Luke McCown comes from a quarterback family. Both he and brother Josh made it to the NFL. And while Luke's career was destined for backup duty, he lasted 13 years in the league. More importantly, it turned out to be his mission field. Grounded in his faith in Jesus early in life, McCown shares his story in Part 1 of a two-part interview.
The Dan Scott Show Podcast
Dan Scott Sports/Faith Show - Luke McCown (12-8-24)
The following program is presented by Ingalls and is a service of Grand Slam Ministries Good Sunday morning everybody and welcome to this week's edition of the dance God show Fox Sports up state ESPN Asheville. It is good to be with you. I hope and pray that everything is going well With you. Can you believe that the college football season is winding down? We're into playoffs and bowl season as of this week ahead and the NFL season is heading down the home stretch It's really incredible how quickly time moves forward, especially when you get older, you know when when you were a kid it seemed like things just dragged by and You know, I'm 57 now God allows me to see April the 14th. I'll be 58 Time is marching on and it seems like it's marching in double time But anyway, we're gonna try to make best use of the time that we have and Speaking of football. We've got a good show for you this morning as We talk with a 13 year NFL quarterback by the name of Luke McCown now This is actually going to be the first of two parts with Luke because our interview Ended up going so long and I didn't feel like cutting any of it because he's got some great insight into Not only playing collegiately playing in the NFL largely as a backup quarterback for 13 years but how God used his destinations and his I Guess predestination if you will as an NFL backup quarterback to impact the lives of so many different people It's really an amazing story when you can sit back and watch it from from the end and look back and see what he's done So Luke McCown is our guest We will talk to him when we come back, but as you know, this show is presented by our friends at Ingalls and Ingalls only sells USDA choice or prime beef and it's always cut in the store Ingalls meat managers are just like your friendly neighborhood butcher the meat is cut fresh and to order Ingalls low prices and Love the savings. We'll take a break and come back and get into part one with former NFL quarterback Luke McCown on The other side stay with us Welcome to the Ingalls table a delicious destination with recipes galore Need to whip up a dessert entree side dish no problem The experts from the Ingalls table take you through it step-by-step with expert tips and advice along the way Find the Ingalls table at Ingalls - markets.com or swing by the store and pick up your free copy of the Ingalls table magazine And let's get cooking Ingalls low prices love the savings Upward sports equips churches to run self-sustaining sports ministries in their communities whether you're a sports fanatic or on staff at a church Upward sports will give you all the tools you need to run a first-class sports ministry that allows you to reach families in your community Upper sports offers basketball soccer flag football cheerleading volleyball baseball and softball through league and camp offerings at upward sports We want to help your church make a difference and give you increased opportunities to share the gospel Learn more today at upward org. That's upward dot o-r-g Follow us on social media Dan Scott show on X and Instagram plus dance personal and public figure pages on Facebook now back to the show Did you know that Ingalls has donated more than 18 million dollars to schools in our market areas? You can help by linking your Ingalls advantage card to the school of your choice And when you shop you're also earning money for that school schools can select from the number one supplier of school supplies in the world Everything from pencils to computer labs to stem visit the website Ingalls - markets.com And click on tools for schools to learn how you can help students and teachers right here at home Dan Scott program presented by Ingalls good to be with you on Fox Sports upstate and ESPN Asheville Our guest this week is former NFL quarterback Luke McCown And it's an interesting story, you know as you get older you forget things like I do remember in 2001 when I was working as still as a sports writer and had just Not quite a full year been the the host of the old radio show on the Clemson flagship station the three-hour daily talk show Going to Boise, Idaho to cover Clemson playing Louisiana Tech in what was then known as the humanitarian bowl on the blue field I Had forgotten That Louisiana Tech's quarterback was a sophomore at the time by the name of Luke McCown and Sure enough as I got to doing research when we were getting ready to do the interview You know the light bulb comes on so we had a chance to talk and laugh about that a little bit and talk about his career and his impact The impact I should say that Christ has made through Luke Not only as a quarterback, but as a husband and a father as well So this will be part one of two will finish this interview up next week But here is the first part of our conversation with former NFL quarterback Luke McCown beginning with him telling us what life is like right now Yeah, well, it consists of Mainly being a dad so that includes football games and training sessions and basketball games and dance lessons not that I give dance lessons. I don't give dance lessons I hate girls to dance lessons, but but that's what it You know mostly revolves around and then I live on a we have a 400 acre ranch that I that I just kind of fiddle around on and manage myself. It's we we hunt and fish and stuff like that and so enjoy the heck out of that and You know and serving in my community how I however I can find a way to try and help people and and serving my church and So yeah, just a normal life normal life outside of most people don't have six kids But other than that pretty normal. Well, I mean they know what causes it. So