Shawn Wooden: Change the Life of One Person

Published Jan 14, 2025, 10:00 AM
Shawn Wooden played in 93 games for the Miami Dolphins over eight seasons, but his contributions to the organization away from the field stand taller than any tackle, interception, or fumble recovery he made on it. Contributors to this episode include Sevach Melton and Dolphins Productions. Theme song created and performed by The Honorable SoLo D.

You're now diving.

I'm gonna be that.

Who then.

Hit down with Seth Living oh jay jee Well, and this is strictly but I'm a true fan number one of course, y'all, Just and the other nevers bots talk that.

Might been that pitch Tank. Welcome back to the Fish Tank, presented by iHeartRadio right here on the Miami Dolphins Podcast Network, Seth Levitt and the man with the best hands in the podcast business, O J McDuffie Juice. We're excited for the guests, but I'm just hoping the two of you guys. I'm glad that we're like doing this remotely right we might Today is the one day of the year we might need to keep you guys separated.

You know what, big up. You know, I've broken my promise already with this guy. You know, yeah, I supposed I was supposed to be forty eight hours of silence, Seth, you know what I mean, And within eight hours I was already talking to him. That's because I like this do too much man to go sign him. Then I'm back at it again today, you know, twenty four hours later after I said forty eight hours of silence, right, So I mean I just can't stay away for this due It's my dude, man, So no matter what, no matter what, the end of the day, big set, it's gonna be my brother were gonna love each other, no matter what.

That's great stuff. Well that guy is Sean Wooden, our dude. The second appearance in the fish Tank. So what we were just talking about it. It's hard to believe, but it was October of twenty eighteen. We are now in January of twenty twenty five. I don't know why I'm the only guy who's aged in this time, but that's how long it's been since you've been in the tank. Welcome back.

Oh, I'm glad to be back. Thank you for all bring me on, especially today. I couldn't believe it whenj Oj made that call and asked me to come on. I thought it was a setup.

Well, everybody's laughing now. So by the time people hear this, it will be Tuesday post the Orange Bowl. Yes, we're recording this just to give context to those who are listening it.

Talking to me by then, so.

I will be ill.

If he answers his phone, right, answers his phone? Yeah, So tonight, of course, the two Alma Maters, Penn State, and Notre Dame face off in what what rounder is this semi finals, semifinals of the first ever college playoff. So I'm just my boys are They didn't have a dog in the fight this here, so I'll be there.

That'll be.

I'm either going to stir the pot and try and get you guys to you know, fight to the death here, or I'm just gonna stay out of the way.

Either way it works. We can handle either way.

We can do it either way. I mean, Penn State's a great team. I mean, you know, it's it's one of those things where you know, we're just fortunate to be in the game.

Don't give me that.

Don't give me that ship that sounds like some blue hold stuff I'll.

Find please, you know what I mean, Who does he think he's talking to? Big Sah?

You know, great coach speech right there, You know what I mean. You know, we're just happy to be here. We're just happy to be here, happy to be in South Florida. That's how we feel, man. You know, we're just trying to get the one to know what's you.

Listen to you guys, clearly you guys like each other.

All right, Soboddy Man, so check it out.

We are a little over a month away from the fifteenth anniversary of the Dolphins Cancer Challenge. Now, you're one of those rare guys who literally literally participates in nearly every charitable event down here, everything in town. But you you've always been a big supporter of DCC. Talk about why this movement in particular, it's so important to you.

Cancer touches everybody in some way, shape or form, and for me it's very special. I've had loved ones pass away because of cancer, and my mother is a two times breast cancer survivor. So it's you know, when this when this event comes up, when we first started from Mad Dog, and you know, it's centered around cancer and the challenge of you know, coming up and just fighting it head on. No, I always wanted to throw my hat in the ring and want to participate every year. You know, there's some years that I haven't been able to, but I can say I've been here since day one.

Yeah, you definitely have, man, and I love how the alumni has a team, and our team has been really, really thriving in the DCC. We've got more guys, Man, We can't beat like some of the big corporations that have five hundred people that.

Have five hundred thousand thousands throwing that corporate dollars at that corporate dollars.

Pretty big against us.

But man, we do a damn good job of showing up and we can see Fayton and we definitely compete. And of course that Moore is always the as always leading us in the in the DCC. Of course, my you know, I started as well. You know, my mom was battling cancer and I actually lost the battle. So it's like everybody like you talk about what you're affected by by cancer and that nasty disease.

We'll do everything we can. We'll ride, you know, as long as we can, even if he So, what do you ask? So, what's your distance going to be this year?

I do I'm going the low Bru thirteen. That damn my land bro.

