Latest / Johnny's World / Mississippi State vs Tennessee Game Preview and Jan Gwin on D.D. Lewis

Transcript

Mississippi State vs Tennessee Game Preview and Jan Gwin on D.D. Lewis · Johnny's World

• 0:21
  SPEAKER_01: All right, welcome back to another episode of the Johnny's World Podcast.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_01: I'm your host, BW, here with my colleague Johnny.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_01: Johnny, another victory week.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_01: How are you doing today?
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: Man, I'm doing great.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: Another victory week, four weeks in a row, four W's.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Can't ask for anything better than that, BW.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Sitting at four and oh going into Tennessee game.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: That's kind of what you had predicted at the very beginning of the year.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: I I was on the Debbie Downer side.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: I thought we'd lose to Arizona State, and we didn't, thank goodness.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: And uh we're doing the best we can, four and oh, so you can't get better than that.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: So big, big weekend here in Star Vegas coming up, though.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: That's exactly right.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm excited about it.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_01: And uh I'm excited about our guest today, too.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_01: We'll we'll get to him in just a moment.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um, first thing I want to talk about, though, is the reason we're here, Johnny.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we are here talking about Mississippi State football, but we wouldn't be here doing that if it weren't for you.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_01: You suffer from cystic fibrosis, and the whole point of this show is for us to raise some money for the cystic fibrosis foundation.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_01: The way we do that is through selling coffee on our website, jonypacker.net.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_01: If you like coffee, if you know somebody else that likes coffee, then get on there, jonypacker.net.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_01: We have any kind of coffee you like, place an order, have it sent to your house.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_01: It'll be roasted fresh as soon as you order it at High Point Roasters in New Albany, Mississippi.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: You will have it within a week, and it's really good stuff.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_01: It's got good coffee going to a good cause.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you can put it on a subscription, you can give it as a gift, you can do whatever you want to do with it, but we just appreciate it if you go on there and order some for us.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and uh BW, I just saw it pop up on my memories today.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Today it marks five years to the date since the uh the launch of Johnny Packer Eyewear.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: We had a little fire chat video, fire chats with Johnny video.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I posted that day and said, you know, that we we had partnered together and he had gotten it in the works for Johnny Packer Highwear.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: And now here we are five years later, still doing the exact same thing.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: But instead of IWER we got coffee products, johnnypacker.net raises uh funds for Sisting Five Bridges Foundation for more research to come out for life-saving drugs.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: So uh yeah, man, it's hard to believe that was five years ago.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: It seems like just yesterday I was doing that doing that chat in front of the fireplace, and uh it's been a whole five years, but um lots of uh lots of people have have uh supported to the cause and listening to the podcast and just uh a lot of stuff that's happened in the past five years, and we really appreciate it.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: But uh, you know, people with CF, they still live with CF.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: I still live with every single day.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: And uh that they're working hard to get these uh life-saving drugs developed for the 10% of the people with CF that do not have a uh miracle drug, and that's what we're shooting for and fighting for those people.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: And if you buy, we say this every week, you buy one bag of coffee, you're literally helping save the life of someone with CF because uh research all depends on dollars raised.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: And if you can't raise enough dollars, you can't have to come up with new drugs.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: So uh that's what we're shooting for right now, and it's grassroots fundraising, you know, start at the very bottom.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, we'd love to have someone that make a million-dollar donation, but uh realistically, that's probably not gonna happen.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: So you buy$20 worth of coffee and it just adds up and and uh hopefully more lives can be uh be saved by uh developing new trucks for cystic fibrosis population.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: But uh five-year anniversary today, hard to believe.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: Just thanks for everyone who's listened to this podcast and thanks for your support.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: And uh uh please just keep donating and letting people know um about the coffee products at Johnnypacker.net.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: Well, Johnny, I'm excited about our episode today.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, our guest that's with us today was was with us last year for the egg bowl.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_01: He had some great stories about the egg bowl.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_01: And and I text you this every couple of weeks.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, people are still downloading that episode.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_01: Just his name alone is enough to bring in some downloads because I, you know, we talked about the egg bowl last year.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: So the egg bowl, you know, is it's not happening, but people are still listening.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so, like I said, one of our best episodes of the year last year.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_01: So we were excited to have him back.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, saw him uh this past weekend at the game, and uh he he actually was on the team with D D Lewis, who they honored during the game, who just recently passed away.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_01: He was a great football player for the dogs, and he also played for the Dallas Cowboys.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_01: And so we're gonna get on here and share some stories about that and talk about the football season this year and and uh what we think about the game coming up this week.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_01: And we have Jan Gwyn as our guest again with us.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_01: So appreciate you coming back to Johnny's World, Jan.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_02: Well, it's absolutely a pleasure, Brandon.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you uh and Johnny for having me on.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_02: And Johnny, what a great time to uh celebrate five years of the work that you've done through this podcast.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, I know y'all have had some a lot more interesting guests than me, but uh for an unbelievable cause of uh you know benefiting research and and assistance to those those folks such as yourself who are dealing with cystic fibrosis.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, you know, it's just uh it takes a village, and you guys are doing a fabulous job in supporting uh all the things that they're trying to do to help cystic fibrosis uh patients.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_02: Appreciate it.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, we really appreciate that.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_01: So well uh well Jan, we were we were all at the game Saturday.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_01: Uh what were what were your thoughts about you know the game and then you know how how you thought the season's been going so far leading up to the game Saturday?
