,560 Speaker 1: had an outstanding day. It was two good teams. We 631 00:35:44,560 --> 00:35:47,600 Speaker 1: were playing for the conference championship. UTEP had a fine 632 00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:54,480 Speaker 1: ball club, and you know, we both had trouble slowing 633 00:35:54,520 --> 00:35:58,160 Speaker 1: the other one down. As Bobo recalls, UTEP came to play. 634 00:35:58,239 --> 00:36:01,279 Speaker 1: It started out and it was very close game. You know, 635 00:36:01,320 --> 00:36:04,520 Speaker 1: I think they were ahead in that first quarter when 636 00:36:04,520 --> 00:36:07,560 Speaker 1: we rolled out. I think we'd had a few yards, 637 00:36:07,560 --> 00:36:11,600 Speaker 1: had a few problems. When we hit halftime, we were 638 00:36:11,640 --> 00:36:15,840 Speaker 1: tied seventeen to seventeen. Even with over one hundred rushing 639 00:36:15,920 --> 00:36:18,800 Speaker 1: yards in the first half, Tomlinson was not feeling his 640 00:36:18,920 --> 00:36:22,960 Speaker 1: best going into the break. It started out not so good. 641 00:36:23,000 --> 00:36:26,000 Speaker 1: I mean, I was having an okay day the first half, 642 00:36:26,360 --> 00:36:30,800 Speaker 1: but I had a critical fumble right before halftime, and 643 00:36:31,440 --> 00:36:34,840 Speaker 1: my running backs coach chewed me out. Coach Schultz chew 644 00:36:34,960 --> 00:36:37,960 Speaker 1: me out, you know, a halftime like take care of 645 00:36:37,960 --> 00:36:40,239 Speaker 1: the ball, you know, like you're gonna be on the 646 00:36:40,280 --> 00:36:42,200 Speaker 1: sideline if you can't take care of the ball better. 647 00:36:42,280 --> 00:36:44,960 Speaker 1: We need to, you know, do a better job at this. 648 00:36:45,600 --> 00:36:49,920 Speaker 1: And so I remember going back out after halftime, you know, 649 00:36:50,040 --> 00:36:53,319 Speaker 1: kind of ticked off about the way I played the 650 00:36:53,360 --> 00:36:58,480 Speaker 1: first half. And it was something that we were actively 651 00:36:58,560 --> 00:37:02,279 Speaker 1: doing to win the game. And when it rolled into 652 00:37:02,320 --> 00:37:06,399 Speaker 1: the third quarter and we realized, you know, we're kind 653 00:37:06,400 --> 00:37:07,879 Speaker 1: of on pace to get a record, but we're also 654 00:37:07,920 --> 00:37:09,600 Speaker 1: still trying to win this game. You know, the starters 655 00:37:09,600 --> 00:37:11,719 Speaker 1: are still out there, the first defense is still out there. 656 00:37:14,200 --> 00:37:16,000 Speaker 1: This could happen, you know, And there were grumblings on 657 00:37:16,040 --> 00:37:17,759 Speaker 1: the sidelines, but nobody was really you know, it's kind 658 00:37:17,760 --> 00:37:19,600 Speaker 1: of like a no hitter. Nobody's really gonna say anything. 659 00:37:19,680 --> 00:37:21,960 Speaker 1: Nobody really wanted to put it out there. In the 660 00:37:21,960 --> 00:37:25,320 Speaker 1: third quarter, Timeless has scored back to back on seventy 661 00:37:25,360 --> 00:37:28,200 Speaker 1: and sixty three yard runs. He was in the zone. 662 00:37:28,520 --> 00:37:32,600 Speaker 1: I felt like everybody on the defensive side of the ball, 663 00:37:32,640 --> 00:37:35,799 Speaker 1: we're moving so slow, you know, that day, like I 664 00:37:35,920 --> 00:37:39,800 Speaker 1: was moving at a different speed and the holes were huge, 