Wait a minute, the other two guys were on the side of the ball with you, like.

His hand is my man, bro, So you got the thirteen. I did the ninety nine last year.

Jude juicedon TK. They want to they want to prove that they still got it. Man, I know I don't got it. Anymore. So it's one of those things where I'm going thirteen, I'm gonna raise the same amount of money I would raise if I went ninety nine.

Great point, I'm doing thirteen with an electric bike.

I'm gonna go thirteen with an electric bike. Meet you at the finish line. It's a it's a ride, not a.

Race, exactly right. I try to tell people that all the time.

Interesting, did you come up? Who came up with that?

As I heard, I heard it, and I enjoy it.

I heard it. I stole it.

I stole a ride, not a race. Talk to me about these electric bikes. Got it's like help me understand your pedal at all?

Or is it like assistance?

It's a pedal assistance, so you do still have to pedal. You still, you know, work up a little bit, not really, but especially not on thirteen. I don't care if I mean at ninety nine, Uh, pedal assistance, you still got it. You still got to work.

My battery died about seventy in. My battery died.

So it was bikes in those bikes are a little bit heavier. Yeah, so you're you're you're working, you're working. I thought, I thought juice was going to pull up. You know, we we you know, as part of the d c C A couple of us went over to the Bahamas just to help them out with their little bike ride. And these guys you know through on that their their Superman caps. And I tapped out at ten I turned around, Hey, I turned around, had a massage, had a couple of beers before they got back.

Man, he was smart.

Welles there, you know, I couldn't click out of my my my bike fast enough.

Man in the bushes.

Man, it was yeah, hey, people be surprised. You know here in South Florida is flat. Over in the Bahamas hill, I wasn't ready for it.

So ten miles was like it was like a thirteen it.

Except the same thing about it.

Broxeth in the Bahamas ride too, Like we're going downhill, but they got speed bumps at the bottom. You gotta break or otherwise you're going to break something, you know what I mean. And then now you gotta work to get back up those heels. Many they were wrong for that.

Man, you want BMX style. You were owie jumps and stuff too. Funny. Well, what an awesome thing to be able to have a great time and be a part of the most impressive and the largest fundraiser in the entire league and really kind of a movement that has become a model for all of professional sports. And you guys, I mean everybody helped build that when you think of the thousands and thousands of people that do it. But I know, we always see you guys in there, and I'm impressed that you guys put on the bike suits and the and the bikers and the whole I was like, man, how are they getting these dudes to wear that stuff? Hobody for someone to show up. I thought for sure Juice would be the guy with the mess shorts and the you know, but now you put for cause.

Man, it's for a cause that's greater than us, you know, and we understand it, like you said when we were all touched by it, and you know, it's it's it's very close to you know, me and OJ, but for everybody that's in that that that participates and Miami Sevester, they do an amazing job down there, so you know, it's it's one of those things where you just if you can, you know, you can you can ride in the bike, you can, you can walk, you can run a five k, you know. So there's several different things the way to participate, and I mean they even have virtual riders nowadays. So it's one of those things where I think everybody needs to take a serious look at it. If you're you haven't been involved, ye.

That's awesome, That is awesome. Well, like we talked about at the top of the show, this is this is indeed your second appearance in the fish Tank. And even though it was six and a half years ago, which is juice, they you know, at.

Least they're still we're still doing it.

Hey, that's a signus assessed when you can become one.

I don't know what it is, but it is six and a half years ago we did this and that show. I listened back last night and it was just full of so much great material. And then I was sitting there late at night and I'm like, what the hell hell are we going to talk about, like the methods being fresh? Because I loved all these stories. But and even though it was so long ago, if anybody's listening to be like, well, this is like the second episode. But the good news is as long as we've all known each other, there is always something to talk about. Right, So, as we established in the first episode, I love to tell Juice that Woody and I are part of the same class man. We're class in ninety six all day babies. That's don't forget that, Juice. I know you guys got your ninety three thing going whatever. Class of ninety six is how we do it. And even though in that year Jimmy made sure that there was this huge youth movement, there's never a guarantee, especially for guys in the lower rounds, that you're gonna make the roster. Hell, we saw him cut a second rounder, right, you know, in his first draft pick. He got rid of the second round pick early in camp. So you you do end up making the team, you survive all of that, doubt any long odds, you survive all of that. And legend has it that your college coach, it all goes back to this, your college coach, Lou Holtz sent you a congratulatory message. But it wasn't exactly like a text message, was it.

