Cut Traded Fired Retired

He's the perfect example of how school and sports can coexist and be successful. David Bruton Jr. graduated with a double major in Political Science and Sociology from Notre Dame. He was also a starting safety for the Fighting Irish his junior and senior years and got noticed by NFL scouts. In 2009, he was chosen in the 4th round by the Denver Broncos where he would play for seven years. He became known as an exceptional special teams player and served as special teams captain from 2013-2015. His skills at safety weren’t too shabby either: during his time in Denver, he finished nearly every season with double digits tackles, had five forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and three interceptions.

David was having his best season in 2015, with arguably one of the best Broncos defenses in history, when he broke his fibula during a game in November. He kept playing, thinking it was just a contusion. The next day he was placed on injured reserve. By February of 2016, his fibula was healed, however, since he had been placed on IR, he wasn’t able to play in the Broncos Super Bowl 50 Championship. The next season he signed with Washington, found himself on injured reserve again after his 6th career concussion and retired the following summer.

After retiring, David went back to school and earned a doctorate from CU in Physical Therapy. He now runs his own clinic, Between the Lines Physical Therapy and still is very involved in his non-profit Bruton’s Books.

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He's in the Hockey Hall of Fame, his jersey is retired and he holds a franchise record for goals scored in a single season (57). All that and you still may not recognize his name. Michel Goulet is too humble to boast about his incredible 15 years in the NHL or the fact that his name appears FOUR times in the top 10 list of single season goals scored in Colorado Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques franchise history. He’s too modest to ask why his retired #16 jersey with the Quebec Nordiques isn’t recognized somewhere at Ball Arena, home of the Avalanche. Instead, Michel lives his retired life in the Denver area in anonymity, often attending Avalanche and Rockies games without anyone stopping him to talk about his history. When he visits Canada, it’s a different story. “Monsieur Goulet” is stopped everywhere. The Canadians know Michel’s greatness not only in the NHL, but also as a member of Team Canada who won the Canada Cup twice, beating Sweden in 1984 and Russia in 1987. They also know why he had to retire after a game on March 16, 1994 when he crashed hard into the boards during a Blackhawks game and suffered a severe concussion.

After his concussion, Michel had to relearn many basic skills and while he hoped he could return to hockey, his coordination was so off, he had to retire. He soon became the Director of Player Personnel for the Avalanche and was part of their Stanley Cup runs in 1996 and 2001. Michel also served as a scout for the Calgary Flames and Anaheim Ducks.


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When Michael Jordan wrote about Mark Randall’s release from the Chicago Bulls in his book, the first round draft pick was ticked. But he also realized the underlying reason he was so mad: he was told in front of the Bull’s owner, GM, head coach and teammates that he wasn’t good enough to play. Tough words to swallow for a guy who had always been a standout player with a high basketball IQ. After he was cut and placed on waivers, the former Cherry Creek High School and University of Kansas star began a journey through the NBA and now defunct CBA with stops in Minnesota, Detroit, Miami, Rapid City (twice), Denver (twice), Ft Wayne and Wisconsin.

After retirement, Mark tried his hand at scouting and coaching with the Nuggets. He enjoyed scouting, but with a family the traveling was tough. He also enjoyed coaching, however he was fired from that job after one year with no reason given. He was then offered an ambassador job with the Nuggets which he did for many years and loved getting out into the community with other alums and/or current players. Currently, Mark continues to be a Nuggets ambassador in between his full-time job as a District Manager of High School Athletics for Denver Public Schools.

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“I don’t want you to look back on this in 5 or 10 years and wish you would have tried to play baseball.” What if Jeff Huson’s dad hadn’t said that to him as he walked out the door to start school with his friends at the University of Arizona? Chances are very likely “Huey” would have missed out on a 15-year baseball career between college and the big leagues. He would not be in the Glendale Community College Hall of Fame or the Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame. He would not have played 3rd base next to Cal Ripken Jr. when Cal broke Lou Gehrig’s record for consecutive games played. He would not have played in two of Nolan Ryan’s no-hitters. He would not be going on 18 years as the color analyst for Rockies TV Broadcasts.

Thankfully, his dad’s words stayed in his head, and he turned around on the steps of the admissions office at U of A and all of the above did happen… and then some. It was a grind, but with the support of his wife Wendy and many others along the way, Jeff Huson played for 6 major league teams starting with his MLB debut with the Expos in 1988 and wrapping up in 2000 after a season with the Cubs. After his playing days, Jeff coached for a few years. In 2006, his name was thrown in the mix for the Rockies TV color analyst job. He auditioned, got the gig and for hundreds of games every year, brings his impressive amount of experience and knowledge to the broadcast.

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Raised by his grandparents and later foster parents, Rick Upchurch had his share of ups and downs growing up, however there was no denying the love and support he received from his family and his community in Holland, Ohio. From his grandparents passing away, being held back in the 6th grade, getting his GED and going to junior college hours away from his hometown, Rick learned how to persevere.

The Broncos didn’t even have him on their radar in 1975, but after a Broncos assistant bet a steak dinner with then-Broncos GM & Head Coach John Randal that Rick would be the AFC Offensive Rookie of the Year, they drafted him in the 4th round. John lost the bet. But he won big with Rick, a guy who showed no fear as a return specialist and could also catch and run with the ball. Rick’s list of accolades is long. He’s one of only 29 NFL players on two All Decade Teams (1970 & 1980). A 5-time All Pro. A 4-time Pro Bowler. The Broncos 50th Anniversary Team. Broncos Ring of Famer. University of Minnesota Athletics Hall of Fame. Not to mention, he’s a darn good person with a great story who made countless Broncos fans yell and scream whenever his hands touched the football.

