Shaun Newman Podcast - Ep. #131 - New Orleans Saints Rueben Mayes

Episode Date: November 18, 2020

Originally from North Battleford SK.  He was running back who played for the WSU Cougars Div 1 setting single game records for rushing, was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in 1986, was the NFL offensive rookie of the year (86) & two time pro bowler. Over his career he spent 5 years with the Saints & another 2 with the Seattle Sea Hawks. We discuss going from small town Sask to playing in the biggest league in North America. Unreal! Let me know what you think   Text me! 587-217-8500

Hi, this is Braden Holby. Hey, this is Tanner, the Bulldozer Bozer. Hi, this is Brian Burke from Toronto, Ontario. This is Daryl Sutterin. Hello, everyone. I'm Carlyagro from SportsNet Central. This is Jay On Right. This is Quick Dick, quick, tick coming to you from Tough No, Saskatchew. Hey, everybody, my name is Theo Fleary.

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We got a great one on tap for you today. Before we get there, let's get to today's episode sponsors. Clinton team over at Trophy Gallery, championship belts, custom medals, die cast, signage, name tags, engraving on Yetis and Brumates, business awards in Crystal and Glass. He ships Canadawide. Go to trophygallery.ca. There's over 5,000 products. If you use Newman as your promo code, you get 15% off.

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Teaming up with the Lloydminster Regional Health Foundation for giving Tuesday Radiothon on December 15th to raise money for the Lloydminster Hospital and continuing care here in the city. We'll be doing a 12 hours 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Facebook live stream where I'll be sitting down with different people. from the community to share stories about the hospital and why it is so vital to our community. Last year we raised $50,000 with all of your help and we got a new Pixus automated pill dispensing machine for the hospital. Now this year they're looking, we're looking to exceed that goal and $200,000 has been the number tag to it and I know I was thinking, 200,000, geez, that is an awful lot. And yet, and yet, if there's a community that can pull together and do it, it is Lloyd Minster. We always have each other's backs, and it's going to such good causes, the hospital continuing care here in the city.

Be on the look out, December 15th, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Facebook live stream on the Lloyd Regional Health Foundation's page. Gardner Management is a Lloydminster-based company specializing in all types of rental properties to help meet your needs, whether you're looking for a small office or a 6,000 square foot commercial space, give Wade Gartner a call 780808 5025. SMP billboard across from the UFA. Thanks to read and write for the amazing work they do. If you haven't checked it out, take a little drive, see how they made the SMP look sharp.

Let's just say that. If you're interested in advertising on the show, visit the Sean Newman Podcast.com in the top right corner. Hit the contact button, send me some information. We've got lots of different options, and I want to find something that can work for the both of us. Now, let's get on to that T-Barr-1 tale of the tape. Originally from North Battleford, Saskatchewan, he grew up playing football and was a track and field superstar. Before beginning his professional career, Rubin played for the Division I, Washington State Cougars.

At the time, he set an NCAA record for most rushing yards in the single game at 357. Ruben was drafted in the third round of the 1986 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints. He played five years with them and then two more with the Seattle Seahawks. Over his NFL career, he rushed for 3,484 yards, which was an average of four yards per carry and scored 13 touchdowns. He was named the Pro Bowl twice and was an all-pro selection twice in the same years, 86 and 87. Finally, he was named the 1986 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. I'm talking about Ruben Mays. The table's been set.

Let's get on to the main course. This is Ruben Mays, and welcome to the Sean Newman podcast. Well, welcome to the Sean Newman podcast. Today I'm joined by Mr. Ruben Mays. So first off, sir, thanks for hopping on with me. You're welcome, Sean, looking forward to it. Well, it's not every day that from the prairies you get a guy who makes it to the NFL and was so dominant in the NFL for your time there.