It wasn't a no, It was a Western Union Telegraph bro you remember, like the old dot matrix computer, like the printers printed out on the side. Yes, it really like they preperate. They took up took that off and it was in an envelope, a Western Union envelope. I didn't even know you could still do that, and it was I would you know, looking back, I was so young. I wish that I could have just kept it, like I did not keep it, you know, back then, you know you were just I didn't keep it. I did keep it for that training camp and everything and for that season, but you know, how we clean out our lockers and things of that nature just got lost in the mix. But I wish I still had it because it was a dot matrix Western Union congratulate me and you know how proud he was of me and things like that. It was. It was one of the moments where, you know, Lou was almost like you know, when you go off to college, when you leave your parents' house and all that stuff, you don't really appreciate your parents until after you're done. Lou was that type of person. Well, my relationship with Lou was I didn't really appreciate until after I was done. Juice was very fortunate to have Joe Paterno, who was an amazing coach, amazing individual, amazing man, and it was probably almost the same way, I guess. But it was just one of those things where you know they were so special and developed on who you were. Louis so special development. And actually I'm going up after this game, after the win, I'm gonna head up to Uh, I'm head up to Orlando to celebrate his eighty eighth birthday.

It's a couple of sad occasion, man, the fact you know that's it's too bad we're going to ruin his birthday.

Man, you guys are cracking me up with you.

I was like, you know, it means eighty eight juice. You don't want to hear the old man's feelings.

But I only get back to this this telegram thing, like he had to have an administrative assistant, and you know, I know, in fairness, ninety six, like we are older guys, so ninety six you couldn't.

Remember next Yeah, And I remember we had pagers back then.

Right an email was and he wasn't going to send you the one four to three or whatever.

Yeah that was. That was a regular one right there. Yeah.

But but but uh, it's just still kind of I don't know. I always remember the story O J. Where to recruit you Joe Paterno sent you that six page handwritten yes letter. Like that's the dynamic of what he had to do to get that.

That's exactly, but like what actually goes into Like I said, I didn't even know you could still do it. I was waiting for the dude on a pony off the horse and deliver it to me. Do you want to say something back? Respond?

He's still waiting on a response.

Exactly he was.

He was hitting a little thing that. It was hilarious. Dude, I got it. I remember, seriously. I remember opening it. I was in the training room on the training table, just getting nice down all that stuff, and I'm like, you know they they brought it to me and delivered it to me, you know, from the front. I'm like, what is this now?

I think they wire like Western Union. Now that's probably how they survived, was wiring money and what happened.

Oh yeah, I guarantee they're not delivering a message.

I kind of want to try now I can pull that off, too, funny.

Get there in three days anyhow.

You know, you get a message three days late, you know it's something that's urgent, like this afternoon, big sap, you know, late anyhow, you know, you know, it reminds me of the movie Life. Remember the movie Life where ready Murphy. None of those guys could read, so Eddie Murphy's like reading all then all this stuff that happened a long time ago.

But anyhow, back to we've digressed. It's Travis, that's right, that's right.

Well, what obviously made the team, you know, but but there are a few moments of concern work there. I mean, we recently had another golden domer on and Tim Ruddy, Uh, you know what's going on with all that. I wasn't thinking except the two time teammate of yours, and we talked to him about, you know, being a Pennsylvania, Ohio guys and who played ball where we did. And we quickly found out how different the climate is here in South Florida instantly. So you and I had a little conversation the other day. You know, you had a similar experience here and uh you might have faced a little bit of dehydration damn near costs of your job.

Oh yeah, tell me about it, tell me about it. Oh yeah, I remember, you know, you get drafted and all that stuff. So you know that first mini camp right after draft you come down, they fly you down and you know you have you have camp and they put you through the ring or Jimmy put it through the ringer. You know. We were running around and guys were falling out, like falling out, could not complete practice, could not finish practice. I you know, I won't to talk about our first pick, first draft, first round pick that year. And I mean he was from Texas and he was falling out like it was hot. It was hot, and uh, you know after practice, you know, I'm taking IVS through you know, in between practices and things of that nature. But I'm still out there, you know, I'm still out there, you know, practicing, doing what I got to do. And Jimmy, you know, calls us all up at the end and he was like, so who had to take ivs doing practice? And I'm like, well, shoot, I wore it is a badge of honor that I was still out there. So I raised my hand up everything, and Louis Aller just gives me that looking like what are you doing? What are you doing? Put your head like you know how you look at your kids. You did. I'm like this, hey, yay, you know out theer one and he was like you better get y'all. He's like, you're gonna get this will not happen doing track, Like basically, you better get in shape, you better get used to this heat. You better get in shape. Don't wear it as a badge of honor that you actually actually had to take an IV. So I mean I took it as shoot, my pists might be might be sludg jaffed, and I'm not taking av my Kenny's going to shut down before I take another.