665 00:37:40,280 --> 00:37:43,919 Speaker 1: and I just felt unstoppable. It took most of the game, 666 00:37:44,120 --> 00:37:46,400 Speaker 1: but the horn Frogs were finally able to grab a 667 00:37:46,440 --> 00:37:50,160 Speaker 1: comfortable lead in the fourth quarter, probably four minutes left, 668 00:37:50,200 --> 00:37:52,200 Speaker 1: and I had my last run and I went out 669 00:37:52,239 --> 00:37:55,880 Speaker 1: the game and as I went out, coach said, Elsie, 670 00:37:56,760 --> 00:38:00,040 Speaker 1: do you know who you're within this many yards? And 671 00:38:00,160 --> 00:38:02,960 Speaker 1: the all time single game rushing record. He said, go 672 00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:05,960 Speaker 1: back in there, and so I went back in and 673 00:38:06,640 --> 00:38:09,200 Speaker 1: I think I had like a five yard game and 674 00:38:09,239 --> 00:38:12,280 Speaker 1: it put me over. But even after breaking the record, 675 00:38:12,600 --> 00:38:15,680 Speaker 1: there was still one more mile still left for Tomlinson 676 00:38:15,719 --> 00:38:17,960 Speaker 1: to reach. But then he was like, you're about to 677 00:38:18,080 --> 00:38:21,000 Speaker 1: rough for four hundred yards. No one has ever yards. 678 00:38:21,120 --> 00:38:23,960 Speaker 1: I'm gonna give you another car And so I got 679 00:38:23,960 --> 00:38:26,680 Speaker 1: another Carrey went over four hundred yards and ended with 680 00:38:27,200 --> 00:38:29,520 Speaker 1: full six. So it was a great day. It was 681 00:38:29,560 --> 00:38:32,680 Speaker 1: a day that put Tomlinson and TCU on the map. 682 00:38:33,239 --> 00:38:36,080 Speaker 1: LT finished the nineteen ninety nine season with over two 683 00:38:36,120 --> 00:38:40,720 Speaker 1: thousand all purpose yards and twenty scores, a performance strong 684 00:38:40,840 --> 00:38:44,799 Speaker 1: enough that the following year, Texas Christian University decided to 685 00:38:44,800 --> 00:38:47,280 Speaker 1: make their start running back the face of the school 686 00:38:47,719 --> 00:38:50,440 Speaker 1: and campaigned for a Heisman Trophy. At the time, we 687 00:38:50,440 --> 00:38:53,120 Speaker 1: were not a Power five program, So in order to 688 00:38:53,160 --> 00:38:57,239 Speaker 1: get LT to New York, we knew that we had 689 00:38:57,280 --> 00:39:01,239 Speaker 1: to really work at this. We knew that he would 690 00:39:01,320 --> 00:39:04,279 Speaker 1: deserve to be there, but that we would have to 691 00:39:04,360 --> 00:39:07,600 Speaker 1: do that the eyes and cross the teams and do 692 00:39:07,680 --> 00:39:11,200 Speaker 1: the right marketing campaign, do the right things with him 693 00:39:11,239 --> 00:39:16,960 Speaker 1: personally around town with the media. He had a an 694 00:39:17,040 --> 00:39:21,600 Speaker 1: article every week in the paper about him and his mother, 695 00:39:21,880 --> 00:39:24,680 Speaker 1: whether it was his Bob or his teammates. LT found 696 00:39:24,680 --> 00:39:27,640 Speaker 1: a way to include others in his glory tackle. David 697 00:39:27,680 --> 00:39:31,160 Speaker 1: Bobo remembers just how much the community embraced the campaign 698 00:39:31,360 --> 00:39:34,879 Speaker 1: and seeing the bumper stickers and you know, they sent 699 00:39:34,920 --> 00:39:38,800 Speaker 1: out these little bitty CDs to the media and fans, 700 00:39:39,120 --> 00:39:42,320 