1-on-1 with DP – 93.7 The Ticket KNTK - Vershan is in the building: February 21st, 10:45am

Episode Date: February 21, 2022

Vershan talks about how he started bringing players back to keep in touchWhat they want to do now in keeping players involvedAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

You're listening to one-on-one with D.P. Presented by Beatrice Bakery on 937 The Ticket and the Ticketfm.com. Welcome back, final segment. Again, I want to thank Steve Taylor for making time for us on the Monday in his busy schedule. And yes, his schedule is busy. I'm busy, but I'm never that busy. Yeah, well, part of, like I said, this, look, you and I have worked to do. And that's the beauty of it.

And then here comes. The other half, the second half. Trouble, trouble. What Bernie Macs say? Trouble, trouble. It's been nice getting to know this guy. Trouble, trouble. Let's bring in to Captain V.J.

What's happening, baby? Let me just give Steve a history lesson. Trouble. Trouble. There's trouble. There you. He told, DP tried to warn you. First of all, in 2002,

Versan Jackson started former Husker All-Star Weekend. started was I wanted to bring the old guys, new guys back for fun-filled weekend because seems to me like when you leave the university unless you stay in the city, Omaha, wherever, that's it. Everybody disperses and you don't have any more connection. So we started former Husker All-Star weekend and brought back over 35 former players. These were guys that were actually in the NFL at the time. Okay, and we did a weekend of events of which the first one in 2002

was hosted by our own Aaron Davis. Think about that 20 years ago. Which I've got the footage to kind of, you know, back it up. So in 2002, no, I'm just speaking to what we're talking about here as far as bringing guys back and making sure that we connect. At my dealership yesterday, day the legendary Johnny Rogers stopped by just hey VJ because we stay in the same neighborhood down

in North Omaha so you know and him being an Omaha guy you know us Omaha guys have to stick together right not only with Omaha but Nebraska former Husker so Steve it is beautiful what we're doing but it's been done oh 2 03 04 05 06 and then Steve Steve took the baton yeah and then ran with it and One of the things that we did was we would have a banquet, you know. We would not only have a banquet, then we'll have either a celebrity basketball game and or football camp for the youth as well. So getting together was one of the things. You're 100% correct.

Just so you, and we have these conversations, I was just speaking to the events that I was part of. So now, I was in Lincoln in 2002, and I was definitely in All-American. and I wasn't at your event. Now, I'm just saying, so if I'd have been at your event, I would have had knowledge of that. I would have had knowledge of that. So, no, no, no.

And so I didn't become aware of that until I've gotten to meet you over the last couple of weeks that you had started something prior to the Dream Foundation because when I retired, I only knew about the Dream Foundation. I'm not saying,

I'm just saying, so I was just speaking on behalf of what I was part of, just like I was part of, the Husker Legends that they had, university, the Husker Nation that they did. So those were the events that I was aware of that reunited players.

Now, what you did is fabulous. I didn't say it's never been done because that's not the case. But now we're all coming together to just to make this thing, just get back on the consistency that we used to have for what you're talking about. We're all working together with us. Let's address something else. Let's adjust one more thing. Hold on, D.P.

Let me do it. Please. Wait, man. Wait a minute. I'm going to pull over a chunk. Cut his mic. You are on my. show.

I know, but. Okay. No show is the reason why I'm having this. Go ahead. And I was coming in hot. No, no. So let's just address something. Let's just address something else.

Go ahead. So, Vershan Jackson, the reason why Vershan Jackson has been here since January 3rd on the radio and had multiple third guys on from the 70s. I've got Dick,

our tough Tony Davis coming on tomorrow. From the 70s, the 80s, I'm going to have Red Baron coming on. There's going to be some guys. It's because. Because me being from Nebraska. Absolutely. I understand it from a level of five years old.

Not when I got here from college or not when I came from somewhere else. It was, I wanted to be a Husker since five. So my level and a lot of guys that I play with and that I've talked to had the exact same level. Now that we're Huskers, once a Husker, always a Husker. We got to love each other. We got to build each other up. But this is for Huskers. This is to help Huskers.

There's Huskers out there that's in a world of trouble. There's Huskers that's drug addicted. I'm talking football players. There's Huskers out there that are in and out of jail. There's Huskers out there that need help from other Huskers instead of being kind of, you know, marginalize and say, oh, let's point the finger at him because he messed up. You know what? Last time I checked, everybody has messed up in some way, shape, fashion, or force.

in their life is to the degree and what your level of repercussions is how we. I'm so glad you mentioned that. And I love your passion. I feel it. I see it. And that's why we're donating to the Nebraska Grades Foundation. They are an entity that's in place. They have done some great things.

And they've helped out some Huskers along with some other players in the St. Nebraska. So you are 100% correct. And I've seen those Huskers. and not only Huskers, but just in general, people from the state of Nebraska, and I don't care if you play football or basketball or whatever it may be. So my point is you're 100% correct. And I don't know how many years, I just came back from their one of their bits in Grand Island

with Tom Arathbone that Nebraska Greats have put on, and they have served, they have many other functions too. So that's an entity that's already in place, that's serving somewhat of a purpose that what you just mentioned. Specifically, no, no, no, no. I'm not, I get, that is great. Listen, listen, Murtaugh is a friend of mine. Look up to him, right?

Jerry Murtaugh is awesome. I'm saying specifically for football players. I'm not disregarding tennis or basketball or anything else because the number of football players that come in per year and on the team is greater than any other sport. And so the number of people that's going to need help, not that the greats aren't doing it, but more specifically have some type of level of I can feel comfortable because you talked about feeling comfortable to go back to the university, right?

Some guys don't feel comfortable going back or they don't feel welcome. Well, I can't speak for other people. I'm just, we had the conversation that I've had some players say to me that they didn't go down there and I asked them why and they didn't feel comfortable. Now, I don't know why they didn't feel comfortable because I'm like, well, you have your, we went all over this already. And that's not a different. That's not exclusive to football here either.

Because the basketball program has that conversation as well across the board. So two things. One, thank you both for putting this event together. Whatever way it plays out, however it goes down, the fact that it is a step. It's going down. It is a step together. It is a step together towards a greater thing for everybody. And I appreciate it and have mad respect for that being done.

And then finally, before we throw it to the captain's show, I'm going to say this. You just mentioned a basketball game, and there is not one scheduled, and that is a problem. So y'all need to figure out which Huskers can still get up, at least get to half court. Hey, man, hey, dozes.

Hey, listen, we used to do that for a long time. We did. We're in our, but the majority like the Eric Warfields, all those guys that could jump out of gym, which they still can jump. We're just shooting jumpers now, man. But that's fine. We got to mix them young bucks in there.

We got to pull them in. If you put that in a high school gym, We did that. Tickets we sell. Tickets we sell. These are ideas and these things have been done way back in the day because we used to actually have a Husker basketball team. Now, that we used to go playing Gretna and some other places.

Now, Eric Warfield started his event, so that kind of migrated to that. But this is a starting point where we can be consistent in what we do. And this happened just just all came about in the last couple of weeks. We put this stuff together and it's still going. We got work to do. As a matter of fact, VJ, Captain, appreciate you. RICO, thank you for what you do. We're out.

Captain Show up next. Don't go anywhere.