00:03

Are you recording? I am. That’s our new theme song. Larry. What do you think?

 

00:07

Disco was? Hi everybody. Welcome back to Season Two of fortitude. Happy birthday fortitude Brinton. We are two years old.

 

00:26

I know. I can’t believe we made it this far. Seriously. I didn’t know a prenuptial could hold up as well as it did. signing on with JW has worked out very well for me. Well, hello, I’ve built me a studio. I’ve stayed with him but he’s given me all I’ve just dealt with him. But he’s built me a studio. He’s just made all my dreams come true except for who we are as people.

 

00:46

Things have changed as you can see new studio still under construction at some level, but new digs, new setup. Everything’s new here. We’re going to try to spice things up. One of the particular things we’re going to spice up we have a sponsor Brinton. Yes. Guess what? It’s the banking industry. Yes. Yes. So a couple things about our new sponsor. We’re big fans of these guys, especially the president but cap Tex bank Brinton. Do you know these folks?

 

01:13

I do. I know that I see them right there on Seventh Street. The old southwest cattle raisers Association building. That’s correct there. And I’ve known Mike a long time and he’s a good guy, real good guy he’s

 

01:24

referring to is Mike Thomas. Yeah, the president. One of the few people is the president of a bank that you can actually call and or text anytime day or night and you will actually respond. Reason I know this is because after tissue upset tech, number nine Tech of the day, you know, Mike’s a tech guy, so I wanted to read it a little bit. I texted him late, late at night, just to remind him what happened. He responded so I was like, that’s really cool. But you know,

 

01:48

I have a mental health professional in my life that responds like that as well. And I had to do that because my wife is such a big tech fan. I wasn’t sure what was happening at the house

 

01:55

persons Our next guests. But Capitec Bank is one of two local community banks in Fort Worth out of 60 different banks to have in this town but there really are local to the core. Main Street they’re on Main Street. They’re not Wall Street. It’s a pretty good little pitch. So yeah, people like to buy local correct yes. Why wouldn’t you? Why wouldn’t you bank local brand because that seems to be there. I

 

02:16

thought of that until you brought that up. Thank you for bringing that up though. Let’s

 

02:19

Yeah, so you guys out there let’s bank local if you can. The exec team over there, Mike included have over 100 years of local banking experience. So give these guys a shot. They’re our sponsors. We love them. Thank you cap Tex bank. Thank you guys. Without further ado, but we are fortitude fortitude, FW calm fortitude, FW on social media. And we have a special guy here today Britton we need to get to before I get to him, you know the Cowboys are right. Yeah,

 

02:50

they’re they’ve got a they’ve got a gathering every, you know, January or February around here that they do

 

02:56

with all those cowboys, right? Something like that. Yes. Or not. But I was kidding

 

03:01

you, Larry. I’d say that Stock Show and Rodeo. Come on, Larry. Oh.

 

03:06

The gentlemen you see between us. Number 63. In your hearts for the Dallas Cowboys. He’s ranked the 42nd greatest Dallas Cowboy of all time. Mr. Larry Cole.

 

03:17

I gave you the super applause Larry. That applause like that soccer.

 

03:23

Legend from Clarksville, Minnesota Clarke field course feel misled is bad typing on my part. That’s our current research team has started off again. Alright,

 

03:33

copy pasted from Wikipedia. You might contact Wikipedia after this field.

 

03:38

I got a lot of stuff wrong on Wikipedia about me, but I’ll get

 

03:45

corrected all day. Welcome to

 

03:46

the show. Larry, we’re honored to have you on our president knows that. No, the Cowboys know you. Well. You’re a wonderfully humble, nice guy. We’re grateful to have you in our studio. Thank you very much.

 

03:56

Well, glad to be here.

 

03:57

So this guy Britton just getting into his bio, he went to Granite Falls High School. That part I know is correct. Because I read the book went on to a couple of schools but Air Force had an incident there. A cribbing scandal. We don’t know what a cribbing scandal is. Could you enlighten us please?

 

04:14

Well as speaking a Wikipedia there’s a line that’s a reference to a 1965 cribbing scandal which I had nothing to do with that was a glasses two years before I left and that was a you know a real scandal where guys were breaking into the professor’s offices and getting tests and selling them oh really exam wrong? Yeah.

