Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I begin by seeking forgiveness. I begin by recognizing that
nothing is clearer than what you see in the rear
view mirror. Getting it right when it's in the front
of the windshield, now that's the trick. Take you back
to two thousand and two two thousand and three Nebraska
high school football. The talk of the state was this
diminutive dynamo from out west North Platte Danny Woodhead, one
(00:23):
of five home schooled kids of Mark Annette. Woodhead, was
putting on such a display each time he took the field.
Even the famous showbiz impresario Buffalo Bill Cody would have
been impressed. Woodhead was incredible from his sophomore year on.
In the state semifinals, his Bulldogs were battling powerhouse Millard North.
(00:44):
Lining up for a field goal, the Mustangs were ready
to take the lead. Late in the fourth quarter, Woodhead,
who had not been on the field for a field
goal attempt all year, pleaded with his coach to let
him in there and try and block it. He did,
and he did. North Platt then took it down the
field for a victory clinching touchdown. A legend was born.
(01:05):
By the time he left North Platt High. His Bulldogs
had gone twenty one to three. Danny piled up five
thousand rushing yards and set seven state records. When football
season was over, he played basketball, scored forty seven in
one game. In the spring, not one but two sports,
track and soccer. In the state track meet, he took
(01:25):
gold in the one hundred meters at ten point five.
That's movin on the soccer pitch, and one season scored
sixteen goals. The other guys couldn't catch him, even when
he had to run with the ball. But each day,
first thing when he got home from practice was to
take a detour to the mailbox. Surely there would be
a scholarship offer from Husker coach Frank Solich and Nebraska
(01:48):
in there. Today each day there was none. Meanwhile, back
at Big Red Headquarters, Danny came up a lot. Take him,
leave him, gray shirt, walk on offer anybody else after him.
Scott Downing was the recruiting coordinator at the time. He
wondered what position Danny could play, and with the scholarship
limits of the day, could we afford a utility guy. Ultimately,
(02:10):
these decisions rest with the head coach, Frank just couldn't
be swayed. He just wasn't sold. Biggest mistake of his career. Well,
we know what happened. Woodhead set records at D two,
Chattering State, won their version of the Heisman Trophy twice,
finished his career with twenty one national records, and then
(02:31):
off to the NFL for ten seasons. In this case,
it's clear Frank and his staff went with data over
instinct thought. Sure he has speed, but his yards came
against a small town teams. At five foot seven and
one hundred and eighty, he just couldn't handle the daily pounding.
And he's asthmatic. Well, I sure hope Frank didn't hang
(02:51):
on that one, because world class athletes from David Beckham
to Jerome Bettis to Olympic swimmer Amy Van Dyken are
also asthmatics. I remember asking Frank multiple times why Woodhead
wasn't getting a scholarship, and he never gave me a
firm answer, which says he was never sold himself on
not offering Danny. Coaches say you can never have enough athletes.
(03:14):
Get a great athlete, we'll find a place for him. Well,
somebody lost that memo when it came to Woodhead. We
are left to only wonder how many touchdowns we didn't
score because we didn't have him. I don't know everything
about recruiting, in fact, probably next to nothing, but I
do know something about athletes and the human spirit. I
know that intangibles in sports and life are vastly underrated.
(03:38):
Heart desire, relentless pursuit of excellence Trump's talent every single time.
Ask Rob Childress, who reminded Joba Chamberlain before he stimied
Mighty Texas one night, they don't know how much more
you want this? Coach Osburn in the seventy eight Oklahoma game,
just after the officials ruled Kelly Phelps down erasing a
(04:00):
fourth quarter fumble, reminded his six or seven starting walk
on black shirts, don't let them take this from you,
and they didn't. Woodhead finally joins the big boys, gets
the treatment he deserves by his entrance into the College
Football Hall of Fame last night, Proving two things. Recruiting
as an inexact science, and sometimes we use way too
(04:22):
much of it,
I begin by seeking forgiveness. I begin by recognizing that
nothing is clearer than what you see in the rear
view mirror. Getting it right when it's in the front
of the windshield, now that's the trick. Take you back
to two thousand and two two thousand and three Nebraska
high school football. The talk of the state was this
diminutive dynamo from out west North Platte Danny Woodhead, one
(00:23):
of five home schooled kids of Mark Annette. Woodhead, was
putting on such a display each time he took the field.
