Hello, and thank you for joining us here on Broncos Country Throwback. I am Phil Malani, joined as always by Eric Dalala. We are back with another great episode featuring a member of the Broncos alumni. This time Greg Boyd joins Jim Sakamano. Yes, Phil, Greg Boyd just three seasons in Denver two. But you know, we have a lot of stories for you regardless, because this is a guy who is more than just a defensive lineman. I think you'll find that out as you listen here to Jim Sakermano's conversation with Greg Boyd. It's my pleasure to be sitting down with the Greg Boyd's on Broncos Country Throwback, a podcast of the Denver Bronco's website. Greg, You've had quite a career and a lot of people because a lot of people are really young and they don't remember guys who played. But it's not that law as what It certainly doesn't seem like that long ago to be. But Greg, you started your career. You you went to Edison High School. I think that's in Fresno. Yes, sir, what's the nick name of Edison of the Tigers. The Tigers that's great food, Tigers, that's pretty cool. Were you like black and uh, black and golden, black and yellow? Correct, it was black and gold. Yes, just this figures. Then you went to San Diego State, a really outstanding school by the way. Uh and you know, you know, Jim, let me stop you right there. I know you want to be accurate as you chronicle this thing. But I went to Edison High School. But I didn't play sports in high school. I did not play sports in high school. Uh. And then I, after one year of being just working and being off, um, I started at Fresno City College. And so I went to Fresno City College and that's where all of the sports and everything began. But I was a weightlifter in high school. I really enjoyed weightlifting, so that's how I know built myself up. I gained a hundred pounds and uh, you know, the rest of it just turned out great. You know, in junior college, we want to junior college national championships back to back. And at that point, all the people in the country, the at the collegiate level anyway, they wanted to know what were they feeding those kids in Fresno that they could play football, Like that and we were so undefeated. We went undefeated one year we went undefeated. But yeah, we want to to national and state UH championships, those two which is a really big deal. What you're talking about, what the JUCO state championship in California. We don't realize that's like that's like with the national championship. Yeah, it was tough. There were some There was some really good uh jucode transfers to the four year level UM in those days. A lot of guys went that route. And I never even thought about it. It's just that I didn't do anything in high school. It was regard to football. So football all began at Fresno City College. Of the coaches at Fresno City College, they caught me lifting weights in the weight room and they had some guys and they're dead lifting and uh and the guys saw me and they said, man, you're so big, you know, I bet you you could curl what we're trying to deadlift now. So our fans not realized that you were about you are still about six six, I'd say, that's what you play that great. Let me let me tell you I wish I was eighty five. Well, we all put on a few as it goes along. We can blame it on COVID. We all gave a little h yeah, yeah, we get put it on COVID. But so you were real big in high school with you lifted weights and then you h it was at Juco. Boy, It's amazing how you know, how with somebody's got ability, how quickly it can develop. Because here, you know, you know what I mean, four years of high school didn't make me a player, but two years of Juco and the next thing you know, you're at San Diego State and the next thing, you know, with the patriotic exactly interacted and um, you know we want we won one PC two A championship uh at uh San Diego State. The next year we did not win the PC two A, but I did win the All West Coast honors and conference honors and stuff like. But you know, it was Red Miller that came to scout me at the Aztecs San Diego for a few uh. You know, he was the uh offensive coordination for the Patriots backman and he was the offensive line coach. So he came out there and he I didn't know who, you know, I didn't know who he was, but he was watching and played basketball and you know, everybody in those days after school as a pickup game of basketball. And I was out there running and dunking the ball and having a good time. And he saw that and he said, who is that guy? You know? And somebody said that, so he went back and remember him when I started with the broncos in Greg, Uh, and you were with us. Uh. Well, actually you came to us in two but I mean I can still remember you look different. I don't mean this in a bad and it ain't have a bad way. But even your muscles, Greg, even your muscles had muscles, you know. I mean there were big guys and then there was you. You know that was you know, you know Tom Jackson. The first time he saw me, we were doing the way in, you know how they do it doing many camps. We're doing a way in And Tommy Jackson said, if he getting muscle cramps, he had died. You know how funny Tommy was. Tommy was the funniest guy in the world. Boy. Hey, you know, it didn't surprise me that he became very successful in the booth and as a sports analyst because of that huge personality he had late and you know, he just very outgoing guy. He would win Most Inspirational Player every single year. Everything loved it. I loved playing with him and Randy and Rob Swinson. Oh yeah, tell me again. How did you get from the Patriots to the Broncos. Um? Yes, so um. I had played my three years for the Patriots and then I, uh, I had an option year to sign and me and my agent and the Patriots didn't agree on it. So I was just I didn't get waived or anything. I just you know, went back home because I was sitting around there and they were playing games and I wasn't playing games or doing anything. So I went back home. I said, I can lift weights and stretch and run back in California. So it did, went back there, and um what happened was Red Miller had called me and said, you know, I can't promise you anything, but I want you to come to Denver and just show the coaches what you can do. He said, I remember how you beat up on Leon Gray and John Hannah back in New England. If you can do that here, you know you would have a good chance over here. So I came to the Broncos nineteen seventy nine December actually, and uh it was a blizzard. It was a blizzard, like two three ft of snow and John beat me and Rusty Neil you got it this little mustang. I know you remember it when he drove us over to Colorado School to mine. Oh my god. And I went over there at the Colorado School to mind and I ran the fastest time that I had ever run as a professional football player. Um, I ran in the four seven two and they couldn't believe that I waited at two two. I ran four seven two and I benched five fifty five and the rest of it, you know, just turned out great. Yeah I did. And you know you played with us, and then you moved around a little bit. You got a ring. You're with the forty niners, I think. But I was only there for a short time. But you know, before we go there, I want to go back to the Broncos because there was something that was there with the Broncos that I think a lot of people didn't know about Jim and maybe you didn't know either, but did you know that, Uh, they brought me in and drafted Ruling Jones that