In this episode, Brian Beckcom speaks with American football player Bucky Richardson.
Bucky Richardson played quarterback for the A&M Aggies in the late ’80s and early ’90s and was drafted by the Houston Oilers in 1992. Bucky is best known for his impressive college football career, having won two Conference Championships and three Bowl Games, including the 1990 Holiday Bowl where his captivating performance (passed, ran, and caught a TD) led the Aggies to a 65-14 win after BYU and the news media gave A&M no chance in the game.
More impressive than his football career has been Bucky’s post-football career. Bucky is an accomplished businessman and entrepreneur, father, husband, and an outstanding leader and American patriot.
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Brian and Bucky discuss:
- Coaching your kids through the pressure of competitive athletics
- The importance of trusting your instincts
- What it was like being the starting quarterback of a division one football team as a freshman
- What it was like to be thrust into the national spotlight at eighteen years old
- The 1990 Holiday Bowl and the power of preparation
- Bucky’s career in the National Football League
- Life after high-level sports and the challenges of readjusting to society
- And other topics
John Powell “Bucky” Richardson was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, just miles away from Tiger Stadium. Though his passion for football began watching LSU games as a kid, today, he is one of the most popular college football players of all time. Bucky played quarterback, leading the A&M Aggies to win two Conference Championships and three Bowl Games. Bucky’s college football clout was unmatched for a college athlete of his era, and some would say he was the original “Johnny Football.” Bucky was a great athlete who went on to play football at the highest level, the NFL, but today, he focuses on being a great businessman, a great husband, and a great father.
Read the show notes!
Introduction
Welcome to the lessons from leaders podcast. I'm your host, Brian Beckcom. Hey, before we get into the next episode, do me a favor. If you like the show, Rate it, Like it, Share it, Subscribe to it on YouTube or whatever podcasting app you use.
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My next guest is my favorite college athlete of all time, for a lot of different reasons. But more importantly, he is a true leader. He is a leader by example, and he is a leader and has always been a leader since the moment he was an adult. I am talking about Bucky Richardson.
Bucky Richardson was quarterback at Texas A&M, back in the late 80s and early 90s. He actually went to A&M after they had won 2 conference championships, as a freshman and played in like the second or third game I think, and in his first game as a true freshman, he took it 82 yards for a touchdown against Brett Favre.
Bucky had a fantastic college football career, he won two conference championships. They went to 3 bowl games, including the 1990 holiday bowl where we absolutely dismantled BYU, after BYU had said they were too good to play us. We talk a lot about that football game in the podcast. Bucky and I also talk about the fact that he has a son, not surprisingly, who is a phenomenal football player.
Bucky talks about his philosophy about how he's coached up, not only his son, but other kids, how he looks at motivation, what he does to encourage kids, what he does when his own son has a good and bad game.
We talked a lot about leadership in general; we talk about what it was like for him to be so popular.so young. I mean, Bucky Richardson was truly Johnny football and Cam Newton and Vince Young before any of those guys came around and before social media. So we talk a little bit about what it was like to be 18 years old and be thrust in the spotlight like he was.
We also talked about his business career and some of the things he's done in business, who his mentors were, his mindset about business and life in general and a lot of other things. I have to tell you, in all honesty, I was a huge fan of Bucky Richardson, and always have been. After this podcast, my admiration for him has increased even more, and I didn't even think that was possible, but getting to sit down and talk to him about these issues was one of the most fulfilling and enjoyable things I've done in a very, very long time.
Bucky and I talked a lot about a lot of great stuff, but tell you what, he is definitely the definition of a leader, and I give you John Powell "Bucky" Richardson.
Hey everybody! Brian Beckcom here, and I have got John Powell, Richardson, who some people also known as Bucky Richardson, Bucky, how are you doing today?
Bucky Richardson: Good Brian, I am doing fine, and I am glad to be visiting with you and I'm happy for the success of your podcast. You've had some great guests.
Brian Beckcom: Well, thank you, I appreciate you saying that. I got to ask you right out of the gate, you and I have known each other for quite some time. As a matter of fact, I was playing basketball at A&M when you were playing football, and I played for a year, so we kind of ran in somewhat of the same circles, but where'd you get your nickname? Where did "Bucky" come from?
Bucky Richardson: Yeah, I've been asked that a few times through the years. Actually I was 10 years old, and we had a summer baseball coach who was a fairly young guy, and I think him trying to make it fun for us, decided that he was going to give everybody a nickname instead of doing the standard, last name on your Jersey kind of thing.
So everybody on our team had a nickname and I happened to be playing shortstop back then, and Bucky Dent was the shortstop for the Yankees, and I don't know that he had put much thought into that and he said, I'm going to put Bucky on his (my) Jersey and that's what he did. It was weird because for about a year only a few people would refer to me as Bucky, and my coach being one of them, and then a few friends started calling me Bucky, and then more friends, and then teachers and before you know it, it just grew.
At first, I hated it, you know, I didn't like it. There's a lot of mean things 10-year olds, 11-year olds can say with a nickname like that. But I just accepted it you know, you can't control it. But it was weird, because eventually I can remember starting to sign my name that way because that's how everybody knew me.
Brian Beckcom: Yeah
Bucky Richardson: So it took a few years before it really started catching on good. But yeah, that's how I got it.
Brian Beckcom: Does anybody call you John or Powel? Like maybe when you're in trouble with your folks? (Laughs)
Bucky Richardson: Well, it's weird because my mom, my sister and my brother still call me John
Brian Beckcom: And everybody else calls you ´´Bucky´´?
Bucky Richardson: Yeah everybody else calls me ´´Bucky´´.
Brian Beckcom: Well, how's your family doing?
Bucky Richardson: Good. My sweet mom is still in Baton Rouge, doing great. She still works part time being a legal secretary for long time, almost 40 years for the same firm.
Brian Beckcom: Nice.
Bucky Richardson: They are in Baton Rouge, my sister is in Baton Rouge and my brother actually just moved back to Houston. He was up in North Carolina for a while, he's back in Houston now, him and his wife and family. So everybody is doing good, and my father passed away in 2005. So yeah, everybody is healthy and doing well.
Brian Beckcom: You got a son, who not surprisingly is a fantastic athlete, fantastic football player. He is going to be in his freshman yeah I think, playing college football.
Bucky Richardson: No, he's got one more year of high school. He's a senior in high school, this fall. They are at Ridge point, and yeah, I appreciate you saying that, he plays receiver, he works extremely hard and loves the game.