I thought maybe first I would rewind the clock on you and try and bring you back to your childhood days growing up in North Battlefield and find out what it was like playing football here. I mean, we come from a hockey culture, as you certainly remember, and trying to make it as a football player. I was just curious, I guess, on your start. And if you always thought you were going to be, that's where you wanted to be is in the NFL. Yeah, well, I started out playing tackle football in middle school and was really fast, small guy. And so I always had the speed and was pretty scrawny actually as a freshman in high school, but 5-8, 150 pounds, maybe a little bit lighter than that. So I was always pretty prolific in track and field. In fact, that was my first love. But as time went on, I realized that I had an opportunity to goal places as a football player and maybe even to the NFL. And really was trying to find myself in terms of my vision and where I wanted to be in the future.

And so one day I decided that my dream was to be an NFL football player. I'd watch Tony Dorset and other players in the NFL. Of course, I followed George Reed at Saskatchewan Rough Riders, but I just felt I should just go for it and see what happens. So that's what I did. Before we hop on in the football, you said your first love was track and field. I'd read that as a 10-year-old, you were beating guys in the 100 meter in high school. Is that true or is that completely fabrication?

It's probably fabrication. But I was pretty fast, especially in the shorter sprints. And so the opportunity to advance, and I went down to Toronto a couple times, trained with not Ben Johnson, but Desai Williams, and Charlie Francis was the coach. And of course, you know, the major controversy with the Olympics and Ben Johnson was followed with that. But at the time, I was being groomed to be the next Harry Jerome, who was a prolific sprinter. I think he won the silver medal in one of the Olympics. So I had some raw talent, but I had to make a decision and even ran track my freshman year at WSU. We won the Pack 10s

that year. But eventually I had to make a decision if I was going to go on from track and field to football. But as far as being 10 years old and beating guys in high school, probably not. No, it wasn't happening. I got to think, well, that's cool about, I didn't know about the track and field and going to Toronto and training with guys like that. I was wondering in my head, you know, as I'm preparing for this, I'm going, you know, in today's age to get scouted in pretty much any sport. If you want to take video of yourself, you pretty much hand a phone to anyone and they can film your game and away you go. Back in the mid to late 70s, I assume that was not exactly the easiest thing to do to have game film and playing in North Battleford. I mean,

although for the area is a big spot, it's not that big of a center. How did you get notice playing football? Well, I was pretty successful as a running back, and we had a really good team in North Battleford, the North Battlefield comprehensive high school Vikings. Don Hodgdon's head football coach had recruited some really good assistant coaches. Garth Link, who was a history teacher, was very involved in other folks. And so we had a really solid program. And we were a magnet school, still is. And so a lot of the surrounding communities fed into North Battleford Comprehensive high school. And so we were organized. We were physical. We ran the football. And so we played bigger teams. I remember one time playing Edmonton, the Trojans, and we beat them pretty bad.

Saskatoon. We were competitive with anybody in all of Saskatchewan. And so that laid the ground. ground work for me as we went to the provincial finals. My junior year, we played a team in Regina and Taylorfield, and we won the championship. So that got my name out there. And then my coach, Don Hodgins, he was trying to send film out, you know, well documented to different colleges, spent over $500 Canadian to send film to colleges in North Dakota. South Dakota in the Midwest. And it wasn't until he connected with Hugh Campbell. And Hugh Campbell

was a player at WSU way back in the late 60s, probably early 70s, more like late 60s probably. And he was the general manager for the Empton Eskimos. And so Hugh was, had the connection with WSU. So my coach sent him film and he sent the film to Jim Walden. And the film wasn't very good quality. You talk about cell phones. And it was just some, you know, lots of scratches and different things. So Hughes says, as a favor, you need to give this guy a scholarship. He's really successful in Canada. He's a track guy. He's got good size. And so the head coach Jim Walden, who was my coach, he tells me the story from his perspective. He says he gets this film. He couldn't really make it out very well, but they had heard about my speed. The big question was my size and was I a

division one, you know, prospect. So they invited me down, as you know, in the United States, they have recruitment and they have a certain amount of players that they can recruit in the United States. And so they had, they were full and a student athlete had left at the last minute. So they had a slot open. So I flew to Spokane, drove the Pullman, and I had breakfast with Jim Walvin and a couple assistant coaches, Coach Padilla, who was the defensive coordinator. And they saw my size. I walked in. I was six foot, six one, a couple hundred pounds. So they saw that I was big enough to play at that level. And so after they'd met me, they knew I was fast enough. So Jim Walden tells a story. they go in the back room to talk about it.