same year and because they were concerned about their pressure room, the quarterback and the sacks and that whole thing, because remember that was Dan Fouts was a part of the FC. Really good years with us. Yes we we actually we we became the Rulin had eleven sacks and I had ten sacks my first our first year here, and you know, we became the number one defense in the NFL that that year. And Joe Paulier he decided to, you know, take what we did well, which was go upfield and penetrate through the offensive line, and he created a blitz package called Hope Deals, and we had these blisses. You know, there might be deals, but they were blisses and we were storming up there and we we did really well. We became the number one defense and so we were the overall number one defense for a couple of years that I can remember. And I tell you what, you know, nobody ever really talks about that, you know, I mean one coach to oh, he was great. He knew exactly what to do with talent. He just could put you in place, and he knew if you do what he what he told you a coach you to do, you know you were going to do well. And yeah, he really did that for us. Rulan just really he ripped it up. He he was so quick off the edge, and I was actually faster than him. But I did really well rushing over the guard or between the guarden castle and there were too many guys. There were not too many guys in the game, in my opinion, with your physical abilities. I was very very blessed. I was. I was very very blessed and has some had some really good years, had some really good years here. You know, we were all devastated when Red Miller was fired because I thought he was, you know, close to putting the whole thing together again and go back to the Super Bowl. If you have number one defense, all you gotta do is have an offense that will score or thirty points, and you know, we can hold people to seventy I'm excuse me, to seventeen points that was the goal every week, or you know, twenty. We could hold him down like that. But yeah, it didn't work out. Coach gets fired. They bring in Dan Reeves, and he had his own ideas about how he wanted to do things. I was traded to Green Bay Um and I really didn't want I really didn't want to go and that that really took the start jot of me. A matter of fact, that rose Stan Jones a letter and he said it shook him up so bad at that he framed it, well, I love that guy. I love st He was the best person he was and he was one of the very first weight training guys. He loves the players in pro football, that's correct. He was a big time Chicago Bears, big weight lifter, h tackle, and guard. He played. He was really really good. Hall of famer. Yes, he's the Hall of Famer Hall Hall of Fame. Yeah. From the Packers, though, you did go to the forty Niners and you were with them for part of the year. I sure did. I went to the forty niners, Uh, signed with them and began, you know, practicing and learning their defense and all of that. And what happened was after like four weeks, I was there four weeks or five weeks, and um uh, that guy was there. I think it's Ray Worshing. He was the kid back then. He got hurt and they had to bring in another kicker because he wasn't going to be able to to kick for a few weeks. I was the last guy they signed, So I was I was waived, but they wanted me to sing around, but I didn't. You know, I started to go back and Al Davis. Al Davis said you better come out and give us a chance. You go, He's he always run off and you got drafted to those Patriots and then you went and signed with those Broncos. You never gave up a chance. I loved Davis. Al Davis was something man. He was so despecial. Uh he for the Raiders. Yeah he had He really liked guys who had size and athleticism. She really did. He really didn't. He showed me that he really knew football because he took me out there. It wasn't the coaches or anybody. It was Al Davis who worked me out, put me through all the drills, and you know, he went in the weight room and see how much I can live and he said, man, you can I live Lyle because Elsado was the big weightlifter on the team. After and I was just like, okay, I'm really I was coming home. You know, I lived in San Diego, but I was from Fresno and so had lived in southern California, and so basically it was coming home for me. But I was only there with them one year. Um and uh, I was ready to retire after that. They they invited me to come back to camp, but I retired. I wanted to tell you one of the really neat little pearl that happened to me along Nuance. When I was with the Packers, I had like defensive hit of the week four four times or more. And and and in one of my games, I had like I don't know, like quarterback carasses thrown air and pass and a couple of sacks and a safety. It was a big and I thought I was doing really good. You know. I'm like, oh wow, I had a big game, you know. And and a bart star you know, he was like, hey, that's a great game, but we need another one next week. But bean fred Bean had six sacks that same Sunday. Yeah, you know, way, um, you were outstanding. But the game today I think would utilize your skills in a most sophisticated way. Absolutely. I mean, now it's hard telling you know, we're not we're using this guy in a special way. They might need to leave you around a little bit offenses, you know. And that I watched a lot of that and a couple of guys I see that strictly do pass rushes. Um, they're pretty much designated pass rush. You know, they called me a designated pass rusher back then. You know, he's the designated test us. And you know that's when I had heard because I didn't know that we were number one defense. You know, I was here for three years and then traded away, and you know, time goes on and they keep going right, so um they they they called us designated pass rusher and there the number one defense in the NFL. And I heard that one of the sports finalists was retorting that. And then they you know, said that you know we could. We had this incredible pass for us, and we played short yardage really well. And of course you know, uh the Orange Crush defense, UH linebackers Brandy Gratitshire and Jackson and uh Swinson and at that time Larry Evans took over where a result when he retired, Ye, yeah, we still were pretty tough. We were pretty too, Now did you not finish up? Played maybe a year in the U SFL for the New Jersey General's that's and that's something. And it was it was Donald Trump's team. He would be. I was about to ask, yeah, oh my god, Yeah, so I'm I'm running. You must have met it along the way. You must have met him, I think. Uh No, I didn't get a chance to meet him. I really didn't. But they ran it like a first class organization. You know. When I went to his team, I basically came out of retirement because our mount my retirement from the Raiders, and I went out there, um you know, and ran my times and it was myself, Brian's side, Doug Flutie, and Herschel Walker. Donald Trump wasn't He's gonna get some good people he can play. And I played a few games for him, but it was like the third game we were warming up against the Tampa Bay uh for ever band this I think it was, And I m tour meniscus in my knee. First injury we've ever had. Who Actually I had one in seventy eight with the Patriots where I had my ankle in the cast. But really that was the only knee injury I've ever had throughout my career. And I was like, Wow, why does it have to happen now? You know? But it needed And some of our fans won't know