Welcome back and thanks for checking out another
episode of on the jumbotron Thank you all for
your support thus far and helping us get this
podcast going Today's guest is Shayne Graham former
professional football player who was a place
kicker for 15 seasons in the National Football
League Get ready to hear stories about mental
toughness crazy jumbotron game day distractions
and fun stories about former players on the jumbotron
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Here's your host, Christopher Lee. Hello and
welcome and thank you for joining me again on
the JumboTron. My name is Christopher Lee and
I'm excited to be with you today. I have a guest
and a friend today that can give us some insight
on some questions that I've been wondering. and
maybe you've been wondering too. We're gonna
be talking to Shayne Graham. We're gonna bring
him in right now. Shayne, are you with us? Yes,
sir. What's up, my friend? How's it going? Glad
to be here and thank you for having me. So, first
things first, man. How are you and what's going
on with you right now? I'm doing well, man. I'm
living up in Michigan. That's where my wife's
family's from. And, you know, I run my own business.
It's kind of a private coaching. So I coach kicking
and punning, things like that. But I also do
special teams consulting. It's more or less the
kicking and the instruction from camps to private
lessons to, you know, mental performance coaching
for kickers and punters. But I also enjoy, you
know, as being a special teams coach after I
finish playing. dabbling in that and helping
out with teams when I can that way. But, you
know, it's working from home. It's having flexibility.
It's hard to complain about it. And being able
to build relationships with a lot of kickers,
not only locally to here, but across the country.
Being able to have camps kind of in different
cities here and there Work private lessons in
different cities here and there It's cool to
build those relationships and see how players
develop and grow You know on the field and off
the field through those relationships. So it's
something that I enjoy a lot What sort of names
if you can if you can name drop a little bit
that have been through your camp? and, or that
you have worked with in the past. Just put some
punters out there and some kickers out there.
I mean, I've worked with a lot of guy like, like
I coached Evan McPherson, the kicker for the
Bengals when he was at university of Florida,
uh, worked with quite a few of, uh, you know,
guys that are in the NFL. Now I don't I don't
like to take credit for them because their talent
was there and it's just a matter of fine tuning
and sharpening the edge and mental strength,
mental toughness that I really like to work with
with my older guys because a lot of the times
it's little tiny tweaks and technique and form
and certain things with body positioning. So
I don't like to take credit for certain guys.
But there's guys that I've mentored. I mean,
I mentor Jake Moody who's in San Francisco and
fortunately he's injured right now You know quite
a few of the guys from last year's draft class
or guys that I had my hands on at one point working
with film You know every year There's a few guys
I work with from college that make it into the
NFL and there's a lot of kids I work with in
the high school level that make it to the college
level. One kid that really kind of stood out,
I'll say, is a kid named Kyle Limmerman, who
was from Dallas, and he is now the kicker for
TCU. He won the job as a true freshman. He actually
came to Michigan and stayed with me for about
a week. I'd worked with him in Dallas some, and
there's quite a few others around there, but
I don't want to... Name some guys and leave some
guys out and kind of feel like I'm not giving
them they're just you know, no They're just due
of the attention they should have so I want to
be careful when I do that But also I don't like
thinking that I'm taking credit for someone else's
success either. I got you man I got you the the
people that have worked with you know that they
have worked with you exactly What you did in
the league and the things that you've done with,
you know, the different teams that you played
for and all the accolades and things that you
have being on the Pro Bowl and stuff like that.
I mean, that's that's that's honors right there,
bro. I mean, you did some some some phenomenal
stuff. You know, this show is about being on
the jumbotron. And, you know, when you're in
front of the cameras on you and it's a high pressure
kick and stuff like that, it's all is it all
mental? I mean, tell me about something like
that. So the easiest analogy I can make is There's
a huge difference between by yourself Training
performing alone when no one's watching when
there's no repercussions when there's no accountability
when there's no verification right we can all
Oh, remember that time I hit that shot from here,
wherever, or I did this and no one can prove
it. There's no pressure in that moment because
there's nothing to lose. There's no risk. So
when you're a kicker, when you're in high school,
there's risk involved, but it's not much. It's
your status at school. in your community. When
you get to college, it's not just the status
within the school, which by the way can be 10
to 50 ,000 people. It's your status also in the
community, but with the alumni base around the
country. So you're dealing with a little bit
more. You've got TV exposure. You have the possibility
that they can recruit someone else to come. take
your job if you don't do the job correctly. So
that builds on that. What is the risk of failure,
right? When you get to the NFL, it even becomes
exponential because not only is it all the fan
base of a team, your teammates, the coaches,
but you can get fired like that. And just knowing
that for a lot of people, They can have all the
physical ability in the world, but if that physical
ability can't sustain consistency under duress,
under stress, when you start thinking about the
result of what you're doing versus the process
of what you're doing, that's where the problems
start to come out and that's where people separate.