And he goes, you know, he's got the right, he's the right size. And he's definitely fast. He goes, what the hell? Give him a scholarship. So that's what happened. And I got to offer a full scholarship at Washington. And that's how it all transpired. You didn't have to play, suit up, practice, nothing?

Nothing. No, nothing. No walk on. They just offered me a full ride. right there. Did, but on the way there, then, you have no idea what's going to happen. No, I remember driving through Saskatchewan, through Montana, Glacier National Park, and into Pullman. They wanted me to come in early because, you know, I'm in a skilled position and maybe work with me. I was pretty raw. And so I remember getting to Pullman in mid-July. And I'm,

It was a very hot day. My mom had dropped me off on a Sunday. And the stadium is next to what's called the bookie. It was, it's now mood, but it's a place where we can buy, you know, college gear and also food. And so I remember getting a small orange juice. And I went and sat in the stadium. It holds 34,000 people, 34, 35,000 folks. And I'm sitting there by myself. About two o'clock in the afternoon, my mom had just left, and a couple of my sisters had come down with me. And I'm sitting there saying to myself, oh, my gosh, what have I done? You know, here I am in, you know, Holman, Washington, Washington State University. And, you know, I was a little kind of nervous about it because I didn't know what to expect. I had the equivalent of the ESPN in Canada. They had a panel and they were saying that I was going to get lost in the crowd and that I should have stayed in Canada and played out of Canadian college and played in the CFL. And I just said, you know, unless I reach for the top, I'm not going to know.

And so I said that afternoon, I said, you know, I don't care. whatever it takes, I'm going to work my butt off and see what happens. And so that's what I did. And I was able to play a few games my freshman year. And I think I have the freshman rushing record. But I was very focused. When you say the Canadian version of ESPN, like are you talking TSN and Canada was talking like that? Yeah, yeah.

There's some version of that. And they had a bunch of sportscasters because I was, remember, I was one of the top prospects in the country in terms of the sprints coming up. I'd won numerous track events in the, like the Knights of Columbus. And I broke in the Canadian 55 meter record junior in high school. I was constantly racing against college age folks. So I had world-class speed. And so they, you know, they were talking about me in terms of track.

And then the football thing, you know, no one really knew because I'm going to, you know, from 30 million people then to 300 million and Division I, Pac-10, you know, where you have USC and Marcus Allen and. Nebraska and you have all of that. And so, and that was the first one ever to do that. So people weren't very optimistic that I was going to work out for me. What did you think the first time you heard that? Like when you were sitting there and they're talking about you making a poor decision where you just like, I know, I know you said you got to reach and you never know if you don't reach for it. So you got to go after it. But to be put on a,

a spotlight like that and to have different guys make their opinions on you. I mean, like obviously you proved them wrong, Rubin, like immensely wrong. But do you remember seeing that or did somebody show it to you or were you paying attention to it? Well, I wasn't paying attention to it. I was focused on trying to learn the plays and trying to, you know, really understand college football at WSU and trying to get more playing time. So that was my focus and also going to school. I wanted to get a business degree. And so I, you know, I'm now in a U.S. college and trying to, you know, get good grades and plus way at the Pact 10 level. And so that's what I was focused on. And, you know, that's what it was. Absolutely. Going back to Don Hodgins, your coach at North Battlefield, when you look back at that, for a guy to push as hard for you as he did, right? Because the reports and the stories that I'd read is like,

like you say, he put in money, he put in a lot of time, he tried figuring out how to get the best quality videotapes so he could send it around and really try and drum up some support for getting you down south. And like you say, he finally ends up on Hugh Campbell in Emmington. It's pretty cool of a guy to push as hard as he did. Or maybe today that happens all the time. I don't know. I guess in your trajectory, if Don Hodgins maybe doesn't come along, maybe there's another Don Hodgins.

I don't know. But it seems pretty cool to me in your story or your growth to have a guy like that a coach you, but B push is hard to get you the next level. Well, yeah, and I'm eternally grateful to coach Hodgins. And every time I'm back in North Balford, I have dinner with him and his wife and children and all of that. And I said grateful he was a kind of a no-nonsense guy. And weren't they all back then?