 

04:39

Why do they get the name Chris So what I thought that was was when they put the bar soap in the sock and beat you up in your bunk? Right? That’s

 

04:45

what I that happened to you. Well, I

 

04:47

just sit crib get a baby in a crib like my older brother, but

 

04:50

I don’t know what the name means what it was proving but anyway, I finally got recruited by Utah and Wyoming and Colorado and I went to the University of Houston for a meeting and they took me to the Astrodome. Aha, the new Astrodome by 1967 A good selling point. Oh, he fed me drinks and you know, everything party, you know? Yeah. Went out with guys. And anyways, so they were going to give me a two year scholarship for one year playing. And I ended up going there. Okay. And that was, you know, so and it was a, you know, late July 67. I went there. And after being a starter I was now they knew I wouldn’t play so I was relegated to being like a redshirt freshman. And God that was, you know, yeah, I mean, I would take on the entire offensive line me and this other backup. So I’d take this one and this one, this one. And they’d all you know, get fresh and you know, fresh meat in front of me. And it’s like, Gee, this is really fun. Yeah. And I finally got a call from Hawaii. And you know, my good friend, Ralph Gasperi. said, Oh, it’s great out here. We’re having a ball. And I said, that’s great. But I’m doing fine. You know, and I wasn’t doing I’m fine, because I was proven myself there. And then next weekend, guys are going out. And I was in my room and I supposed to meet them later. And he called and he just caught me vulnerable. And I said, Oh, yeah, God, I miss you guys. So I got up in my car and drove 2000 miles to San Francisco. Chip my car to Honolulu. And in they did so and they had very poor equipment at the time. Yeah. I played the first game and tennis shoes, because they didn’t have a shooting off for me. Wow. And the second game I started,

 

06:44

what’s I should wear?

 

06:46

14. Yeah. And, you know, actually right now 50. But the time was working? Yeah. And then you’re still growing? Yeah. Yeah, no, well, I don’t know the feet grow. But the you know, it shouldn’t have shorter. But anyways, so the we did that. And then the third, third week, I was named co captain, and we want him to have a winning season. We didn’t quite win the last game. It was in one of those last second games the way yeah. So many other games go these days.

 

07:17

He learned to surf their

 

07:19

body surf. Yeah,

 

07:21

but I’ll bet you can ride some big waves. So that was that? Well, by the years

 

07:24

and Mark and moku bitch. Oh, yeah. You know, that’s where to do the body surfing. But as far as the other stuff No, I I was never good in the wild like

 

07:34

that body servitude. I had these hand planes, you know, like little surfboard that it’s a big 70 thing. I let somebody here on the podcast borrow some to go to Florida. And he returned in he didn’t have those with Larry, why did you do that? Yeah.

 

07:47

Why did I do Why did you take?

 

07:51

Well, you want to go and pedal steel off of our next question. So Larry. Oh, so ye so I transitioned into you being drafted. Yeah, this was where the all the legendary stuff comes. But you’re drafted 16th round by the Cowboys in a pretty awesome time to be drafted by the Cowboys. You weren’t actually expecting to be drafted. Really. But you thought maybe if it goes you would if if you didn’t have to go off and start a real career, right?

 

08:16

Yeah. Well, what happened is we got through the season, we lost a YUTAN that last second and that was, you know, and that I just kind of that’s it. Am I you know, I just said a way and then I played in the hula ball. The way I play in the hula bowl, I said, I think I gave up all chances to make the NFL because Larry zanco was on the other team and he dragged all of us for about 10 yards. You know, of course, we couldn’t Blitz and you know, have a normal defense. So Ron yeri. I have teammate and good friend Blaine Nye and I were the tackles and didn’t do much better. And they ended up being offensive guard and tackle.

 

08:54

Oh, really? Yeah. He’s

 

08:56

the anyway, the Cowboys. The Cowboys call finally you find out you call and you’re in. You’re in Texas now.