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I I'm I I'm excited.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, I think uh I think all of our fans are quickly getting getting excited.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_02: There were a lot of people, you know, uh naysayers uh going through the summer because no one uh really predicted us to win more than three games.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_02: And here we are, you know, we're 4-0.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_02: We've won four games.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, I think the team uh the you know, basically we have a new team.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, so many new players that have come in and and there's been there was a little bit of tweaking by Coach Levy and um and some uh uh support positions on the staff.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_02: And so uh the bottom line is, you know, we're uh had a good wind out at on the road at Southern Miss, and we came back and uh had that fabulous uh night.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_02: You know, uh it's kind of hard to have to wait until the very last play of the game to know that you're winning a game.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_02: But boy, that was that was one of the most exciting uh moments uh I can remember over the many, many years that I've I've been involved with Mississippi State.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_02: And now here we are uh three days away from game number five, and and uh those naysayers have have come aboard.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_02: All the tickets have been sold.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_02: They're uh they're expecting a uh uh uh Johnny, as you may know, they're expecting a huge crowd in Star Vegas.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: Uh yeah.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_02: You know, the the fan the stands are gonna be full, the cowbells are gonna be out, and the stage is set to uh to meet a great challenge, you know, with Tennessee.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: And uh and Coach Cheryl and the in the 2000 team should be honored uh at that game, I believe, for the snowball victory.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: So that'll be great to see those guys back on.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, there's there's so much going on.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_02: And uh man, I recall uh the night that we we won that that the snow bowl in Shreeport.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_02: Uh I happened to be sitting in my den.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_02: I I was involved with the Liberty Bowl game at that particular year.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_02: I wasn't able to go to Shreveport, and if I wanted to, I may not have been able to make it because of the snow.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_02: But uh I'm I'm sitting in my den watching it, and literally it was snowing in Memphis.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_02: I look out on my deck, it's snowing.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_02: I'm sitting when I turn the television on, like you all did.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_02: I said, wait a minute, you know, we're not getting a good reception.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_02: It's nothing but like a snowy picture.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_02: Then I find out it's snowing like crazy in Streepport, right?