Speaker 1: you know, LT for Heisman, like a little DVD that 701 00:39:42,320 --> 00:39:46,480 Speaker 1: that people had. Um you know, just seeing the billboards 702 00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:50,319 Speaker 1: and the everything, it was just it was amazing to 703 00:39:50,360 --> 00:39:53,520 Speaker 1: see him. And they always seem to include the big uglies, 704 00:39:53,520 --> 00:39:55,200 Speaker 1: which I thought was really neat at the time, because 705 00:39:55,239 --> 00:39:57,440 Speaker 1: you know, we really had nothing to do with you know, 706 00:39:58,080 --> 00:40:00,279 Speaker 1: such a great like LT. You get hell to a 707 00:40:00,440 --> 00:40:03,480 Speaker 1: standards when you're when you're a candidate for the Heisman 708 00:40:03,560 --> 00:40:06,680 Speaker 1: Trophy and it's a high one and you want your 709 00:40:06,680 --> 00:40:09,440 Speaker 1: guys to live up to it. You want them, you know, 710 00:40:09,480 --> 00:40:11,359 Speaker 1: if we're gonna do this, LT, you got to do 711 00:40:11,440 --> 00:40:15,239 Speaker 1: your part. And you know, some days I knew once 712 00:40:15,280 --> 00:40:17,759 Speaker 1: I was saying those kinds of things that I was 713 00:40:17,800 --> 00:40:21,239 Speaker 1: only reinforcing them because he already knew that that's what 714 00:40:21,320 --> 00:40:23,520 Speaker 1: he had to do. It was fun. I mean just 715 00:40:23,680 --> 00:40:26,239 Speaker 1: a lot of fun to see that campaign the way 716 00:40:26,239 --> 00:40:29,120 Speaker 1: it took off and it worked. In two thousand, Timeless 717 00:40:29,200 --> 00:40:31,880 Speaker 1: and ran for over twenty one hundred yards in twenty 718 00:40:31,880 --> 00:40:35,120 Speaker 1: two scores here in the Spot as a Heisman finalist, 719 00:40:35,280 --> 00:40:37,680 Speaker 1: and won the Dope Walker Award as the best running 720 00:40:37,680 --> 00:40:40,880 Speaker 1: back in college football. It was through that process that 721 00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:44,560 Speaker 1: is hero Emmett Smith became his mentory, you know. It 722 00:40:44,600 --> 00:40:48,120 Speaker 1: was it was now like a big brother who was 723 00:40:48,160 --> 00:40:51,400 Speaker 1: proud of his love brother, and now it's about Sharon 724 00:40:51,520 --> 00:40:55,319 Speaker 1: ack vice on this next level, how to be a professional, 725 00:40:56,000 --> 00:40:57,759 Speaker 1: you know. And that was when Emmett you know, the 726 00:40:57,840 --> 00:41:02,760 Speaker 1: game is number and gave me so much a valuable 727 00:41:02,800 --> 00:41:06,439 Speaker 1: advice on how to be a professional, how to take 728 00:41:06,480 --> 00:41:09,600 Speaker 1: care of my body, my money, you know, all the 729 00:41:09,600 --> 00:41:12,560 Speaker 1: things that I needed to do to be successful at 730 00:41:12,560 --> 00:41:15,400 Speaker 1: that next level. Lt knew that Emmett Smith had the 731 00:41:15,480 --> 00:41:18,640 Speaker 1: keys to becoming a great so of course he soaked 732 00:41:18,680 --> 00:41:22,120 Speaker 1: in every single word. You know, this is a superstar 733 00:41:22,360 --> 00:41:25,920 Speaker 1: NFL player and I'm just now entering the league. So 734 00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:29,319 Speaker 1: I found myself a lot of times thinking like man, 735 00:41:29,360 --> 00:41:31,520 Speaker 