this First of all, you had a long NFL career because you were also literally working for the NFL as like the sidelines a uniform guy for a lot long time and you retired a couple of years ago from that, he had nineteen years. I worked as the UH sports license thing, UH uniform official, you know that basically go to games and make sure the uniforms were warned the way they were designed and the way that the NFL represented to the networks they would look on game day because it's all coordinated on game day around like all of the advertising that they do, it's done around that game because they you know, if uh you remember my got in trouble in San Diego where he had our guys where white jerseys and the charges wanted to wear their white jerseys. It was a hot day, like eighties seven agrees and Mike Mike. They find Mike Mike yann and he got fined. Because yeah, that when you when you hurt your knee. And this is something that some fans will recognize, especially if they are interested in in different sports. But you wrestle for a long time professionally, as Lloyd Boyd had you already be done that had you already be done that during your NFL career. No, no, no, I didn't. I retired, hired from football in nineteen six, totally retired because it was five when I went to the New Jersey General and once I had hurt my knee and rehabbed and everything, six roll around I announced my retirement, and um, let's see what happened. So after that, I was basically rehabbing the knee, and um, we're in California year rehabbing your knee. I was actually in Denver. Oh no kidding, I've been in Denver the whole time. Wow. Yeah, that's another interesting thing, Greg. You're a California guy, and the lifestyle there is very is wonderful and everything. So many of our of our players played here and then they stayed in Denver, and you and among them, you know where. You only played here a few years, but yet you've made a lifetime here, and I think it has been Denver. Denver is a wonderful place to live. It really is. And I was listening to some of the surveys they had done on places to live, uh throughout the nation, and Parker was like number two and like Boulder or something like that was number two and number three and maybe even number one. But yeah, Denver is a wonderful place to live. There's a lot of great things about it. I had always felt that there was a great relationship between the fans and the team and and you know, of course the alumni was always out doing community stuff for Lebroncos and and so it had just been wonderful. And I was able to steal wrestle and do my wrestling career based out of Denver. You know, I went to Minnesota and toured all over the states with the Minnesota Wrestling thing, which was the a w A w A All Star Wrestling with Veran Gana back in those days. And uh, and I and I was able to do my acting. I got involved in acting and motion pictures and you know, did quite a bit of work in that area also, And you know, and I was even screen actors guilt. I mean, I never I never wanted any bigger wars. I didn't get any big, big pictures. But they wanted me to move to Los Angeles and New York, and I wasn't going to do it. You know, I stayed here. Yeah, that's that part of did not know I knew you had stuff, but now you actually took your wrestling even to Europe and you wrestled overseas. Greg. Yeah, I went to absolutely I was. I was hearing the yep crazy story. So a guy says, hey, man, come down to the wrestling thing. Um vern Gun, you wants you to show up down there. So you know, I was not touring at the time, whatever reason. I was back home and they said, you have come down here. We got a lot of europe In people here on our tour. So I go down there too. I think it was the Colosseum. It was the Colosseum. Sture was and uh, I'm down there and I'm just like, you know, watching the thing and meeting people and all that. And so Verne Kunya says, Uh, super Fly Snooker, his partner got stuck in New York and he couldn't he missed his plane. He's not gonna be able to wrestle. He said, boy, take take your meat coat off and take your shirt off and you go. You go. You're gonna be uh super Fly Snooker's tag team partner against the Colonel the Beers and uh bad Rad somebody right, So sure, So I go out there with I've got on like Adidas shoes and I got on white jeans. I'm not kidding you, no shirt. And I go out there and me and Jimmy Super Flights, dude have the best tag team match. We've never wrestled together before, but he just said, this is what we're gonna do, and boom boom boom boom boom, and we win the match, Big huge Sensation. Well, the promoter from Germany, Otto Vance. I don't know if you remember that name. He was a big time wrestler for many years. We just lost him a year. I did not know as a promoter, but yeah, yeah he was. He was a wrestler and a promoter. Four hundred and eighty pounds. Well, he was there and he goes, very that's very good. He said, you come to Europe, you come to you. He grew up on a sports macer, right, Big Big Auto introduced me to so many people over there. Anyway, I go over there and I'm a sensation. Uh well, see, jim I go over there, and they were gonna make me a big, strong, meeting bad guy that goes and fights and beat up on the baby faces. But the people wanted me to be on their side. So goes, oh, man, this is not gonna work. Okay, you a baby face, now your hero, so you go be a hero. Because I was standing up there outside the dressing room and I'm supposed to be big, mean, herculoid boy, and and a little kid walks up and he hands me a roll of bubble gum. Well, how are you gonna turn down a little kid? Yeah, you bubble gug you know. But I accepted, and the people were watching, Oh, that's still cool. There's something this, this is things a gentle giant, and your personality is such that I cannot imagine you being mean for very long because, to be honest, you break out in laughter and smiles and that's that's the end of it. And people say, this guy, this guy, you know, you just turned out. It really turned out good. He didn't expect for me to, you know, be a baby face or the hero, but it just turned out that way. That's what the people wanted. And he always told me, when you're wrestling, listen to the people. Listen to the people. He said, I'm listening to the people. You're a baby face down, But you know what else happening over there? While I was there. While I was there, they heard me singing in the locker room, you know, all happy now after my match, and you know, and I'm getting out of the shower and they heard me singing, and now they wanted to record a record. So we record a record. Shuwing up. We record a record. They sailed ten thousand copies. Nobody thought this thing was gonna sell in ten thousand copies. It sold ten thousand copies. So now instead of me just going over normally, I would depart Denver like April fifteen or something like that and head over to Europe. They would come and get me in early February and take me over there. And it was all the music and entertainment. I opened shows for big stars that they had, like Flacco and Oliver Cheat them. I'd go over there and open shows for people and now and I was doing all kinds of songs at that point. But yeah, I got a chance to record and perform on stage. It was a blast. Was that fantastic career. You know, people really a lot of fun. Yeah, for people who don't know, you know, who are listening, Greg Boyd, b O y D. If they google you and look for some photographs they'll see