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_02: So that's gonna be great to honor those guys.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_02: Uh Wayne Matkin and and uh you know, we we've also got the Hall of Fame, uh our M Club Hall of Fame induction ceremony this weekend.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_02: So boy, it's gonna be a lot happening, and it's all great.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_02: And uh if we can just move that momentum on to Scott Field and and uh sneak out a win, all would be great.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, well, Jan, you know, uh I was watching that snowball game from a friend of mine's house.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_01: I was a senior in high school, and uh, you know who was at that game was my father-in-law and his son Michael.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Charlie and Michael were at that game.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_01: Of course, they're big AN fans, and that's right.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_01: They they sat through that whole thing and uh didn't come out on the on the right side of it.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_01: But I remember I like to hear his stories from the you know being at the game and everything.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_02: Well, you know, so many of uh of you all's followers uh in and around Starble and other places, uh there's been so much talk, you know, about uh the symbol that's gonna be on the helmet, you know, about whether it's gonna be state, whether it's gonna be uh MSU, which was back, which was the the helmet that the guys wore in the snowball, which is which it is gonna be that the replica of those uniforms uh Saturday afternoon.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_02: So uh, you know, there's so much, you know, when you start winning, you know, everybody's got great ideas.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, when when you're not doing well, you know, there's not any good ideas.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I'm just glad there's some excitement back in the program.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: And um, you know, we can look forward to these kind of games and and feel like we have a chance to win them.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_01: May not win them all, but you know, it's it's nice to at least feel like you have an opportunity to to win it if you play well.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_01: And uh that's about all I can ask for, uh, especially compared to the last two or three years.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_02: Well, uh they've had uh uh the team has had four weeks, four four games to really you know get the kinks worked out and to find out where our strengths are, you know, and what to work on.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_02: And I know the staff is uh has gone about doing that, and and I truly believe that we have got some uh tremendous amount of speed on our up in our offensive side with our receivers.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_02: And uh we've some great additions.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_02: You know, our running back that was came from South Alabama is doing a great job, and and and so we've got a great thing, a mixture going on there.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_02: And uh Coach Levy uh brought in two two guys, one of which is a coach by the name of Paul Rhodes, uh, to help with on the defensive side as a defensive analyst, and our defense is vastly improved, and we've got better players, we've got better down linemen uh up front, and I think our secondary is better, and they're being um, I think they're well coached, and so it it gets after that it gets to the point of okay, how are we gonna do on the field Saturday?
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_01: Well, um I want to go on and and uh make a prediction for this game um because I did predict us to win this game at the beginning of the year, and now that we're getting closer to it, I'm starting to chicken out a little bit because I'm starting to do that defense mechanism where, well, you know, if I don't think we're gonna win, I won't be as disappointed.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm gonna have to stick to my guns here and and I'm I'm calling out a victory.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be a close one.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's gonna be a close one like Arizona State.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_01: It may not come down to the last minute, but I think it's gonna be close.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_01: I think we win at 35-31.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, 35-31.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I I kind of agree with you uh because I do think that it's gonna be a higher scoring game.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, I believe that that we'll be able to put some points up, and they've got a great, you know, quarterback, unbelievable story of him transferring from UCLA and Tennessee's quarterback leaving Tennessee and going to UCLA.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, and as of now, after four games, the the coach at UCLA is no longer there, and the quarterback that transferred is no longer a starter.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_02: But I think Tennessee came out way ahead on that swap.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_02: He's a he's a great, he's really a good looking quarterback, and and they've got great receivers.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_02: And so I think that there's gonna be a lot of points scored.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_02: We're just gonna we're gonna have to keep up.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_02: And uh I think if if we get up early, that's gonna be a big, a big benefit to us.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_01: Yep, if if fluff can run the ball like he did this past weekend and shaping can hit some of those those passes that he missed this past weekend, I think we'll we'll be all right.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_02: Well, you know, that's a good point that uh Coach Levy made in the postgame.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_02: You probably heard uh about the fact that in the first half it appeared that that uh our quarterback was trying to make perfect, absolutely perfect throws, and and and a lot of the players were trying to make you know perfect plays, perfect routes, perfect uh, you know, perfect defense.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_02: Uh and and they almost were overdoing it.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_02: And he told them at halftime that look, go out there and relax and play, and play and have fun, and uh, you know, don't worry about making the perfect play, just make make plays, and that's what happened.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_02: They they did extremely well in the second half.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_01: They did.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_02: I think you learned something.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_02: I think you really learned a little bit about you know, kind of how to hold the reins a little bit and when to let them out, that kind of thing.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, BW, uh, I know at the beginning of the season I you you had said uh you thought we were gonna win uh you picked us at the beginning of the season.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_00: I believe you had us going 5-0, right?