 

09:03

Yeah. Well, I mean, I made a decision. You know, you know, first off, you know, we’re watch the, the, you know, the NFC or NFL championship games in Green Bay in Dallas. Yeah. And it was 100 degrees warmer there, you know, then in in Green Bay. And anyway, jumped up because I was I grew up as a Packer fan. Yeah, not a Vikings fan. And so anyway, that happened. And then cowboys had called and said, Was anybody else interested? I said, well, the chargers and the Rams had inquired a little bit but you know, none of them talked to me. Yeah. So anyway, Gil Brandt, you know, he just kind of left it and I in my mind, I said if I don’t get drafted, I am not going to go as a free agent. And I have the the Winnipeg Blue Bombers send me a contract for 10,500 and cowboys contract was 15,000 with 2000 Assign. And since I didn’t have a job in Hawaii at the time, I took the 2000 so I could pay off my bank loan for the car. Oh, yeah. Cuz I had to borrow against the car to you know, finish college that spring and anyway, but that was kind of he had in my my good friend Mike wrangle he got he signed a phrase with the Orleans Saints. And so he didn’t make the team but he was on a, you know, the one of those minor league teams Orange County, something rather than, you know, that played there. But the next year, he didn’t make the team. But anyway, he he did the cooking, I bought the meat, you know, he kind of discipline me to, you know, get ready to play. And then I went home after the end of that semester, went to my, you know, family home. Yeah, get my feet back on the ground. Because when you’re in Hawaii, there’s a lot of temptations on if you knew that.

 

11:00

Really? Kid Island fever living in Hawaii, I hear people about Yeah, you

 

11:05

really do. I mean, I really liked the I mean, it was such a, you know, nice. The people are very nice. It’s laid back. It’s a different lifestyle. And but we had two away games and one around San Francisco and one around San Diego. And that was really great to get off the island. Yes. You know, you drive. I mean, you can drive around whole island two and a half hours here. And that gets you gets real small real fast, huh? It does. And, you know, I’m, you know, I’m from a rural area in Minnesota. And you know, I like big open spaces. But God, we got back, you know, leaving Hawaii and start driving, you know, through Nevada, and you know, all these open spaces. It was just great. Back on the mainland. So good.

 

11:48

So not only did you get drafted by the Cowboys, you end up playing when you’re one of the first three decade members of the cowboys from 1968 to 1980 176. games played 130 started a belief 14 as a rookie, correct?

 

12:05

Yeah. I started the fourth game, and I think we had

 

12:12

that’s what, that’s what your book told me later. Okay. All right.

 

12:15

Well, then I it’s been research because I, my, my mother kept a scrapbook. And so whatever I said, there, there was there would be

 

12:24

so that’s, that’s just scratching the surface, you played in five Super Bowls for the Cowboys to them victorious. Right? You’re part of the doomsday defense number one and number two. And that’s what I wanted to start there. Yeah, that doomsday defense, one or two, and you tell us which one we could talk about with you. But what is what does that feel like to be called part of the greatest defense ever play the game?

 

12:45

Well, it means a lot. And when I get back and reflect on it, we did it the hard way with winning the first one. And this year’s cowboy team reminds me a whole lot of my rookie year. I mean, we beat the crap out of the poor teams. And then when we got, you know, the summon that was good, like Cleveland or Baltimore or something like Pittsburgh, the time Yeah. You know, we would lose those games. And so anyway, the you know, the next year, we got blown away again. And so there was a you know, they wrote the book next year’s champions. Mm hmm. You know, and it was, I mean, I had the egg thrown on my front door, that I was going back to college in Minnesota, so I got up and left town didn’t have to deal with that. Yeah. And, but it was tough. And then we had that, you know, the famous what is the 38 to nothing last St. Louis and Sony, but after that, it was like, Landry backed off on, you know, hard sell thing, one of the players to have more input. It was just a determination that dammit we’re gonna make it happen. Yeah. And, and, and I was a big part of that. I mean, I even you know, had a had a son born and then nine days later, because we had lost the previous game. Older and he stopped in there. And it was doing a drill and I ended up breaking my arm. And, you know, you talk about medical setting go in and Ernie didn’t want anybody, you know, go there. You know, this was hurting. And then, you know, they taped on a little thing. And then I and then I really broke it broken out there. She’s so I was out for four, four weeks, but I got back on the field, enough time for the playoffs.

 

14:38

Do you think that’s what change he is? You get the birth of a kid and then you know, you get that four weeks away. And you probably say to yourself, hey, this is scary, you know, because you’ll probably change like the rest of the team but something changed in you probably too. Yeah.