pretty quickly. I mean, Greg, I'm not trying to just flatter you, but you know, like I told one of our players, was I said, my god, if I had bustles like that in my chest, I wouldn't even put on a white shirt. I just put a tie on around But I just put a tie on around my neck and go to work like that. But they would, you know, very quickly with your size and so forth. How you know, whether Red Miller and football or whether restfully whatever it might be, you caught somebody's attention and people said, wait a second, Yeah, it's pretty cool. It was wonderful, it really was. You know, got a chance to do all these great things, and you know, I just I really enjoyed it. But I wanted to tell you, Jim, this year, in with the COVID nineteen and the presidential elections, all of the UH demonstrations and riots and stuff going on, it had been very quietly a great and sensational year from me personally, you know, accolades, I had I had one or been honored with the the Trail Blazers Award out in the state of California, out of my hometown in Fresno there, and so I had to go out there and and you know, participate in that thing and wonder for it was incredible. I got like all these certificates and things. You would think I was graduating with a PhD or something, you know, had all this cool stuff and uh. And then so sometime later on, and here's something that don knock your socks off, because they're knocked mine off. I get a thing from the Las Vegas Raiders. They honored me with a legacy brick that they're placing in their new Allegiance Stadium in the plaza there, you know, and oh my god, I couldn't believe it. You know, so all of that cool stuff happened. Then you know, um, also, you know, the NFL decided to enter like or two thousand players that you know, we're like myself that played early on to enter our names at Kenton, Ohio at the Hall of Fame. Sometimes that no, no, but you know, I don't know if you knew this, but you know that like Mile High Monument, the little mini Mile High that is in the parking lot at the stadium. Oh yeah, your name's on that wall. Really, yes, every everybody who ever played for the Broncos. Has his name on the wall there. I never knew that. Yeah, on the inside of it. You're like if you went in every well, I should say, excuse me, excuse me. Not everybody ever played for the Broncos, everybody who ever played at Mile High Stadium, but you did. Oh so, not the current guys, but the guys who played a mile high because that contribute to old Mile High Stadium. And your name is on that wall. Yeah, I know it's pretty cool. Wouldn't you got the gym Sacker Mono press box up there? Well, well, I do the Broncos. Yes, it is. It is that, you know, you do the does the best they can in the world. But it's really nice when the world smiles back. You know what? And you know, yeah, Jim, you know what's really special is it's when you didn't expect it. Yes, you know we were. I wasn't thinking, Oh, somebody's gonna give me a work of I'm great, you know almost I'm sitting there. A matter of fact, wasn't it you who called me? I think it was you. When I got entered into the Fresno City College Hall of Fame. You called me and said that I needed to call Fresno because Fresno was honoring me with the Fall of Fame induction. It's it's really neat to have a small part thousand into something like that. It makes somebody feel good, and it's really cool. For me, it was always really cool to be a small part of that. But but you know, if you think about it, almost everything that you did it it came now when you were able to give back. You you had abilities, that you had the right attitude and everything. But all you were you were a guy lifting weight. People saw you and said, wait a minute, wait a minute, you play football for us. That's what they did. I was. I was in that weight room Jim back there in nineteen seventy two, lifting weights of Fresno City College and and and they saw me curl three hundred towns and they said, you know, you could help us win a championship. What a crazy thing is, Jill. I had never ever uh considered playing football. And I had no idea about you know, that they were, even the football coaches. I had no idea who they were, you know, And then just like wow, that happened. And then they asked me to come out and throw the shop put in discus. I had never threw the shop, put in discus, and I win the conference championship throwing shop put in discus back there. You know, sometimes some trepter that we don't know what God is smiling at us. Here he is and especially when you want to help others and gail back, you know, like John Pogono, he's a he's one of your coaches now for le Broncos. He's one of the young guys that I trained. Uh. Yeah, And it's a small world, you know, when this is over, When this is over, and it will be over and everybody's visiting, you know, but again at the Broncos and everything, you've got to come by and say hi to John and so forth and so on, because first of all, the Broncos are a very welcoming organization. They don't push their alumni aside, you know what I mean, you know, and uh and you know all you have to do whether you go through Billy Tompson or me or wherever the heck. You know, I'm not saying today, but I'm saying, you know, this will be over again and people will visit with people, and John Pegana would be glad to see you. It would be great to see Johnny. Yeah, absolutely, Johnny. You know what, Yeah, the only you could call it Donny, that is yeah, Johnny Foorgano. Man, I mean, I love that kid. He's just and if you talk to him, he'll tell you though I taught him everything he knows. But what are you what a defensive mind? Though he's kind of got that you call your thing going on? Yeah, yeah, we actually the whole, the whole unit. Uh. I really think the Broncos around the Cusp they're not there, but they're really close and they could any time now, any close, you know. And I was happy to see Garret Bowles fine, yeah, and get that because he was first round raft doors. He surely showed them something. But he just had some tough years become an acquainted with planning always the speed of the NFL. Yeah, but he's doing great now. And uh, Greg, uh, it's been just a pleasure talking to you. And uh I I can't say enough but you being willing. Hey, just because I called the number, it didn't mean you had to answer it and that you had to be nice to me. So I'm glad to you. But that's how you are. Greg. Uh and the appreciation. You know that I miss seeing you. It's not the normal press box now, of course, but I missed you yea day. Yeah you when it again, when it's over and done. You ought to come by, just to come by. Yeah, Well, I'm not in charge of passes, but I'm in charge of my own opinion and my own STI thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me on Bronco's Country Throwback Soil that was Jim's conversation with Greg Boyd, a former defensive lineman for the Broncos but also a former professional wrestler, Hercule Lloyd. Kind of an impressive story he's got. He's got all sorts of things to talk about. Yeah, and you know, Jim always finds a way to uh pull those stories out of everybody he talks to. And hey, Eric, that's why we like to listen to this podcast. You can find Bronco's Country Throwback wherever you download all your favorite podcast that's Apple, Podcast, Spotify, tune in Stitcher. We'll be back in a couple of weeks with another member of the Broncos alumni, but until then, for Jim Sakamano and Eric Laala, i'm so