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_00: Before we did the game.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I was on the other end of the spectrum, and I said we drop it to Arizona State, and then I drop it to Tennessee.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_00: But I did remember saying that if we beat Arizona State and we had the momentum at 4-0, then I thought we would take Tennessee.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: And that really did happen.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: We beat Arizona State.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: We're sitting at 4-0.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like we said earlier, Coach Cheryl, those cows will be back on campus.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_00: It's a whiteout, it's sold out, the interlocking MSG's coming back.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_00: So much momentum.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: All the all the the town's excited.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone's on board right now.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I feel like that momentum and that that crowd support is going to pull us out into a victory.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: I do think we'll get a victory here.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I hate saying that because, you know, sometimes when we get we get ranked, we're not ranked, but sometimes in the past, when Mr.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: State gets ranked, we always get knocked down.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_00: But I really feel like that that this team can beat Tennessee.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_00: If they put if they play a perfect game, like what we just said, get the running run and attack going, Shapin hit the passes.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_00: Defense steps up and plays a great game.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: We need we need an air-free game.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_00: We don't need all these penalties we've been getting.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_00: If we can we can play a clean game without all these penalties and shaping hit the guys, and and he can run, fluff run, and defense steps it up.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: I do think it's gonna be a tough uh high-scoring affair, like you said, BW.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I think it's gonna come down to the wire.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm gonna say I think we we win by a field goal.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_00: I think uh I think that's the difference.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: I think our field goal kicker, which you know in the past, BW, I remember when we were in college, our field goal kicker was missing extra points.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: And now this guy is a stud.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: He's a really good kicker.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_00: So um I think it's gonna come down to field goal kick, and I think the Bulldogs are gonna pull it out at the end.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna say something similar to you.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna say 30, I'm gonna say it's 31-31, and we win the game by a field goal 34-31.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_00: So um I think it's gonna come down to the end.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_00: But uh regardless, what you just said, even if we drop this game, as long as we give a good effort and we and we play tough and and end of the game, that's all you can ask for because after this past year, what we went through, um, you know, just just getting a 4-0, a great start, getting everybody back on board.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: When, you know, last year it was just kind of the the energy was just sucked out of the program.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: And right now it seems like we're it's getting back in there, and this is exactly what you need.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_00: And this is the perfect time to make a statement.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I feel like if we can win this game, we'll we'll get back in the top 25, and who knows where we'll go from there.
• 16:33
  unknown: Yeah.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I I'll I'll give you my prediction, not on the game, but on the season.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_02: I believe that we got it, if we can avoid uh uh bad luck of injuries uh to key people that we could win six to seven games.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_02: And yes, we don't have time for me to explain that right away, but I that's just my opinion that the way things are shaping up, if we can stay healthy and and uh uh you know in the right positions, uh we've lost a really great defensive alignment already, which is that's a that's not a good thing.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_02: But but anyway, uh I'm I'm very optimistic and can't wait to, you know, we all we've got to do is go and watch.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_02: We don't have to play.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_02: But I I told Charlie, your your father-in-law, Brandon, that uh my my recent experience is it was a heck of a lot easier to play than playing a tailgate.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, I can see that.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_01: Y'all, y'all, y'all have a pretty big tailgate going.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_01: Y'all, y'all put a lot of effort into that.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_01: So that's that's a lot of work.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_02: Well, it it it's worth it for everybody to have fun and all, but you know, it you know, when you when you all you gotta do is go out and practice and think and and believe and and um and improve during the course of the week of practice.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_02: You always gonna play like you practice, uh, and then get on the bus, go to the stadium and play, and it's done.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_02: Tailgating, you got too many people to make happy.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I never forget uh I was uh I was over at Charlie and Luana's house um when we Morgan and I had first got married, and uh Luana's parents were over there, and uh they said, We're gonna go get some burgers at Backyard Burger, Brandon.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_01: We elect you to go over there.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_01: And uh so I I went around with a pen and paper, and I said, All right, tell me what you want.