That's the difference between... Guy that plays
in the NFL for a year and an Adam Venetary who
kicks game winners in the Super Bowl is There's
a mental toughness that comes in where you almost
say I don't care what happens. I've got nothing
to lose. I'm just gonna perform and Now you're
at the the mercy of human nature. We're human.
We're not perfect. We might mess up But you know
what I can live with that because all I can do
is control what I can control. I can't Bring
anything from the future of that worry into my
moment because if I do I'm essentially taking
a machine with well -oiled and perfectly fitting
gears and Throwing an extra gear in there loose
and gobbing the whole thing up. So it's it's
it's a matter of understanding How do I still
perform a task? when I Can't let anything else
outside that task Create the perception that
it matters more or less depending on when that
task happens You just said a whole lot, bro I'm
trying and I'm trying to I'm trying to center
in on that. I mean because There's a lot of distractions
That that happened. I mean you've just mentioned
You know getting let go getting cut on the team
from you know you having your body in shape,
having your mind in shape. I mean, that yeah,
that's that's a normal thing that you want, but
you're doing it in front of thousands of people,
some that are cheering for you, some that are
not cheering for you. When you make it feel go,
yes, yes, yes. When you miss it, feel go. Yes,
yes, yes. I mean, that's a lot that you are having
to process. And then from the distance that you
have to make these these field goals from. It
may be a game on the line and then having to
having to deal with all of that, you know, with
the makes and with the misses. Well, and here's
an analogy I use, especially when I'm training
guys and putting them through some of the education
that I do with them. Task A, task B. OK, think
of this as I'll just tell you what the first
task is. An eight inch wide steel beam sitting
on the pavement. OK, if I say walk across that
beam, could you do it? Just walk across it. Just
walk across it's eight inches wide we could probably
do it if it was half that but eight inches wide
on a steel beam That's maybe eight inches off
the ground from the top of it, right? It's laying
on the concrete If I told you to walk across
it, you could probably do a cartwheel across
it and spin around and still Get to the other
end and laugh about it, right? Right, right Put
it 100 feet in the air Yeah, so it's an extreme
example I get that But what changed? Did the
task change or did the potential result change?
The result changed. The task is still the same.
You just want to walk across it. Exactly. It's
one foot in front of the other, right? There's
a process that you have to do. Well, it's a matter
of how do I do it without the fear of what the
potential that hasn't happened yet, the potential
result. How do I keep the thought of that result
out and still do the task? And that becomes a
lot of like, how do you overcome the fear of
failure type thing? You are, you're smart, bro.
I was so smart that even though I went to school
for videography and knowing how to edit and do
all that stuff, that when I had all my film put
out, so I was wanting to send film out to teams,
I came to you to help me edit it and put it together.
And I I enjoyed every moment of it getting you
get you prepared and stuff like that. I remember
Being at tech and just seeing you come in I don't
know if you were on a team then but you coming
in and practicing weekly Practicing weekly staying
sharp staying tight staying staying ready pretty
much How how how do you I mean doing that time
and You know people say that you are adjourning
man because you know you hit a lot of different
teams. How did you keep your mind? Sharp, I mean
is that with the with the task a task B that
we just talked about I mean, that's a lot to
always be be ready for No matter where or when
I played for a team. My task was always the same
It was myself, the space between me and a football.
How do I make sure I'm always the exact distance
from the ball based on my step off, my measurements,
all the things that I do? How do I create a comfort
zone through routine to where no matter where
or when or how, whether, anything, I had a protocol
that I always fell into that it didn't matter.
where it was. It was just a matter of my task
is kicking a football. And how do I control all
the variables within my process to kick the football?
So I could do that on my own. I could do it with
the team. So I made sure when I was on my own,
I was preparing as if I was with the team. I
know there are video boards and jumbotrons in
the end zone. When I was working at Tech, we
purposely put stuff up to distract you guys.
Up next, Shane shares stories about the game
day antics of NFL video teams and Jumbotrons.
Try to look at something besides the scoreboard
because they're gonna mess with you. I came off
the field, I'm like, holy crap, what was that?
Don't go anywhere. We'll be back to continue
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.com. Let's get back to the pod with Christopher
Lee and Shane Graham. Let's go to NFL 80. Okay.
I know there are video boards and jumbotrons
in the end zone. Yes. I know when I was working
at tech and other places. I purposely and we
purposely put stuff up to distract you guys.
How do you stay focused? Is that I mean, is that
all part of that mental thing? Just stay in focus?