Hello, and thank you for joining us here on Broncos Country Throwback. I am Phil Malani, joined as always by Eric Dalala. We are back with another great episode featuring a member of the Broncos alumni. This time Greg Boyd joins Jim Sakamano. Yes, Phil, Greg Boyd just three seasons in Denver two. But you know, we have a lot of stories for you regardless, because this is a guy who is more than just a defensive lineman. I think you'll find that out as you listen here to Jim Sakermano's conversation with Greg Boyd. It's my pleasure to be sitting down with the Greg Boyd's on Broncos Country Throwback, a podcast of the Denver Bronco's website. Greg, You've had quite a career and a lot of people because a lot of people are really young and they don't remember guys who played. But it's not that law as what It certainly doesn't seem like that long ago to be. But Greg, you started your career. You you went to Edison High School. I think that's in Fresno. Yes, sir, what's the nick name of Edison of the Tigers. The Tigers that's great food, Tigers, that's pretty cool. Were you like black and uh, black and golden, black and yellow? Correct, it was black and gold. Yes, just this figures. Then you went to San Diego State, a really outstanding school by the way. Uh and you know, you know, Jim, let me stop you right there. I know you want to be accurate as you chronicle this thing. But I went to Edison High School. But I didn't play sports in high school. I did not play sports in high school. Uh. And then I, after one year of being just working and being off, um, I started at Fresno City College. And so I went to Fresno City College and that's where all of the sports and everything began. But I was a weightlifter in high school. I really enjoyed weightlifting, so that's how I know built myself up. I gained a hundred pounds and uh, you know, the rest of it just turned out great. You know, in junior college, we want to junior college national championships back to back. And at that point, all the people in the country, the at the collegiate level anyway, they wanted to know what were they feeding those kids in Fresno that they could play football, Like that and we were so undefeated. We went undefeated one year we went undefeated. But yeah, we want to to national and state UH championships, those two which is a really big deal. What you're talking about, what the JUCO state championship in California. We don't realize that's like that's like with the national championship. Yeah, it was tough. There were some There was some really good uh jucode transfers to the four year level UM in those days. A lot of guys went that route. And I never even thought about it. It's just that I didn't do anything in high school. It was regard to football. So football all began at Fresno City College. Of the coaches at Fresno City College, they caught me lifting weights in the weight room and they had some guys and they're dead lifting and uh and the guys saw me and they said, man, you're so big, you know, I bet you you could curl what we're trying to deadlift now. So our fans not realized that you were about you are still about six six, I'd say, that's what you play that great. Let me let me tell you I wish I was eighty five. Well, we all put on a few as it goes along. We can blame it on COVID. We all gave a little h yeah, yeah, we get put it on COVID. But so you were real big in high school with you lifted weights and then you h it was at Juco. Boy, It's amazing how you know, how with somebody's got ability, how quickly it can develop. Because here, you know, you know what I mean, four years of high school didn't make me a player, but two years of Juco and the next thing you know, you're at San Diego State and the next thing, you know, with the patriotic exactly interacted and um, you know we want we won one PC two A championship uh at uh San Diego State. The next year we did not win the PC two A, but I did win the All West Coast honors and conference honors and stuff like. But you know, it was Red Miller that came to scout me at the Aztecs San Diego for a few uh. You know, he was the uh offensive coordination for the Patriots backman and he was the offensive line coach. So he came out there and he I didn't know who, you know, I didn't know who he was, but he was watching and played basketball and you know, everybody in those days after school as a pickup game of basketball. And I was out there running and dunking the ball and having a good time. And he saw that and he said, who is that guy? You know? And somebody said that, so he went back and remember him when I started with the broncos in Greg, Uh, and you were with us. Uh. Well, actually you came to us in two but I mean I can still remember you look different. I don't mean this in a bad and it ain't have a bad way. But even your muscles, Greg, even your muscles had muscles, you know. I mean there were big guys and then there was you. You know that was you know, you know Tom Jackson. The first time he saw me, we were doing the way in, you know how they do it doing many camps. We're doing a way in And Tommy Jackson said, if he getting muscle cramps, he had died. You know how funny Tommy was. Tommy was the funniest guy in the world. Boy. Hey, you know, it didn't surprise me that he became very successful in the booth and as a sports analyst because of that huge personality he had late and you know, he just very outgoing guy. He would win Most Inspirational Player every single year. Everything loved it. I loved playing with him and Randy and Rob Swinson. Oh yeah, tell me again. How did you get from the Patriots to the Broncos. Um? Yes, so um. I had played my three years for the Patriots and then I, uh, I had an option year to sign and me and my agent and the Patriots didn't agree on it. So I was just I didn't get waived or anything. I just you know, went back home because I was sitting around there and they were playing games and I wasn't playing games or doing anything. So I went back home. I said, I can lift weights and stretch and run back in California. So it did, went back there, and um what happened was Red Miller had called me and said, you know, I can't promise you anything, but I want you to come to Denver and just show the coaches what you can do. He said, I remember how you beat up on Leon Gray and John Hannah back in New England. If you can do that here, you know you would have a good chance over here. So I came to the Broncos nineteen seventy nine December actually, and uh it was a blizzard. It was a blizzard, like two three ft of snow and John beat me and Rusty Neil you got it this little mustang. I know you remember it when he drove us over to Colorado School to mine. Oh my god. And I went over there at the Colorado School to mind and I ran the fastest time that I had ever run as a professional football player. Um, I ran in the four seven two and they couldn't believe that I waited at two two. I ran four seven two and I benched five fifty five and the rest of it, you know, just turned out great. Yeah I did. And you know you played with us, and then you moved around a little bit. You got a ring. You're with the forty niners, I think. But I was only there for a short time. But you know, before we go there, I want to go back to the Broncos because there was something that was there with the Broncos that I think a lot of people didn't know about Jim and maybe you didn't know either, but did you know that, Uh, they brought me in and drafted Ruling Jones that