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_01: And um, you know, Charlie says, just give me a cheeseburger, everybody wants a cheeseburger.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_01: And then I get to uh Luana's parents and they say, Well, we want a cheeseburger, and uh tell them, you know, we only want a little mayonnaise and we want a squirt of mustard and we want three, we want three pickles and two tomatoes and one piece of lettuce.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_01: And I and I'm thinking those people are gonna spit in this food if I tell them that.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_01: And so, like you said, you just can't make everybody happy.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_01: So, anyways, we'll well, shifting gears here.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I would love to hear some stories about your teammate, Didi Lewis.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, they they talked about uh a little bit on the field this weekend.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_01: He recently passed away.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, big big Cowboys player, big uh Mississippi State guy.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_01: Tell us a little bit, you know, kind of give us a background on on your connection with him and what he did in in Starkville and in Dallas and tell us some stories about him, Jan.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_02: Well, Dee Dee Lewis was was just one fine guy, a great friend.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_02: Uh we played uh I was there two years uh well he was there, he he graduated uh uh and his senior year, he was named the uh defensive player of the year uh you know in the SEC.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_02: Uh Bear Bryant was quoted as saying his senior year he was the best linebacker in America, but but he was he was just a he was a good guy, a good friend.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_02: Uh we had a lot of fun together.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_02: Uh uh his home uh was Knoxville, Tennessee.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_02: And interestingly, he was one of 14 children, 14 brothers and sisters, and he used to tell us that uh in growing up uh he was a Golden Gloves boxer and a Golden Gloves regional champ in that in Knoxville, Tennessee.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_02: And he used to say that as tough as he was, one of the toughest battles was when his mother served fried chicken, and when it got down to the last two or three pieces, who was gonna who was gonna win and who was gonna lose.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_02: But just uh a swell guy, and uh he was probably uh one of the best, one of the best linebackers that I think we've had at Mississippi State.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_02: Uh the other one that comes to mind, and we've had a number of great linebackers, and Johnny, you know a number of them, but he and Johnny Cooks probably were two of the best.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, yeah.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_02: Both of them obviously were involved in Super Bowls.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_02: I think D D was in five Super Bowls, uh and I don't know how many, uh nine like NFC championship games.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_02: Um he was he set a lot of records with the Cowboys, 27 career playoff games, I think he was in.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_02: Wow.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um he was a member uh with the Cowboys.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_02: He was he you all remember, of course, Coach Tom Landry.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_02: Um he was part of what they call back in that era a part of the doomsday defense and played linebacker.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_02: And uh he was really an overachiever.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_02: I I'll never forget uh a couple of stories.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_02: Um one of which, when I was a freshman, of course, that was back in the days when freshmen got hazed and uh by the varsity, and and that was not a real happy, fun thing to go through.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_02: But Didi saved me from a lot of a lot of pain.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_02: And uh he he uh it wasn't that we made a swap, but he he was, I don't know why he took up liking me, but But he got me out of a lot of what we call uh tally parties or paddling parties, whatever you want to call it.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_02: But what I had to do was shine his shoes for the semester.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_02: And I didn't mind a bit shining his shoes, I promise you.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_02: That was a great swap.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_02: But uh one of the fun things I've always said about D, what impressed me about him was not only his the way that he played linebacker, and we had to practice against him a little bit, but uh one of the things I've I've always said was he was the only guy I've ever met that was was sharp enough and uh let's say cool enough that could borrow a girl's car in Starble to go to MSEW and have a date.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_02: And that's kind of uh that's kind of unheard of, but he was he was uh uh he was he was a great guy as a friend.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_02: And like I say, he played 12 years for the Cowboys.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_02: Uh uh he was uh coach Coach Landry was quoted as saying he was you know one of the one of the one of the most underrated and appreciated players his whole time with as coaching the the Dallas Cowboys.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_02: And uh he had a he was kind of famous for a lot of things, but he was famous for a quote that in his early days, uh when they built the new Cowboys stadium, you know, that that had obviously the retractable roof.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_02: And uh and and so his quote was it got all over was that you know the Dallas Cowboys built that stadium, you know, with a retractable roof so that God could watch his favorite team play, the Dallas Cowboys, who you know, at the time were known as America's team.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_01: Uh-huh.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_01: And so was he one of those those people he's you know nice as can be, but he had a little mean streak to him.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_01: Was that was that the deal?