Yeah, so so I would know the stadiums before
I went into a game, whether I had played in that
stadium or not, I had done research to know exactly
where everything was, because it's a matter of
when I visualize the night before games or the
morning before games, I want my mental Visualization
to be as detailed as possible. So I would look
up videos pictures everything of these stadiums
to have a fresh recollection of that mental image
So I would know is the scoreboard right behind
the goalpost. Is it above the goalpost? Is it
offset to the side? Where might it be? So I would
know okay when I pick my target line at Baltimore
I'm gonna find a target line below the scoreboard
because During the field goal at Baltimore. Here's
what they did at the Ravens Stadium M &T Bank
or whatever it's called now Big big huge at one
time the largest job scoreboard video board in
the country or in the NFL When their team is
kicking it's black And there's a nice Raven logo
right in the middle when we're kicking They they
show a video of a camera shooting right down
at me from that video board through the goalpost
on me and it's like full body and then as I'm
looking up to like Find my target and start taking
my steps. They zoom in to where the whole jumbotron
is my eyes Just to try to freak you out And it
goes from and it goes like a little shaky and
then it just goes All the way in right on my
eyes. So each eyeball is like 30 feet big So
you're looking at yourself my thought my coach
was like, hey, just be careful they try to look
at something besides the scoreboard because they're
gonna mess with you and I'm like Okay, sure.
Whatever No, it did. No, I was fortunate. I made
the kick. It didn't it didn't complete but it
like I came off the field. I'm like, holy crap.
What was that? And then other teams will sometimes
put up videos, you know, they'll do things. You
know, Minnesota is known for they put this like
gopher up on there that like has like them. Like
the goofy eyes on it or whatever. So so teams
do have that gamesmanship. They've tried to say,
hey, like, let's let's cut it out with some of
that stuff, but. Even just having moving video
behind you can be can be slightly distracting
because you don't have a fixed target So for
me it was I would pick out a specific letter
on a sign or a mezzanine number in the tunnel
of a stadium or a section 103 or some sort of
a fixed sign is what I would do to stop looking
at that. But Baltimore is always that one that
stands out in my memory is they go in and they
zoom in real fast right to your eyeballs. So
you look at that target. And then you go down
and look at the ball, and then you just try to
get the ball to that particular target. Is that
the goal? So for me, like, you ever see how kickers
will, like, they'll stand where they're going
to kick it, and then they walk backwards, and
then they walk sideways? So when I walk backwards,
I'm looking at my target line, and I'm walking
directly away from my target line so that my
eyes, the ball on the ground, where it's going
to be, and then beyond that is all one straight
line. And then I take a 90 degree perpendicular
sidestep so that no matter where I am on the
field, I'm always just lined up to a straight
line. But I like to find something to actually
use as a reference point. So when I played in
Cincinnati, it would be like the eye and bud
light that was on the scoreboard or something,
right? Like something that's fixed that I can
focus on. And that gave me points of reference
so I would know what I was going to look at.
That's wow. Once you're in your stance, it does
you no good to really look up at the target because
you've already done your aligning for your consistency
and detailed correctiveness for your steps. That's
all done during your alignment. Once you're in
your stance, it's execute go. That's all you're
thinking. And follow through towards the target
line. Were you taught that or is that? You see
guys doing it in the NFL when you're a kid. So
you kind of figure it out. You're kind of like,
I teach it to guys. Uh, I see some guys who just
do it because they see it on TV. They don't know
exactly the details and they don't do it. So
I, I love it when I get to teach kids like, Hey,
have conviction in what you're doing this don't
just do it because you saw it or don't just do
it because somebody gave you a really rough explanation
like believe in every single step of this so
that you could explain it so when i teach it
to guys i'm like i want you to walk me through
this like narrate what you're doing so when they
they'll go well first i i get my spot and then
i back up and then i take steps over i'm like
no first you get your spot Then you square up
to the target. Then you take your three steps
as you're looking at your target walking directly
away. Then you look down at your toe and make
sure your line is straight. Then you square your
body back up so you can get a perfect 90 degree
angle when you walk over. Then you set your feet
a certain way then you set your body position
in a certain way now you breathe now You're relaxed
now. You just think go when the ball snapped.
So there's I want them to have conviction versus
I don't know I just do it because I always have
that's just what I saw somebody do like no Do
it be able to explain it but believe in it have
conviction in it because if not, you're just
you're just going through the motions And then
the head coach calls a timeout and then you have
to do it all over again. You just reset your,
your process and it doesn't, your routine and
it doesn't create, uh, any lack of comfort because
you just fall right back into your comfort zone.
So you mentioned, uh, Baltimore was distracting.