same year and because they were concerned about their pressure room, the quarterback and the sacks and that whole thing, because remember that was Dan Fouts was a part of the FC. Really good years with us. Yes we we actually we we became the Rulin had eleven sacks and I had ten sacks my first our first year here, and you know, we became the number one defense in the NFL that that year. And Joe Paulier he decided to, you know, take what we did well, which was go upfield and penetrate through the offensive line, and he created a blitz package called Hope Deals, and we had these blisses. You know, there might be deals, but they were blisses and we were storming up there and we we did really well. We became the number one defense and so we were the overall number one defense for a couple of years that I can remember. And I tell you what, you know, nobody ever really talks about that, you know, I mean one coach to oh, he was great. He knew exactly what to do with talent. He just could put you in place, and he knew if you do what he what he told you a coach you to do, you know you were going to do well. And yeah, he really did that for us. Rulan just really he ripped it up. He he was so quick off the edge, and I was actually faster than him. But I did really well rushing over the guard or between the guarden castle and there were too many guys. There were not too many guys in the game, in my opinion, with your physical abilities. I was very very blessed. I was. I was very very blessed and has some had some really good years, had some really good years here. You know, we were all devastated when Red Miller was fired because I thought he was, you know, close to putting the whole thing together again and go back to the Super Bowl. If you have number one defense, all you gotta do is have an offense that will score or thirty points, and you know, we can hold people to seventy I'm excuse me, to seventeen points that was the goal every week, or you know, twenty. We could hold him down like that. But yeah, it didn't work out. Coach gets fired. They bring in Dan Reeves, and he had his own ideas about how he wanted to do things. I was traded to Green Bay Um and I really didn't want I really didn't want to go and that that really took the start jot of me. A matter of fact, that rose Stan Jones a letter and he said it shook him up so bad at that he framed it, well, I love that guy. I love st He was the best person he was and he was one of the very first weight training guys. He loves the players in pro football, that's correct. He was a big time Chicago Bears, big weight lifter, h tackle, and guard. He played. He was really really good. Hall of famer. Yes, he's the Hall of Famer Hall Hall of Fame. Yeah. From the Packers, though, you did go to the forty Niners and you were with them for part of the year. I sure did. I went to the forty niners, Uh, signed with them and began, you know, practicing and learning their defense and all of that. And what happened was after like four weeks, I was there four weeks or five weeks, and um uh, that guy was there. I think it's Ray Worshing. He was the kid back then. He got hurt and they had to bring in another kicker because he wasn't going to be able to to kick for a few weeks. I was the last guy they signed, So I was I was waived, but they wanted me to sing around, but I didn't. You know, I started to go back and Al Davis. Al Davis said you better come out and give us a chance. You go, He's he always run off and you got drafted to those Patriots and then you went and signed with those Broncos. You never gave up a chance. I loved Davis. Al Davis was something man. He was so despecial. Uh he for the Raiders. Yeah he had He really liked guys who had size and athleticism. She really did. He really didn't. He showed me that he really knew football because he took me out there. It wasn't the coaches or anybody. It was Al Davis who worked me out, put me through all the drills, and you know, he went in the weight room and see how much I can live and he said, man, you can I live Lyle because Elsado was the big weightlifter on the team. After and I was just like, okay, I'm really I was coming home. You know, I lived in San Diego, but I was from Fresno and so had lived in southern California, and so basically it was coming home for me. But I was only there with them one year. Um and uh, I was ready to retire after that. They they invited me to come back to camp, but I retired. I wanted to tell you one of the really neat little pearl that happened to me along Nuance. When I was with the Packers, I had like defensive hit of the week four four times or more. And and and in one of my games, I had like I don't know, like quarterback carasses thrown air and pass and a couple of sacks and a safety. It was a big and I thought I was doing really good. You know. I'm like, oh wow, I had a big game, you know. And and a bart star you know, he was like, hey, that's a great game, but we need another one next week. But bean fred Bean had six sacks that same Sunday. Yeah, you know, way, um, you were outstanding. But the game today I think would utilize your skills in a most sophisticated way. Absolutely. I mean, now it's hard telling you know, we're not we're using this guy in a special way. They might need to leave you around a little bit offenses, you know. And that I watched a lot of that and a couple of guys I see that strictly do pass rushes. Um, they're pretty much designated pass rush. You know, they called me a designated pass rusher back then. You know, he's the designated test us. And you know that's when I had heard because I didn't know that we were number one defense. You know, I was here for three years and then traded away, and you know, time goes on and they keep going right, so um they they they called us designated pass rusher and there the number one defense in the NFL. And I heard that one of the sports finalists was retorting that. And then they you know, said that you know we could. We had this incredible pass for us, and we played short yardage really well. And of course you know, uh the Orange Crush defense, UH linebackers Brandy Gratitshire and Jackson and uh Swinson and at that time Larry Evans took over where a result when he retired, Ye, yeah, we still were pretty tough. We were pretty too, Now did you not finish up? Played maybe a year in the U SFL for the New Jersey General's that's and that's something. And it was it was Donald Trump's team. He would be. I was about to ask, yeah, oh my god, Yeah, so I'm I'm running. You must have met it along the way. You must have met him, I think. Uh No, I didn't get a chance to meet him. I really didn't. But they ran it like a first class organization. You know. When I went to his team, I basically came out of retirement because our mount my retirement from the Raiders, and I went out there, um you know, and ran my times and it was myself, Brian's side, Doug Flutie, and Herschel Walker. Donald Trump wasn't He's gonna get some good people he can play. And I played a few games for him, but it was like the third game we were warming up against the Tampa Bay uh for ever band this I think it was, And I m tour meniscus in my knee. First injury we've ever had. Who Actually I had one in seventy eight with the Patriots where I had my ankle in the cast. But really that was the only knee injury I've ever had throughout my career. And I was like, Wow, why does it have to happen now? You know? But it needed And some of our fans won't