 

14:53

Well, it was like I give Leroy Jordan a whole lot of You know, out for this, it was like, you know, forget, you know, we’re kind of brought up, just do what the coaches say and we’ll be alright. Yeah. Well, not really. You have to take personal responsibility for your and keep your teammates, you know, accountable. Mm hmm. And that’s what we started doing. And then we got to our playoffs again. It’s like, okay, we lost the last two, you know, him just got blown away by Cleveland. This time was different. And we played Detroit. And the game was going down, you know, to the end, where if, if they just had one drive, they would be at us? Yeah. I think we, you know, we were head and, you know, three of them nothing and then George and Bob and I, you know, got, you know, got got got a safety. We got the ball back. And, you know, it was still done the end mill Renfro made some great plays. And so, that was, you know, those were different plays that you made, and then the next week, we played San Francisco for the championship. And I, I, I blocked Brody’s past, you know, just tipped it. So Lee regada interception on the eight yard line, we took it into score. Now, you know, and I can, you know, be in critical the Cowboys, I think they got all the ingredients, but it just drives me nuts, does it? You know, they get this big sack. They’re all excited. Yeah. Wow, wow, look at me, and then I jump offside. The next play, you know, that doesn’t work, you know, make each other accountable. I I’ve been you know, Micah Parsons. I Ma’am, I think he’s gonna be an X Ray Lewis because I fact I saw on TV last night drew Drew Pearson was doing some promotion with him and some, you know, fight or something like that. But he said, you know, Drew said he gets it. Yeah. Well, Drew God, you know, he’s, you know, you know, that you got to make plays. It is in the NFL. You know, I had a lot of turnovers. And, and I remember, there was quote from Landry. It’s like, well, you know, it’s really, you know, I got first two touchdowns and rookie year and all that kind of stuff. And is that just luck? And you said, No, not necessarily, because momentum changes in the NFL and more important than than they are in like college football. Yeah,

 

17:22

I feel I feel like you have an opinion on the current state of the Cowboys. We’ll get into that in a second.

 

17:26

Let me ask something real quick, because it’s almost like you can remember such specific points. I mean, can you almost remember what you say to those guys during those times in the huddle to make them accountable? Like yeah, come on, man. Like, what are you doing? We

 

17:38

have a theme keeper model the zone. And actually, before the playoffs, we played Cleveland again. And it was muddy again. Oh, he played on grass then. Yeah, I like Yeah. Well, you know, Cleveland Stadium was always mud. Yeah. And then it rained like hell in Dallas, the next year when we have the home game. And when we lost this time was mud again. But players like Dave Edwards, you know, another guy, you know, kind of in that, you know, second tier category. He made a key key an interception. And, you know, layer I made you know, it’s different guys that made different plays. Yeah. That were in charge Andry, you know, got an interception, you know, on the game just before going, you know, the Superbowl to beat Miami. I mean, it’s like, these are the things you know, you rely on your star guys. But if they’re covering the star, guys, you know, other people need to step up. And

 

18:38

I imagine you’re wondering who these all these names are. I just can’t imagine you know, all these names.

 

18:43

I have them all under this cap tech pack. That is a lovely. This new studio, Larry and the lights are so bright that somebody who is follically challenged like myself, where our sponsors had.

 

18:55

You don’t suffer from that ailment. I don’t see you have some long locks.

 

18:59

Yeah, that Nick Nulty look going. I like that.

 

19:01

And I my brother and my dad, they lost their hair when they were like in their 50s and that’s what I for the life of me. I don’t know. I still

 

19:09

make it. Are they as big as you are?

 

19:11

My brother is Yeah. My dad was shorter about six one. Okay, still, that’s pretty big. Yeah, yeah, well for those days yeah. I’ve got a I’ve got a cousin I got 27 Norwegian cousins on one side those three somehow him one of my cousins is 85 years old and he’s six six. Wow. Yeah,

 

19:33

well before we get off topic too much you brought it up twice now there’s a couple really think things you’re known for during your career but you brought him up twice Tom Landry. I know I know Britain knows Tom Landry for us who don’t know what that was like. Can you explain in the simplest way what what it’s like to play for a guy like Tom Landry?