1: I don't want to call him man and bother him 736 00:41:31,520 --> 00:41:34,640 Speaker 1: as much, you know, but he would always tell me, man, 737 00:41:34,800 --> 00:41:37,279 Speaker 1: you're not bothering me. You know, I appreciate when you 738 00:41:37,560 --> 00:41:39,640 Speaker 1: when you can call me and I could share knowledge 739 00:41:39,640 --> 00:41:42,200 Speaker 1: with you. And that was a great thing about Emma 740 00:41:42,360 --> 00:41:46,920 Speaker 1: because he really enjoyed sharing the knowledge with me. Just 741 00:41:47,000 --> 00:41:50,080 Speaker 1: like Smith had left an impact on Tomlinson's life, lt 742 00:41:50,440 --> 00:41:54,200 Speaker 1: left his mark on TCU and especially as old coach. Well, 743 00:41:54,280 --> 00:41:56,680 Speaker 1: you can summarize him in one word, and that would 744 00:41:56,760 --> 00:42:01,560 Speaker 1: be class. He was. He was a class young man 745 00:42:01,640 --> 00:42:04,960 Speaker 1: in every area. He took care of business. I never 746 00:42:05,040 --> 00:42:09,120 Speaker 1: had any trouble and read any problems, and academics were 747 00:42:09,200 --> 00:42:13,680 Speaker 1: never a worry. He is going to be there to 748 00:42:13,719 --> 00:42:17,480 Speaker 1: practice early. For his former offensive tackle, what stands out 749 00:42:17,680 --> 00:42:21,680 Speaker 1: is Tomlinson's selflessness as a teammate. I mean he was 750 00:42:21,760 --> 00:42:25,960 Speaker 1: always there, always willing to, you know, talk us up. 751 00:42:26,440 --> 00:42:28,759 Speaker 1: And how often is your best player willing to put 752 00:42:28,840 --> 00:42:32,080 Speaker 1: you in front of himself? You know, he was always 753 00:42:32,080 --> 00:42:33,880 Speaker 1: willing to put us in the media. And as an 754 00:42:33,880 --> 00:42:36,080 Speaker 1: offensive lineman, you're normally the guy in the bag nobody 755 00:42:36,080 --> 00:42:38,799 Speaker 1: talks to, nobody wants to see, and Ladanian always put 756 00:42:38,840 --> 00:42:41,080 Speaker 1: us up front. And for his running met it's the 757 00:42:41,200 --> 00:42:44,799 Speaker 1: unbreakable bond they forged during their time to get man. 758 00:42:45,520 --> 00:42:48,879 Speaker 1: Now that's my brother. Man, that's a brother, and that's 759 00:42:48,960 --> 00:42:55,040 Speaker 1: that's family. He elevated, elevated everybody. He made you coach better, 760 00:42:55,600 --> 00:42:59,600 Speaker 1: He made you, your teammates want to play harder. You 761 00:43:00,080 --> 00:43:03,200 Speaker 1: see that. Everybody had a love for him. Man. It 762 00:43:03,360 --> 00:43:04,960 Speaker 1: was you know, it was like you just got you know, 763 00:43:05,040 --> 00:43:07,640 Speaker 1: you just feel like, man, he's one hundred. He's a 764 00:43:07,680 --> 00:43:11,359 Speaker 1: one hundred gayway. And once LT had left school, it 765 00:43:11,440 --> 00:43:15,360 Speaker 1: was clear TCU football mattered once again. The town started 766 00:43:15,360 --> 00:43:17,640 Speaker 1: to build. You could tell they started. The fan base 767 00:43:17,680 --> 00:43:20,239 Speaker 1: started to come back, The town started to come back. 768 00:43:20,880 --> 00:43:23,279 Speaker 1: They not that they'd ever given up on us, they 769 00:43:23,280 --> 00:43:26,600 Speaker 1: just weren't filling the stands. And then by that next year, 770 00:43:27,840 --> 00:43:32,840 Speaker 