know this First of all, you had a long NFL career because you were also literally working for the NFL as like the sidelines a uniform guy for a lot long time and you retired a couple of years ago from that, he had nineteen years. I worked as the UH sports license thing, UH uniform official, you know that basically go to games and make sure the uniforms were warned the way they were designed and the way that the NFL represented to the networks they would look on game day because it's all coordinated on game day around like all of the advertising that they do, it's done around that game because they you know, if uh you remember my got in trouble in San Diego where he had our guys where white jerseys and the charges wanted to wear their white jerseys. It was a hot day, like eighties seven agrees and Mike Mike. They find Mike Mike yann and he got fined. Because yeah, that when you when you hurt your knee. And this is something that some fans will recognize, especially if they are interested in in different sports. But you wrestle for a long time professionally, as Lloyd Boyd had you already be done that had you already be done that during your NFL career. No, no, no, I didn't. I retired, hired from football in nineteen six, totally retired because it was five when I went to the New Jersey General and once I had hurt my knee and rehabbed and everything, six roll around I announced my retirement, and um, let's see what happened. So after that, I was basically rehabbing the knee, and um, we're in California year rehabbing your knee. I was actually in Denver. Oh no kidding, I've been in Denver the whole time. Wow. Yeah, that's another interesting thing, Greg. You're a California guy, and the lifestyle there is very is wonderful and everything. So many of our of our players played here and then they stayed in Denver, and you and among them, you know where. You only played here a few years, but yet you've made a lifetime here, and I think it has been Denver. Denver is a wonderful place to live. It really is. And I was listening to some of the surveys they had done on places to live, uh throughout the nation, and Parker was like number two and like Boulder or something like that was number two and number three and maybe even number one. But yeah, Denver is a wonderful place to live. There's a lot of great things about it. I had always felt that there was a great relationship between the fans and the team and and you know, of course the alumni was always out doing community stuff for Lebroncos and and so it had just been wonderful. And I was able to steal wrestle and do my wrestling career based out of Denver. You know, I went to Minnesota and toured all over the states with the Minnesota Wrestling thing, which was the a w A w A All Star Wrestling with Veran Gana back in those days. And uh, and I and I was able to do my acting. I got involved in acting and motion pictures and you know, did quite a bit of work in that area also, And you know, and I was even screen actors guilt. I mean, I never I never wanted any bigger wars. I didn't get any big, big pictures. But they wanted me to move to Los Angeles and New York, and I wasn't going to do it. You know, I stayed here. Yeah, that's that part of did not know I knew you had stuff, but now you actually took your wrestling even to Europe and you wrestled overseas. Greg. Yeah, I went to absolutely I was. I was hearing the yep crazy story. So a guy says, hey, man, come down to the wrestling thing. Um vern Gun, you wants you to show up down there. So you know, I was not touring at the time, whatever reason. I was back home and they said, you have come down here. We got a lot of europe In people here on our tour. So I go down there too. I think it was the Colosseum. It was the Colosseum. Sture was and uh, I'm down there and I'm just like, you know, watching the thing and meeting people and all that. And so Verne Kunya says, Uh, super Fly Snooker, his partner got stuck in New York and he couldn't he missed his plane. He's not gonna be able to wrestle. He said, boy, take take your meat coat off and take your shirt off and you go. You go. You're gonna be uh super Fly Snooker's tag team partner against the Colonel the Beers and uh bad Rad somebody right, So sure, So I go out there with I've got on like Adidas shoes and I got on white jeans. I'm not kidding you, no shirt. And I go out there and me and Jimmy Super Flights, dude have the best tag team match. We've never wrestled together before, but he just said, this is what we're gonna do, and boom boom boom boom boom, and we win the match, Big huge Sensation. Well, the promoter from Germany, Otto Vance. I don't know if you remember that name. He was a big time wrestler for many years. We just lost him a year. I did not know as a promoter, but yeah, yeah he was. He was a wrestler and a promoter. Four hundred and eighty pounds. Well, he was there and he goes, very that's very good. He said, you come to Europe, you come to you. He grew up on a sports macer, right, Big Big Auto introduced me to so many people over there. Anyway, I go over there and I'm a sensation. Uh well, see, jim I go over there, and they were gonna make me a big, strong, meeting bad guy that goes and fights and beat up on the baby faces. But the people wanted me to be on their side. So goes, oh, man, this is not gonna work. Okay, you a baby face, now your hero, so you go be a hero. Because I was standing up there outside the dressing room and I'm supposed to be big, mean, herculoid boy, and and a little kid walks up and he hands me a roll of bubble gum. Well, how are you gonna turn down a little kid? Yeah, you bubble gug you know. But I accepted, and the people were watching, Oh, that's still cool. There's something this, this is things a gentle giant, and your personality is such that I cannot imagine you being mean for very long because, to be honest, you break out in laughter and smiles and that's that's the end of it. And people say, this guy, this guy, you know, you just turned out. It really turned out good. He didn't expect for me to, you know, be a baby face or the hero, but it just turned out that way. That's what the people wanted. And he always told me, when you're wrestling, listen to the people. Listen to the people. He said, I'm listening to the people. You're a baby face down, But you know what else happening over there? While I was there. While I was there, they heard me singing in the locker room, you know, all happy now after my match, and you know, and I'm getting out of the shower and they heard me singing, and now they wanted to record a record. So we record a record. Shuwing up. We record a record. They sailed ten thousand copies. Nobody thought this thing was gonna sell in ten thousand copies. It sold ten thousand copies. So now instead of me just going over normally, I would depart Denver like April fifteen or something like that and head over to Europe. They would come and get me in early February and take me over there. And it was all the music and entertainment. I opened shows for big stars that they had, like Flacco and Oliver Cheat them. I'd go over there and open shows for people and now and I was doing all kinds of songs at that point. But yeah, I got a chance to record and perform on stage. It was a blast. Was that fantastic career. You know, people really a lot of fun. Yeah, for people who don't know, you know, who are listening, Greg Boyd, b O y D. If they google you and look for some photographs they'll see