Are there any other jumbotrons that, you know,
got in your way throughout your career? I won't
say got in the way, you know, it's funny when
I was in college Only when we played in NFL stadiums
did we truly have like video boards Because you
know, we have the light bulb scrolling Whatever
you want to call that like side of the highway
light bulb You know Tight scoreboard we didn't
have video board back then so In the NFL, we
played college, you know, we'd play some college
games in NFL stadiums, whether it would be a
bowl game or something. So that was like the
first exposure to video boards, but they were
smaller back then and usually kind of in the
corners. So that was the first time we really
like, hey, if the sidelines are kind of crowded,
it's hard to see the field. That was the first
time we could like watch the game. Looking at
the field this way. But watching the game on
the video board like this to see if we got the
first down or whatever. So now that you're you're
training kickers and stuff like that and the
boards are here, how do you train them? I mean,
I'm pretty sure there's not a board where you
train or maybe there is. Are you how is all of
that affecting them now? You know, with the high
school guys, it's not a big issue. There are
some high schools that do have video boards now
now we're not talking high schools like in Allen,
Texas or The the crazy 20 ,000 seat with luxury
boxes and video boards all over the place not
quite like that But but you'll see a school with
a nice state in maybe holds a couple thousand
a big video board Then they're really cool I've
really only I've never had to deal with it being
right behind the goal post when I work with guys
But I usually tell them hey if there's an area
on that board that has fixed print Whether it's
a local business sponsorship or you know You
know such -and -such high school athletics or
whatever on that scoreboard Pick the stationary
targets and don't look at the video is what I
tell guys and when I work with guys in college
I always tell them, find a stationary target,
don't look at the video board, because it literally
is doing nothing. Even if they're up there kissing
your tail, saying you're the greatest in the
world, don't watch it when you're kicking. Wait
till you go back to the sideline, then you can
look up at the replay. But don't get fixed on
the video when you're on the field to do your
task. What's going on? Yeah, because especially
in the NFL it's it's live right like they're
showing video as it's happening another might
be a Half -second delay on that. I don't know
exactly what the the generational loss or whatever
the feed. I'm not sure but Definitely watching
it because it's just easier to see the overhead
camera view To see the if there was a penalty
and to see like whatever it is. You're watching
You're look you're either looking at field level
and you're seeing a great view, but when you're
sitting behind the team and you're not getting
ready to be subbed in for the game, you're probably
watching the Jumbotron, and that's most all guys.
Really? Yeah, if you're not actively in the substitution
line... The guys getting ready to go in and out
or if you're not meeting with your coach during
Change of possession like the defense will go
meet with their coaches As soon as they come
off the field to go over corrections or go over
things. They did right whatever same with offense
Once you're out of that Especially as a specialist
like we don't have coaches who meet with us during
the game So we come off the field we're gonna
try and stay out of the way of all the guys that
are going through Substitutions when we're not
in the net kicking, right? We usually all watch
the Jumbotron most most all of it just because
it's a much clearer view of what's going on now
You can talk about how some of these new stadiums
have developed these halo systems and 360s uh
the one that I loved and hated at the same time
was Dallas because if you're gonna watch that
video during the game your neck is gonna hurt
because you're like this yeah I've been to Dallas
it hurts yeah your neck hurts my neck hurts just
doing it for five seconds You get on the plane
after a game at least me and even the coach because
the coaches look up at the replays a lot right
because they want to see like if they saw that
their players had the right assignment or if
somebody screwed up or Or whatever typically
when things go bad coaches look up at the Jumbotron
when things go good They're celebrating there
with the team, but when things go bad They look
up and want to see so they can try to diagnose
as fast as they can because they're usually gonna
show a replay Dallas, oh man, it's so, cause
it's literally, you have to look straight up.
And then you have to like actually turn your
head to go from one side, cause it's almost field
length, right? Like it's huge. And then now you've
got these really cool ones like at Atlanta. LA,
you know, some of these new places where you
just look across the field, almost eye level,
just a little up. You don't have to do that.
And you have literally a perfect view all the
way around like a halo. So no matter where you
at, you just look straight and you can see it.
That one's pretty cool. Atlanta's cool, but it
only shows the inside because it's so high. It
doesn't do any good to have it. It's just you
look up from not where you're looking. You can
see it. But the one in LA is really cool because
it kind of hangs down a little lower, but you
can see it from both sides. So the one in LA
is almost like double -sided tape. It is essentially
like double -sided LED video board tape. We just
coined a phrase. Okay, so you're at the game.
What is the funniest type feature that you've
seen during the game where you're supposed to
be locked in and focused? What's the funniest
one you've seen and where was that I don't know
about feature But the funniest situation I ever
remember on the jumbotron was I'm in Cincinnati.