Even the famous showbiz impresario Buffalo Bill Cody would have
been impressed. Woodhead was incredible from his sophomore year on.
In the state semifinals, his Bulldogs were battling powerhouse Millard North.
(00:44):
Lining up for a field goal, the Mustangs were ready
to take the lead. Late in the fourth quarter, Woodhead,
who had not been on the field for a field
goal attempt all year, pleaded with his coach to let
him in there and try and block it. He did,
and he did. North Platt then took it down the
field for a victory clinching touchdown. A legend was born.
(01:05):
By the time he left North Platt High. His Bulldogs
had gone twenty one to three. Danny piled up five
thousand rushing yards and set seven state records. When football
season was over, he played basketball, scored forty seven in
one game. In the spring, not one but two sports,
track and soccer. In the state track meet, he took
(01:25):
gold in the one hundred meters at ten point five.
That's movin on the soccer pitch, and one season scored
sixteen goals. The other guys couldn't catch him, even when
he had to run with the ball. But each day,
first thing when he got home from practice was to
take a detour to the mailbox. Surely there would be
a scholarship offer from Husker coach Frank Solich and Nebraska
(01:48):
in there. Today each day there was none. Meanwhile, back
at Big Red Headquarters, Danny came up a lot. Take him,
leave him, gray shirt, walk on offer anybody else after him.
Scott Downing was the recruiting coordinator at the time. He
wondered what position Danny could play, and with the scholarship
limits of the day, could we afford a utility guy. Ultimately,
(02:10):
these decisions rest with the head coach, Frank just couldn't
be swayed. He just wasn't sold. Biggest mistake of his career. Well,
we know what happened. Woodhead set records at D two,
Chattering State, won their version of the Heisman Trophy twice,
finished his career with twenty one national records, and then
(02:31):
off to the NFL for ten seasons. In this case,
it's clear Frank and his staff went with data over
instinct thought. Sure he has speed, but his yards came
against a small town teams. At five foot seven and
one hundred and eighty, he just couldn't handle the daily pounding.
And he's asthmatic. Well, I sure hope Frank didn't hang
(02:51):
on that one, because world class athletes from David Beckham
to Jerome Bettis to Olympic swimmer Amy Van Dyken are
also asthmatics. I remember asking Frank multiple times why Woodhead
wasn't getting a scholarship, and he never gave me a
firm answer, which says he was never sold himself on
not offering Danny. Coaches say you can never have enough athletes.
(03:14):
Get a great athlete, we'll find a place for him. Well,
somebody lost that memo when it came to Woodhead. We
are left to only wonder how many touchdowns we didn't
score because we didn't have him. I don't know everything
about recruiting, in fact, probably next to nothing, but I
do know something about athletes and the human spirit. I
know that intangibles in sports and life are vastly underrated.
(03:38):
Heart desire, relentless pursuit of excellence Trump's talent every single time.
Ask Rob Childress, who reminded Joba Chamberlain before he stimied
Mighty Texas one night, they don't know how much more
you want this? Coach Osburn in the seventy eight Oklahoma game,
just after the officials ruled Kelly Phelps down erasing a
(04:00):
fourth quarter fumble, reminded his six or seven starting walk
on black shirts, don't let them take this from you,
and they didn't. Woodhead finally joins the big boys, gets
the treatment he deserves by his entrance into the College
Football Hall of Fame last night, Proving two things. Recruiting
as an inexact science, and sometimes we use way too
(04:22):
much of it,
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