they do know the causes. Yeah Discovery's have found out. Yep. I Love the fact that all of your kids have biblical names as well. Yeah, you know, we we started with Jonah and and You know, I know you guys are on the on the east coast and so Jonah is actually a freshman at limestone University in Gaffney, South Carolina So I've been out there a handful of times and getting getting more and more acquainted with that area Which is beautiful by the way and I really like it and so but We started with Jonah and and had no intentions of of going all biblical and Matter of fact, I mean it came down to the wire. My second son is Elijah and it came down to you know I had I'd like to lie to her for a long time and My wife wasn't wasn't sold on it just yet and she had thrown out Wyatt and there was a couple of different names that were just kind of like a you know, I don't I don't know that fits and And she as soon as he was born and she held him. He's like this is Elijah, you know and and and so Elijah and then Micah was was fairly easy. We agreed on that one early. So it just kind of kept going We never sat down and planned to have you know six biblical named kids But once we got started we thought well You know at least you know, we got to make them all kind of sound sound alike. So they all ended a age Jonah Elijah Micah Anna Isaiah and Leah, mm-hmm, and and They're a joy. They're great kids They're not without their knuckle-headedness as we all were at some point, but you know, they brighten our days for sure Our wives would probably say as grown adult men. We still are At times Yeah, no, I definitely ate in the Yeah, you know, you and I had never met we connected via X the artist formerly known as Twitter last week to set this up but It already there been a couple of small world moments I mentioned one that we'll talk about in just a little bit But you said Jonah is playing football division to limestone Yes, the Limestones baseball coach is one of my best friends. Oh Yeah, Brad harker. He used to be the baseball coach at Furman University before Furman did away with with Baseball in 2020. So so he took he took the limestone job. So wow, that's cool. Yeah We really enjoy the times we've gone out there a handful of times four five six times down And enjoy the people a Great bunch of people there in the campus is beautiful and small and tight knit and so that that fits Jonah's cup of tea And so he was a red shirt this year. He's looking forward to the opportunity to compete Next year, and we'll see what happens the the other small world moment As I was doing some research. I did not put two and two together until it jarred my memory that in 2001 you were I believe a sophomore quarterback at Louisiana Tech I was covering Clemson as a sports talk host and a sports writer and the two teams played in the 2001 humanitarian bowl in Boise, Idaho, so I was out there for That game out there for pretty much the entire week the whole blue turf experience and it snowed and it was It was for me. It was a it was a really a really cool experience It's probably not so much for you because of the outcome of the game But it's just another one of those small world moments. Yeah, listen. I mean that the The game I remember it, you know, very vividly Being obviously super cold and and a neat experience the first time that was gonna take it into a ball game And quite some time and so that we were eating that part of it up and But facing an opponent like Clemson. I Think we had two good drives in that game We had a good opening drive and I think we had a good good drive Maybe in the early in the third quarter and and that was about it for us the rest of it was all what he danced we're running around on us and and But it was a great experience. Yeah, yeah boy boy. Boise is a Really cool place for people who haven't been out there. I've been there a couple of times And I've really enjoyed both trips Want to talk about your football journey want to talk about about your faith journey But let's let's go back and and talk about Growing up you grew up and would it be fair to call it a football family? Absolutely. Absolutely not necessarily that that was the intent my dad was a entrepreneur Saul Miller loves sports my mom was the only girl in a house full of boys and so she loves sports and You know what we did growing up what we did on Thursday nights Friday nights where there was there were a couple at the time growing up there were a couple of junior college basketball Schools in town and so we'd go watch those basketball games junior college basketball And then Friday night we'd be at the local high school watching games nothing none of us were in high school at the time but it's where mom and dad graduated from and so that's what we did and and You know everybody looks at at myself and my brothers and things while dad must have been a coach or something like that And now while dad thought he knew as much as all the coaches He was we grew up a sawmill family. He owned and operated a Sawmill that now my oldest brother Randy's has bought dad out of and so You know, that's what that's what you know kept us warm and well fed and so It was the passion for sports just kind of came organically growing up playing one-on-one in the driveway Throw in the ball in the front yard little league baseball just all the things that that you Would normally think gets kids involved in sports is what we did We didn't have personal trainers. We didn't mom and dad didn't make us play certain sports It wasn't like that. We just something that we enjoyed doing and and ended up being being pretty good at and it all started with Randy Randy was a All-state quarterback in high school started as a sophomore which it nowadays It's like if you don't start as a sophomore or something's wrong Mm-hmm and but back then it was a pretty big deal to start varsity as a sophomore and You know talking about the early 90s and so In and of being a really good player was one of the top recruits in the country and went to Texas A&M when they were a powerhouse