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_02: Uh well, yeah, he had a mean streak.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, you you can't go as far as he went, you know, playing in the National Football League without a without a mean streak.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_02: And uh, but you know, the thing that that made him so good in college and then also in the pros, but especially in college, he only weighed about 190 pounds and played linebacker for us.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_02: Wow.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_02: And uh, but he he used what I would say perfect leverage in tackling.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_02: He used every ounce of his weight to make a tackle.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_02: It's kind of like I guess you would you would talk about a rattlesnake, you know, when a rattlesnake coils up and strikes, you know, he I've seen him, uh I saw him make tackles, you know, I mean, just perfect form tackles, but he used leverage.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_02: And like I say, he was never over 190 pounds in Mississippi.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_02: And the spring of his senior year after he signed with the Cowboys, uh, we were involved weight lifting in this during spring training.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and so Dee Dee strolls in and uh he had just signed with the Cowboys, you know, and he comes in, you know, he says, Man, I need to lift some weights, you know.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_02: And well, we said, Well, do whatever you want to do.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_02: But he had never lifted weights.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_02: He had never, he had never lifted weights, in spite of the fact that he was a boxer, you know, a golden gloves champion boxer, and he he he couldn't lift much weight like bench pressing, and only because he didn't know the technique.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_02: And so here's a guy that was getting ready to go play for the Dallas Cowboys that was such a natural athlete that once he was shown technique of bench pressing and leg presses and all that kind of stuff, he got onto it pretty quick.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_02: But I'll never forget being in that in that weight room and he comes in and says, Hey, I need to, they told me I got to gain 20 pounds and I need I need to hit the weights.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_02: And from that point, he was off and running and uh ran into a great career, you know, with the Cowboys.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_01: Isn't it funny how now they have the combine and they have to bench press so many times, however much that weight is, and do all that kind of stuff.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_01: They won't even let you get in the league without doing that kind of stuff.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_01: So time to change.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_02: Brandon, that Brandon, that was that was a long time ago.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_02: We don't need it, doesn't matter how long long ago it was, but um uh but but uh you know he uh he like uh there's another side to the story about D D that has to be told.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_02: And um uh he was uh he it was it's often said that he went to the mountaintop.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_02: And and he went to the mountaintop, you know, playing professional football for the Dallas Cowboys.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_02: And uh one of the neatest things over the many, many years was uh after I'm gonna fast forward a bit after he retired, he worked for a company called Potash Corporation of America, and and going traveling all over the country uh uh representing that company, and he had to give a lot of talks everywhere he went.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_02: And he carried a little blue box, it was about three inches wide and about seven inches or eight inches long, rectangular blue box, and in that blue box were like three Super Bowl rings, two American uh or NFC championship rings, a college hall of fame ring, and a Mississippi State uh M Club Hall of Fame ring in that box.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_02: And it wasn't because it wasn't because he was a uh uh an egotistical guy, uh, and it was not because he was an overly prideful guy, but he was proud of what he accomplished, you know, over his career.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_02: And so uh he would take that that box with him, and of course he he'd just take the box and hand it to the crowd.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_02: He would go around everywhere, and everybody put the rings on, you know, and it was kind of a big deal, but it was not from a an egotistical standpoint.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_02: Uh and uh late in later years, my son here in Memphis, of all things, was playing high school hockey.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_02: And uh it was a club team.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_02: There were six hockey school teams, uh high schools with hockey teams uh in Memphis.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_02: And so he happened to be coming in town during during the hockey season, and I said, Hey Dee Dee, would you mind talking to these guys, you know, uh just a little bit one day while you're here?
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_02: He said, Oh man, I'd love to.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_02: So he came to to practice, which was at the the only rink we have had here, which is the Miss South Coliseum, and uh and met and visited with these high school kids, you know, uh freshmen through high school guys, and uh I'll never forget the talk that he gave them, but he pulled out his box of rings, you know, and he went around the circle, you know, they did the same thing, you know, taking pictures, you know, selfies and all this stuff with all those rings and all that kind of stuff.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_02: But when I say he went to the mountaintop, during uh not long after he retired, uh after uh after 12 years of battling and you know the injuries that any any any player uh has to live through, um he it was a tough time for him, about the time that he retired and and and a couple of years afterwards.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_02: And he had a he had an issue with uh with with prescription painkillers and and also alcohol.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_02: And it it took his toll for a while.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_02: And at that point, he he kind of went to the bottom of the ocean for for a brief time.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_02: And he met some really, really wonderful people, one of which was his next door neighbor, who who one morning Dee Dee went out to get the newspaper.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_02: He told me, and he said his neighbor said, came out there and said, Didi, you're killing yourself.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_02: You don't deserve this.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_02: You need to find help.
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_02: And and that was the day that he began to climb back uh from this abuse uh and made his way, I'm gonna say, not only to the surface, but he did extremely well.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_02: And when he when he when he passed, uh he had not had a uh a drink, as they call it, in 40 years.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_02: Wow.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_02: And uh and had a growing had a wonderful life.
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_02: Uh you know, going forward with his wife Diane.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_02: And uh he made a lot of uh he was he was always open to giving talks, and uh anytime anybody wanted him to speak, uh he was he was willing to come and do it.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_02: And uh one's one story that's that's on the on the humorous side, I might remember, is uh about his last year or the maybe last two years, they were in uh practice and uh you know practice in the summer and getting ready, you know, getting ready for the season.
