Owner - Football Player Development LLC, CU and UNLV football alum. - 26 years- Football Coach and Team Attack Academy
Evergreen, CO
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I see a lot of social media covering the topic (or close to it) "Where were you when the disaster of 9-11 struck hard to the entire United States.
Well, I remember exactly where I was as most people do that were alive to experience it.
I was in the Athletic Director's office at Denver South High School - Skip Wiggs was the AD. I was the Head Football Coach. He had a black and white small TV in his office and we saw it live after the first plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. We were shocked and a bit scared. Skips hands were shaking.
I wondered if it was real. It seemed impossible. Then the next plane hit and later we were looking at Pentagon. We sat together when the Principle came into the office and we began to create a plan for students that were in school. We guided through the PA system to have all of the students to go to the auditorium in single file. Very few of the students knew what had happen, but some did. It spread fast.
The phone calls started coming in from parents and all the lines were full of calls from outside the school. Technology wasn't like it is today of course and it was hard to communicate with parents/families. Once inside the auditorium we announced what had happened and assured as well as we could that we were safe being far away from the east coast...but nobody really new.
Was this the beginning of World War III? Or was this an accident with Air Traffic Control? The panic in the school was minor compared to most of the country - it was mostly confusion by the staff, students and parents that, "Is this coming to Colorado. We calmed the storm by saying that we were pretty far from where the disasters occured and that we were probably safe.
But nobody really knew for sure until President George W. Bush came on TV to the entire USA. After an hour or so our parking lot was full of parents who came to get their students. We treated it as a fire drill that we practiced once or twice a year and all the students and teachers filed out of the building and went home.
Far away and, yet, fear filled that day at Denver South High School in Denver, Colorado and we soon knew that the whole nation was under alert to get home and stay home until notified to leave by government media channels.
Protocols at schools around the nation changed including a possible attack from the skies across the entire USA. We all wondered, "Are we going to be alright?'
That question still shakes in those that lived through 9-11 to this very day for those who remember it.
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Dion Sanders blocked me on social media. I'm ok with that. He didn't like my assessment of the Colorado U. football team, one of my Alma Maters. I have great love for the Colorado Buffaloes and I am a fan.
Real is real. I've watched the first half of CU's first game at Georgia Tech.
What a mess. Thankfully Georgia Tech is really sloppy as well. First game jitters? Maybe to probably. The one inarguable truth is that Dion brings in great talent to Colorado. It is almost inarguable that this team is sloppy. It is fun to see the talent - I'm pretty sure Dion would agree with me in private especially watching this game. But he won't do it publicly. Truth is the most honest landmark for life. It is time for Dion to take responsibility for not taking advantage of the great rosters they have and had...with less than mediocre results.
I'm hopeful for the Buffs every season including this one. I hope I'm wrong. But, man, not looking any better - fumbles - mistakes - you name it.
Come on Dion. You have a great team. It is time for you and your staff to take advantage of this. Go ahead and block me again. Truth.
Go Buffs.
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Duds to Dudes.
Many parents of high school football players don't know this (as has been evident to me), your high school football player is not as good as you think - which usually has the player believing they are better than they really are. Sorry if this hurts.
Rule 1: Usually your son/player is never as good as he can be or will be. Statistics have proved over decades that a football player does not hit his top level of competition until their 27th birthday.
Rule 2: There is a reason in high school why their team has a Freshman level, a Junior Varsity level and a varsity level. I'm an example of why that is. When I was a freshman in high school at 14 - 15 years old I was 5'6" tall and weighed 160 lbs FAT. I couldn't do one push up. I graduated high school at 6'4" tall 210 lbs. skinny.
I walked on at Colorado University. I was given a scholarship my Sophomore year at CU at 6'5" 235 lbs. and played second team...not a starter. My sophomore year at CU I was offered a scholarship after spring ball. I was changing and taking other players jobs. My speed improved to a 4.6 seconds from a 5.6 forty in high school.
I was one of the fastest LB's at Colorado U. My body was built like Adonis thanks to my brother Mark Mullaney (12.5 years with the Vikings). He took me under his arms and worked me into a very good player...I even had hair on my body.