We're playing Buffalo. I Had never given up a
kickoff return for a touchdown my whole career
and I remember we scored we're about to kick
off. They're showing fans celebrating and the
I look up as I'm putting the ball on the tee,
and I look up and it was like my girlfriend at
the time wearing my jersey, and it was like zoomed
in on her. And it was just like, what? Okay,
I don't know if anybody else noticed that or
not. You know, I did. And then I hit it into
the end zone, three yards deep. Everybody gets
blocked, including me. Touchdown, first touchdown.
So I remember that like, man. That was the weirdest
thing ever. But luckily it was a good kick. It
ain't like a distract me from having a good Execution,
but it was just like the the irony of that was
was funny Other than that, you know, it's uh,
you know players sometimes get called up in the
whole like What's the the cup game? You know
where they have like the helmet slide around
or they do like the the mascot digital animation
race or something like every now and then during
timeouts players get caught up in that like watching
it not a lot typically not the guys that are
locked into the game but you'll get some subs
over there that are that are like oh it's two
it's two it's two oh it was two and it's like
yeah i guess Yeah, you're not playing this game
so Even though you guys are like, you know locked
in got the uniforms on and stuff like that You
enjoy the content and things that are going on
too. Oh Absolutely the but between the you know,
the video boards The music the way everything
works together it it plays a lot into the atmosphere
of the game I mean You know, I mean no disrespect
to Michigan State, but when I coached there I
Felt like they lost the crowd so many times during
the game because They're they're like go to staple
protocol when something good happened was to
immediately Turn everything off and start playing
the fight song And it's like to me the fight
song should be reserved for like I don't know,
right after a touchdown, when everyone's already
gone crazy, hoopla, crazy crowd, and it starts
to get quiet, then you start playing the fight
song, right? But not in the height of the cheering,
because then it just turns into everyone going.
I can see it. And I'm like, man, they don't really
get hype in here. And then we play Penn State.
And I'm like, holy crap, this is different. They
got a DJ. They got the crowd, like, when they
do their whiteout, everybody's pom -pom is going
at the exact same time in the same direction.
The music's bumping. The video board's got something
hype going the whole time. And, you know, whether
it's, you know, it's a little cheesy sometimes
when you have the player that comes up and is
like, You know, like I think that's a little
cheesy but there are stadiums that like really
had really cool like Not only traditions but
like like at Baltimore I remember Every time
they got a first down they had this video that
literally as soon as it happened it was like
a three -frame montage of a football the chain
Then Jonathan Ogden going first down and it was
like First down and everyone in the crowd would
scream it Pittsburgh Pittsburgh at the end of
the third quarter or at some point during the
fourth quarter. They had their sticks And they
had this really cool montage And it would be
like all these like slow motion highlights and
like kind of a dramatic buildup, right? And then
it was like right before the buildup and the
drop. And it was just their defense just crushing
people. And it was like, that's a huge tradition.
If you just Google. or YouTube, Pittsburgh Sticks.
And then you see like, I forget the exact name
of the saw, I don't know why it's blanking on
me right now, but it's this really cool thing
that they have in the fourth quarter, especially
if it's like a dramatic moment in the game where
they need a stop or something like that. And
it's really cool how that was done for the first
time maybe, or how that was done. as a tradition.
I mean, I look back to 1999, I don't know if
we had the jump. I don't think we did. But in
2000, I remember going to a game. I had just
got cut, so I was home. I was not on an NFL team.
And we were about to play Georgia Tech, first
game of the year, like the kickoff classic. That
was the lightning game, literally happened right
before the game started. We were actually on
the field to kick off. That was the game that
Corso's car got hit, right? Struck by lightning?
Yeah. So that game, that's when they did Inner
Sandman for the first time. So the video is like,
because I saw that video for the first time again,
years later. because they honored the 99 team.
So it was a lot of the guys from that era. They
were showing that video. And even though we didn't
do that when I was there, it was the very next
year where there were a lot of those guys. And
I'm like, man, I know every single person. And
it was like a locker room montage, you know,
somebody putting their helmet on, somebody putting
their eye block on, you know, pulling their glove
over whatever, you know, tying their shoe. And
then it was, you know, kind of a dramatic rendition
of a coach given a Hype speech or guys hitting
each other on the shoulder pads like you know
how those packages are put together and I was
like man that was really cool, but I remember
watching that for the first time in the bleachers
as a non -player and Just thinking like how cool
it was to have these video pieces put together
to kind of show and tell a story that Fans never
get to see fans only see that Locker room access
in a whole different light because it's always
filtered and and and changed out But then you
see one where even though we know it was It was
acting It was still showing kind of what it was
like to be in the locker room in that very moment
Yeah, I remember putting together pieces like
that and I remember putting something together.