For me, my greatest gift is that he loves the game that I love and has meant so much to me. He has just committed to Oklahoma state, he's going to play at Oklahoma state and they've done a great job of recruiting him and he's going to graduate early from high school and go in January.
Brian Beckcom: Nice
Bucky Richardson: Stillwater here we come, I guess.
Coaching Philosophy: Motivation & Game Management
Brian Beckcom: (Laughs) Well, Bucky, let me ask you a couple of questions about that. First of all, a lot of people listening will be college football fans, but a lot of people, maybe won't follow college football, and for people that don't follow college football that close, to be a wide receiver for Mike Gundy at Oklahoma state is a big deal. The big 12 throws the ball a lot, I got a lot of good receivers.
So, you know your son is a very, very high level athlete. I want to ask you Bucky, as a high level athlete yourself, give us some tips maybe as parents of athletes or as coaches of athletes. Talkingabout your son, his name is John Paul, right?
Bucky Richardson: Yeah. I don't know why I didn't want a junior, of course my real name is John and my dad's name was Paul. So I figured that would be a good way to include my dad and me with my son, and so that's what we went with.
Brian Beckcom: You know, some parents can get a little nuts about sports to say the very least, and then there are others that you never see at the game at all. As the parent of an aspiring athlete and somebody who played very high level sports yourself, how did you manage to strike a balance between encouraging your son, you know, pushing him to get a little bit better and then not being too much of the crazy parent type?
Bucky Richardson: Yeah. You know, I think I just did what my father did to me. I mean, my dad never pushed me, or was real critical of me. He encouraged me, he was my father and a soft place for me to fall, if you will, and that's pretty much how I handle John Paul.
I am as competitive as anybody, but I alluded to it a little earlier. I was so focused on making sure his experiences as a young kid were good, so he would continue to want to play.
Yeah. Of course I coached him up and I coached him hard. Like I did all the kids, but I loved them equally as much, you know, for every criticism, you should hug them, and that's kind of how I did it, and I just wanted them to, fall in love with the game, so when they get to high school, they are motivated and they can taste it, and see it, and then go do what they do, be who they can be, whatever that is.
Everybody has different levels of what the top side's going to be. Some of it is God given, and some of it is how hard you work, so that's, that's really what I focused on. Even now it's so much harder as a parent watching your son, you know what I mean?
Brian Beckcom: Oh man. No kidding. But you know, on the flip side of that, Bucky, I tell people, for example, when I take my kids fly fishing, its nice catching a fish yourself, but watching your kids catch a fish, is about a million times better. So it was nice being a high school athlete and playing in the state championship game and stuff, but watching your kids do something like that, to me is like a million times better, right?
Bucky Richardson: Oh yeah, no doubt. I mean, I enjoy every minute of it and I see how much he loves it and how hard he works at it, and as a parent, just like any parent, you want your kids to make good decisions, and to put themselves in a position to have some success, whatever that is, and that's really what my wife and I have tried to do. But man, watching them is way more stressful.
Brian Beckcom: (Laughs) No doubt my son just found out he made the varsity basketball team, that’s at Memorial high school which is extremely competitive. There was only five juniors that made the varsity and there are 2000 plus students at the school. I was really nervous about it and really happy it happened.
You know, I read this book, years ago that really made a big impression on me. The book is called Mindset by Carol Dweck, and it basically says that there are two ways of encouraging kids. One, for example is to say, you're so talented, you've got so much talent or you're so smart, like you are really good in math etc. That's one way to do it, and the other way to do it, is to encourage them to work hard, to practice. One is called a fixed and one is called growth mindset.
The problem is, if you tell your kid they're too good too often, when they fail, they will be like, well, I guess I'm not good enough. Whereas if you say, man, you really worked hard, you earned that, and if they run into some obstacles, then they just work harder.
So, speak to that a little bit, because it is a really important point. You talked about how, once a kid or anybody really, has little taste of success, then the motivation becomes internal, right?
It is no longer a dad or mom or coach or whoever, it is their own internal motivation. So talk a little about that, as somebody who has played for some hall of fame coaches, you were an incredible athlete yourself. How do you look at the techniques of encouraging and coaching kids?
Bucky Richardson: Well, being around, the little league and the youth leagues, and now in high school, everybody focuses on the success part, and having success can be tricky, but it's really not a gut check. I've always tried to talk to my son about failures, about when things don't go like you want them to go, and really not enough focus is on that side of it, because the best of the best players, the good players, the great players handle adversity better than others.
Brian Beckcom: Yeah.
Bucky Richardson: Because, when you're playing football, there's so much failure that goes along with it and it's how you process it and handle it that counts. You've got to get to a point where it won't affect your next play; you have to have the short memory as I am sure you have heard before.
Brian Beckcom: Sure
Bucky Richardson: So I talk to John Paul a lot about that body language and handling adversity. Again, kids put so much pressure on themselves already, you know I think back to when I was playing, how much pressure I put on myself to perform, and that's so much pressure and it weighs so heavy on children. I mean, I would look forward to seeing my dad, because I knew I was just going to get a hug and he's going to say how proud he was of me and tell me I did great, so I didn't forget that.
When my son comes home, its ´dad´, its hugs and ´proud of you´ and we just talk about the game in general. I'm not ever critical, I just want to be his dad and his biggest fan, and really, I don't try to be tricky about it. I try to be open and honest and showing that I got his back. That's kind a how I go about it. I see a lot of dads get real technical on their coach 90% of the time, and that's not what kids need and that's not the way to do it, in my opinion.
Brian Beckcom: That's right.
Bucky Richardson: But that's just my opinion, and that's what I focus on and it seemed to have worked well so far.
Sports & Leadership: Dealing With Failure & Adversity
Brian Beckcom: Absolutely, and you know it's fair to say and I think you'll agree with this. There are some very high level athletes that when they're done with sports, they don't do so well. They have money problems or other kinds of problems, and there are all sorts of different reasons for that, but one of the things that I like to keep in mind with my kids who are all playing sports now is, eventually, they're not going to be playing competitive sports. So what are we doing here? I think what we're doing here is we're trying to use sports as a mechanism for teaching character, teaching leadership.