Oh god, that's gotta be some kind of violation, bro.

Yeah, well you know what I mean. We had Larry Little. They won't even let them have.

Water, so at least they gave exactly right, exactly right.

We have to tell this. I don't know if you heard the episode Woodie, but Larry, did you hear his story about the you know what he said, we didn't even have water till rib But he said that guys would get hurt and they'd bring ice out, and.

You do what you got to do, find a.

Way, find way. So the last time you hear. Anytime you're telling old stories, there's also going to be a lot of conversation about the secondary that you were a part of. You just mentioned, you know, when you first got here. You just mentioned Lewis, Oliver t Buck was here, even JB. Brown, That was JB.

Brown's final in the secondary and you know those guys right, and then it started to transition into one of the best groups we've ever had at that position with you know, Sam Addison, Patser, tan Brock, Marion b Walk was here, had two different stints here, the second of which he had an eight interception year.

And we know you guys had a lot of fun. We talked about DV night out last time. We don't have to relive all that. But it was also an incredibly talented room. So can you talk a little bit about just how talented those guys were and what you guys were able to accomplish as a unit just because of how gifted the group was. But don't leave out the og of that group in Mel Phillips.

They say it all started with Mel.

Yeah, was to work with Mel and there had to be some fun stories.

No, Mel was an amazing individual, amazing coach. You know when you're being coached by a person who actually played the game at at such a high level. I mean bell Is I think he's on the All Century team for the forty nine ers him and Ronnie Lott as safeties. So that just goes to show you what type of career he had. But Mel was that type of, you know, coach that wanted you to get engaged. So what it was it wasn't just the talent that we had, is we we were engaged. We we knew the game, like he taught you the game, taught you reasons why you were doing something, in a way to communicate with each other. I think that we were so good because we could just look at each other and know what we wanted to do. I could look at t Bucket now I can tell about his stance. I gotta cover him deep because he robbing this curl. He robbing the curl. I could you know when Sam, when Sam and Pat were younger, I could look at them and be like, hey, I got the curl, you come me deep. Now as they started getting those accolades and those Pro Bowls, it was it was basically like hey, Sean, you gotta go deep. I gotta get these picks. But no, it was like we just had so much fun. We we you know, we had that dB night out. We watched film together. I mean, we were tight. We hung out together, and I truly believe it's because of that ship. We had one end off the field. That's why you saw that since that's on the field.

Yeah, I love that about the DV stuff.

They really did hang out, man, and that's that's how you get that cohesiveness.

Man.

You see guys nowadays, Man, after practice over, they all go to separate ways.

Yeah, dvs they were inseparable, you know.

I mean I saw the DVS jump one of our wide receivers one time, and I had to just let it happen for a little bit and then come on, went gra Tea Bucks act like you know, like we're brother in law all the time. Anyway, So we kept it going.

Man, you know.

Yeah, way to get involved, it's funny.

Yeah.

So after after four years here in Miami, man, and you know, really becoming a fixture on and off the field here, you you left for Chicago in two thousand. Can you talk about the decision and then how things really obviously didn't work out? Expectations weren't weren't there, because I mean assuming that I'm assuming that because you did come back the following year.

Yeah, well you know, there was some change of administration and all that stuff that was going on at that time. You know, Jimmy retired. We weren't sure you know, what Dave wantsat taking over and things of that nature. Didn't know the direction of the Dolphins. And I mean to tell you this, the truth is, you know, we all thought the grass was greener, especially when the money was greener like that, like that. You know, you know that Chicago was offering a better deal for me shorter, you know, a lot more money up front. So went up there to Chicago. And what I've learned was I missed that cohesion we had with the Dolphins. You know, I tried to bring that to Chicago. They had amazing talent. You know, they drafted a safety by the name of Mike Brown who had an amazing career with Chicago. My first round pick, Brian Irlacker, you know, re minded me of Zach. You know, actually Ward number fifty four. I remember putting him on the phone with Zach at one point, you know, just because you know, he looked up to Zach and he knew I had that relationship with that. So it was one of those things where you know, but it was it was missing something and I was missing my happiness basically, and that's the reason why you know, I tried to get out of there. Is not as fast as possible, pretty fast, but hey man, I don't know how we did it, but we got them to after they gave me a roster bonus to release me, and the deal was release me for a week. And you know, they were getting they were in the influx as well. You know, they were changing their general manager and things that that. So I was like, you know, all the candidates. I was like, release me for a week, and I promise, if I do not sign anywhere else in a week, I will sign for minimum better minimum with you guys and won't say anything. Be happy as that. Thirty minutes after they released me, I think I was in the Dolphin facility signing the contract. So hey, I'm not saying that it was not.

