Cut Traded Fired Retired

He was the inspiration for this podcast. Nearly every day on the radio, Tyler Polumbus tells stories about his trials and tribulations in the NFL. One day his co-host remarked how his stories would make a great book called “How I Got Cut.” Susie Wargin was listening that day and that’s when the lightbulb to create Cut Traded Fired Retired.

Tyler is a Colorado native who played football at Cherry Creek High School. He had several scholarship opportunities for college and chose the University of Colorado where his father also played football. After a great senior year on the offensive line for the Buffs, he was invited to the NFL Combine where he tripped and fell during the 40-yard dash. Needless to say, he went undrafted, but was invited to minicamp by 31 teams. He picked the Broncos where Mike Shanahan became a mentor for him. Unfortunately, Mike would be fired after Tyler’s rookie season.

The Broncos’ next coach, Josh McDaniels, cut Tyler in 2010. Over the next few years, he spent time with the Lions, Seahawks, Redskins, Falcons and landed back with the Broncos for the perfect finale to his career: a victory at Super Bowl 50.

In retirement, Tyler took a stab at radio where he has flourished. He’s worked for 3 different companies, sometimes by his choice, sometimes because others have decided his fate.

Hosted by Susie Wargin

To learn more about the host Susie Wargin, visit www.SusieWargin.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He played the sport he loved for over 2 decades and was eventually told by two NFL teams that he wasn’t good enough. Those words hurt, but Derek West didn’t allow football to be his only identity.

Derek is a 5th generation Arvada, Colorado native. He won a state championship in high school at Pomona and was a freshman at CU when the Buffs won the National Championship. After a solid career at CU, the 6’7” offensive lineman went to the NFL Combine and was drafted by the Colts. He was bit by the injury bug for most of his time in Indi and was released after 3 seasons. After a stint in NFL Europe with the Rhein Fire, Derek got some game tape and came back to the states where he was briefly signed by the 49’ers then the Cardinals. Both teams told him he wasn’t good enough to play in the NFL anymore.

So Derek started retirement and has spent the majority of it in the sports supplement industry. He also met his wife Khara, who grew up in Boulder and played softball at Nebraska. They have two daughters who are currently college athletes themselves: Jordan plays softball at Colorado State and Ashley plays volleyball at Utah. For the record, Derek did get long time CU Coach Bill McCartney’s blessing to marry a girl who went to Nebraska.

Hosted by Susie Wargin

To learn more about the host Susie Wargin, visit www.SusieWargin.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Howell lived out a dream. He played 8-man football in a very small Nebraska town. Some folks scoffed when John set his sights on playing Division I football, specifically at Colorado State University. When he got a call to be the last person in camp because another guy backed out, John drove straight to Fort Collins and joined the team as a walk on. While he did play and letter his freshman year, John had trouble connecting with teammates and felt like he was an anonymous scout team punching bag. So he quit. He also quit going to school and flunked nearly every class. During winter break back in Nebraska, John realized he was proving the naysayers right. So he went back to Fort Collins and got “word whipped” by a coach for his grades. But that verbal shakedown didn’t make John mad, he was happy because he realized the coaches actually knew his name.

John had an outstanding career as a safety for CSU and went on to be drafted by the Tampa Bay Bucs where he played for four years and won a Super Bowl. The Super Bowl victory came after his second season, a season he almost didn’t have because John experienced a “freak out” of anxiety at the start of training camp and left. After a 10-day hiatus, where he received some invaluable mental encouragement from other pros, John returned and the Bucs welcomed him back. He’d play two more seasons with the Seattle Seahawks and called it quits after a nagging hamstring injury wouldn’t heal.

These days John runs a hunting ranch at Dismal River in the same town where he grew up. He’s also married to his college sweetheart Laura, and they keep up with three very athletic children who play sports at the pro, college and high school levels.

Hosted by Susie Wargin

To learn more about the host Susie Wargin, visit www.SusieWargin.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He is literally the definition of a “Homegrown Player.” In the 2000’s, Major League Soccer started a Homegrown Player initiative which allowed clubs to develop their own youth players without exposing them to the MLS SuperDraft and thereby giving the club the opportunity to sign the player themselves. That’s exactly what the Colorado Rapids did with Davy Armstrong.