I think what you just brought up is a phenomenal point. Learning how to deal with failure or with adversity is one of the best life skills you can get. I tell people this, when I go try cases, every time I'm done with the trial, I write notes about how the trial went, what I would do differently, what I wouldn't do differently; and what I've found is I don't lose many cases, but when I win cases, the notes goes something like, ´Oh, you're great, keep doing what you're doing´. But when I lose a case, it's like 10 pages of stuff to work on. The point is, I tell people and I tell the lawyers that work for me, you don't learn a whole lot from winning all the time where you learn your lessons is when you run into obstacles, right?
Bucky Richardson: That's correct. The greatest teaching points that I found coaching children were when we lose a game. You can reinforce so many things and still be positive about it. But man, you can really teach kids a lot when they're crying or they're sad and they lost a close game.
To me, it's more difficult to try to tell kids, you need to work harder when you're winning, you've got to be able to continue to work hard and improve and like you said, that's, that's life. You're going to get a lot of bloody noses along the way, and the great ones can handle that. You can get off the mat and keep trucking.
College Football Career
Brian Beckcom: Yeah, that's right. Well, Bucky I think it's fair to say that you are one of the most popular athletes In Texas A&M history, I mean easily, top five for the vast majority of us. And you're also; I think it's fair to say one of the more popular college football players of all time. And so I want to talk a little bit about your college football experience, and what it was about your style of play and what you did that made you such a leader that made so many people want to follow you? A lot of people don't know that you are originally from Louisiana, and if I remember correctly you were a very good baseball and a very good football player in high school and you were trying to decide between LSU and A&M.
Bucky Richardson: Yeah, that's correct.
Brian Beckcom: If I am remembering correctly, you made your decision, right on signing day. I mean, you were pretty close to going to LSU, and then made your decision. So am I remembering that right? And if so, can you tell us about that?
Bucky Richardson:Yeah, it was, it was pretty close to signing day, It wasn't THE day, but you know I had grown up in Baton Rouge, I grew up about 15 miles from tiger stadium. You know, my dad would take me to LSU games since I could remember. It was always going to be cool to be able to play college one day, much less LSU or a place like A&M. But as I got older and got in a position where I was getting recruited, I had a good relationship with the LSU head coach at the time, a guy named Bill Armsbugger, like I did withcoach Sherrill, who was recruiting me at A&M along with Lynn Amity, who's Louisiana guy as well.
So when Armsbugger left, it opened my eyes more about how important my new relationship is with our coach, and Jackie was relentless as anybody and Lynn as well A&M had just come off to a back to back Southwest conference championships. So, the program was in good standing and had good players. That recruiting class was, getting better and better by the week; I think we ended up with the number one recruiting class in the country that year.
Ultimately, when I came on my visit to A&M, I and my mom and dad, and we had a great tour of the campus. This lady that showed us around was just phenomenal and patient, because we had a million questions, and I think after that campus tour, I said, this is where I want to be.
Those kinds of decisions, those big decisions that you make, you educate yourself, and then you follow your gut, you follow your instinct and my gut was telling me this was a place I needed to go and I did it. I can remember calling LSU, I was so nervous. I was calling LSU to tell them that I had chosen Texas A&M and I was going to commit that night.
Brian Beckcom: Yeah. They don't let kids from Louisiana get out of Baton Rouge that easy. That doesn't happen often.
Bucky Richardson: (Laughs) Yeah. And the aftermath of that; some of it was pretty brutal you know, some of the hate mails and the ´how could you do that´?
Brian Beckcom: 17 year old kid, 18 year old kid getting hate mail?
Bucky Richardson: Yeah. That’s pretty much standard you know, they're passionate about it, like they are at A&M, and I tell you, I'm so glad I did because I knew one person A&M, a guy named Wally Hartley, who played, Tight End at my high school, he was two years older than me, so he'd been at A&M a couple of years. But leaving my home, my mom, dad and family and getting in my car and driving six hours to college station, made me grow up fast, and I was homesick probably for a year, trying to work through all that stuff.
But once I got situated and acclimated and being able to play as a true freshman, I really didn't have time to worry too much about, anything, but I tell you it's just a great place, and it’s the hardest decision I've probably ever had to make, but it ended up being the best decision I ever made too.
Brian Beckcom: You said some really good things there as it relates to leadership. One of which I almost got chills down my spine, was when you said, at the end of the day, you can analyze the decision up and down all you want. But, when your gut is telling you something, when your instincts are telling you something, you're smart to listen to it.
I'll tell you what Bucky, it took me a long time to realize that it wasn't until I was maybe in my late thirties, that I started to look back on my life and say; you know the times where I ignored my instincts, ignored my guts were bad decisions, right?
Bucky Richardson: Yeah
Brian Beckcom: You know, I read this book by an international security guy. He provides security for the likes Jeff Bezos and all these famous people. His name is Gavin de Becker, and he wrote a book about giving advice to people about personal security. One of the things he says in it is, trust your instincts. If something is off, you should listen to your instincts because they're there for a reason. It's the same thing with making any decisions like you're talking about; trust your gut, and most of the time you're going to make a good decision, right?
Bucky Richardson: Yeah. You know, I tell my kids that all the time. I mean, we try to educate them on good and bad, on right and wrong and making good decisions, and that kind of stuff is all of us parents do. But I tell them, you know, mom and dad, are not going to be there all the time and wherever you are, however old you are, if your instinct is telling you, ´I need to get out of here´, you get out of there.
Brian Beckcom: Yeah, exactly.
Bucky Richardson: Most of the time you're going to be right, and on top of that, you're not going to miss anything either. Yeah. Follow your instinct. I am a big believer in that, for sure, and I talk about it all the time with my kids, you know?
Brian Beckcom: Well, I'll remember this. I showed up to A&M in 1991, although they didn't call it this back then, but I was a preferred ´walk on´, which meant I had a spot on the basketball team. I didn't have to try it out, but man, the first day I was there, I was in the locker room getting changed or something and I think it might have been Sam and maybe Eric England, but it was, it was two of the big defensive linemen recruit, big dudes. They walked up to me and they said, hey man, welcome to the football team, you're the kicker right now, because I weighed about 180 pounds at the time.
(Both Laugh)
Bucky, the reason I bring that up is because I remember, NET´EM STEAD was where the athletes used to lift weights, and we had these names up on the wall of people that had the best 40 yard dash, best bench press, squat, Olympic lifts etc. As a quarterback with guys like Quentin out on the team, I remember seeing your name up there as one of the strongest guys on the Texas A&M football team.
I want to say that you were a really unique player. I mean, you were a quarterback, who wore one of those damn neck braces that middle linebacker wore; I mean quarterbacks don't wear those anymore.