It's like the thirty minutes you don't have to go in the pool after.

There was no pool. I was was a VET. I was a VET at that time. They released me later in the off season, so it was one of those things where I was I was a true free agent, and I mean, at the end of the day, I didn't say I wasn't going to sign somewhere else for minimums. I signed with the Dolphins for minimum and with a prove it contract.

Sounds yeah, you know what, the grass and the money were greener, But the snow was whiter up there too.

Don't get it.

I'm gonna tell you this. The first day I get there, was it March first? March first is snowed. I was like, wait a second, hold on, I think I made a mistake. And no, no, it was May. Actually I think it snowed in May. It didn't stick, but it was flurries. And then you know, doing knowing, you know, doing the camps and all that stuff and everything. I'm up in Chicago. I'm calling, I'm calling Sandbag, I'm calling, hey, man, where do you guys going? Man, we want a beach. I'm like, come on, man, this sucks, This really sucks.

Well, you know what's funny is you're telling that story. Remember I remember a conversation you and I had when you got back, and it's a line that I used to this day. And you came back and you were saying the same thing, you know, the snow and blah blah blah, I'm like, Bro, you're from Philly. You played it Notre Dame. You should be used to this. And you said to me these were your words, Juice. I'll never forget it. He said, you never get used to it. You just learned to tolerate it. Yes, And that's what I was like. Man, that what a great way to describe cold weather. Nobody's used to it. It's just if that's where you're at, you have to tolerate it, you know.

I try to say that too, Sean about the when they talk about the dolphins and now being able to play in cold weather, I said, Buffalo doesn't.

They don't like the cold weather either, you know what I mean.

But their day to day life is that cold weather, So it's not as traumatized as it's.

For us, you know what I mean.

Yeah, tolerated. I mean, you just learned to tolerate. So that's one of those things. Man, that's a phrase I'll never forget.

So when you came back, you didn't come back alone from Chicago. You brought in a guy by the name of Kate mcdown. I'm not completely I'm not saying one man left. Two guys came back from Chicago. Now, Cad had a fabulous career at UCLA. He's he's all time ruins and so the you know, good enough where the Bears made him the twelfth overall pick in the draft in ninety nine. But things didn't really pan out the way Chicago had hoped. And so Caine was there for two years and next thing you know, he's chasing Wood.

He down here into Miami Dolphins.

Yeah, hey, whatever it took to get you back, right. But when he got here, the hope was that a fresh start would do the trick right. And you know, and that is a position we've seen where young guys, some young guys end up developing being great players. You know, we know all that, but I remember that, you guys, the DB's in particular would give him such a hard time. And we had in our backfield. So he had zeb Letharge who was a college quarterback, and you had and then Pat, who you know, would.

Tell you suppose all American.

Pat said that he was the number one quarterback in Louisiana over Peyton Man and they said he beat him in the All Star Game. That's what he told us that he told me to, right, So he's looking up. Look it up. So my point is that I feel like you guys not only gave Kate a hard time because there was some arrant throws, but but there ended up being like a challenge. Were you part of that?

Oh?

Yeah, of course you're right.

The leader bro I was like, he tell us, I've seen this guy.

I've seen I've seen him.

Yeah, and uh I remember it was after it was after like one of the workouts or something, just you know, we had zebby pat them and we're like, you know, Kate, we were like, all right, let's who can throw at the furthest in the air ball in there. Let's go, let's put some money down on this. And I was like, I got my money on the may destroyed them. Like and you know, k K was a good dude at the end of the day. You know he he had his limitations and things of that nature, and one of them was he didn't have that strong of an arm man. I mean to me personally out you know, being in Chicago, playing in that Chicago that one season and experiencing what you go through in that Wendy City. I don't know how you pick a quarterback that doesn't have a strong right And Kay didn't only get beat by Zebby, he got beat by a couple of the DVS. Man like I think he I think even Brock might have got.

Spirit.

Like I said, he was a good dude though, great guy, great guy, great teammate. I mean, he was a great thing. He was one of He was a fun teammate. He was he was. He did make it a little bit enjoyable when I was in Chicago. You know, I think at that time he was a huge friend fan and you know, I guess, you know, being have the l a connection and things of that nature. He had like all all all our episodes on I'm gonna say at this time BHS because we were that old.

That's right.

But yeah, I mean Cayden was the one guy on the team. I think they actually lived in Lake Forest because he was the only one that can afford to live in the same community as Michael Jordan. Oh wow, yeahn yeah, yeah. He had a townhouse. Yeah, he didn't have a house like Mike, but he had the townhouse.