I think it was with a coach foster at the time
and with coach Beamer at the time and and Feeling
like man, this is this is so cool that I get
to put together this feature that it gets to
show in the stadium that maybe will I don't know
I may help turn the team a little bit if you
know if they're down or or even if they're up,
you know to keep them motivated and stuff like
that, I mean it's I understand exactly what you're
talking about with that tight feeling. Has there
ever been a video or something like that that
just got you like stupid hype? I mean, because
I know you play with the bingles for the longest.
That was your longest stint. Was there ever a
video that they did that just like, ah, brick
wall, let's go. Man, I hate to say this. Oh,
no. I love my bingles, but man. They used to
have this video that would come on right before
kickoff and then right before kickoff they would
play Welcome to the jungle that was like they're
you know, like And it would that would be like
the starting And then they would start the drum
beat and the guitars and all that and that was
cool but right before that they played this video
of like a tiger like walking through the weeds
and and coming into the stadium and it was like
it was like pre -pixar light wave i don't know
if they did it with like a video toaster 4000
from 1991 i don't know where what technology
they used for this digital animatronic a video
that was like, freaking Walt Disney could have
drawn it in a cartoon better than that. It was
so bad. Now they've got really cool stuff in
it. They've done a great job of changing that.
But I just remember that video, like, we literally
watched it like, that's the best we can do. That
reminds me, like, uh, Chicago Bulls. Their, their
bull, like, running through the city. It was
like... It was real cheesy back then. But we're
talking about the 90s. Yeah, was it something
like that that you're talking about? It was kinda.
It was just such poor detail in the graphic.
I don't know what type of graphic card they had
in their program, but it was not much. They also
had this deal around mid to late 2000s where
every time they got a first down Remember Bootsy
Collins? Yeah, so he's from Cincinnati. He's
a big Bengals fan He he he did these like music
videos for for the Bengals and they would put
those up for like the first down It's another
first down, baby But it would be like what he
had like a song for that and it was like, oh
my god It was like move the chains move the chains
or something. Whatever it was. It was so cheesy
and I'm like, oh Can you do that voice again
of Bootsy it's another first down, baby That
is awesome, man. Let's talk about your your college
days at Michigan Michigan State And you were
at Florida, right? I was at Central Michigan,
then I was at Michigan State, then University
of Florida. How was the game day production at
all three of those universities you worked at?
You know, obviously, budgeting went up with each
level I was at. So there were budgetary constraints
at Central Michigan. A good creative mind finds
his way through that right so so j mac did a
really good job of still making great videos
and great things and whether it was an introductory
or something for the timeout or something for
honoring a guest of the game you know. You know
when. They'll honor a former player or honor
a survivor or something when they do those little
packages. He did a really good job of that. I
just think he was limited with staff. He had
to do most of it himself, and maybe he had a
couple student assistants. You get to Michigan
State, much larger room, much more technology,
much more people helping out. Things were a little
better. You know, I went there hung out a good
bit just because that stuff interested me Got
to Florida Come even more give me your and you
can include college teammates your top five teammates,
hopefully you think you say the right people
and they don't you know, you Yeah, give me your
top five that you played with okay. Uh, well
my top is Uh, are we talking me liking them at
or, or top five talent? Let's go with both. Okay.
Talent. I'll say, I mean, Tom Brady, it's hard
to go against that guy as far as talent. Uh,
Drew Brees, Chad Johnson was a very, very talented
receiver. Corey Dillon, one of the better running
backs, Ricky Williams, um, Eli Manning. Devin
Hester probably best returner Lots of guys were
really good Well, then I think about like favorite
teammates My favorite would be Frosty Rucker.
He was defensive end for Cincinnati and a couple
other teams He ended up being the best man of
my wedding. So one of my best friends Mark Ingram
one of the funniest people you can be around
just such a dude, man. He's so awesome him and
Jordan Cameron. I mean he is Awesome their lockers
were right beside of mine when I played for the
Saints and and those dudes are just So cool,
man, like I can't even tell you how funny supportive
Like good dudes. They were Zoltan Mesko So he
was the punter I had when I was in New England
dude knew like six languages was still young
and exposed to like younger culture so he could
kind of bridge that gap a little bit, was from
Romania. His family fled during the Civil War,
came over as immigrants. Made a name for himself
became a punter at University of Michigan Comes
and plays in the NFL like you just think about
like what his life was like like telling stories
about hiding under the kitchen table So he was
afraid the roof was gonna explode on him, you
know, like crazy stories, but also just Top top
top shelf person Lots of guys, you know, like
it's so hard to like pin it down But those you
probably the ones that like truly stand out the
most So you went to the Pro Bowl? How was the
Pro Bowl tell me about that? I've never been
there. I would never go there Yeah, well, I think
they screwed up the Pro Bowl when when they took
it The first thing they did is instead of having
it after the Super Bowl They put it before the
Super Bowl, right first mistake. Okay first mistake
It was cool when I was there that the Steelers
wanted, that wasn't cool, but it was cool that
when they wanted, they came to practice two days
late. So it was like a coronation when they walked
onto the practice field and everyone's like,
oh, it's about time you're here. And they're
like, sorry, our parade ran over, you know, like,
like it was this really cool moment of like,
man, I hate you, but man, that would be really
cool. Right, and I just remember like how cool
that was that they still got to play in it, right?