(Both Laugh) Then you come to A&M, we're coming off two very good seasons, so it's not like it was a rebuilding thing or something, and you play your freshman year, and your first game, you ran for an 82 yard touchdown if I'm remembering that, right?
Bucky Richardson: Yeah.
Brian Beckcom: So what is it like, because it’s funny, but you and I are basically the polar opposites of college athlete, I was a walk on and I played in eight games and scored two points. You, you come in, you are the quarterback of a very prominent division one football team, you are freshmen, and all of a sudden, you're starting at 18 years old and you're successful. So what was that like?
Bucky Richardson: It was a whirlwind. I think my, the work that I did in high school and the off season, with the weights, we had a US Olympic powerlifting coach in Baton Rouge, a guy by the name of Gail Hatch. He was there at the local club and he was very selective about the athletes who he let work out with him. He had one rule, if you miss a workout, don't come back.
Brian Beckcom: Really?
Bucky Richardson: Yeah. So, it was kind of ingrained in me that, that was something that just was going to get done, and it was a priority in my day. We did a lot of power cleans, a lot of platform work, clean and jerk and a lot of Olympic lifts. Those movements and those lifts are so good for football, and I think the reason I was able to get in a position to play as a true freshmen was, physically I was ready to do it. A lot of kids that get to college are really good players, but they are just not quite there physically.
You see it a lot in the linemen, because that's so much more of a physical position. They need a year or two, to get their bodies where they can stay healthy and be productive. So, I really think that, that put me in that position where the coaches kept saying, ´okay, well maybe he is ready physically and he will learn enough mentally with the playbook´ that kind of thing. So I attribute early playing time to just physically being ready to take, take the hits and to compete at that level.
Thanks to go Gale Hatch and a lot of those guys back in Baton Rouge that prepared me. But you know, it was fast movement, I mean, it was blowing and was to redshirt. You know Kelvin Murray had left a year before, so Craig Stomp was there, he was a 5th year senior and a great guy. He mentored me and helped a lot and he is now the head coach here locally in Houston, out in Caseta.
Brian Beckcom: Nice. I didn't know that. Yeah. Nice.
Bucky Richardson: Yeah, and he is doing great. So he was a big positive to me, in my freshman year. We were playing in Jackson Mississippi, I want to say, it’s the second or the third game or so...
Brian Beckcom: Do you remember the name of the quarterback?
(Both Laugh)
Bucky Richardson: Yeah, a scrub named Brett Favre. He was a redshirt freshman at Southern Miss in 1987. You know the game goes on and you can tell instantly that Brett Favre was pretty damn good and nobody ever heard of him back then and he was throwing the ball around and making plays and it was a close game. We were struggling a little bit on our offense, Darren Lewis and I got the ball a lot in that game and we both played a lot in that game. Darren had a bunch of yards and I was able to break the long run and move the offense a little bit.
I remember when Coach Sherrill, walked up to me on the sideline, even though we never talked about it going into that game that week, and so casually said to me ´´get loose, you are going in next series´´.
Brian Beckcom: (Laughs) Oh man!
Bucky Richardson: Of course I thought he was kidding you know, I said what? I couldn't believe it. I said are you sure? I am going in next series? He said yeah, get loose, and it took me about 3 minutes to find my helmet, you know when all these things are racing through your mind. But I am really grateful that Coach Sherrill gave me the opportunity, I mean if coaches don’t trust you, they won’t play you.
Brian Beckcom: But it’s not just that he gave you the opportunity Bucky, you are humble like most of the leaders I have talked to. You know, doing this podcast, it’s been super cool because I have been able to see people, whether its US congressmen, Coach Slocum, coach Sherrill, a Marine, Combat veteran, all these leaders, there are patterns and one of them is, most of the leaders I have talked to are humble. You are a humble guy, so it wasn't just that coach Sherrill gave you an opportunity, it’s that you took advantage of that opportunity, and it’s kind of interesting to me because - I hope you don’t mind me making this comparison, but you were Johnny Football before Johnny Football, before social media and all that stuff.
It’s interesting, because I think one of Journeyman L first big plays was an 80 something yard touchdown run and it was against Southern Mississippi and very similar to your situation but you coming in as a true freshman and basically leading the team to victory. Then after that, your career is like something out of the movies, I mean 2 South-West Conference Championships, 3 Bowl games. We can talk about your college football experience for hours, but let me ask you a couple of questions that I am really curious to know about. In your mind, what was the biggest game or the most important game that you ever played in College?
Bucky Richardson: You know, oddly enough, looking back to my freshman year, the Texas game on Thanksgiving night in 1987 was for the Conference Championship and we ended winning the game 20-13, but looking back to what was on the line, the Conference Championship, that was a pretty big game.
I mean looking back, all the Texas games were big, of course the Bowl games were big, the Conference games were big but I am not sure I played in another game that had many ramifications to it. So that was the big one for sure.
You know then I was too young to even comprehend what was really going on, I appreciate it so much more now, because it’s hard to win a Championship at any level and any sport, so don’t take it for granted when you win one, because you might never get another opportunity.
So that was a big deal and we ended up winning the Conference Championship again in my senior year, which was a lot of fun but all the Texas games were big games for us, the rivalry of that.
Brian Beckcom: And beating Texas, whether they were up or down, was always a battle and Texas obviously one of the most storied college football programs ever, so to go beat them, whether we are number 2 in the country or they are number 2 in the country, is tough and there were multiple games where there were upsets.
Bucky Richardson: Yeah.
Fame As A Young Athlete
Brian Beckcom: That doesn't surprise me to hear that. Well, let me ask you, you know, you said something just now about not really appreciating the significance of that game. Like I said, you were one of those really popular players but before social media, and so nowadays, you know, instead of getting letters from disgruntled fans when you committed to A&M you'd get tweets or, you know Facebook comments or stuff like that.
What was it like being so popular and so well loved, I know you were probably hated by some of the other team (Both Laugh) but what was it like, as a young kid, a 19, 20, 21 year old kid having to deal with all that instant notoriety and fame?
Bucky Richardson: Well, I mean the Aggie nation has been so kind to me through the years, over the years when I was playing and after my football was. I mean it’s great, it’s such a complement, it’s so humbling when somebody walks over to you, even today and wants to take a picture with or want you to take a picture with their children or just want to shake your hands.