generally in the top five every year and in the BCS rankings and and so You know, we just kind of followed in his footsteps and it was Josh and Josh only started one year in high school He was he was a late bloomer. He was We still joke to this day. He was five six when he was sixteen and and it's six four now and so You know, he was a late bloomer, but once he got a shot in high school played well and ended up going to SMU and then Transfering to the same Houston state before his senior year and had a great season and was a third-ground pick to the Cardinals in in 2002 and so I just kind of looked at their journey and thought well if they can do it I can do it too and you know You know, not not an arrogant kind of way. That's just God was always very confident because I had to fight for everything that I got at home, so You know, I well, I guess I'm gonna go try and do what they're doing. So It ended up, you know, and then I don't make no mistakes about it I I stood on their shoulders when it comes to Recognition and and recruiting and all that stuff in high school I had a name heading into my first varsity start as a junior and You know got got some attention early I was a pretty good player and a good athlete and ended up being highly recruited in high school and going to Louisiana Tech and My my final two this is kind of where the you know, some of the the faith journey begins my final two when it came down to Choosing a school was Oklahoma who was at at that point just rolling over people with Josh Highpool and and and Coach Stoops and and they're throwing the ball all over the yard and so it's Oklahoma and Louisiana Tech and people were like those two couldn't be like on further ends of the spectrum from each other because like, you know being a power five and I had barely a group of five at that time and and just through a lot of prayer and and conversations with you know, my family just felt like Louisiana Tech was was where God wanted me to be and Of course, this is before and I am and everything else so that might have changed but but Louisiana Tech is where I where I felt like I wanted me to be and Ended up starting as a true freshman Had a great career started 45 43 straight games and then and then being a fourth round kick to the Cleveland Browns, so that was where that kind of took a detour Cleveland Browns, but but yeah, it was it was quite an upbringing and You know something that I look back on a lot and and think you know how blessed I was for a supportive family and mom and dad that that Didn't didn't force us, but you know dad's dad's message was we're gonna do it We're gonna try to be the best at it, right? We're not we're not gonna stop it at a certain level and say well That's far enough. That's good enough. We're gonna do it. We're gonna try to be the best so Yeah, it was it was it was quite an upbringing. Oh as a lifetime lifelong Cincinnati Bengals fan I can say I'm sorry that your career got started in Cleveland But you over you overcame it and you lasted a long time in the league and we're gonna talk about that as well But I was just looking at some of your background and it talked about the fact that you were an all-district basketball player in high school, so you you were a more of a well-rounded athlete, but come on Let's let's let's call it like it is you grow up in Texas high school footballs are right of passage in Texas, right? That's correct. Absolutely hundred percent. Yeah, it you know that the the Friday night lights thing and and you know minus Like the the parties and all that stuff but the Friday night lights concerning the tradition of high school football and what the town does Especially small town is is very much real and and up, you know throughout my NFL career even in college Of course, Louisiana is not too far behind Texas concerning high school football, but They just couldn't couldn't grasp it didn't understand like no that what you see on TV when they kind of you know Talk about how big of a deal high school football is in Texas. That's that's a real thing like You know going back to Josh my my older brother they were in in North Carolina at the time COVID hit matter of fact his son Owen was back up to Drake May there at Myers Park and Josh was coaching Drake and coaching at Myers Park and and COVID hits and they shut down the season over there. Well, Texas ain't gonna shut down football They may shut down everything else, but we're gonna play football and so Josh and his family actually moved back to Texas so that his his boys could have the opportunities to play play high school football and And ended up being a really critical decision for them Owen Owen got two years of high school football and and ended up being highly recruited and is now having a really really strong year at Texas, San Antonio, and so Yeah, it's they were going to you know Shut down literally anything else, but football right from Texas and and that's how big the deal it is What was Jacksonville High School, right? Jacksonville High School, so did was your high school football stadium one of those Texas high school cathedrals that we see down there? Are it is but in a different way though ours? It's we're called the tomato bowl So Jacksonville if you've looked up any done any research on Jacksonville, Texas you'll quickly find out that we are the tomato capital of the world and Our our tomatoes taste different than anywhere else and we say that was a little bit of pride but it's called the tomato bowl it was built during the Great Depression and it's got a a wall it's literally a bowl But it's got a iron or rock these these rock that kind of look rusty and kind of reddish brown and it's iron or rock wall about 8 or 10 feet high all the way around the stadium seats about 6 or 7 8,000 something like that but just Tremendous tradition and And when I was in high school It was voted one of the top 10 best places play a high school playoff game in Texas really and which was a big deal Yeah, the just the tradition and and and the area of it so Different than you know some