You know, and he just took it upon himself. And I think part of it too was. of my track and field success. So he might have saw, and he'd been around for a while and, and saw what we had done against, you know, teams in Edmonton and Saskatoon in Regina. And so, you know, willing to invest in me and, you know, worked out. And so I'm grateful that, you know, his $500 back then returned, you know, some recognition to him. and the assistant coaches and North Balford and, you know, the comprehensive high school. And it worked out, you know, it's one of those situations and you just never know, right?

Yeah, well, it's, you know, I started this podcast, and for the listeners, they get tired of me saying this, but I started this podcast back in February 2019. And so the idea being, I'm from Hillman, Saskatchewan, which is, you know, I, from where your ancestors set up the Shiloh community, that would be, you know, half an hour, 35 minutes as the crow flies, community wise. And so I got mentioned your name probably a year back. And I mean, at the height of your career, I'm just being born, right? So yeah, right.

Forgive me for not being, you know, like, but I read about you and I go, holy man, like this is a pretty cool little story. Like, I mean, big story. Most people that come out of our area, as you know, are wearing skates, right? There's a lot of successful hockey players to come out of here. But in North America, the biggest sport, and there will be some Canadians mad at this, but I don't think anything touches the NFL. Like the NFL is an absolute juggernaut. And from you to come from all town, Saskatchewan and make it there is, and not only make it there,

I mean, geez, your first year, you're crushing it, your first couple of years you're crushing it. Like, it's a really, really cool story. Yeah, you know, I had speed and I had determination and I still have determination no speed anymore. But, you know, it's just a determination to work hard and to work through challenges and, you know, it's a lot of folks along the way constantly. challenged. I think about that when I reflect on my professional football career, you know, going to WSU and there's other running backs. And so I'm competing. And then I had a shoulder injury, you know, my sophomore year. And that had me readjust my priorities. And so you have these sentinel moments in your, during your life. And I've been fortunate that those have been good

learning and sometimes are painful. Most of them are painful, but that was one that helped me at WSU my sophomore year where I was running track and we had some success. I had some success in my freshman year. I lost my focus and my discipline a little bit. And then I separated my shoulder against UCLA and it was a sixth game of the year. And so I wasn't able to red shirt. And so I had to get some pins in my clavicle and, you know, the three ligaments right there in six weeks. And I remember getting my pins pulled out and going to the weight room right after that and trying to lift the bar. And I couldn't even lift the bar, you know. And my teammate, Carrie Porter from Great Falls, Montana, he had a really good year. He rushed for a thousand yards. Was all Pack 10 that year.

and here I am injured and second team basically. And that was a pivotal time for me and I had to decide, you know, what's important. And so I dedicated, you know, to getting back to where I needed to be, you know, from a lifting point of view, from training. And that led to my junior year in breaking the NCAA rushing record. and then also the week before that, it was the biggest comeback in NCAA history coming back and beating Stanford. So those two weeks really defined kind of was the next level for me, but it was preceded by, you know, a painful, painful lesson. And I find that that's pretty common, you know, in terms of reset, then next level, reset, next level. And so I look back and I'm, you know, you don't want to learn everything that way.

But during that time, that kind of got my attention. And so pretty interesting. Yeah, well, you had, I think you've said it a few times, raw talent. And I don't think that can be denied. There's lots of people that have raw talent and never seem to, you know, jump through the hurdles or get up the hill or whatever you want to call it. and hearing your story is once again there's just something special there i'm curious where in this trajectory at w s u sloan comes in because i'd read stories about him absolutely drilling you

and was that after the shoulder injury and you and you started to decide what you need to do and all of a sudden you bump into a former olympic athlete and because i'd read the story like he was kind of like the crazy guy on the track. Like everyone's kind of like, oh, there he is. And you approach him and somehow start working with him? Well, he was on the, he was a track, the track coach at WSU. So John Chaplin, a real famous, and he lives in the area here, but he was very successful as a head track coach for Washington State.