I mean, to me it is the most humbling thing in the world and it makes me appreciate how much people care about their team and about their players. I don’t really know another way to describe it, it’s the ultimate complement and that’s the way I have always taken it, I never say no, I always have time, because I know for a lot of people, it takes a lot of courage to walk over to somebody you never met and introduce yourself. You know I have been that way to other people too.
(Both Laugh)
Brian Beckcom: No way! Not Bucky Richardson, c'mon! You know, it's funny you say that because you and I played golf. This was probably about 5 or 6 years ago. We played with a friend of ours, Dale Jefferson. I texted my dad, who was a Walk On, on a football team of Class '65, who's dad was Class '38, huge Aggie. I said dad, hey, I am playing golf with Bucky right now, and he goes...Oh, cool! Then he told his sister, and she goes `oh my God, I can’t believe you are playing with Bucky Richardson, that kind of thing.
(Both Laugh)
Can you imagine being Johnny Manziel or Cam or one of these guys in the age of social media where every single thing you do, gets filmed and twitted and Facebooked, I mean these guys are under a tremendous amount of pressure and sometimes I think we lose sight of the fact that they are still kids.
Bucky Richardson: Yeah. Oh yeah. I am grateful and thankful we didn't have that stuff back when we were at school.
Brian Beckcom: Me too
Bucky Richardson: You know, it's so hard growing up already, just trying to figure things out and growing up and trying to stay out of trouble, this just makes it easier for kids to get in a bad spot, and it’s a whole new set of issues that children have to deal with, that we didn’t. So it’s like our era was a lot simpler in a lot of ways. The on-field stuff and the actual playing the sport and doing all that are very comparable but it’s just off the field, managing what you are saying and doing and where you are going off the field - it brings that to the surface real quick and a lot of kids can and do handle it, and a lot of kids struggle with it and we see it every day.
Brian Beckcom: For sure. Well, as the quarterback of a major division one school, you are going to take the credits for the wins and you are going to get the criticisms for the losses, whether it’s true or not, I mean that’s just part of being in that position, generally speaking.
So are you one of those athletes that would look at the press clippings of the negatives and the positives or do you just ignore all that stuff when you were playing?
Bucky Richardson: I try to ignore it, you know, I just cared about winning and when we didn't win, I took it harder than anybody.
You know, quarterbacks, that position, a lot of time we get singled out and probably get more credit than we deserved and then on the other side too, we might get a little bit more criticism when we are not successful. But that's part of the position and that part of what we talked about a little earlier about being able to handle that criticism, being able to see somebody write something that you know is not true or not accurate and just his opinion and not let it affect you. That's part of the mental toughness that it takes to, play the next play, go to the next day, practice harder the next day. You know, just continue to try to improve because you are not going to make everybody happy all the time, you’re never going to make everybody happy, so you can’t worry about it. Your family, your friends, your teammates is all you should care about.
Brian Beckcom: I tell my kids all the time, I say if everybody likes you, you're probably not doing anything of importance. I mean if you are doing anything of importance, then you are probably going to have some people that won’t like you.
Bucky Richardson: Leadership is not a popularity contest.
Brian Beckcom: I love that.
Bucky Richardson: I had a great relationship with all my linemen, you know, and we held each other accountable. I would say things to them that they didn’t like, and then I would say things to them that they didn’t like, but that’s part of respecting each other, trying to get the best out of each other and there were often some heated exchanges, but it was out of love, not curses. You know we were trying to win a game, win a battle and you got to be able to do that.
Brian Beckcom: Let's talk about one of my favorite battles that you ever won; the 1990 holiday bowl. So, let me give a little bit of background on this, and then you can tell it from your perspective. From my perspective, BYU was acting like they were too good for us; they didn't want to play us because they thought they were way better than us. They thought they deserved a better bowl game, and so we went in there to play the holiday ball and they were wrong about that. I'll just put it that way.
So Bucky Richardson, once all said and done, I think had two rushing touchdowns, one passing touchdown, and caught a TD. At the final score, I mean, it was almost like they had to invoke the mercy rule at one point. So tell us about what that game was like from your perspective. Bucky
Bucky Richardson: Yeah, that game was as of course great, whenever you can win a bowl game like that, it's a great memory. But you know I remember when Coach Slocum told us we were going to play in the Holiday Bowl, we were all excited. We felt like we deserved the January 1 game, we had a really good team and we were playing well towards the end of the season but nonetheless, we ended up at the Holiday Bowl out in San Diego, Jack Murphy Stadium, which was a great place to go visit for a week and to play out in San Diego.
So we were excited about that, excited to get to play a top 10 team, and BYU at the time was about 5 or 6.
Brian Beckcom: Yeah, they were highly ranked.
Bucky Richardson: They were highly ranked and we were around 10 or 11, I believe if I'm not mistaken. I remember in the days and the weeks that followed, because there was about a month lag right before you get to play in the Bowl game, they were coming out articles, BYU players were upset because they felt like A&M wasn’t ranked high enough, they deserved a ranking opponent, a better opponent.
Of course our coaches do a good job of cutting those articles out, highlighting some of the things they were saying. We were walking by it all day, every day, reading it, seeing it and it was great motivation for us.
We had good preparation in college station before we left to go to San Diego; we were there a week early. I have forgotten the name of the school we practiced at, it was a Junior College there in the San Diego area, and man, I don’t think I have ever been on a team that had such good practices, leading up to a game. We were having a ton of fun and had all these activities, went to see all these things, and go eat at the school places. When we took that bus over to the Junior College, it was like we had blinders on and we dialed it in for those 2 or 3 hours every day and had great practices.
Everybody was on their toes, and we played like we practiced that week. I can remember Coach Slocum telling us, guys I knew we were going to play well, because we practiced great. The tricky thing about Bowl game is, when you go, you got all these other stuff going on, and you got to dial in and get your work done and get your practice in and get your prep in, so you can play well.
We did that and showed up, you know, they got jumped on and Todd Dapper was their quarterback on the Heisman.
Brian Beckcom: Yeah, very good quarterback, great player.
Bucky Richardson: And they jumped up seven nothing on us, I think they scored on their first possession and we got the ball and answered right back. So it's seven to seven. Then we just started, our defense played great shutting down a great BYU offense, and our offense was clicking. I don’t think I have been in or played in a game where everything we did just worked, just like they were supposed to. It was one of those magical nights where things went our way, things went well, and we executed great game plan.
I mean all that stuff, it was a great memory, a great trip, everything about that trip was just so much fun and a beautiful place in San Diego. It was a big deal, I think it catapulted us into 91 season too. I think the reason why we played so well, was because we were focused.