of the the 20 and 30 million dollar Complexes that are being built in the Metroplexes now Different than that kind of a big cathedral, but but absolutely one of those places that If you're in East Texas people know about the tomato bowl Especially those that played us in the in the 90s in the early 2000s. We were a we were a juggernaut at that point But see I have an affinity for places like that. I love Being a baseball fan I hate the Cubs, but I love Riggly Field. Yeah, you know Fenway Park in Boston dude, and they've modernized it to a degree, but it's still that historic Cathedral for lack of a better word so I love the fact that that's what your high school stadium was no question no question And listen, I mean those those places exist all over the NFL like you you know Everybody thinks once you know playing in the NFL and absolutely every week is is a treasure and it's a neat thing but Lambo field is different. You know, I mean arrowhead stadium is different and they're different than AT&T And I've been in all of them AT&T stadium is massive and and it's just kind of something to behold But man you step foot on arrowheads field and it's different you step foot on Lambo field, and it's just different and and the the the history and tradition in those places it's just when that when that sea of red in Kansas City says home of the Chiefs. It's it's you I Was there all the Chiefs. I was always wearing an opposing and you get goosebumps. It's it's something different Yeah, and it it bothers me when I hear that that Kansas City is Talking about wanting a new football stadium. Oh, that's crazy because the amenities that that they don't have it arrowhead the bears Soldier field. Yeah, they're they're wanting a new stadium and I mean on one hand I get it But on the other hand, I think there are just certain places you don't mess. Oh man You just don't mess with them and it's all about the fan experience where I would try to make the make the the interaction the Engagement and the fan experience better, but it doesn't get better than soldier field or Lambo field or arrowhead When snow's coming down, you know what I mean? It doesn't get better. You know, it makes the fan experience the best winning If the bears are winning a few more football games, they probably wouldn't want to get out of soldier field We're visiting with a former NFL quarterback Luke McCown Talking about his football journey, which we'll get back to in a bit but I want to shift gears now and talk about your faith journey because you're very open about your faith in Christ and I'm just wondering. Did you grow up in a Christian home? What was that journey like? Yeah, a hundred percent Christian home You know saw it saw our The Christian faith model from my mom and dad Probably different maybe then then Then even what I'm trying to do for my kids My dad was we already talked about this with with him being a saw miller. He was up You know prior to five o'clock and gone usually and and then not back home until six or seven that evening. I mean a lot of things going on at the saw mill and and You know trying to try to do his best to provide for four kids And a wife and so it wasn't like I woke up everyone and saw him just stewing over over the scripture with a cup of coffee But in how he lived his life every day and the the the man he tried to be and how he treated people How he served his church How he loved his wife and and and how he raised his kids it it was all that I needed to see in terms of what does it look like to be a godly man and Now go to him with a question go to him with You know a topic you want to discuss concerning the scripture and he could help you walk through it But it was it wasn't one of those that I just I knew he was in the Bible every day, right? It just I just wasn't like I saw him doing it every day But I knew it from his conduct and I knew it from how he how he talked and how he Raised us and and how like again how he how he loved my mom and how hard he worked and all of it and so That that part was clear But we were in church Sunday morning Sunday night Wednesday night youth groups I mean we you name it and and we were a part of it, you know family made sure that we were You know, I'm not gonna miss a prayer meeting or a or a youth trip or whatever. Mm-hmm, and so But at the age of seven, I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior I knew what I was doing. I knew that I was the center in need of a Savior, right? And that's that's the the That's as basic as it gets right it's You know it you you know that that there's Something wrong and and you can't do anything about it. You've got to find somebody that can and the only one that could fit that bill is is Christ and so Place one faith in Christ as a seven-year-old Realizing that and I'm going through I'm actually studying the book of Romans right now and and first three or four chapters It's literally Paul talking to them about this is how you get to heaven. It's not this way It's not that way. It's actually through grace by or through fade by grace and so and That was that was all that I needed at the time now my walk with the Lord didn't start Until I was probably a tenth grader Didn't mean I was living like a little hellion But I didn't understand what it was to have a relationship with Christ I was saved nonetheless, but I didn't have a relationship with Christ at that point, but I remember sitting in a SCA group meeting ninth or tenth grade and Reading and Ecclesiastes in chapter 5 verses 4 and 5 and it says better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it God takes no pleasure in in fools who do not fulfill their vow and And that struck me really hard and I sat there and thought about it and read it a few times I thought it more and more and it's like What am I doing in this vow that I that I've that I made to give my life to Christ? What is that? What more does that mean? Does it mean I just you know? Walk around with a t-shirt on that says I'm a Christian that just carry my Bible around, but I never open it I I