Had someone told a young Tyrone Braxton that one day he would be a two-time Super Bowl Champion and earn a PhD in his late 50’s, he would never have believed them. Had someone told him he’d get involved in alcohol, drugs, be arrested and almost lose his family… well, he may have believed that because that’s what happened to everyone he grew up with in Madison, Wisconsin. The fact that ALL of that happened to Tyrone and he’s now working to help young people avoid his pitfalls makes for an incredible story.  

When Tyrone graduated from high school, two of his brothers were in jail and he was off to North Dakota State to play football. He helped the Bison win three National Championships during his four years and while he never thought he’d make it to the NFL, the Broncos took him with the 2nd to last pick in the 1987 NFL Draft.  

During his two stints with the Broncos, Tyrone was part of two losing Super Bowls (XXII and XXIV) and two winning Super Bowls (XXXII and XXXIII). Both stints were like different eras between coaches (Dan Reeves vs Mike Shanahan) and position (Cornerback vs Safety).  

When he retired, Tyrone was lost. He went to some bad places and in 2006 after he was arrested, he stood in front of the media and admitted he had a drug problem and needed to straighten up. It was his wake-up call and did he wake up. He finished his degree at North Dakota State, got his master’s in social work at Metro State University and just finished his PhD at CU Denver. Now Dr. Braxton works with kids throughout Denver with everything from addiction, behavior, substance abuse, and every other pitfall today’s youth can find. He’s been there and understands.  

Listen to Tyrone’s story and conversation with Susie Wargin on the Cut Traded Fired Retired Podcast.

He was born and raised in Colorado, yet when Scott Elarton was told he was being traded to the Rockies from the team that drafted him while he was in high school, his first emotion was shock. The pitcher thought he would be an Astro for life. But as Scott would learn over the next almost decade: “for life” is extremely rare in Major League Baseball.  

Growing up in Lamar, Scott excelled in many sports including football, basketball and baseball. He decided to forgo college after the Astros drafted him 25th overall when he was just 18 years old. He worked his way up the ladder and in four years, made his major league debut at the age of 22. That same year, Scott was a starter, reliever and gave up a game winning home run in Game 3 of the NLDS. He also dealt with injuries early and often. In fact, over the next few years, he became familiar with the disabled list and was actually on the DL when he was told he was being traded to the Rockies.  

Coors Field was tough, as it is for most pitchers. He struggled with the thin air and more injuries but was named a starter to open the 2004 season. He was released the next month in May. From there, Scott had stints with multiple teams including Cleveland (twice), Kansas City, the White Sox, Phillies and the Twins along with many affiliates and independent teams.  

Eventually in 2014, Scott retired and made the Denver area a permanent home with his wife and two children. These days Scott travels about every other week working for the Pirates organization, mainly helping young players with their mental game. It’s a job he pretty much created and one that would have been very helpful to him when he was fighting to stay healthy and in the game.

Listen to Scott’s story and conversation with Susie Wargin on the Cut Traded Fired Retired Podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts. 

Enjoy 14 stories from the NFL Draft Days of Von Miller, Louis Wright, Daniel Graham, Champ Bailey, Simon Fletcher, Steve Atwater, Terrell Davis, Rick Upchurch, Howard Griffith, Peyton Manning, Gary Kubiak, Steve Foley, Tyrone Braxon and Bubby Brister. Many of these players also have full episodes on the Cut Traded Fired Retired Podcast (or will someday). If you haven’t listened to them, search them up and check out their conversations!

Defenseman can be onery. They are defensemen after all. Kyle Quincey was no exception and had his moments, however many were justified. Like the time he pinned a hockey stick between the eyes of Redwings head coach Mike Babcock and “requested” respect during his second stint in Detroit after coming off 3 solid years with the Avalanche. Babcock obliged and put Kyle on the power play the next night.  

Kyle started skating in his home country of Canada when he was just a toddler. Junior hockey took the place of college, and the Redwings drafted him in 2003. Babcock was his coach then, which is why it was difficult for him not to treat Kyle like a rookie during the second go around.  