Davy was born in Aurora and started playing soccer at the age of 6. He excelled at the sport and turned heads when he played for Rangeview High School as well as his club team. Three years before he graduated from Rangeview, Davy entered the Rapids Youth System and the MLS’s initiative worked perfectly: Davy became the Rapids first homegrown player when they signed him to their pro team in 2010. Turns out there was a lot going on in 2010: Davy was just 18, graduated from Rangeview, gave up a scholarship at the University of Washington to sign with the Rapids and the Rapids won the MLS Cup.

Trying to figure out professional sports at the age of 18 isn’t easy. Davy got through it and played for the Rapids, Phoenix FC and the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. Eventually injuries got the best of his young body and it was time to retire from a sport that had been his identity for nearly two decades. These days, Davy is a firefighter, with a very heartfelt reason behind his passion for helping people.

Hosted by Susie Wargin

To learn more about the host Susie Wargin, visit www.SusieWargin.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One would assume that a 2-time All American, Butkus Award winner, National Champion and 2-time Super Bowl Champion played football his whole life. Not the case with Alfred Williams. He begrudgingly started playing in high school: Alfred wanted to be a quarterback and when he was switched to defensive line after a couple days of practice, he quit.

Thankfully a coach kept after him and convinced Alfred to come back out and promised he would be by his side and help him. Not only did that high school coach help him with football, he helped him navigate life. Alfred made sure that same coach saw Super Bowl 32 and 33.

While Alfred had incredible success at the University of Colorado and was a first-round draft pick in the NFL, he still faced many struggles during his time as a pro level including injuries, questionable coaching and guidance and a divorce. Life got a lot better when he signed with the Broncos in 1996.

Big Al has always considered Colorado his home and stayed true to that in retirement, entertaining fans on Denver TV and radio stations for years. These days he’s an afternoon co-host on KOA Colorado with Dave Logan and Ryan Edwards.

Hosted by Susie Wargin

To learn more about the host Susie Wargin, visit www.SusieWargin.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It wasn’t just an ice rink on every corner and growing up in Montreal that put Eric Lacroix on the ice at age 5. His affection for a stick and puck was also influenced by some guys who hung around his house like Patrick Roy, Michel Goulet, Pierre and Sylvain Turgeon. There were about 2 dozen of them, stars or up and comers, who were represented by Eric’s sports agent father, Pierre.

So hockey was everywhere and Eric was good at it. He was drafted by the Maple Leafs in 1990 and made his professional debut in 1993. Soon after that, he was traded to the LA Kings where he roomed with Rob Blake, played with Wayne Gretzky and his coach was Barry Melrose. Life was amazing in LA. Until he was abruptly traded to the Colorado Avalanche, where his dad was now the General Manager. Once the shock wore off, Eric embraced his new teammates who had just won the Stanley Cup. He had success on the ice and all was good… until it wasn’t and he asked Pierre to send him back to LA. A quick decision Eric regrets making because Los Angeles wasn’t the same and neither was the rest of his NHL career.

After hockey, Eric spent time on coaching and front office staffs with a few teams including the Avalanche. These days, he runs a hockey camp, a foundation and does TV work for Altitude. He is also husband to Jill and dad to three active kids, including two hockey players.

Hosted by Susie Wargin

To learn more about the host Susie Wargin, visit www.SusieWargin.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's hard to believe a 2-time All-Big 10 safety who was a part of four Rose Bowls and two Super Bowls didn’t have football on his radar until high school. Mike Harden loved track growing up and his speed was impressive. So much so, when he was in 9th grade, his track coach (who was also an assistant football coach at the high school) had him run for the head football coach. It took two 40-yard dashes for the coach to proclaim Mike was his new starting free safety.

He learned the game quick and by the end of high school had multiple big-name schools knocking on his door. He chose Michigan where he turned heads on the football field and graduated with a Political Science and Communications degree. He wouldn’t need the degree for a while because the Broncos drafted him in 1980 and Mike found himself in a defensive backfield with Louis Wright, Billy Thompson and Steve Foley. For 9 seasons he taunted Broncos opponents at cornerback, safety and free safety racking up 33 interceptions, 4 touchdowns and 11 fumble recoveries. In 1989, he was cut and picked up by the Raiders where he had 5 picks and 3 fumble recoveries over 2 seasons.