go to church, but I'm never looking to serve but You know, what is it? What does it mean to be a Christian? Because I know what it is to become a Christian, but I think too many times we get caught up in what it is to become a Christian and we don't Take the next step and and what it means to live or or be a Christian and so I sat there and thought about that a lot and I thought man He would rather me not call myself a Christian than to call myself a Christian and never Never do anything about it. Mm-hmm never serve people never look for a way to share the gospel never look and so it was you know Between the ages of seven and whatever age I was at that point 14 or 15 You know, there was a lot of understanding about what I don't do. Here's what you don't do as a Christian, right? And I think what that verse and ecclesiastes what the Holy Spirit Used to grip me was all right now. Now. Here's what I want you to start doing as a Christian Right and that's where our relationship with with God began. I I You know, it's why my my Bible looks like this where it's God. It's taped up and you know, it's it's I started I started having a relationship with Christ because I started opening the Bible and reading it spent in time and prayer and And it changed me. It changed how I talked it changed how I Interacted with people it it changed You know, and and it's like what you mean It changed how you interact with people at 13 and 14 years old. Yeah, I did It it it helps calm my temper down it, you know, all the different things that That you deal with even at that age it began to change me and this relationship with Christ and so that's what I understood what what that part was about was like he he Doesn't just want you to put on a shirt and walk around and say look at me I'm a Christian he wants you to show people right John 15 5 by your fruits, right? He You'll bear fruit If your roots are in him, you'll bear fruit that that other people take notice of and can tell and so Yeah, that's where my my faith began. It's been a journey. It's it's ongoing And not not I'm not there yet and never will be until that day he calls us home, but it's it's something that It's not just it doesn't just mean the world to me. It's who I am. It is my world Um, I I can't separate any part of me From that I can't separate my political views From my christianity. I can't separate how I Work, excuse me work on a daily basis for my christianity. I cannot separate how I Interact with people in the community from my christianity I cannot Separate how I parent or how I love my wife or how I Steward my money or how I steward my my land and assets or I can't separate that My christian faith is who I am and it it tells me who I am I don't get aside and then plug it in in other places It tells me who I am And and for that reason I cannot separate other aspects of life from it. It's the root everything else flows out of it You said something about not being there yet. There's an old saying That that's still very true. Obviously we're never going to arrive until we arrive Until we arrive. Yeah, sure. So and so it's it's going to be a constant uh a constant series of of mountain tops and valleys And that's how I've heard the christian life described it you're either Going into a storm you're in the middle of a storm or you're coming out of a storm and and and what you have to have to accept is that's what it's going to be and The the joy we have is that god is with us through that Yeah, every step I'm I'm interested because of how How your your your life and the the track you were on your High school football star and you were heading into college and and you've got this This relationship with christ and yet you're in a position where there are a lot of temptations and a lot of potential pitfalls I mean, you're you're the star quarterback, right? So come on So how did you how did you navigate that and and were you always successful? um That's a great question. Um, so I I've I've been described as stubborn by probably my wife most my my parents next Um in the terms that of like when I when I set my mind on on something that I that I'm gonna do everything I can to to accomplish it or or stand firm in it and so you know it with the common pitfalls of of sexual promiscuity or drugs and alcohol or Just pride in general that comes with Success and and You know, it's it's a shame that we can say that that that's happening even at the younger levels now and in in high school even but I I determined in my heart early in my life that I Number one alcohol wasn't a thing for me Uh didn't grow up with it in the house Had uncles that were alcoholics. Um, and so I it wasn't that I was um completely Aloof to it But I I certainly saw the the the problems with it. I certainly saw the issues with it Um, but it wasn't in my house. It was I've never seen my dad take a drink in his life or nor my mom Um, it just wasn't something that I grew up around so there was no appeal there to me Secondly with regards to that um I I I wanted to be different. I wanted to you know, I I had goals early in life Going back to football When I was in second grade and you know your teacher says hey right down on the piece of paper What you want to be when you grow up right a fireman or a, you know, police chief or whatever it is Engineer all this different stuff. I wrote. I'm gonna play in the NFL when they don't play quarterback the NFL And and she actually was like honey. Let's you know, let's let's try something a little more realistic So, um, you know and I know ma'am. This is what I'm going to do This is what I'm going to be when I grow up. And so I always had that goal of like What do I got to do to get there? What do I got to do to to achieve this this goal? And so I understood that my body was going to have to be at its best and by frankly alcohol and drugs don't don't help you do that and so My my friends the group of guys that I ran around with understood that as well And there was an accountability that I believe they um, you know They would they would not let me pursue