And I think Mike's house still still for sale, so.

I know nobody can afford him. Now.

He had a nice spot here too. He had a condo and I just I remember he was very proud of like the double padding on his carpet. He had something down Fort Lauderdale, and he's like, feel that car, take your shoes off. You gotta feel that.

Like that.

He's that type of guy.

So you're like, you can't. Like he enjoyed like the little things, which was kind of interesting, you know, it was really in the bottom.

Yeah, and you broke his spirit. Nice job for your.

Boy, your boy, Hey, my boys and d I know that he's.

At people that Zebbi Zebbi was. I mean I didn't follow him in college, but he killed in the in the skills contest that we gave we put on kill Them, kill Them.

Oh my god, that's too funny. Man.

All right, he's moving on, man, you know, you know, I consider myself obviously a pretty big dollhan right, not just for a player, but a fan. And also try to be an active member of our alumni group as we all are. And you might, you might take things to a different level. I mean, I wonder how many aqua jackets do you actually have? And you have one of your car, you know, one of one of the rooms in your house, you have one sitting in on a hangar at the stadium. You know, you got you got aqua jackets everywhere. Man, And I think like, I think you like the next generation of that more and I I told you that this is when that when that's done. Man, we got to have you in that position, you know what I mean? Talk about why it's so important to you to serve as a problem member of you know, the alumni Association with us.

Well, well, I'm very proud of this organization and being a part of it, you know. You know, it was a six round pick. I was coming out of college. I had back surgery, knee surgery in college. Not many teams are going to give me a chance if if only one, probably, you know, and that was the Dolphins, and they gave me that shot. And when I first came down here, I remember you, I remember Danny and all those guys. You treated me like I belonged, like, hey, if you can play on the field, you belong like And you guys just opened up your arms and it felt like a true family, you know, it really did. And none of us get here or get to a point in life of success and all that stuff while other people helping you. I was helped by teammates. I was helped by other people, family, you know, community and things of that nature. So I bought into the whole community thing given giving back truly, you know, I don't think that I was supposed to. I was put on this earth to not give back, to have the success I have, and not give back. So I truly believe that. You know, when you're you're that person that has that success, and you you're in that limelight, there's a lot of people behind you that's outside that. And if you could just do that and change life with one person, you know, and you don't know when it's going to happen. I've been approached by so many guys and so many you know, young adults and older adults because I'm old now that say hey, I remember you just you know, coming over to the sideine, you know, signing my autographs or you know, showing up at my school or reading to my school when I was in kindergarten. I'm like, first of all, there's no way I did that, because you're like forty years old now, buddy. But you know, and I did it, and you know that goes aback. You you know, we used to do it. I used to go back to elementary schools when I was in high school, you know, just to talk to the younger generation. We had a very big, strong family, so it comes from that, from seeing my uncle, my aunt's being out there was a big Sister and the big brother's Big Sisters organization, and just seeing that growing up and seeing how they always gave back to the community, very involved in church. So it was just it was natural for me and it still is.

Was there ever an opportunity or not even an opportunity, was ever an incident where you had to take your jacket off and like be like does it ever happened?

I mean, I make sure there's a huge balance. You know. I have four kids, man, I want to be president in their life as well. So there's sometimes.

Where I don't wear it out dinner, do you I can't show the aqua jacket ouner.

Hey, just know, we don't really like to wear that aqua jack.

We do. We're probably when we wear it.

We're proud when we wear it. But you know, it's one of those things where you know you want to get away from it sometimes and just be you.

So you want to get through the stadium sometimes. I know, it's hard to get through the stadium with that. It's beautiful. Don't get it to.

Its I got said, we're proud to have it, we're proud to wear it, and that did an amazing job of making sure that they're all custum fitted to us and all that.

Jacket.

Yes, the same same company, same company. It's a Hall of fame jacket. So still still would have loved to have one of those gold ones. But hey, now everybody can get him.

I think he's he's mentioning gold juice. You know where he's going for, you know where he's going. I'm seeing a little.

Home right behind me.

I knew where he was going with it.

I like the Canton Gold better than the South being different, different hues, different different, huge different different different.

It's too funny. So look, post football, you have built a successful career in the finance world. Uh And the last time you're on the show, you talked about what drove you towards that field, and you one of the things that you mentioned, and it was impassing because you were talking about a lot of stuff, because you know, you went in there as I think computer science guy and you retired. You said, you know, you know, the technology had changed so much that you shifted to what I think your miner was in finance, financial classes or not. Yeah, but you also mentioned very quickly that at some point while you were playing, you kind of got taken, and you didn't really go into that. And I'm not sure how much you want to go into that here, but I'd love to kind of just get a better understanding of that and how that maybe impacted your desire to be in the world of finance, and to make sure that doesn't happen to others, whether they were players or just people who have had built some level of success and want to make sure it's protected.