Mike’s body told him it was time to be done after the 1990 season and he tried a variety of professions including the restaurant business and real estate. He also started to live a little too large and got into legal trouble for fraud. While serving time in a halfway house, Mike realized he needed to head in a different direction. He got his master’s degree and for 8 years counseled people dealing with addition at the Serenity at Stout Street Foundation. He’s completely retired now and serves on the board of the Denver Broncos Alumni Association.

Hosted by Susie Wargin

To learn more about the host Susie Wargin, visit www.SusieWargin.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

His football story is like many others: a star high school athlete who receives multiple college scholarships offers, gets into the NFL as an undrafted NFL free agent and is out of the league in a year or so. His personal story is unlike anyone else’s: before his senior year at Gateway High School in Aurora, a bullet entered and exited his neck in a movie theatre. The bullet came from the theatre next door where a horrific tragedy left 12 people dead.

Zack Golditch did not allow July 20, 2012 to deter his football goals or his new aspiration to be a first responder. The offensive lineman had committed to Colorado State University just 8 days prior to the shooting. He loved playing for the Rams and was named First Team All Mountain West his senior year. His NFL career was short but he rolled with the punches on four different teams his rookie season. He was out of the NLF after training camp his second year.

Then Zack started his next mission: to be a firefighter and give back to his community. He’s currently a South Metro Firefighter and has helped the 7/20 Foundation start the Hero’s Journey 5K in Aurora every July to raise money for a scholarship fund benefiting first generation college students from Aurora Public Schools. To donate to Zack’s scholarship fund, visit Aurora Public Schools Foundation and specify Zack Golditch Scholarship in the notes.

Hosted by Susie Wargin

To learn more about the host Susie Wargin, visit www.SusieWargin.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Broncos first year head coach Dan Reeves drafted him in 1981, Steve Busick had already played with some big-name defensive teammates at USC: Clay Matthews, Ronnie Lott, Dennis Smith and Jeff Fisher to name a few. During his college career, the Trojans won back-to-back Rose Bowls and were National Champions in 1978. When the linebacker came to Denver he joined the likes of Tom Jackson, Randy Gradishar and Steve Foley on the Orange Crush Defense. Bottom line: Steve Busick knew what it meant to be surrounded by great teammates and how to win.

Steve played 5 seasons in Denver and went to the playoffs twice. He was coming off what he felt was a solid year when the Broncos finished 11-5 in 1985 and Reeves called him into his office. He was trading Steve to the Rams where he would be reunited with his college head coach John Robinson. Steve wasn’t happy about leaving Denver but liked the idea of playing for Robinson again. It didn’t last long. A few games into the 1986 season, Steve tore his ACL and was done for the year. He tried to come back in 1987 but his knee wasn’t the same.

After he retired, Steve heard about a Denver glass company that was going out of business. He had just enough money to buy the business. With zero knowledge about windows or running a business, Steve hired the right people and built Busick Insulated Glass into a very successful company that has been going strong for over 3 decades.

Hosted by Susie Wargin

To learn more about the host Susie Wargin, visit www.SusieWargin.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before he was a football coach in college and the NFL, Steve Fairchild was a player. He wasn’t recruited out of high school, but after spending a couple of successful seasons at San Diego Mesa Community College, big schools started calling. He opted for Colorado State University and proved to be a great fit at quarterback. He was 2nd Team All-WAC behind Jim McMahon and added a number of scholastic accolades.

He started coaching soon after getting his graduate degree from CSU and landed back at San Diego Mesa. Over the next 34 years, Steve coached every offensive position aside from the O-line with nearly a dozen teams. He was also the Offensive Coordinator at a few stops. His lone head coaching job came at his alma matter CSU when he took over for the fired Sonny Lubick in 2008. Taking over for a legend is tough and Steve’s overall record of 16-33 didn’t help his longevity. He was fired in 2011. It wasn’t the first time he was fired as a coach, and he learned a lot every time he was let go.

These days, Steve still coaches but on a much more personal level with his Fairchild QB Training where he works one on one with aspiring young quarterbacks.

Hosted by Susie Wargin

To learn more about the host Susie Wargin, visit www.SusieWargin.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.