those things. Um, they would say things like, uh you know, oh You need to stay away from that or I you don't need to come with us this weekend We're gonna be doing stuff that you don't do. So there was an accountability that that uh, I believe that that they Because they knew where I where I wanted to stand on those things Um, they respected it You know too many times there's there's this um like hey, I you know for for young athletes going into a locker room of Veteran players, you know, I want to I want to I want to get gain their approval I want them to accept me and for them to accept me I've got to do certain things or act a certain way or or say certain things or think a certain way and And uh, it was quite the opposite for me. I mean even getting the uh, Louisiana tech Um, you know, I I tried to make known pretty early You know what I was about and what I stood for what I believed in And the sooner that I made that known to Um to teammates and and and those that I you know had conversations with The sooner they started Holding me accountable to that uh in You know in the in the sense that It on the rare occasion that I that I would I would go to a party. It would be like, hey, what are you doing here? and um That was always a reminder that hey Your your life is a testimony to what you're standing for your life is a testimony to Um what you say you believe and then how you're following that up with how you act and that was no different in um with regards to Sexual activity. I I made a promise Early in high school that I was going to wait until I got married to to have sex and so uh, that was that was something that that meant a lot to me uh that that I felt like was important Um, and listen, it wasn't a decision. It wasn't like I was, you know, somehow super spiritual These are things that I've I've had people in my life Help me understand how important they were and so um, you know, I made those views known You know in my in my friend groups whether it's high school or college and so they uh, you know, I I can remember having a conversation with a buddy of mine who was in a promiscuous relationship and we were having a conversation about something And and he looked at me and he says, I wish I could be where you are He said because the the The things that are happening now with this girl that I'm not going to marry are things that um That that never go away they uh, the the emotional ties the the mental images the different things that that that come with opening yourself up to that You know exposing yourself to that type of relationship are things that don't you you can't ever get rid of and and uh He he told he actually he was one of the greatest compliments. He said, but I I wish I could be where you are Uh, he said and he looked at me. He said don't ever start before you get married because you won't stop And it was very much like an addiction. Mm-hmm. And so uh, there was um I took you know It took a lot of Pride not necessarily in the in the wrong way just in knowing that the decision I made Uh, has been a good one and almost 20 years into marriage. It's been the best one. Yeah that wife and I have ever made Uh, it's you know Um, it there's there's more fulfillment when you when you operate like that within your relationship Prior to marriage. There's so much more fulfillment after that You know after marriage they it just you can't describe it As you're talking, I I've got I guess two mental images coming to mind one You had to take some grief I would imagine initially from from your friends because you know, here's the choir boy. He doesn't do any of these things but but the flip side of it is When they saw it It had to be because you weren't just Talking the talk you were walking the walk and that's how you were able to gain that kind of respect Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely and and that was You know, I I talk about accountability, but that was that was really what it was was it When I would show up to a party or or um You know, when I when I would when I would go with with my my friends to be a driver for them So they didn't do something stupid um It wasn't the conversations that I had with them about My views and and and the commitments that I made and the things that I was pursuing in my life That stood out. It was It that that that made them come and it didn't come through Argument right. Mm-hmm. Oh how they were wrong and I was right. It didn't come through that way it came through man. You're really committed to what you believe in and um and and we see that because When we when we joke around with you and we say hey come on take a drink or you know Have it's only one beer. It's not gonna hurt anything and even Jesus drank in the bible and you know All these different things right that you hear um It it was them seeing how committed I was to it that Uh that made a difference for them and their lives later on it was and and that that's not to pat myself on the back That's just to say that like If you're gonna if you're gonna say something if you're gonna say that you follow Jesus a certain way then Be all in for it right because he'd rather you Not call yourself a christian. He'd rather you not say you're gonna live for him than to say you're gonna live for him and not Yeah in revelations. He had something to say about being lukewarm in lukewarm relation 319 Yeah, it would rather you be hotter cold I I'd rather you pick one side right don't try to off the fence Visiting visiting with luke mccown former NFL quarterback 13 years In the league luke you were drafted by cleveland and you you played for a number of other teams and including the new orland saints Fair to say I suppose that you on one hand you didn't have the career that you you thought you might have but on the other hand You were in the league for 13 years. I mean that that in and of itself is something to be proud of Yeah, yeah, listen, uh, I think about that all the time 13 years, uh, I was having lunch with some family Uh, I guess it was wednesday and so Uh She was she was