Yeah, I mean, yeah, I was taken. So basically, you know, I was I was taking advantage of by a broker, a person that I thought that was, you know, was going to take take care of me, take care of my finances. You know. What they what they basically did is what we call in the business journey. So they were just basically trading the same stock multiple times during the day. So let's say Apple, they would trade Apple ten times a day just to charge up the fees. So I might make one hundred dollars from the difference of what they sold or bought and everything. And I have fees of fifteen hundred and when you do that multiple days and multiple times, it adds up. It adds up to a lot of money, a lot of money. And that's what was happening, you know. And I wasn't you know, paying attention really that much, so not as much as I should have been. So that started me learning a little bit more of you know, why am I invest in? What am I investing in? And I'm a true believer in having you know, my clients understand is this is what we're investing in, this is what we're going to do, and this is the reason why you know, what goals do you have? This is why we're investing in this. And I want them to be able to explain it if somebody asked them, well, why are you invested in Apple? Or why are you invested in Coca Cola? You know, any of those. So it's one of those things where it just became very passionate. I mean that's you know, a type personledge that we have that when you get passionate about something, you dive all in.

Found a way to compete.

Huh Yeah. Basically, this, you know, it's it's competing and it's it's it is able to be able to help people as well. You know, so when you're you're able to help somebody and you see, you know, I'm helping people when they retire, I'm helping people in earlier in their careers, helping people, you know, send their kids to college, being able to afford it. So it's one of those things where you see those milestones hit and you see how appreciative they are. It's very fulfilling.

Mag Sath makes sense what it gets all the calls from us too, call no matter what it is, no matter what it is, what he gets a call from us all the time, man about anything financial, nfl PA, it's all right, benefits whatever it is. We call Woody Man. He's the go to guy man and this organization.

Bro.

Hey, if I don't know it, I'll find it.

I'll find it. I'll get back to you. But most of the time he knows what the hell he's talking about.

Man, saying, when a guy is smart, knowledgeable, and you can actually trust him, that's uh, that's kind of the triple threat.

He was telling me.

He was telling me the other day that he you know, he was so smart with especially with numbers that he you know, he get all he had all his masks stuff done. He was always he was he was so like fast with math and numbers and stuff like that that his teacher said, you, well, you got to do something to keep yourself involved.

So that's when he got it pretty much in the computers, you know what I mean, because he was talking about high school. Yeah, no, elementary, elementary school.

Yeah. I finished basically I did all the math for the year basically in the first couple of months. And the teacher, like I was telling Jews, I'm I'm very good at self taught. I'm very bad in the classroom because I'm a self taught guy. And if you're not going fast enough for me, yeah, things can happen. So so my teacher identified it very early and was a you know, just let me go ahead and stuck stuck me in front of a computer, and I taught myself how the program.

Yeah.

Well, he talks about things could happen. One of the things. I don't know if you remember this, Juice, listening back to that episode six years ago, that when he was in college and he was studying computer engineering, he was hanging out with the hackers too, So yeah, we do.

I was hanging out. I was one of them.

Yeah, and then oh no, nobody would take a chance on me. But the Dolphins. Yeah, because you wrote their scouting software, you understand.

The Dolphins were a clyining of mine. I will admit the Dolphins were clin of mine. I might have been able. I might have had a back door into the system to change a couple of grades. So I probably put down that ran like a four to two, and they were.

Like, right right, wait, run that back. Hilarious, hilarious. Well, we're glad whatever it took, we're glad that it worked out. Takes for when you were wearing the uniform and now when you wear that jacket. I think everybody in Dolphins Nation is really happy about that. All Right, we have a in those six and a half years, and I hope we've evolved in some ways, Juice. But one of the ways that we have something that's changed since the last time you're here is we now end every episode with the fish Tank two minute drill. I know you follow the show, so you've heard a few two minute drills. Now it's your turn. Defensive guys have a different approach than the offensive guys. The offensive guys trying to manage a clock, trying to move the ball, trying to get in the end zone. You want like a pick and like, let's get out of.

Here, let's get out.

Yeah, so we're gonna start the clock. We'll throw a few fast paced questions and then you will get out of here.

All right, ready?

What?

Yes?

All right?

If you could only watch one football movie again for the rest of your life, would you choose any given Sunday remember the Titans, Friday Night Lights or Rudy.

Come on man, Rudy, absolutely up, especially today.

You bet it community kill me if my partner out.