 

19:52

Well, you know, it’s, it’s amazing. You know, how people over time like do it. Thomas and Tom Henderson, you know, that we’re just, you know, in a really, you know, we’re, you know, going through things themselves and yeah, no toddler and lender always gracious, always a Christian you know, you know, went back and you know, tried to help them out you know the best like him and he’s that, you know he’s that type of guy that you want in charge Steady, steady leadership, he was not a rah rah guy. But I don’t like rah rah guys to do it all on emotion, you got to do it on preparation in the NFL and George Allen Yeah, he was a good coach, but you know, he’d get all these veterans by about the, you know, the same or he’s got them all worn out. So then hit the playoffs. But yeah, you know, they were kind of shot but you know, he, he got through that one year that, you know, beat us and that’s probably, you know, this was in, you know, 72, just after Roger made that great comeback in San Francisco. And but, you know, other than that, though, is about the end of this real coast

 

21:11

is a reason you’re looking right at me when you talk about this preparation thing, Larry, as if I don’t prepare enough is that must feel sorry for

 

21:19

you? Well, uh, you know, I’ll leave that to your shrink. And,

 

21:25

Larry. I really want to get more of the Tom Landry stuff, but one of the funny thing is he just triggered a memory but they called you bubba. One.

 

21:34

How did that come about? Well, Dave Edwards was the one that always assigned the names to everybody. And everybody had to have a name, you know? I forget all the names right now. Okay. But everybody had a nickname. And yeah, and they betters when they gave it to but it was like, you know, Bubba, and it was kind of like, or, you know, but they got to Randy wise as a teammate, you know, seven years later, bobber, Frank. Oh, he liked that. You know, you know, Texas, you gotta have your name. Yeah, Joe Don Looney. Very good.

 

22:14

You don’t know who that is the No clue.

 

22:17

Like, like names? Yeah. Yeah.

 

22:19

There you go. But safe to say you love Coach Landry?

 

22:22

Yes. The thing about it, I trusted his judgment. You know, he, you know, he got on the, you know, a number of times for things that, you know, it wasn’t my mistake. But, you know, and he was a military guy. And I respect that that guy kept from, you know, the same background, you understand paying a command and that type of thing. And I, you know, yielded, you know, to him, and it’s like, you know, whatever you think coach and whatever. But if you gave him two weeks to do a game plan, you know, he could, you know, beat anybody. Really? Yeah. And it’s, I mean, say being anybody that was like that extra preparation time gave him so much more than the weekly deal. Right. But I you know, it just, it was just go at Smart thinking, you know, his, his hero was Paul Brown would call him browns. And, and I played, you know, one game, we’re both on the sidelines. It was Paul Brown and a fedora and suit and Tom Landry. And there wasn’t any other of that happening on the field. You know, the other opponents.

 

23:36

Any favorite things that Coach Landry ever said to you personally?

 

23:42

Oh, well, you know, in the book, he, you know, what he said when I retired was let you look that up. But it was, you know, said, if he had 45, more like me, you’d never retire. Am I really appreciated that comment.

 

23:57

Burns told me that daily for years now.

 

24:00

So speaking of J dub, can you talk about the zero club? have we spoken about that yet? No.

 

24:05

I just know that that’s a great topic. Because one of us here wishes they were members of that club? Yeah. And you’re about to tell us why one of us maybe not so?

 

24:14

Well, it all kind of started when we went to our first Super Bowl or second Super Bowl. And they have press day. And, you know, you meet on the football field and, you know, national press from all over is, you know, looking you up and talking to you and they’re talking to this guy in this guy and then oversee all of a sudden we’re seeing Oh, my God, they’re talking to the specialty teams guys, too. Yeah. Yeah. You know, they were more, you know, probably, you know, engage them so that they could get a little press. And then we’re looking around and then laying NIH and and Pat Toomey and I were just sitting there looking at each other. Well, anybody want to talk to me? So that’s kind of how it all got started. And then, you know, there were many, you know, talks on it, you know, from training camp. You know, it was just, it’s boring. If you’re, you know, to stay in the dorm and and you didn’t feel like going out and partying and all that kind of stuff. So you know, you’re sitting in the dorm and the, you know, the, you know, the rookie kids are out, partying, and you’re sitting there. And finally, we got to ride from a rookie to go down to the local bar to at least have some social life. And anyway, that was just that was a phase for up to three years and then you know, Blaine retired, and then, and Blaine was my roommate for, like, seven years, but then DD Lewis was my roommate and only thing him and Blaine in common is that they both dipped snuff, which I hated because my dad did that for 15 years. And it blow in my face sometimes from the front window to the back window. This is a children’s show to you, we can talk about

 

26:10

I kick over the spit cup, Larry, in

 

26:13

Oh, god. Yeah. But Diddy, you know, he was. You know, Chris, he was a big Willie Nelson fan. Okay. You know, I mean, you know, my heroes have always been cowboys. Yeah, he’s got that. But he also, I mean, he had some other artists that were pretty good sight, you know, I kind of cut in that, but he couldn’t sit still. And so I went with him a number of times out and, you know, just some people can just be busy doing nothing. Right. You know, I usually can’t share helps to have a prayer. That is the

 

26:45

unofficial motto of zero Club was Thou shalt not publicize young adults shall not seek publicity. Excuse me. Yeah. In the world of social media. That doesn’t probably work these days. Right?