And that was during the era where they had Henry Rono and Julius Carrillo and Julius career. And these are, these are track people that won gold medals in the Olympics. And so very international. He was criticized for that, but a lot of teams began doing that in Oregon and Arizona. But he was like the pioneer. And he would go to different countries and recruit these guys from Cyprus and from Argentina and from Kenya. Russia had all these connections. And so Rick Sloan was the field coach, field events, but also he was the conditioning guy. And so I didn't really work out with him that much right then, but it was after I left the WSU, went to the pros, I would come back and I would work out with him and some other folks. And we would go try to kill ourselves just to get

mentally tough. And so I was looking at Walter Payton and Walter Payton, you know, running these hills and that inspired me to, you know, like no one's ever going to outwork me in terms of preparation for the NFL. And that became the case because my rookie year, I was able to, you know, really compete at a really high level and work through some pain and adversity and be successful. And so Rick Sloan was a big part of that after I left WSU and got drafted. And I came back and prepared with him. And that was really good. So again, another person who I sought out and said, you know, I want to be mentally tough, Rick. I want to work out really hard. We had a thing called Upchuck Hill. And it's gone now. There's a hotel there, but it was probably a couple hundred

yards. It had a plateaued and you go up some more. And then there's a place called Engineering hill, which is straight up, it's a brick hill. So we run that. We lift weights, then run these hills, and it was really exhausting. And we take, you know, WSU players and they'd be throwing up and everything. But that really helped me when, you know, playing the Rams and it's hot. And I got the wind knocked out of me. And I can't hardly see because I got sand in my contacts. And I get the ball and I break one for 50 yards, you know, it's mental. It's a mental approach after you get physically prepared. So Rick was the person that really helped with that, helped to kind of solidify that approach. And I was able to carry that in the NFL. You know, in hockey, I talked to a

lot of hockey players. We talk an awful lot about how mental the game is, the mental side of playing hockey. And once you get to the elite levels, how a big chunk of that is mental. Is it the same thing can be said then about the elite level of football? Yes. I think any professional sports, everyone's a pretty good athlete. So what separates someone that makes a catch or breaks a tackle or, you know, makes a log run. It's really a game of inches. Everyone's pretty well in the same category. And so your ability to make place. And I remember my running back coach telling me Jim Skipper at New Orleans, he said, you know, everyone's paid as a running back. They expect you to get four yards of carry. You get paid to do that. I mean,

you're a professional. That's the expectation. What we want you to do, do want you to get, you know, what's beyond that? What tackles are you going to break? What plays are you going to make? Players make plays. And so being able to do that, and it takes mental toughest because, you know, when we were playing the Giants, one of the earlier times in my career, you know, you're pulling into the Meadowland Stadium and it's cold and it's wet, and you're playing against Lawrence Taylor

and these great linebackers and defense and you're, you know, get knocked down for a loss and you've got to get back up and you just got to keep on going. And so you've got to prepare for those things, you know, in the off season. You don't prepare for those things during the season because during the season, you're dinged up and you're trying to adjust and game planning the different teams. And so all that preparation for me and for, I think, successful, any successful professional athlete, if you, and you have interviewed a lot of them, Sean, is, is, you know, mentally preparing, being mentally tough to be able to deal with adversity and to work through it.

And I learned, you know, coming from Canada, I said, you know, I'm just going to go for it. And I'm going to have distractors. And going from WSU to the pros, I'm just going to go for it. and you're going to have distractors and going to what I do now. You know, I'm going to have distractors. I'm just going to go for it. And the one thing I've learned is that it's all good. The journey is you learn so much because you've experienced it.

And I would never have these experiences growing up in North Balford and going to Washington State. I mean, that's so unique to be planning against Stanford and coming back. and against Oregon and the NCAA, you know, and also fumbling the ball, doing stupid stuff, you know, and so you don't know unless you try. And what I realize is that no matter what it is, it's all good. It's all going to help you if you're wanting to grow and get better. Those all those things, those things you learn. And so I'm just so grateful for that.