Brian Beckcom: What another great insight into leadership. I hear this from prominent trial lawyers all the time, too. They say we don't win the cases at the courthouse. We win the cases in the two or three months beforehand. It's all in the preparation. So you know, these lessons, I think apply kind of across the board, you don't win, if you don't prepare well.
Bucky Richardson: You know Brian, like I tell my son, if you want to have fun on Friday night, and we’re in February right now. This is where you're creating the fun. There is a process to that for sure.
Brian Beckcom: I've been telling my son for a while I say, listen, I want you to have fun, that's number one, but guess what? Winning is a lot more fun than losing and learning how to win, you get prepared to win six months before the season actually starts. Right?
Bucky Richardson: That's right.
Brian Beckcom: Well, Bucky, let me ask you one more question about your college football experience. Because I'm curious, who's the best college football player you ever played against or with, for either from a talent standpoint or from a productivity standpoint. If you can't pick the best, maybe give us one or two who, when you were playing with them, you're just like, wow! This, this guy's on a different level.
Bucky Richardson: Yeah. I played with a lot of good players at A&M. Darren Lewis was an incredible running back, he had power, he had speed. he was a great teammate, he was productive he was consistent and all those things. Greg Hill is a little bit different kind of running back, Richmond Webb was a great Lineman, he should end up in the hall of fame at some point, and he is just a super, super guy.
I think one of the guys that I played against that I was in awe of, was Barry Sanders. We played them in ’88 in Stillwater and just got our brains beat out but I just remember watching Barry that night, he would make moves, six, seven yards deep in the backfield, and we had a really good defense. We were pretty good, and he would do things six or seven yards from the line of scrimmage and just create his own crease, almost. He was just an unbelievable talent, speed and strength and quickness and moves. He returned to punt for a touchdown on a set night and just ran up and down the field. I don’t think I have ever been wowed more than I was that night by somebody that I played against.
Brian Beckcom: So you finished up your college career at A&M and you were drafted into pros, I think by the Houston Oilers at first.
Bucky Richardson: Yeah.
Brian Beckcom: Let's just say, don't take this wrong way, Bucky. Let's just say you were not the prototypical quarterback, right?
(Both Laugh)
Bucky Richardson: Of course, I wasn’t. No.
Brian Beckcom: Yeah. So when you played in the pros, there were two plays that I remembered the most. The one I probably remember the most is when you threw a touchdown pass left-handed and you are right-handed. I think it was just to win the game, and the reason I loved that play so much is because it epitomizes the way you played. You would have bounced the ball off your forehead, if you needed to, just to score a touchdown. You just did whatever it took.
The other play I remember, which I think was against the cowboys, somebody was offside or something and they blew the whistle and the cowboy defense then decided that he didn’t hear it and he comes in and he just blasted you, and they didn’t call for a penalty.
Bucky Richardson: His name was Charles Haley.
Brian Beckcom: Wow. I didn't know that was Charles Haley.
Bucky Richardson: And he was the only one in the stadium that didn't hear that whistle. That was the first game I ever started In the NFL and we lost a close game to Dallas. We played up in the cowboy stadium.
You know, it was one of those, they jumped, you jumped, we jumped, and they jumped. Its kind of confusing. And half the guys are gone and half the guys aren't going then of course they blew the whistle. So I immediately just relaxed, which you should never do by the way. So I just kind of relaxed and Haley was coming right at me, I don’t think I saw him coming, because I would have gotten out of his way or tried to, but he put his head gear right in my chest plate and just took me to the ground. I remember shaking that thing off and looking at the official going, if I was Troy Aikman, would you have shown the flag?
Brian Beckcom: (Laughs continuously) A little different back then, I was watching the NBA, man the physicality of it, I mean every one of those players would be getting kicked out of the game nowadays for what they were doing back then.
Bucky Richardson: I think a lot of those changes are for the better, I mean the more educated we get on things, we got to make it safer, as safe as we possibly can, technologies with the helmets and protocols and all those things that we didn’t have back when I played.
You know back then, you get dinged, you shake it off, you are going back in. I think what you were talking about was a pre-season game, oddly enough against the cowboys, and we drove down the field in 45 or 50 seconds and were able to throw a touchdown there at the end and win a pre-season game. But that is a big deal as a rookie, because you don’t know how many opportunities you are going to get, so when you get one, to go in and take advantage of it and it 2 minute offense type of drive to win a game, I think helped me make the team.
Brian Beckcom: I think at one point, Bucky, you were asked by maybe one or more teams if you would be interested in playing fullback or safety I think, and you never ended up doing that. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Bucky Richardson: Yeah. I was in Houston for my 4th training camp and got cut, and that was when they hired Jeff Fisher, drafter Steve Mcnair from Alcorn state and I ended getting cut in that training camp and New England picked me up waivers, back when Bill Parcells was their head coach and Drew Bledsoe was their quarterback. I went up there, and it was the next day and I remember I was just heartbroken that I had gotten cut, you know, what it means and what's going to happen, am I ever going to play again? So that afternoon, my agent calls me and says New England just picked you up off waivers, I just bought you a flight ticket, you are going to Boston tomorrow.
I was like, what? What are you talking about? So I did that and I was crying my eyes out on the way home from San Antonio. I got on the plane the next day and went to Boston and their training camp was about an hour or so drive, small school outside of Boston. The guy that picked me up said coach Parcells wants to talk to you before you do anything. I said OK, that fine. So, I got there and coach Parcells basically told me, I am not sure what position I am going to like you at better, but I want to play you of course on all special teams. I want to play you at fullback, H back, Tight End, and he said I know you have been playing quarterback a long time and I just think you are good enough athlete, that maybe you can fill that void for us.
He goes, if you don’twant to do that, if you don’t agree, I will release you right now and get you back to the airport and you can see if another team wants to pick you up to play quarterback. Of course, I am not going to tell coach no, that was just my attitude. I said coach, I will do whatever you want, I am here and I appreciate you all picking me up, I'd love to be a New England Patriot. That was my attitude, of course I ended up getting cut later in training camp, and then Dallas actually picked me up, that was all in '95 training camp.
Brian Beckcom: You were backing up a moose, Darrell Johnson. I think it was.
Bucky Richardson: Yeah. You know, what was weird about Dallas, is, there was like a week left in training camp and I thought, why would Dallas even bother signing me, if they didn’t think I would have a spot, they had to feel good about me being on the team in some capacity. But I ended up getting cut, it was me and another guy, we were down to the last spot, there were two of us.