Kyle’s career took him from one coast to the other. He endured numerous injuries and over 20 concussions.  He also earned respect and lifelong friends everywhere he went whether it was the Redwings, Kings, Avs, Devils, Blue Jackets or the Wild. Hockey is family and he needed that family after he retired in 2019.   

In 2020, Kyle’s one year old son Axl was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Kyle was just starting to figure out who he was post-hockey and had to put that mental anguish aside to be a dad, husband and support his family. It was tough between Covid and moving short term to Philly for Axl’s surgery, but Axl came out cancer free. Then it was time to focus on Kyle.  

Kyle found a path to fulfillment by creating the Do Good Ranch and helping others who have experienced mental and physical trauma. The Do Good Ranch offers a stunning setting for healing, wellness and education into self-improvement and personal growth. The ranch opened in April of 2025 and is available for reservations and private retreats.

He had no plans to play football in the same town where he grew up, in fact Dallas Davis fully planned to leave Fort Collins and become a Badger in Wisconsin. Then he got a visit from head coach Sonny Lubick and a couple other coaches who put a new thought in his head: did he really think he’d catch many passes with future Heisman Trophy winning Ron Dayne running the ball on most plays? Dallas switched gears to Colorado State University.  

He became a captain and was All-Conference as a wide receiver and returner. He was also very active off the field, something that started in high school and carried into college. He chaired the CSU Athletic Advancement Committee and represented the Mountain West at the NCAA Leadership Conference.  

While he loved all the activities, Dallas also had a dream to play professionally. The Steelers brought him in as an undrafted free agent and he stayed for a few months until he was cut in training camp. The next year, he was cut just before training camp and reality set in: it was time to find a job.  

He dabbled in the mortgage industry and realized he missed sports. So he got on planning and event committees for the Orange Bowl, NBA All Star Game and the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Eventually he found himself working as the Director of Community Affairs for the Colorado Rockies, where he still works today, but is now part of human resources. Dallas is married and raising three athletically gifted daughters who have a tough time believing their dad was pretty special with the football.    

Listen to Dallas’ story and conversation with @susiewargin on the Cut Traded Fired Retired Podcast. Links to listen on your favorite podcast platforms in the @ctfrpodcast bio!

He grew up on a horse ranch in a small town in Manitoba, Canada. Rick Berry thought it was perfectly normal that his family had some 200 pure bred Belgian horses and when those horses urinated, it was collected (by Rick and his brother) for the Premarin in the urine and sold to pharmaceutical companies. He later found out that wasn’t so normal.  

What was normal for Rick: having a pond nearby and playing hockey. A lot of hockey. When he was 16, he left Canada and went to Seattle to live with a host family and started junior hockey. In 1997, the Colorado Avalanche, who had just moved from Quebec to Denver, selected Rick in the 3rd round of the NHL Entry Draft.  

He played with the Hershey Bears for a few years and eventually made it to Denver where his Avs debut came in the 2000-2001 season. He stuck around for another season in Denver and then was traded to the Penguins in 2002. From there the rollercoaster started between NHL teams, affiliates and a stint in Germany.  

After his time in Germany, and with two young girls at that point, Rick decided to retire. He and his wife made Denver their home, added a third girl and Rick went into the financial advisory industry. He enjoys his work, being a girl dad and staying involved with the Colorado Avalanche Alumni Association.  

Listen to Rick’s story and conversation with Susie Wargin on the Cut Traded Fired Retired Podcast.

His biography is filled with basketball. What’s not in Ricardo Patton’s bio is his childhood which included being raised by his grandmother after his mom left him and his sister when he was just 9 months old. His father wasn’t present either, so Ricardo figured out how to navigate life through basketball.  

His college career at Belmont kept him close to home in Nashville. After college, he stayed in the south for many years as a middle school and high school coach and assistant coaching jobs at Middle Tennessee, Arkansas Little-Rock and Tennessee State. Then came his trek to Colorado where he started as an assistant and three years later, got his break as a head coach.  From 1996 to 2007, Ricardo had three 20-win seasons and took the Buffs to the postseason six times. He also landed a huge recruit in Chauncey Billups who would go on to be a #3 overall draft pick.  