asking me. Um, she's got a nephew. It's a it's a second cousin of mine Uh one of my mom's first cousins and she's got a nephew that's a basketball player six foot eight Um and uh in in florida and so she was asking me, you know what that's what the pursuit of professional sports is like and uh, what are the likelihoods of of getting drafted and and playing for any amount of time and you know, number one, it's It it and and we'll get into my career, but it the hand of god was all over it I I probably shouldn't have been a I'm as confident as as anybody has ever been in their physical abilities. I got I feel like I could play um Had had I not had some injuries. I feel like I I would have been a a full-time starter. Mm-hmm. Um, but To to do it for 13 years, uh, the the hand of god was all over that because there's really no other reason why I should have been In the nfl for 13 years, but to when you think about it You know that they say that the league averages three and a half years in the nfl And uh, and that only takes into account Players that actually made active rostered right that doesn't take into account practice squad players that never make an active rostered That doesn't take into account Try out players that come to training camp As as one of the 90 or 100 they get invited to training camp and never Make an active rostered or a practice squad rostered. So when you take all of those players into account It's really more like one and a half years 1.8 years something like that Um, it is is the average lifespan in the nfl And so when you think about You know playing 13 years and and not only that my brother played 18 years and Um as a fourth round pick I take a lot of pride in that I go mad I'm I'm proud of what I want to say. I'm proud of what god I did for me But I'm proud of what I accomplished because it wasn't easy. Mm-hmm. There were a lot of a lot of hard things that we had to kind of overcome Uh, I wasn't one of those that was you know where where my spot was secure every at the end of every training camp I was I was probably more times than I care to admit on the bubble whether I was going to make the team or not And and had to really put my best foot forward every day through training camp to make the team And uh for the better part of 13 years. I did that and so You know It it wasn't the career I dreamed of it wasn't the career that I that Is starting uh your career out in cleveland probably doesn't set you on the right foot You know that you know what you you said that I didn't That's right. That's right. But that you know, I listen the the jersey that they always show You know the cleveland brown jersey. It's got x amount of quarterbacks on it from the year 2000 starting with him couch and going on it Right. I'm on there. My brother's on it. He's got two McCallons on it. So we both know what that's like Um, but uh, you know, it's uh, it was it was a joy. Um, it was hard Uh, it was something that, you know, we had to when I say we my wife and I had to set our minds to every day Um, and and we had to do it together. I mean we were having kids at the time Uh, that's that's no shock anybody having six kids. We were having a bunch of kids. And so Um It was uh, you know, I had I had an injury Uh, uh, at the end of my third year Uh, excuse me at the beginning of my third year. Um in tampa bay a tormacl Uh, and I had started four games. I was a fourth round picked to cleveland I'll try to give a quick rundown I was a fourth round picked to cleveland and cleveland at the time wanted to one of the to sign all of their players to five year contracts every draft hit now that was kind of unusual because At at that point in the nfl Five and six year contracts were really reserved for your first rounders. Maybe your second round Right because they wanted to lock those those players up a little bit longer um And and and and kind of spread out their money over over a longer contract But cleveland thought well, we want to we want to do that with all of our players And so being a fourth round pick my brother was a third round pick And and just two years prior he signed a three-year contract in Arizona so I was like, I want to know I don't need to sign a five-year contract when I signed a three-year contract And so we kind of went back and forth with that and and they weren't moving on it. And so, you know Um, I went ahead and signed the contract and started ended up starting four games as a rookie uh bush davis butch who recruited me um to uh to the university of miami was the head coach at the time. Mm-hmm. So he drafted me and um and uh So he resigns week 12 And my first start in the nfl was against the new england patriots after they won 21 straight games And and and and on their way to a second consecutive super bowl And so, uh, that was that was kind of a baptism by fire Um But that was my first start in the nfl started four games and I was a bad player on a bad team I wasn't ready for that Um, I had a great preseason and so I felt like I was ready for it But the regular season was a bit different. Mm-hmm. And so Um ended up getting traded after that season. Romeo and kranelle comes in Uh, feel savage. It's the gm. I ended up getting traded to tamper bay Um, charlie fry they they draft charlie fry the third round second round something like that uh ended up being um Traded to tamper bay And uh, so my second year was just kind of the number three guy behind brian greasy and christians Um, brian gets hurt Halfway through the season or so week eight week 10 something like that. He he tears his ACL Chris sims comes in plays play as well. We go to the playoffs We lose to mark bernelle the red skins at that time the washington red skins um in the in the wall card game So That all season they let brian go they sign christ to a a small extension and um And and i'm the the backup Feeling really good about myself. Um, playing well, understanding john gruden's offense kind of all this and um For the first time uh feel like i'm in a system that um Compliments my my abilities and the last practice