 

26:57

until you retire after you’re 75 years old.

 

27:02

Yes, yeah. Shay, yes, yes. Couple of your players, we need to agree to dimension things you’re known for. Early on your rookie year, you had three pick sixes back to back to back against the Redskins. Magically, it was against your big rival the Redskins in famously 11 Years pass. You had another one with number four. So defensive tackle Bryn for pick sixes is really unusual in all against the same team, which is even more magical. So that’s a really special thing. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to do that, especially against the hated Redskins. Well,

 

27:37

it was. Yeah, I mean, you know, did the first two and you know, maybe the first one, you know, it was, you know, Jethro Pugh and Bob Lilly that first the first the quarterback and I was getting blocked on the play. And I was so close to the line of scrimmage. The ball pops up and it’s in my hands is like, well, you know, I played basketball in there. That helps. Oh, yeah. Jethro had all kinds of opportunities, but

 

28:02

they get that stick.

 

28:04

Stick on that. Yeah, but we didn’t you stick them but you got big hands. And you know, it’s looking in the ball. And yeah, if it’s there, you know, take it Yeah. And so I just, you know, walked in, but the next one actually was picked up fumble at Georgia, Andrey, because the Sonny Jurgensen the follow up, fumble, and then I ran that in, okay, and the third one was a blitz, and I faded to the left for my coverage and intercepted the ball and put that in 41 yards. And then after that, you know, there wasn’t a whole lot, but when I did that last one is my final year. Yeah. And I do I didn’t, Tony, but I knew this would be my final year, but, you know, I got there. And quick thing is, you know, move quick, you know, cuz, you know, I wasn’t, it wasn’t that fast. And so you hurry up to the, you know, the element of surprise and get in the end zone. Yeah. Before they can react to you a bit early in the year, you know, to tell Jones was, you know, he wanted me to hand him the ball, and it would have been a forward lateral. And it’s like, no, and I could have probably had another one. Yeah, yeah. And so this time when I got to the end zone, the first one I looked for was too tall. And then I sidestep them so I could spike the ball. But you know, I wanted to actually spike. I’ll never do that in my career. And your left hand. It’s fine. Yes, exactly. In the crowd loved it.

 

29:24

Oh, that’s great. That’s great.

 

29:25

He imagined what they called him to tell Jones. Just a little quiz on the show. Yeah. Now, another one of your big league plays. You knocked out Terry Bradshaw on his famous pastor Lynn Swann, there’s a great video great picture of that. Obviously the he did this the state the Steelers get ahead. They’re led by 11 I think in the Cowboys come back to win because Bradshaw was out of the game at that point because of Larry. That’s a really famous thing. You did wonderful thing. Do you what are your thoughts on that briefly?

 

29:53

Well, it was we had a safety blitz on and close Harris got there. But you know, he got tripped up. And so he had you went up low to Terry and then I, you know, came in and, you know, it’s, you know, it is my job was not to rush the passer It was first you know, to take the block and let him through and then come so, you know, he was gonna be delayed. And Terry was taken, you know quite a bit of time to throw that ball, you know, waiting for his receiver to get open. And, you know, I hit him, you know, just simultaneous to see, you know, at the time they got the ball off, and he threw a perfect past Lynn Swann. And if he had not completed that past, Terry handwriting was the back of quarterback, great college player, Notre Dame, but we really felt if we got him in the game, we could pull this thing out. Yeah. And you know, it’s one of those things we wanted to be. And all we can say is we won the most games of anybody in the 70s. But the Steelers won four Super Bowls, right one right here. By the way. These are my ring. Oh, yeah. That’s cool.

 

31:01

Which ones you wearing? There? Your two victories? Yeah. Excellent. Yeah, the

 

31:04

Super Bowl six and 12.

 

31:07

Those are beautiful area.

 

31:08

Ram all the time like that. Oh, no, no, you were on my body surfing. And why?