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Despite playing basketball at three different high schools, Bill Hanzlik still stood out and had many options for playing at the next level. He chose Notre Dame where he played for four years and earned an engineering degree. Bill helped the Fighting Irish get to their first Final Four where they lost in the semifinals. He was also part of the 1980 Men’s Olympic basketball team that never made it to Russia because of the US boycott. He was drafted 20th overall in the 1980 NBA Draft and played for two years in Seattle until he was traded to Denver. Bill went to the playoffs every year he wore a Nuggets uniform.

When he became their head coach in 1997, it was quite the opposite: his team won just 11 games, a record that is currently tied for 4th worst NBA regular season record. He was fired after one season. During his playing and coaching days, Bill started and grew the Gold Crown Foundation. What began as a basketball camp for 150 girls has grown into a multitude of camps in a variety of sports for thousands of young people. While Gold Crown is Bill’s passion and mission, he also loves his long-time gig as an analyst for the Nuggets on Altitude TV.

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He estimates he played on 40 teams from T-Ball to the Big Leagues and was the best player on about 10 of those teams. If that’s the case, how did Ryan Spilborghs make an MLB roster and spend over a decade in professional baseball? Because he just kept chasing the dream. He knew if he kept going, others would fade away and he’d still be there.

“Spilly” was born in Santa Barbara and stayed close to home for his college baseball career, mostly because all the other schools wanted him to walk on. At UC Santa Barbara, he was on scholarship, but quickly realized the work he needed to put in to actually play.

In 2002, the Colorado Rockies drafted him in the 7th round thanks to a Rockies’ scout (Billy Eppler, now GM of the NY Mets) who was in Long Beach for some surfing and happened to watch Ryan hit an improbable home run for the Gauchos against Long Beach State. From there he toiled in the Rockies’ minor league system for a few years and made trusting friendships with guys he’d eventually play with in The Show, like Troy Tulowitzki, Garrett Atkins and Corey Sullivan to name a few. Spilly made his MLB debut on July 16, 2005. He played one game and was back to AAA. He returned in 2006 and hit his first home run. In 2007 he was an integral part of the Rockies’ crazy regular season ending and playoff run which brought them to the World Series.

After becoming a free agent in 2011, Spilly knocked around a few other teams including internationally for a couple years. In 2014, he joined the Rockies TV Broadcast crew as an analyst, a gig he still enjoys today, along with being a dad to two and husband to Stacey. Follow Spilly on Twitter @SpillyGoat19

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He didn’t make varsity on his high school basketball team in Batavia, Illinois until he was a junior. A huge growth spurt from 5’11” to 6’8’ helped, as did his high school coach who took the time to help make Dan Issel a future icon at the University of Kentucky, the ABA and the NBA.

Dan still holds the record as the all-time leading scorer at Kentucky, a record he set in 1970 that will likely never be broken. After college Dan played in the ABA and set the league on fire as the 1971 ABA Rookie of the Year and scoring champ, the 1972 ABA All Star Game MVP, ABA Champion in 1975 and 6-time ABA All-Star. After he was sold (yes sold) to the Nuggets and the ABA & NBA merged, Dan added another All-Star appearance to his name as a member of the NBA. His #44 jersey is one of 7 retired Nuggets jerseys.

After his playing days were over, Dan had two stints coaching the Nuggets, both of which ended with resignations. In retirement, Dan is now enjoying life in the Denver area with wife of over 50 years, Cheri, his two adult children and 5 grandchildren. He also co-hosts a radio show on ESPN Radio in Louisville. Dan is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the College Basketball Hall of Fame and the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.

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He is the only coach in NCAA hockey history to win a Division I National Championship as a player, assistant coach and head coach. He’s coached in a Stanley Cup Final and led a high school team to back-to-back state titles. George Gwozdecky has also been fired, when he least expected it.

“Gwoz” grew up living and breathing hockey in Canada. In college at Wisconsin, he was part of the 1977 NCAA Championship team. When it became apparent his playing days would not continue into the NHL, George turned to coaching where he had multiple stops (mostly in 5-year increments) including as an assistant coach for the 1986 Michigan State NCAA Champions. His longest tenure was at the helm of the University of Denver where he spent 19 seasons and led the Pioneers to back to back NCAA titles in 2004 and 2005. From 2001 to 2013, Gwoz’s DU teams had at least 20 wins each season. Then, out of nowhere on April 1, 2013, he was fired. No joke.

He was stunned, however that setback opened new doors, including spending two years as an assistant with the Tampa Bay Lightning and their appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2015. Since 2015, George has been the head coach at Valor High School where he’s led the Eagles to multiple state title games and back to back championships.

There is life after being fired.

George is a member of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, the University of Denver Athletics Hall of Fame and the Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame.

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Mark Jackson grew up in a rough part of Chicago as the youngest child of a single mom. He thought ducking when hearing gang gunfire was normal. Playing in the NFL was never a dream, in fact, he quit football for a year when he was at Purdue.

Despite being shorter than most and claiming very little talent, Mark was drafted by the Broncos in the 6th round of the 1986 draft. His career was on the fast track from the beginning: Mark was part of “The Drive” and played in Super Bowl 21 his rookie season. He’d play in two more Super Bowls, and as Broncos fans painfully remember, all three were losses. During his 7 years in Denver, Mark became a fan favorite as a member of “The Three Amigos” with fellow wide receivers Vance Johnson and Ricky Nattiel. When he became a free agent in 1993, he doubled his salary by heading to the NY Giants where he caught a lot of passes, but was cut mid-season in 1994. He was then picked up by the Colts for a bit and missed out on an opportunity to join one of his favorite childhood teams: the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In retirement, Mark’s energy is the same as when he played: 110%. He has many ventures, including Jackson Financial Solutions and the non-profit Recruiting Classroom.

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