So I got cut, and didn’t play in '95 and I was always sitting by the phone, I was staying in shape and doing my thing and Kansas city chief ended up calling me, and signing me and wanted me to play quarterback which I wanted to do. Steve Bono was our starting quarterback at the time and Rich Gannon was the backup.
Rich Gannon's contract was up and he was holding out, they didn’t know if they were going to be able to re-sign him or not, and they signed me. So I actually moved to Kansas city that off season, I kept my house in Houston and I had an apartment in Kansas city and just poured into that off season program and playbook and really tried to mentally get up to speed, you know for when the preseason games rolled around, I could compete and play and play well. I did that and I ended up getting cut, last cut again and that was when I knew in my heart that, maybe it’s time for me to move on and do something else.
I was as prepared as I have ever been, I was in great shape, I did everything right, I played well when I got a chance to play and it just didn’t happen, and I was fixing to get married. I came home and I said, maybe its time for me to move on, but my agent was like, no, lets hang in there. He was talking to the Canadian Lake, Montreal Alouettes, and he was like, go to Montreal with me and lets go meet with the Alouttes and see if we can get something worked out, they really want you. I said well, it wouldn't hurt to go visit with him and just see what it is and go check out Montreal, where they play, where they train and all that stuff. We spent the weekend up there, with the GM and then we got into contract talks and at the time, I was kinda already checked out, in my heart. I told my agent that time, I said Frank, I am not feeling it, of course its good money but its in Canada and again, I just followed my instinct. Something was telling me that it was time to move on and I did. So in '96 I retired from playing.
Brian Beckcom: You gave it everything you had, in high school and college and the pros and I would think that you can look back and basically have no regrets, I mean you did just about everything you can possibly do in football.
I want to ask you one or two quick questions, because all athletes have these war stories, these funny stories about stuff that have nothing to do with the actual game itself. So I will give you an example, when I was playing at A&M, I didnt play much, so me and my Wacom buddies, we used scope out the stands to see which school had the best looking Co-eds.
I have heard that you had a couple of those stories, one of which was that you had a guy when you were in Houston, who would sell you a hotdog on the stands. (Laughs)
Bucky Richardson: Yeah. Actually it was the Buffalo, in my rookie year; I think Warren Moon was our quarterback. A Hall of Famer, unbelievable passer, and man he could just throw the heck out of it. I dont know how this eventually got out but, we were playing Buffalo in the playoffs and we were winning by 35, 38 points. 10 minutes left in the third quarter you know, I'm third team going into that game at the time, Warren Moon, Cody Carlson and me. So you know, I'm not gonna play. So me and another guy on the team saw this guy eating a hot dog, and we asked one of our trainers, can y'all go get me and Gary a hot dog? He said sure, and he got us a hot dog during the game. (Both Laugh) We had to hide it though.
Somehow, that ended up getting out and we've had lots of laughs about it ever since, but yeah, we actually ate a hot dog on the sideline.
Brian Beckcom: (Prolonged laughter) What about the story about the Skydiving?
Bucky Richardson: Yeah, not smart. During the season, our off day was Tuesday, everybody had off on Tuesday. We played Sunday, film and workout on Monday, we had off Tuesday and then we started the work week on Wednesdays, getting ready for the next game.
So, I was good friends with, and still am with Gary Wellman, who played Oilers for three, four years as well with me. He played receiver at USC with Rodney P, so of course, the quarterback receiver, we hit it off instantly. He was one of the first guys I met when I got to training camp there and we have been friends ever since. Greg Montgomery was our punter, from Michigan State. He just recently passed away, I dont know if you heard that or not but, the three of us decided that, we wanted to go Skydiving on our off day, during the season, which is not smart.
Brian Beckcom: How do you look back on that? You'd be like, man, we'd play 36 holes of golf right? (Laughs)
Bucky Richardson: I could just tell you, I wouldn't have done well with social media either if I'm going skydiving on my day off. So, yeah, we went Skydiving, of course it was scary and fun and thank goodness nothing happened to any of use, it was successful from that regard. Then we showed up Wednesday, back to practice and coach Bardy came over to me and said, I understand you went skydiving yesterday. Of course I wasn’tgoing to lie to him, so I said yeah, it was fun, we had a great time, you know it was our day off, whatever.
He just ripped me a new one, he said, dont you ever, ever do that again. It didnt even really register to us that it was a really dumb idea, particularly during the season.
Brian Beckcom: And it's not just that skydiving is kinda dangerous, but also you guys in NFL and all Pro sports have contracts that say there are certain things you can and cannot do during the season.
Bucky Richardson: Yeah. It was just a bad decision, and we were quickly told 'That was stupid, dont do that again or else'. Being 51 now and looking back and remembering all that, its pretty funny now for sure.
Business Career: Mentors & Mindset About Business
Brian Beckcom: Well, Bucky, you had obviously the kind of athletic career that most people can only dream of, but then when you hung up your cleats, You started in the business world and you've had a very successful business career as well. So tell us real quick, and I know we've gone a little bit over our time, so I've got a couple more questions for you. If you got a few more minutes, you got a few more minutes Bucky?
Bucky Richardson: Yeah, sure.
Brian Beckcom: Okay, cool. So like we were talking about earlier, there are athletes and other people that have a lot of success when they're young and then when the fans go away, when the popularity goes away, when all that stuff goes away, they dont do very well. So what do you think it was about you in particular, I mean you went from being one of the most famous people in the country, and then being a Pro athlete, and then all of a sudden, all that goes away.
So what was it about you in particular, that you were able to transition, from that sort of adulation and accolades into just being a dad and a husband and a business man?
Bucky Richardson: Yeah. You know, I see a lot of players struggle with that Brian. I tell people, you are gonna eat a big old piece of humble pie because really, that life is such a fairytale and with the fans and the travels and the way you are treated, the money you make, all those things, its all because you have a jersey and people think that lasts forever, and it doesnt. I think you just have to take some humbleness about you and you go the next chapter of your life. My father instilled that in me, to be able to handle that, and also the guy I went to work for, 23 years ago. A guy named CharlyMilstead, who actually played quarterback at A&M, Class of '61
Brian Beckcom: What a man, what a man. My dad remembers going to watch him play in the Pros
Bucky Richardson: Yeah. He's still with us. He's, he's suffering from dementia pretty bad and Parkinson's
Brian Beckcom: I am really good friends with Lao. So I hear about it.