• 31:20
  SPEAKER_02: And one of the things that he had was asked to do extra was to be a long snapper for punts.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_02: And and he had done that, and and I think he got paid you know a little extra for doing that.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_02: And he did it for several years, and so by the time he was about to retire, his legs had pretty much given out on him.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_02: And so he went in to see a guy who y'all have heard over the many, many years, and I'm sure uh Brandon, your father-in-law, has uh Gil Brandt.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_02: Gil Brandt was player, you know, player personnel director for the Cowboys under Tom Landry and kind of a famous, really famous guy uh in Texas, uh, and and college football and pro football.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_02: But anyway, so Dee Dee goes into Gil Brandt's office during during the practice uh camp, and uh he said Gil, who by the way, Gil had had actually found Dee Dee uh when he was in Mississippi State and got on uh you know uh scouting him.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_02: We call it recruiting, but scouting him and actually was a guy that recommended him to the Cowboys.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_02: So they were there they were close, they'd been close for a long, long time.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_02: So anyway, he goes in Gil Brandt's office and he said, Gil, I just don't know if I can I can do this snapping this year.
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_02: He said, Man, my legs are about gone, and and you know, there's gotta be somebody younger uh, you know, that that can do it.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_02: Of course, they're in they're already in practice in camp.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_02: And uh he said, I just I'm asking, can y'all find somebody else to do the snap for uh punts?
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_02: And so, you know, Gil said, Didi, I understand.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_02: I understand where you're coming from, and I I I really do.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_02: And I mean, I we'll give you as much any kind of help you need, and you know, we'll try to find somebody to to sub for you.
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_02: He said, but you've got to do it, you've got to do it this year.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_02: It's too late, you've got to do it this year.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_02: And so Didi, you know, sitting in his office, you know, said, Well, look, what if I told you that it may come to a point where I may snap the ball over Danny White's head?
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_02: And if you remember, Danny White was a backup quarterback to uh uh what's his name?
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_02: Uh stalback.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_02: Uh Roger Stahlback.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_02: He was but he was also the punter.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_02: And he was one heck of a punter for the Cowboys, if you remember.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_02: So he said, What if I snap the ball over his head?
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_02: What do you what do you what are y'all gonna do now?
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_02: And so Gil Brandt looked at him, he said, You wouldn't do that.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_02: He said, Well, what if I did?
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_02: He said, He said, Well, I tell you what, why don't you go?
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_02: Let me call Coach Landry's secretary and see why don't you go down there, you know, and tell him that.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_02: And so he picked up the phone and called Coach Landry's office and said, Dee Dee needs to speak to Coach Landry, and the and the secretary said, send him on down.
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_02: So Dee Dee didn't know what to do, but he goes down to Coach Landry's office, you know, Coach, come in, Dee Dee, you know, and uh man, I'm so proud of you.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that may have been many times one of the times where he said, you know, Dee Dee, you have been one of the most underappreciated players, you know, since I've been coaching with the Cowboys and some things like that.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_02: He said, uh uh, but uh Gil Brandt just passed the word along that you told him that not only could you not snap this year, but you might even snap the ball over Danny White's head.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_02: And Dee Dee's sitting there and he he cracked a smile like only Dee Dee could, you know, he said, Coach Landry, you know I was pulling his leg.
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_02: I'd never do that.
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_02: And Coach Landry said, I knew that, Dee Dee.
• 35:18
  SPEAKER_02: I know you, I knew you'd never do that, you know.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_02: So his bluff was called, Coach, thank you.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_02: I'll see you later.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_02: We'll see you practice, you know.
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_02: So off they go, you know.
• 35:28
  SPEAKER_02: And but he told me that story, and and uh of course he played with some great, great guys out there.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_02: And uh he missed this is an interesting thing about he talked about durability and players, and and when you look at uh in the league uh and you're gonna draft somebody, you're looking at their durability.
• 35:49
  SPEAKER_02: Uh D D missed four games in 13 years.
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_02: Four games that he did not appear in.
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_02: Um and his whole time he was there, they never had a losing season, and they reached the playoffs like 12, 12 out of 13 years.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_02: They they made the playoffs and went on and won at uh no two Super Bowls uh, you know, during his time there.
• 36:15
  SPEAKER_02: So I just uh you know, people, I hope people at our Mississippi State fans can really understand that he was one of our greatest.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, he was a great individual.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_02: Uh he he he he just absolutely was one of the best players that we've ever had uh at linebacker when he was there.