I knew I was better than the Linebacker that was starting in front of me...I was put on special teams and hardly got play time at my position. The coaches saw my growth but they had other recruits they made promises when they were recruited. I played special teams - my coaches basically ignored me.
That is when I transferred to UNLV and signed with the Vikings after my senior season.
I went from DUD to a DUDE! The years I had at UNLV were the best years of my life. But the grind to get better never ended especially when I signed my free agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings.
I owe it all to my brother Mark, my mentor who took me under his arm and worked my ass off for years.
I signed with 4 NFL teams (the Vikings - cut twice -, the Bears, the Chiefs and the LA Rams). I played in the first USFL after the Rams. I even had a stint with the Winnipeg Bluebombers in Canada.
Coming from being pre-pubescent until my senior year in high school, my brother and my father stayed up my smelly part driving me to be my best.
And that is why I created my company - Football Player Development LLC to develop those young boys into mangrinders (my made up word for those who fight the good fight).
So, I know. I know and I love young high schoolers who dream to play. Go to my website and reach out to me if your son shares the love to play football but needs help. Go to my website and reach out to me. (Side note-I've got a great stable of coaches who work in my program - a program that had me working for the Denver Broncos High School Player Development program for 17 years. That led to me on the road to the Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals, the Baltimore Ravens and more JUST WORKING WITH HIGH SCHOOL DREAMERS.
Does your son have dreams? Does your son need help? Reach out to me and go to my website to check it out.
fbplayerdevelopment.com
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I played linebacker in high school and in college. I loved being a linebacker. When I signed with the Minnesota Vikings coming out of UNLV (transfer from Colorado U.), I trained hard with my 12 years Viking brother Mark Mullaney to play linebacker for the Vikings.
My first practice with the Vikings in pads Bud Grant (after warm ups) told all the players to go to their position groups. Naturally I went with the linebackers. When I went on the field for the first time I was given the number 99. I thought to myself "Number 99 as a linebacker?" I learned as I ran on the field with the linebackers Bud Grant called me over and told me the Vikings signed me to play defensive end. He called me "Little Mullaney" being my brother Mark's youngest brother. Compared to Mark, I was clearly little by comparison.
When my brother saw me running to the defensive line he yelled "GO BACK, GO BACK. What are you doing?" I was officially competing with my brother at defensive end.
The video attached shows my first play in a game against Cleveland. I was scared poopless. I thought, "I'm just gonna hit this guy as hard as I can" because I really didn't know how to play defensive end.
I was so unknown the announcer called me Randy Holloway, in the video, who was the starter at DE but was not in the game.
I kept telling myself "Just knock the Sh.t out of this guy". I had no idea how to play the position so, what the heck, I just hit him as hard as I could.
4 NFL teams later and two years in the USFL, I never got to play linebacker again. I got cut 6 times in my career - 3 times by Minnesota, 6 times total with the Bears, the Chiefs, the Rams.
Sounds bad, but I also got picked up by 6 total teams. That is why I coached football now for 44 years. I loved every minute on and off the field never traded - just cut.
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I just can't fathom certain things. Latest "I can't fathom..." is the Netflix show Ransom Canyon. Szn 1 was short of perfect as I give it a 97% for entertaining This guy (being me). Szn 2 came out and it sucks like a vacuum. I wen to Episode 4 in Szn 2 "This really does suck!"
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One of my favorite things to do. Throwing the tennis ball for Lemmy to retrieve in the mountain parks of Evergreen.
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Skip Wiggs took a chance on hiring me at Denver South High School as the Head Football Coach. I was replacing a black coach prior to my years at South. The black community was up in arms having a white head coach taking the reins. Calais Campbell and his brothers were at Denver South including brother Raj and and Ciarre with the youngest Jared at Golden High School who starred with Miami Hurricanes as well.
Chuck Campbell, the father of these young men got my back and turned the black community to embrace me as a coach. I love this family with a silence passion.
I am broken with the death and murder of their mother Nateal and pray for Ciarre to get the help he needs to fight his issues.
God bless them all.
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It's time. First spotting of little cub bears and their momma tagging along last night at the house. Little guys practicing their bear fighting tactics.
Hilarious.