and then they screwed the whole thing up when
they put it during the week before the Super
Bowl because Nobody people stopped caring about
it. Mm -hmm and and players didn't want to play
and The way the teams that went to the Super
Bowl couldn't go to it couldn't like right, you
know, so so you take out probably three to seven
potential guys from the Pro Bowl. So one, you're
taking out probably a couple superstars. You're
putting so many alternates in and then it just,
then they screwed up, they took it out of Hawaii.
And maybe they did this at the same time, I don't
know. But when they took it out of Hawaii and
put it in Orlando or Vegas, or wherever that,
or in the Super Bowl city. I don't even know
where they put the thing now. To me, it took
the, this is a prize. This is a reward. It was
so cool to be able to get away from everything
and go to Hawaii. I understand that. And that
was the thing that made it so cool is we're at
the Ihalani, this big resort, kind of away from
everything and big resort. Super exclusive as
far as like if you weren't with the family and
had a credential Fans could not be there like
it was it was like you could be yourself and
have fun and cut up and Guys could cuss each
other across the pool and not have to worry.
Maybe there were kids there but Then they would
go over and have Mai Tais at the bar and and
then the whole thing was like don't let your
room number get out because if you're a first
-year Pro Bowl guy they're gonna put all the
drinks on your room so you never say your room
number out loud and it was these really cool
traditions because it was like a vacation away
from everything and that was your reward was
this trip to Hawaii on the beach every day beautiful
weather Playing in the game was fun. That was
cool. But the whole experience, you got to go
to an air force base. You got to go shoot machine
guns at an army base. You got to visit a hospital.
You got to visit kids. You got to go do different
things there. Now it's in Orlando. It's like,
what are the, what do you do in Orlando? Like,
yeah, there's probably little things they can
do, but you're right in the middle of a city.
You're in Vegas. Everybody knows what goes on
in Vegas. Like you go to Vegas. It's like the
guys are probably going to go out clubbing all
the time. The guys are going to go party. There's
nothing like novelty about it. Hawaii was such
a prize and novelty in my opinion that I flew
my holder and his wife out there. They had gotten
married the year before, didn't have time for
a honeymoon. So I said, Hey, your honeymoon's
on me. You guys go. uh my snapper and his wife
hey you guys are coming too like come on me like
i couldn't be here without you guys so it was
like a vacation for those guys and and now it's
like it's in vegas it's in orlando it's in miami
it's and it and it's turned into almost like
uh i don't know like it's just not i couldn't
even tell you if i watched a single thing about
the pro bowl on on tv this year I haven't watched
it in a while. I mean just because It's not that
interesting much anymore. I mean, they're not
really tackling as much I think they play a flag
football game. Yeah, and then I think they just
do like skills competitions but it's like kick
-tack -toe or Dodgeball, you know, like when
I was when I was in it like me and the other
kicker we played horse with the goalposts It
was really cool and and then they had like races
and then they had Obstacle courses, but it was
all like football skill obstacle courses, right
and then you had a bench press contest like everything
was kind of skill specifically related and There
was good prize money for winning those they even
just entering them. You got prize money, but
you want them you got You got good prize money.
And now it's like, it'd be fun to do, but I think
it took away the element of this is like an ultimate,
ultimate reward as a player. You got a few minutes
left. Out of all the jersey numbers that you
wore, what was your favorite number? 17. Over
there's my... That is dope. An exclusive tour
here. I love it. Look at all those helmets. That
is amazing. Yes, sir. Yep, that's Coach Beamer.
Yeah. Yeah. With Coach Beamer, I mean, I have
so many stories with Coach Beamer. Yeah. Of him
just being a friend. Yeah. And I'm on the video
team. I mean, you were one of his players. Tell
me a story or two about Coach Beamer. So. So
it was really cool with coach because like he
came to my house. He recruited me. He called
me on the phone. Like that was who I dealt with.