of our our summer OTAs the last play of the last practice actually a terema ACL and uh And just really really bad timing because at the beginning of that year chris ruptures explain bruce krakowski comes in and plays and and uh, and i'm i'm rehabbing all the all the while And here's the silver lining behind going back to the five-year contract Had i just signed a three-year contract the way that i wanted to And not followed what god wanted me to do Then at the end of that third year Having only four games started on a bad team as a bad player. So it wasn't very good take If i'd only been on a three-year contract tempeve would have had really no reason to keep me around Right, they could have just cut me loose not owed me anything And my my career probably would have been over at that point But because i was under contract i had two years left on my contract And and and god allowed me to heal pretty quickly And i i proven that i you know could do some things that i think gruden Uh was attracted to him as a quarterback um In that in that early in that third year off season, uh, they kept me um They thought why not why not just keeping around to be continues to get better See if he continues to heal and we'll have one more quarterback and i'm not you know, we'll we'll cut ties and so uh All That was kind of the very first moment where i kind of saw god's hand on my career going i got this And that gonna be how you wish it was and hoped it was but i got this And we are going to have to stop right there and put things on pause with luke mccown Until next week when we'll have part two of our interview We'll take a break and come back and get into wrap-up mode for this week's edition of the dance scott show presented by angles Don't go away Upward sports equips churches to run self-sustaining sports ministries in their communities Whether you're a sports fanatic or on staff at a church Upward sports will give you all the tools you need to run a first-class sports ministry that allows you to reach families in your community Upward sports offers basketball soccer flag football cheerleading volleyball baseball and softball through league and camp offerings at upward sports We want to help your church make a difference and give you increased opportunities to share the gospel Learn more today at upward.org that's upward.org At angles we've been your neighbor since 1963 And we've been through a lot together Side by side we've weathered hurricanes wildfires tornadoes and floods And always we've been there to pick each other up dust each other off And get back to living We can do it again We're here We've been here And we're not going anywhere Ingles We're with you every step of the way Got a question or a comment? 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We have people from all walks of life and from time to time I ask for people to send me an email or a voice recording on their phone to Let us know that the show is having an impact on them And i've even asked you to do that here. Well, I want you to hear Something that linda who listens to our Non-profit show in uh, omohonda braska had to say check this out Greetings in the lord dan and grand slam ministries. This is from linda in the brasta And I just want to take a moment to give god thanks for his goodness and for the marvelous works That he's done in my life recently from listening to the dan scott show So I was unsure about the direction I felt god was leading me in my life And I was stuck in moving forward a couple of months ago. I contacted you by email And not only did you reply, but you also prayed for me And it was not only encouraging, but the lord was speaking to me through your words And in these recent few weeks the lord has restored my soul. He's revived my life And I am now moving forward through a new door that the lord has opened for me Thank you dan and grand slam ministries for being a faithful servant of the lord May he contain to bless you your family and your ministries in jesus name. Amen You know, it's really humbling when you get feedback like that Especially when you learn later that linda has started her own radio ministry specifically to help support and encourage widows like her and to think that god used our show to Prop that in some small way. It is really both humbling and frightening at the same time But but I wanted you to hear that For a couple of reasons. Uh, number one to to be encouraged and number two to encourage you To do the same thing if this show is having an impact on you in any way We'd love to hear it You you can email dan at danscottshow.com or you can do what linda did use the voice recorder on your phone Keep it no more than 60 seconds And just email it to dan at danscottshow.org. I think I said dot com a minute ago dan at danscottshow.org And you can um do that and we will play those on a future program Also mentioned we'd love to have your advertising You advertise with us as as part of our family here Recording this it's playing on sunday, but we're actually recording it on giving tuesday Which is big for non-profits universities colleges all across the country So it kind of in the spirit of giving tuesday a little bit if you'd like to make a donation to Our non-profit organization. You can go to danscottshow.org Find out more about what we do there grand slam ministries is a page there And uh, you can make a one-time more a monthly gift and you know what we're doing Knowing that between the two shows we're reaching hundreds of thousands of people Just asking, can you make a one-time $25 or even $10 donation? That's it I mean, we'd love to have monthly gifts. We'd love to have larger gifts, but With as many people as we have listening to this show if everybody gave $10 Can you imagine the impact? It's incredible And all for the glory of god and furthering the work of sharing the love of jesus christ Anyway, consider it if you would we'll talk to you again next week. You're in a fel coverage is up next Until then i'm dan scott god bless you so long everybody (upbeat music) [BLANK_AUDIO]