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Good old days with QBA - Quarterback Academy (formerly called "The Darin Slack QB Academy) with some of the best QB coaches in the country.
Middle right black shirt - yours truly. Middle left in the black - Darin Slack. On my left side (to the right viewing the photo) one of the best in the country - Will Hewlett. Front right in black - JC Boice. To the left of Will Hewlett (on the right as you view it) Dub Maddox.
On the left of Darin Slack - the right looking at photo - Rod Robison.
And many more...
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Ryan Mullaney retweeted
Train with purpose. Get seen. 🎯📈
Coach Mulls Football Development (@RMullaney), powered by Fan Day Nation, helps athletes build skills, visibility, & a recruitment path.
Train smarter. Get noticed.⚡
#FanDayNation #Football #FootballTraining #Recruiting #StudentAthletes
ALT Football Coach Ryan Mullaney
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Ready to rock. Fan Day Nation is the best way to be seen as a high school athlete I've seen in my career.
Taking high school players now and high school all sports (I do football - but all sports supported). Best tool to transition to college and add NIL support.
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This hit hard. Jeff Siemon was one of the best human beings I've ever known.
vikings.com/news/jeff-siemon…
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I'm excited for this new chapter in my career as a high school player development specialist. For the last 26 years my service through "Football Player Development LLC" (fbplayerdevelopment.com/ ) and Team Attack Academy. I have officially connected with Fan Day Nation (fandaynation.com/pages/coach… ) with their launch of the sport of football as Director of Football Player Development.
More to come soon.
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My father, everyone's favorite Uncle (kinda), sang this song all over Marco Island and Naples in bars starting at 8 a.m. to wee hours. Here are the lyrics I listened to my whole life.
Tribute to him:
Here I am from Paddy's land, a land of high renown I broke the hearts of all the girls from miles of Keady town And when they hear that I'm away' they raise a hullabaloo When they hear about the handsome lad they call O'Donahue
Chorus: For I'm the boy to please her and I'm the boy to tease her And I'm the boy to squeeze her up and I'll tell you what I'll do I'll court her like an Irishman with me brogue and blarney too is me plan With me rollikin', swollikin', gollikin', wollikin', Bold O'Donahue.
I wish me love was a red red rose grown' on yon garden wall And me to be dewdrop and upon her brow I'd fall Perhaps now she might think of me as a rather heavy dew No more she'd love the handsome lad they call O'Donahue.
They say that Queen Victoria has a daughter fine and grand. Perhaps she'd take it into her head for to marry an Irishman. And if I could only get the chance to have a word or two Perhaps she'd take a notion in the bold. O'Donahue source: lyricsondemand.com/i/irishfo…
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When I spent a few years going to Västerås Sweden to coach their football team, Västerås Roedeers American Football club, I played golf at the closest golf course during the summer season training. I don't remember the name of the city where the golf course was but it was less than a half hour from Västerås.
A few times that I got their early I played with this young kid...literally we were the only players on the course I think. Sometimes I got to play with one of the football coaches on the Roedeers staff I worked with. It was a beautiful golf course.
So, this kid and I played together a few times. He was somewhere between 10 to 13 years old...I didn't really know. He spoke solid English. We got to like each other a lot. I looked forward to playing with him mostly because he was small and kicking my ass on that course.
I told him I was coaching and training the football team and he thought I was coaching soccer. "Nope," I told him, "American Football". He didn't know the difference.
His name was/is Ludvig Åberg. He was raised in another city close to where we played. I really don't remember which one.
My friends give me S... for pulling against American golfers (except Scottie Sheffler) by pulling for Ludvig. I haven't seen him in well over 15 years.
He was so close to winning at the Player's Tournament that just closed with Cam Young finishing as the winner (Loved that too).
It was sad seeing him lose the championship on the last back nine. I'm still hopeful for him.
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Denver Nuggets should bring Coach Malone back.
They have the Joker but the key to their play this year under Adelman?
Their new moniker has become "The chokers". They can't win a close game at nut-cutting time to save their lives. Did it again last night at the Lakers in overtime.
No hate to toward the Joker nor Jamal Murray etc. This guy Adelman? Coach Malone at home watching must be thinking, "Hey, this head coach can't hold my beer."
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