 

31:13

I don’t think so. Yeah, this one actually got stolen. We got robbed at our house back in like 76. And it went all the way to San Francisco. Really? And it came back without the diamonds in them. And because they sold them. Yeah. But the Ulus Police Department, you know, work the case and recovered that. Oh, wow.

 

31:36

And, and the diamonds too. Or no, no.

 

31:39

never gotten done. I have a friend of mine, you know, put the diamond.

 

31:42

Yeah, just It’s Jay Fitzgerald our camera guy. He’s a huge cowboys guy. Yeah. Don’t let him hold that before you leave. By the way. I might lose it again. He’s sticky hands.

 

31:51

But anyway, it was like, that’s almost symbolic, because we had to do it the hard way to win the game. Yes. Like, yeah, you know, muffled and whatever. But you know, put it back together again, it still is my Super Bowl ring. I rather than get a replacement. This means a whole lot more. Yeah. And as you asked that question. Wait, there’s the 7172 team and even the 70 team at the end there. That was the best team I played on. But the most talented team I played on was the 77 season. Absolutely. Yeah. Randy and Harvey and you know, too tall and, and Jethro. I mean, it was just

 

32:33

all star lineup. Yeah,

 

32:34

I know. I know. Those guys knew. Yeah,

 

32:36

we had depth, you know, because of that. And so it was a you’re talking about Landry? You know, so they’re trying to make brandy wider linebacker, you know, all I could be Bacus you know, yeah. And then then they put him outside but we were playing the, the, you know, the flex four three defense and Randy would have been good on a three, you know, three to where, you know, he could be the you know, the you know, the the end of you know, whatever you call it the edge rusher? Yep. But, um, but in a middle linebacker wasn’t as deal. You know, he just, you know, he’s a more of a lineup in play. So they tried, you know, all preseason, then Landry comes out. Okay, well, we’re gonna move Randy to right tackle and start him as like, Oh, okay. Yeah, I mean, I went all through training camp, and in one week, he’s playing that. And, but I you know, I really, you know, like, Randy, and we were good friends on the team teammates. So anyway, what did he do? He went on and made the Pro Bowl, and it was co MVP in the Super Bowl. So that was pretty good move. But yeah. And that was a thing, you know, trust his judgment. And it really helped me actually, to kind of refresh my body from getting worn down, you know, playing mostly all the time. Yeah. And so, after 77 I felt pretty sure I’d retire because that was it, but I just couldn’t retire. I mean, I was, you know, feeling so much better with my body. And so I went back and did the former years,

 

34:19

that standing Bray, you play with guys by the names of Bob Lilly TCU. Guy we’ve met nobbly several times. ranu I believe Bill Gregory, you mentioned Roger Staubach, Harvey Martin, Leroy Jordan, just to name a few. And then there’s a long list. But that in itself is extraordinary. Because you are being mentioned with some of the Great’s of all times. In this this conversation, Metro cowboys experience could go on for hours. We don’t have hours. But I want to talk about your book here in a second. But you wrote a book here recently about your entire experience, which everybody should read. I’ve read it. It’s fantastic. One of the things we got to mention a few things that after football, you were a real estate developer for 48 years, correct? Yes, you’re Are you retired? This point is to become an author, right?

 

35:04

I didn’t think I’d become an author. What happened I did a lot of real estate development and then custom home building. And, and then really the last seven, eight years, I really retired when I was 68. But I just couldn’t handle it. And then I went back to remodeling Baptist churches at different little cities. And then I built a new church and new office building, but through the pandemic, I did my last building in Dallas. And um, it was such a bureaucratic mess. successful career,

 

35:34

though, to say, Well, yeah,

 

35:37

I mean, I don’t stop I did a lot. Develop a lot of neighborhoods in South Lake and Colleyville. I moved to Bedford in 1971. Okay, so I, you know, I’ve been a parent county guy for years. But it was. Anyway, I just, you know, had time and then I just thought back and it’s like, well, my mom, or my mother or mother, my wife.