Bucky Richardson: Charly was a great mentor for me at the time and just having gone through what he had gone through many years before, but he was a good sounding board for me and he believed in me. I will never forget, he told me Bucky, you are used to game day being on Saturday or on Sunday, its no different in business, except every day is game day. He allowed me to be me, he was patient with me, taught me a lot about business, believed in me and gave me a chance and I just ran with it.
Brian Beckcom: Probably kicked your butt in golf every time he played too. Very good golfer
Bucky Richardson: He would wear me out. You know he is just a good athlete, but he's one of the kindest, sweetest men and most unselfish. He's not a hypocrite. I mean, I can go on and on and on and just very blessed to have somebody like that when I first got into business, to be there to guide me and show me how to do it.
Brian I will tell you, it took me a few years, mentally to deprogram, because those burst of adrenaline and those natural highs, nothing can compare to when you are in the locker room full of your teammates and there are 80, 90 or a 100 thousand people out there running out on that field, fixing to play a game, I mean you can’t duplicate that euphoria.
In the business world, there are many days you get excited but its different, its not the same feeling, its just different. I've had a lot of teammates who have struggled post football career, transitioning into the business world. Sometimes its hard to watch because its just not easy, but I think that having my dad, my wife and working with someone likeCharly, really made it easier.
Brian Beckcom: Having a mentor and in particular, a mentor that can really empathize with your experience no matter who you are, is exceptionally important. You know, I am sitting here when you are talking about this, drawing parallel, I have a lot friends, my dad was a military, grandfather, older brother, my mother was an airforce nurse, she died when I was 10 but I have much of military people and I have a bunch of friends who are in the Marines, Army, Airforce, you name it, because I was in the corps cadets, Its very similar to the way I have heard it described when you go to combat. When you go to combat,it’s like the most intent, you are a member of a team, you are so close and the adrenaline is off the charts. So when some of our veterans come back, man, thats hard to readjust to, to just being part of a normal society.
I did a Podcast 2 days ago with a lady who started a veteran support group for that very reason to what athletes go through right?
Bucky Richardson: Yeah. Football is as probably close to as you can get, to somebody that is in the military. Now nothing compares to the military but we are making comparison of the feeling, the adrenaline, the brotherhood, my comrade, my team mate, my brother. I mean that's just a special, different environment and when you are immersed in that environment for so long, its hard to deprogram when all that is over because its part of who you are and you have to figure out a way to channel it differently and you have to have people around you that believe in you and support you, because its humbling.
You are basically starting over you know, I am a rookie again, I am a freshman again, I am the young guy again going into that next phase of your life and its important to have people around you that can help you through that, because its hard to do by yourself.
Brian Beckcom: You've done, by any measure, a phenomenal job of that, and you know I would say the number one marker of that is, you are obviously a great husband and you're a great father. I have one more question for you. One of the reasons I started this podcast, Bucky, was during quarantine, I kind of was just sick and tired of seeing all the negativity and everybody bitching about everything. Everybody fighting with everybody, so I wanted to feature people like you, that are positive action based leaders.
So I guess my last question for you, Bucky is, what are you telling the people around you? What are you telling your kids, your friends, your family, about, you know, we're still in the middle of this pandemic? We've got these protests and some racial unrest and political stuff, is crazy, no matter what side you're on.
So it's tough times for a lot of people. And so what do you see over the next six, eight, 12 months? What are you telling people about how we can get through all this stuff? As a country together, like coach us up a little bit, tell us what advice you have.
Bucky Richardson: Well, it's been hard, you know, it's been hard for everybody, it's something that we've never lived through or had to deal with. When I think about all that, a lot of emotions run through me. Most of it is, confusion, some sadness, to see people going out of business that didn't do anything wrong, to see of course, people that are dying. In essence is like you just do what you can do. Follow the rules, always be part of the solution, there are the experts who are trying to lead us in the right way and I think it is fluid. New things are popping up, they are learning new things all the time, and I think this is just one of those times you just have to tighten up your bootstraps and get through the next day.
You know as a dad, with kids in school, you know my son being a senior and my youngest daughter being a junior in high school, to see how it has affected them and by not physically being able to go to school, and I never thought I could hear my kids say 'I miss school'.
Brian Beckcom: (Laughs) Same here.Same here, Bucky.
Bucky Richardson: Yeah. When it's taken away, you realize how good it is, you know, and I think a lot of the things that we're used to have been kind of taken away from us, andits hard to comprehend really.
I just always believe in being part of the solution and I'm going to do do as much as I can, the right way, to help get through it faster because I'm ready for things to get back to normal and see people smiling again and see people free.
Brian Beckcom: You and me both brother, and I told my kids, they just went back to school in person last week. I said, you know, don't go to any big parties before the week, the day before. I mean, be smart about it because you guys want to be in school. You want to play sports, I want that to happen to, so let's make some sacrifices that aren't really that big a sacrifice, so we can do all this stuff right?
Bucky Richardson: Right. Yeah. I just really feel for, you know, all the people, business wise. Nobody ever saw this coming, you know, and all of a sudden they shut your doors and they tell you, you can't open. Man, its just, a lot of sadness, you know, a lot of sadness looking at that, having to see that as much as we are right now.
Brian Beckcom: Well, John Powel Richardson, AKA Bucky. I have to tell you, man, you gave so much pleasure and satisfaction and happiness and memories to so many people, and I think in my opinion, the reason that people loved you so much is because, even when you were playing that Bucky Richardson was a leader, Bucky Richardson left it all on the field. He went out there. He played his ass off as hard as he could, every game. That's why people love you man.
I just want to say that, you know, it feels so weird to say this Bucky, because you're only two years older than me, but you were one of my athletic heroes when I was at A&M. I know I am speaking for a lot of people when I say that, but more importantly, not only were you great athlete that gave a lot of people, a lot of happiness and a lot of memories, but you've turned into a great human being and a great businessmen, and like we said earlier, most importantly, a great husband and great father. So Bucky, really appreciate your time. I know you got a lot going on, man. This was an awesome time, let's go play golf sometime.
Bucky Richardson: Let's do it, Brian, I applaud you for all your success on the podcast. I've heard nothing but great things and I appreciate all, all your nice words. It means a lot and Aggies have been good to me for sure.
Brian Beckcom: Gig 'em Aggie'
Bucky Richardson: Gig 'em