pretty quickly. I mean, Greg, I'm not trying to just flatter you, but you know, like I told one of our players, was I said, my god, if I had bustles like that in my chest, I wouldn't even put on a white shirt. I just put a tie on around But I just put a tie on around my neck and go to work like that. But they would, you know, very quickly with your size and so forth. How you know, whether Red Miller and football or whether restfully whatever it might be, you caught somebody's attention and people said, wait a second, Yeah, it's pretty cool. It was wonderful, it really was. You know, got a chance to do all these great things, and you know, I just I really enjoyed it. But I wanted to tell you, Jim, this year, in with the COVID nineteen and the presidential elections, all of the UH demonstrations and riots and stuff going on, it had been very quietly a great and sensational year from me personally, you know, accolades, I had I had one or been honored with the the Trail Blazers Award out in the state of California, out of my hometown in Fresno there, and so I had to go out there and and you know, participate in that thing and wonder for it was incredible. I got like all these certificates and things. You would think I was graduating with a PhD or something, you know, had all this cool stuff and uh. And then so sometime later on, and here's something that don knock your socks off, because they're knocked mine off. I get a thing from the Las Vegas Raiders. They honored me with a legacy brick that they're placing in their new Allegiance Stadium in the plaza there, you know, and oh my god, I couldn't believe it. You know, so all of that cool stuff happened. Then you know, um, also, you know, the NFL decided to enter like or two thousand players that you know, we're like myself that played early on to enter our names at Kenton, Ohio at the Hall of Fame. Sometimes that no, no, but you know, I don't know if you knew this, but you know that like Mile High Monument, the little mini Mile High that is in the parking lot at the stadium. Oh yeah, your name's on that wall. Really, yes, every everybody who ever played for the Broncos. Has his name on the wall there. I never knew that. Yeah, on the inside of it. You're like if you went in every well, I should say, excuse me, excuse me. Not everybody ever played for the Broncos, everybody who ever played at Mile High Stadium, but you did. Oh so, not the current guys, but the guys who played a mile high because that contribute to old Mile High Stadium. And your name is on that wall. Yeah, I know it's pretty cool. Wouldn't you got the gym Sacker Mono press box up there? Well, well, I do the Broncos. Yes, it is. It is that, you know, you do the does the best they can in the world. But it's really nice when the world smiles back. You know what? And you know, yeah, Jim, you know what's really special is it's when you didn't expect it. Yes, you know we were. I wasn't thinking, Oh, somebody's gonna give me a work of I'm great, you know almost I'm sitting there. A matter of fact, wasn't it you who called me? I think it was you. When I got entered into the Fresno City College Hall of Fame. You called me and said that I needed to call Fresno because Fresno was honoring me with the Fall of Fame induction. It's it's really neat to have a small part thousand into something like that. It makes somebody feel good, and it's really cool. For me, it was always really cool to be a small part of that. But but you know, if you think about it, almost everything that you did it it came now when you were able to give back. You you had abilities, that you had the right attitude and everything. But all you were you were a guy lifting weight. People saw you and said, wait a minute, wait a minute, you play football for us. That's what they did. I was. I was in that weight room Jim back there in nineteen seventy two, lifting weights of Fresno City College and and and they saw me curl three hundred towns and they said, you know, you could help us win a championship. What a crazy thing is, Jill. I had never ever uh considered playing football. And I had no idea about you know, that they were, even the football coaches. I had no idea who they were, you know, And then just like wow, that happened. And then they asked me to come out and throw the shop put in discus. I had never threw the shop, put in discus, and I win the conference championship throwing shop put in discus back there. You know, sometimes some trepter that we don't know what God is smiling at us. Here he is and especially when you want to help others and gail back, you know, like John Pogono, he's a he's one of your coaches now for le Broncos. He's one of the young guys that I trained. Uh. Yeah, And it's a small world, you know, when this is over, When this is over, and it will be over and everybody's visiting, you know, but again at the Broncos and everything, you've got to come by and say hi to John and so forth and so on, because first of all, the Broncos are a very welcoming organization. They don't push their alumni aside, you know what I mean, you know, and uh and you know all you have to do whether you go through Billy Tompson or me or wherever the heck. You know, I'm not saying today, but I'm saying, you know, this will be over again and people will visit with people, and John Pegana would be glad to see you. It would be great to see Johnny. Yeah, absolutely, Johnny. You know what, Yeah, the only you could call it Donny, that is yeah, Johnny Foorgano. Man, I mean, I love that kid. He's just and if you talk to him, he'll tell you though I taught him everything he knows. But what are you what a defensive mind? Though he's kind of got that you call your thing going on? Yeah, yeah, we actually the whole, the whole unit. Uh. I really think the Broncos around the Cusp they're not there, but they're really close and they could any time now, any close, you know. And I was happy to see Garret Bowles fine, yeah, and get that because he was first round raft doors. He surely showed them something. But he just had some tough years become an acquainted with planning always the speed of the NFL. Yeah, but he's doing great now. And uh, Greg, uh, it's been just a pleasure talking to you. And uh I I can't say enough but you being willing. Hey, just because I called the number, it didn't mean you had to answer it and that you had to be nice to me. So I'm glad to you. But that's how you are. Greg. Uh and the appreciation. You know that I miss seeing you. It's not the normal press box now, of course, but I missed you yea day. Yeah you when it again, when it's over and done. You ought to come by, just to come by. Yeah, Well, I'm not in charge of passes, but I'm in charge of my own opinion and my own STI thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me on Bronco's Country Throwback Soil that was Jim's conversation with Greg Boyd, a former defensive lineman for the Broncos but also a former professional wrestler, Hercule Lloyd. Kind of an impressive story he's got. He's got all sorts of things to talk about. Yeah, and you know, Jim always finds a way to uh pull those stories out of everybody he talks to. And hey, Eric, that's why we like to listen to this podcast. You can find Bronco's Country Throwback wherever you download all your favorite podcast that's Apple, Podcast, Spotify, tune in Stitcher. We'll be back in a couple of weeks with another member of the Broncos alumni, but until then, for Jim Sakamano and Eric Laala, i'm so