 

36:02

We call our wives mom. So yeah, I

 

36:04

know, you know, she well, she’s my wife of 52 years. And anyway, she was trying to get me write a book, and I didn’t have time, but all of a sudden, I did have time. And then I, I started thinking about it. And I use the word I marvel at all the things I did with my life. I wanted to do everything and curious about everything and did it and, you know, and these are the ups and downs of it. But I you know, I covered my childhood of exactly, you know, who had a thought Buddha thought this type of thing, couldn’t do this type of thing, especially my first year, where all those good things that happened to me, you know, including, you know, finding a broad, you know, here. Sure,

 

36:46

well, the few minutes we have left, Alia you Valda you joined a joint concussion lawsuit against NFL in 2012. You do not suffer for me any CTE type? Issues, correct,

 

36:57

right? Yeah, I took the tests on it about three, four years ago, and I don’t have the problem. But we had a meeting at SMU, and, you know, they have brought out speakers and, you know, a lot of our teammates, you know, that, you know, we’re having it, and we just felt, you know, those of us that weren’t affected that, you know, we will join the lawsuit because this was important. The, the care and the understanding in those days was not very good. And it isn’t all their fault. But, you know, it was like, you know, you get the smelling salts, you know, you know, you know, can you how many fingers Didn’t you see him, you know, it’s a one and it’s like, okay, that’s good enough back there. Nice. Nice. But you know, you went to the bench and you know, you went right back in. And I mean, it’s fortunate for you know, Roger Staubach to not have any effects when you know he got Yeah, hit play right there and you know, tribesmen took a beating to

 

38:01

no doubt what I saw on the book one of the things that may interest me inch caught my interest was you and your favorite restaurants is Edelweiss. Oh, that’s, that’s hilarious. And gray still open?

 

38:11

No. Yeah, I’m sorry. It is but the burns not there. And Bart burns near you. Zinger.

 

38:16

That’s an animal. Oh,

 

38:18

he catered my first development, you know, barbecue, a grand opening a terror plantation, which is in the book of Oregon. And yeah, it was. Well, my family Mum and Dad, just love you know, coming here and my mom is German, Norwegian. There you go. But it’s the old you know, boxy stuff in the music and we had lots of fun. Those days just going out and then we’d go to the Ramada Inn afterwards and guy would do little, you know, shine there and sing and all that stuff there. And it was run by an old high school teammate of mine

 

38:56

as quickly as you can tell us, how do you as you celebrate your Super Bowls? What would you do?

 

39:02

Well, the one we won we we got in a car and drove to Las Vegas with the friends of ours. And then like the other the

 

39:11

ship for the shows. For the for the shows. The shows? Yes. Uh, you know, like, oh, well, anyway, you know, the show. Oh, yeah. Oh, you know, show stage

 

39:23

with Don Rickles. And he made fun of me. Oh, nice. Yeah, I know. But you know, Super Bowl champion this, like, I didn’t care here. But anyway, I gotta, when I got there. I got a call that I could do. They wanted me to go to Hollywood and do a DEP hair cream commercial. And so and they were gonna end they paid me $500 And so my friend, we took our car and he had to drive it back. But you know, oh, you know him and his wife alone. And then we flew on there and they did it and they didn’t even use depot just put this green On to give the before and after look. And there was an Esquire magazine like one time. I’ll read it. So the zero club, you know, it’s like Yeah, well, it’s like this is

 

40:11

zero club, didn’t it? Cuz you got?

 

40:14

No it didn’t because it only ran one time. Yeah, that’s why it didn’t get there. And then, and then going to training camp, Bob and Jethro and George and I did a good year Commercial. And it was we drove a sled of spears into tires. And that was on, you know, Monday Night Football. And that was only like two times they ran it and then was over with because it was just a steal. I

 

40:39

have so much on the table, but luckily, luckily living the dream on America’s team. Yeah,

 

40:44

really quickly. And all the shows with the best day of your life. no family, no family stuff, just what the best day was.

 

40:51

A well, it would have to be winning that Super Bowl after all those years. We I mean, it was just it was a relief. Yeah. You know, that we wanted rather than, you know, instant, you know, deal. And then when we won the second one, it was like, Yeah, you know, it’s like, yeah, I know this. Great.

 

41:10

All right. We’ve enjoyed this conversation. I know we left a lot on the table, but we’re grateful for your time. Your incredible story. The books. Fantastic. I need to thank Gloria sir rats for introducing Larry to me. Thank you, Gloria. She’s an amazing woman, and we’re grateful that we have her in common. Thank you to Capitec Bank. Thank you, Katherine. Yes, thank you. Larry camp expects me gold has happened. So we’re waiting for those guys. Yeah,

 

41:32

well, I like the new business with small buttons. So. Alright. Thanks for being here, Larry. All right. All right. You