I thought if you slipped up, that might be a good sign for it. Okay, Yes, people have probably noticed throughout this interview you were often affectionately referred to as Woody. Clearly that's adapted from your last name. But tell us where And I haven't heard this before, but the research tells me where did Hollywood come from?

Oh? That was from college man. I thought I was slick. That's what that's what. That's straight from college man. A couple of the guys, younger guys started calling me Hollywood because I started to show them up and things of that nature. I started getting deon style.

And it's so not his character that we know.

That's why I was Hollywood, because I was putting on the show. Because that's not acting like I was acting like it.

I get it.

You know, us Ner named people man, we it's high thinking. Before a year ago we go into really you.

Know, was about tonight.

We're going to see the night where we hit you in the mouth anyhow, clients.

Would you say everybody has a plan to they get hit, you're hitting them mouth? That's true, all right.

Your mascot at Avington High School was the galloping Ghost. Of course we know where you went to college. Who is tough for a galloping ghost or fighting Irish?

Well, at first, both both of them first fictional, but I would say probably a fighting Irish.

Of course you would who's cooler.

Though, fighting Irish man? Leper con right.

Brave washed right here?

I don't know it?

All right?

Final question and then we can get you in your game face. Both of you guys need to get your game faces on. Our strength and conditioning coach during your Dolphins tenure was the legendary John Gamble a big John would definitely put you guys to work. But I want to know what was tougher. What was a tougher conditioning routine? John Gambles won tens or running with Juice on the Miami Dolphins cruise.

Ma'am tell you Juice brouh. Juice put you through work, but Juice will set you up. See this one saying is we we had fund all night Juice. You know, Juice is laid out. He likes to stay up late, but he likes to wake up early as well. I don't know how he did it. So Juice had you drinking all night and then have you wake up at six o'clock in the morning talking about, hey man, we got to go run some laps on a cruise ship. First I thought it was a joke. At first I thought it was a joke. I was like, Oh, we got this set up. Juice is gonna hook me up. There's no way Juice like Because what people don't realize is we used to go on these Dolphin fan cruises and it was during our off time, but we weren't off. We still had to work out. We all had incentives, so we had to have a certain amount of workouts during the week in order to be able to get paid, get made sure we had our incentives. John knew that Juice was a mini freaking punisher, and he he would he would allow us to go on this cruise and still get our workouts as long as Juice worked us out in the morning. And dude, Juice put it. Put you to the crime, right, and we have all the all the all of those the equipment. Also, Juice was making up stuff right, come on, that was football first thing I ever planked in my life, when Plankton wasn't even the thing back then.

Hey wait, I was just trying to get y'all paid. Man, just trying to get y'all paid, and I wanted to make sure weas in shape we come off when.

We got back because we had to go right in the camp.

So probably I don't know if it was because he had to go right in the camp or he didn't want them to say you can't go on the cruise next year. Yeah, is definitely strategic and forward thinking. That is the two minute drill. It sounds like O. J. McDuffie's even tougher than John Gamble when it comes to conditioning. Go there now, so well what this was, This was awesome. Class of ninety six continues to represent, I'm gonna wish both of you guys luck tonight, and I'm just gonna sit home and watch it and think the reactions between the two of you.

I know, you know what, So you know what's so funny to be big set about that is that you know wood He talked about how you had the DVS. I haven't seen you do any work with with with Woody. Why don't you why you got piss states back right now?

Though I haven't done any work with Woody.

Talking about I'm talking about six and a half years all this, you know what I mean? We do post game shows, we do all this stuff together.

How much can you if you if you can add those numbers up with Woody too, to let me hear it. I want to hear it.

That is fair well. The only thing I can tell you with Woody, and he talked about how he's been helping people in his in his world now as a financial advisor. When I got married and realized that life was bigger than just me, I had to figure out and get my first life insurance policy. Yeah, I never thought about that my whole life, and it hasn't turned out yet, so right now, Wood, he still has me coming.

I got that's fair. That's fair, that's really fair. That's bigger than this podcast.

Yeah, way bigger than this podcast.

You're right, you're right, you're right. He takes a diving in again.

Man oh man, thank you guys, having you're now diving into the fish.

Tank just like Jew said, Thanks for diving into the fish tank. Presented by iHeartRadio. Be sure to follow us on whatever streaming platform you're using, and don't be afraid to rate the show or leave us a comment. We love your feedback, and remember you can find us as well as Drive Time with Travis Wingfield and all of our international partners on Miami Dolphins dot com. Them in at this time

The Fish Tank: Miami Dolphins Tales From The Deep

Dive in with Miami Dolphins all-time great, OJ McDuffie, and co-host Seth Levit as the guys are join 
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