1: with LT's Heisman campaign, with every thing around him, it 771 00:43:33,200 --> 00:43:39,480 Speaker 1: started to bring the city back to TCU. And it 772 00:43:39,520 --> 00:43:42,600 Speaker 1: was fun, I mean really fun. That kind of his 773 00:43:42,680 --> 00:43:48,319 Speaker 1: success lay the groundwork for who we are today. One 774 00:43:48,320 --> 00:43:50,920 Speaker 1: more thing of note happened to LT during the twilight 775 00:43:50,960 --> 00:43:54,560 Speaker 1: of his college career. Being a Heisman candidate put Tomlinson 776 00:43:54,600 --> 00:43:56,920 Speaker 1: in the same room as other top college players in 777 00:43:57,120 --> 00:44:02,040 Speaker 1: NFL prospects, including a talented six foot quarterback out of Purdue. 778 00:44:02,480 --> 00:44:05,400 Speaker 1: We're up at for the same award, like we're in 779 00:44:06,600 --> 00:44:11,880 Speaker 1: the College Football Awards show and here's Drew and again 780 00:44:11,960 --> 00:44:17,520 Speaker 1: we talk and conversion, talk about old times in high school. 781 00:44:17,840 --> 00:44:20,400 Speaker 1: And the one thing we said was, man, how crazy 782 00:44:20,600 --> 00:44:23,560 Speaker 1: is this? You know, both of us. Wasn't heavily recruited 783 00:44:23,560 --> 00:44:25,640 Speaker 1: in the Texas and now we're one of the top 784 00:44:25,760 --> 00:44:31,040 Speaker 1: guys in the country in college. And then the next 785 00:44:31,080 --> 00:44:35,520 Speaker 1: conversation was, man, wouldn't it be great to play together 786 00:44:35,560 --> 00:44:40,520 Speaker 1: at the next level, you know? And ironically that ended 787 00:44:40,560 --> 00:44:47,920 Speaker 1: up happening. This has been an LA Chargers production. Next up, 788 00:44:47,920 --> 00:44:50,239 Speaker 1: on Running for History, we take a deep dive into 789 00:44:50,280 --> 00:44:53,160 Speaker 1: the two thousand and one NFL draft and explore just 790 00:44:53,200 --> 00:44:57,120 Speaker 1: how Ladenia Tomlinson landed with the Chargers. You can play 791 00:44:57,520 --> 00:44:59,759 Speaker 1: on the NFL album that you're going to be a 792 00:44:59,760 --> 00:45:03,040 Speaker 1: great player. Now they need to see how fast you are. 793 00:45:03,480 --> 00:45:05,360 Speaker 1: And he said, I can't guarantee this either, but I 794 00:45:05,400 --> 00:45:09,239 Speaker 1: think he could be something special for the Chargers for 795 00:45:09,320 --> 00:45:11,960 Speaker 1: the future. And we talked a little bit more and 796 00:45:12,000 --> 00:45:13,839 Speaker 1: I said, look, if you really feel that's the right 797 00:45:13,880 --> 00:45:17,560 Speaker 1: thing to do, let's do it. I'm like, what I said, 798 00:45:17,560 --> 00:45:20,640 Speaker 1: why wouldn't they do that? Like, man, you're crazy. He said, 799 00:45:20,680 --> 00:45:23,080 Speaker 1: I'm telling you we've been we've been on the phone 800 00:45:23,200 --> 00:45:25,640 Speaker 1: all day. My agent told me, you know, we can't 801 00:45:25,680 --> 00:45:28,400 Speaker 1: get a deal done. And he said. At that time, 802 00:45:28,600 --> 00:45:32,520 Speaker 1: the GM de lay John Butler said to his agent, 803 00:45:33,080 --> 00:45:35,200 Speaker 1: if we can't get a deal done with you, Vic, 804 00:45:35,800 --> 00:45:38,400 Speaker 1: then we're gonna trade the pick and we're gonna draft 805 00:45:38,440 --> 00:45:39,360 Speaker 1: the Danny and Thomas