• 36:35
  SPEAKER_02: He was he was named player of the year, and as I said, and um uh just uh you know he he made the College Football Hall of Fame, which he certainly deserved.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_02: And he's just he's just a great guy, and they did a wonderful job last Saturday in uh in honoring him.
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_02: And uh I just I'm very thankful that I had the opportunity, you know, to get to know him.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_02: And we had some great times together, even though he was four years older than I was.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_02: Uh we just for some reason bonded and uh uh he had a wonderful uh life of ups and downs.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_02: And uh when when he got sick with dementia, uh he was he was just uh he was he was way above the the surface.
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_02: He was he was doing well, he was sailing high.
• 37:29
  SPEAKER_01: Well, well, I think you did a great job honoring him here too, Jan.
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_01: So I hope we can get this out to as many people that are Mississippi State fans that want to learn more about him so they can hear about this.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_00: Yes indeed.
• 37:41
  SPEAKER_02: Well, we uh, you know, we I feel like we got some pretty good linebackers this year, and uh I'm hoping our defense can, you know, uh we just gotta play without uh, you know, without some of the things that beat ourselves.
• 37:54
  SPEAKER_02: We we've got a I've got I've got a motto that we used to say back in DD's times is we gotta play clean and mean.
• 38:01
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_02: Clean, clean, uh, clean from uh uh you know uh self-inflicted jumping off sides or illegal motion or holding is something that you know it these officials can call holding on any given play.
• 38:19
  SPEAKER_02: And uh our young defensive, I mean offensive tackle from here in Memphis, it went to Lausanne.
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_02: Um uh his last name is Work, uh was called twice for Holding in the last game.
• 38:31
  SPEAKER_02: And uh it but if they can call Holding on any given play.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_02: And he was disappointed.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_02: I know they took him out, but he's gonna be, he will be playing in the NFL, but he's only a sophomore.
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_02: And uh he he's good enough that he keeps developing, but we just got to stay away from anything that that beats us ourselves.
• 38:52
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_02: We got to minimize that, and uh, and I think we got a great opportunity.
• 38:58
  SPEAKER_02: And I think the last thing I'd say about the game is that in the last three weeks, those Tennessee players have played in front of three about 340,000 fans, most of which were wearing orange.
• 39:11
  SPEAKER_02: Well, Saturday night, they're not gonna they're not gonna be a hundred thousand orange clad fans, but they're gonna be sixty thousand maroon uh cowbell ringing bulldogs, I promise you.
• 39:27
  SPEAKER_01: Let's hope we can catch them off guard with with some of that and and have a good environment uh Saturday night, I think, or Saturday afternoon, I guess.
• 39:34
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm looking forward to it.
• 39:36
  SPEAKER_02: Johnny, I want to say again, if I might, uh how uh what an outstanding job you've done uh now for five years, and and I hope for the next five years that more and more support will come.
• 39:50
  SPEAKER_02: And for what a great, unique idea of uh selling uh just freshly ground, really, really good coffee, which I had some over Christmas, and I'm looking forward to having some more.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_02: And uh I think anybody that's a listener to this podcast needs to uh consider uh contributing in some way to to help exist in fibrosis research.
• 40:14
  SPEAKER_02: And uh what a what a what a great uh opportunity that you've presented uh through the sale of coffee.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_02: And I appreciate you guys having me.
• 40:24
  SPEAKER_02: And uh let's just win an as in the words of one of our other former coaches that I bet Johnny.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_02: You remember uh who who passed away a few years ago by Tyler.
• 40:35
  SPEAKER_02: You remember what he's saying was what was that?
• 40:38
  SPEAKER_02: Let's win something today.
• 40:40
  SPEAKER_02: Let's win something today.
• 40:42
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_02: That is true.
• 40:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_04: That is true.
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_01: We sure appreciate you coming back on, Jan.
• 40:50
  SPEAKER_01: We we'll uh we'll have to get you on the show again next year.
• 40:52
  SPEAKER_01: We'll have to make this an annual event.
• 40:54
  SPEAKER_01: So we'll uh we'll stay in touch and and we'll we'll get you another bag of coffee.
• 40:59
  SPEAKER_01: And um we appreciate everything.
• 41:02
  SPEAKER_00: Best of luck to you guys.
• 41:04
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much, Jan, for everything.
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_00: We really appreciate it.
• 41:06
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 41:07
  SPEAKER_00: Go Dogs.
• 41:08
  SPEAKER_00: Go Dogs.