And, um, you know, that relationship was started
early. No, I had no intentions of going to Virginia
Tech at this point, but what he did is he called
my holder from my high school who was going to
tech to be an engineer just as a student. And
he called Caleb and he said, Hey, uh, I know
you're coming here to be a student, but if Shane
comes here to kick, you can hold for him on the
football team. So that changed everything. And
that was one of the major decisions for besides
coach Beamer being the special teams coach, you
know, the, the Beamer ball and all that was,
uh, I don't think that name was monikered yet
until. maybe even my senior year or year before
that, maybe my junior year, because we ended
up blocking so many kicks during our time there.
It was crazy. And running back kicks and field
goals, all that stuff. But the way he recruited
me, so much respect. And then the way he coached
me, like he was the coach that came over when
we were an individual. They didn't just throw
us on the field and say y 'all go just make sure
you're ready He would go and put us through like
charting and and talk to us and and it was really
cool because like he was our position coach So
I had that relationship with him. It was really
cool but the thing that stands out the most of
all of that and our relationship is The day of
the games the morning of the game we would have
like Wake up in the morning, we'd have like a
team breakfast and we had what they called walkthroughs
where the defensive guys would go out in the
parking lot and go through plays and just kind
of in their tennis shoes and sweatpants and stuff.
Offensive guys would go do the same thing. Well,
Coach Beamer would take us for a walk around
the neighborhood. So me, the punter, the snapper,
the holder, whoever's in our group. We would
just go for a walk with Coach Beamer every game.
And it was so cool because we talked about everything
from family, girlfriends, grades, telling stories
from the summer, telling stories about our childhood,
like listening to him tell stories, all these
cool experiences that You're talking to a guy
who's talking to you like he's one of you versus
you know Some coaches have this like larger -than
-life type when they walk into the room the room
gets quiet type thing So we got to walk around
and just have candid conversations About everything
in every you know anything and everything under
the Sun with our head coach. So we never had
to feel like We didn't know him You know, like,
hearing him tell stories about Cheryl and Shane
and Casey and just be able to, like, feel like
we knew him. But also, when you're performing,
you don't have that, oh, he won't be mad at me
if I screw up because he's cool. It was, no,
I don't want to let him down. Right. The whole...
And it was a different feeling than, I'm afraid
of him. It's, I don't want to let him down. And
it holds you accountable on a different level
because now it's like It's a different type of
internal motivation When you don't want to let
someone down versus I really hope I don't piss
them off and let them down You know, so that's
what made him really cool Yeah, I mean I have
similar stories with with with coach He loved
his cookout chocolate shakes man and I remember
one time, I think Bruce brought him some, brought
him a chocolate. And I just saw him like just
eating it and just being so chill. I'm like,
how is it, Coach? Oh, it's great. It's great.
I don't know, pals. You might want to get one
for yourself. Yeah, he wasn't going to share.
He was not going to share. Man, Coach is just
awesome. And I remember getting there at Tech
and thinking, You know, he's a he was already
a larger than life coach. Oh, yeah. But thinking
that, you know, he was he if you see him in the
hallway, you know, you look down or whatever.
No, it's how you doing, coach doing great. How
are you doing, palsy? I mean, it was like it
was that it was that conversation. Can you imagine
Nick Saban? So I want to show you what I got
Coach Beamer for his retirement gift. So. The
first thing I got him was I was doing this mini
helmet stuff I'd already been doing that but
I got him one like the one he wore when he played
right This one right here. Uh -huh. And then
I think the last one they wore was This one right
here was the last one they wore okay, and then
this is the one that they did for the whole the
last home game Right 25. Yeah Yep. So this one
was kind of paying homage to like the 80s when
he first got there. This one was paying homage
to the one he wore as a player. Right. So I got
him like a little like a little clear glass,
multiple helmet shelf thing. And that was my
gift to him when he retired. It was just an honor
and a privilege to be able to be in. in relation
with coach and stuff like that. Well, you feel
like you're a part of it, so it is what it is.
Yeah, yeah. Well, Shane, I thank you for your
time, man. I thank you for saying yes to being
on this podcast. The stories that you told, the
knowledge that you have of the game. You know,
I didn't take my camera and zoom into your eyes,
but I can see your eyes and I can tell that you
love the game of football, man. It's all over
you. And just like I said, just thank you for
being on the show. Thank you for your love of
Coach because we love Coach as everybody loves
Coach Beamer. And is there any other things that
you want to add? Go Mango. Go Mango. Guys, thank
you for being here on the Jumbotron and check
out more episodes. We have a lot more things
that are going on on the show and we'll talk
to you later. Have a great one. Bye. Thanks for
watching another episode of On The Jumbotron
Podcast with host Christopher Lee. Make sure
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