Ricardo left CU on his own terms and continued to coach here and there, including a return to the state of Colorado when he was an assistant for Chauncey’s brother Rodney at the University of Denver. It seems Mr. Big Shot is never too far removed from Ricardo.  

That trend continues today as Ricardo is now the Executive Director of the Porter-Billups Leadership Academy, where he loves the challenge of raising money to help young people from underserved communities become future leaders.

Charlie Blackmon had no illusions of grandeur once he realized his days as a left-handed pitcher were numbered.  He’d been a pitcher in high school and junior college and figured when he transferred to Georgia Tech he’d ride his time out on the bench, get a degree and find a job. Life worked out a bit differently.  

It all changed when Charlie spent a summer in the Texas Collegiate League and got some advice from Texas Rangers Hall of Famer Rusty Greer. Charlie went into the TCL with a bit of a fib: he told them he could pitch, hit and play defense. Truth be told, he hadn’t hit or played in the field since high school. Regardless, he picked up a wood bat and began to make contact, a lot. He also started to play positions outside of pitcher and Rusty told him he should consider giving up pitching and heading to the outfield. The self-admitted hardheaded Charlie eventually agreed.  

He had fairly quick success with his newfound skills at Georgia Tech and got drafted by the Rockies. He worked his way up every level of the minors and finally made his MLB debut in June of 2011. Within a month Charlie had his first hit, RBI, home run and broke his foot, ending his season.  
He used his rehab time to finish his degree in finance and found a new appreciation for baseball and the grind. He’d be up and down from the minors to the Rockies for another couple years and then became a staple at Coors Field until his retirement in 2024. Which didn’t last long: in 2025, the Rockies named Charlie a Special Assistant to the General Manager.  

Listen to Charlie’s story and conversation with Susie Wargin on the Cut Traded Fired Retired Podcast.

In 2025, Lisa Van Goor will finally be inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. A long overdue honor for the first player in the history of the University of Colorado (man or woman) to score 2000 points and snag 1000 rebounds in a career. She also averaged a double-double for her career as a Buff, all of this despite missing several games due to injuries her junior and senior seasons.  

Lisa was born in South Dakota and after being named a Parade All American as a senior, she had over four dozen schools recruiting her. She thrived her first two years under head coach Sox Walseth, however when Ceal Barry came in, the injury bug hit and life got tougher physically and mentally. After graduation, (the WNBA didn’t exist yet), Lisa went overseas to play professionally for 7 years and became a 5-time All Star.   

After retirement, Lisa returned to Boulder unsure of what to do with her life. She wanted to be back in athletics and after getting turned down for a few opportunities, she got a job with a rental car company. Eventually she did get back into the CU Athletic Department helping to plan events. These days she’s out of the department, but still very involved with former student athletes, as the Executive Director of the non-profit Buffs 4 Life.  

Listen to Lisa’s story and conversation with @susiewargin on the Cut Traded Fired Retired Podcast. Links to listen on your favorite podcast platforms in the @ctfrpodcast bio!

Sometimes the road to professional football takes a non-traditional path. Colorado native Gabe Knapton knows that trail well.

After playing linebacker for his dad, who demanded a lot as the head coach at Skyline High School in Longmont, Gabe had his choice of many colleges to continue his playing career. It came down to Wyoming and Colorado State. He chose to be a Cowboy because of alumni in his family and most importantly, the coaches.  

During his time in Laramie, the staff switched Gabe from linebacker to defensive end. He made the transition look easier than it was because of his motor and non-stop hustle. In reality, it was difficult to learn a very different position and physically he was still more like a linebacker. Regardless, he had hopes of getting drafted in the NFL and while a few teams called during the draft, no one called his name or his agent. 

Unsure of what to do at that point, Gabe’s dad suggested taking a year off, working out and staying ready. So, he took a gap year before gap years were cool and eventually played indoor football with the Colorado Ice, then got his break with the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League. He would be named Montreal’s Rookie of the Year and go on to play for several years in the CFL between Montreal and the BC Lions. 

In retirement, Gabe is a busy guy: husband, father of two, owner of Different Breed Performance gym and a firefighter with the City of Thornton.  

Listen to Gabe’s story and conversation with Susie Wargin on the Cut Traded Fired Retired Podcast.