And so all pro athletes to get back and I kind of got off in the tangent there in terms of being mentally tough, definitely it's the preparation. And then, you know, there was multiple times where I, you know, maybe a slight sprained ankle. I had sore Achilles and, you know, or something on, you know, bruised here or bruise there. And being able to play at a high level, play through that and not let that kind of distract you. And so your ability to kind of focus and work hard and take it one plate of time, that's all, that's all kind of part of all of that. I think that's great for kids to hear about the mental toughness side of it. Everybody works on skill development and everything, the physical side of the game,

where you get on the ice or you get in the field or you get wherever you got to go and you shoot the thousand shots or whatever it is. but the mental side of it is almost a little abstract, you know, like you just, you try and explain it to somebody, but until they're, like you say, you prepare for it before the game. I think that's great for any, any kid listening that wants to make it to a level you did. I, I see that throughout your, you know, if you read the stories about you, I see that time and time again is there's a lot of mental toughness that you had to build to get to the level you got to. Yeah, it's really true. You know, the reality is, is that what does that mean? It means that

you need to suffer and struggle and you need to fail. And so success comes out of that. And that's really the only way. You rarely hear someone who says, hey, I was so successful, that made me a better person and a better player, right? It's really... When you say it like that, Rubin, suffer and struggle. How many people want to do that? Like, if you knew that was what it was going to take to get to where you wanted to go to, somebody would be finding an alternate route to try and get away from that. But what they probably don't realize is you got to push through those things. It makes you what you become.

Absolutely. Solidifies. And so I call it eating dirt. You know, when the kids are young, I have a couple boys. And we find Logan out in the backyard having a bunch of dirt in his mouth, you know. The doctor would say, hey, don't worry about that. that's going to help his immune system, you know, and make them stronger. Of course, you don't want them doing it all the time, but it's not going to hurt them. And, you know, and we spoil their boys,

but you know, you got a lot of parents that put a bubble around their kid and, and the reality is, is that they need to fail and they need to struggle and then respond. It's like, you know, lifting weights. It's all the same stuff. It's just they actually practice of doing it when they're young and you don't want your children to to feel that pain and the loss. And the reality is it's a good thing. And that's what that's life. And so the sooner, you know, I had, I was able to, I kind of backed into it because I was a fast guy and was able to, you know,

move through high school and then college and then professional athletics. So I got to do it that way. A lot of people don't get that opportunity like I did like that. And it's helped me in my leadership now every day, you know, there's struggles. And I say, bring it on, man, bring it on. That's just what it is, you know. And how do I, how do we get better? And, you know, something else too.

And I pick up things from different people. but, you know, one of the things I really think about a lot is how do I execute? You know, that's the mental attitude. How do I get from point A to point B as, you know, when I was a professional athlete or a college athlete or high school? Not so much in high school because, you know, you weren't thinking that. You're just, you know, you're still just a young guy. And I was a young guy and just running fast. But, you know, how do I get from point? point in to point B and that mental attitude to make that happen and with intention, with intention. And as I mentioned, my running back coach always said, you know, impose your will. Impose your will when you're a running back. You have the ball in your hand. It's not like a quarterback having to throw the ball to a receiver, but you actually have the ball in your hand.

And now you can determine what's going to happen after that. And I never forgot that. And as a running back, I would, I love sometimes I'd be playing against these D.Bs, Ronnie a lot. I played against him quite a few times. And, you know, we'd have our conversations early in the game. And there'd be Dion Sanders, you know, he was the big tackler. And they talk a lot. And then you get into the game and it gets physical and you get down to crunch time.

And suddenly you break one and you're out there one and one. where before they were tackling you and come and finish you off. And now it's like, okay, now let's see what's going on here. You know, we'll see what happens now when you got some speed or are you going to run someone over, you know? And, you know, and then sometimes I lost on those sort of things. But that, I feel very fortunate to be able to experience that. When I told people I had you coming on, I got asked this an awful lot. This must come from small people who knew they could never play in football.

But a lot of people are wondering, in the NFL, when you have giants on both sides of the ball, and you're getting tackled by half of them, what does the body feel like the next day? Well, again, that goes back. Actually, I didn't feel too bad. There are games early in my career where I carried the ball a lot. And I had some games where I had like 35 carries. But I really, you know, Walter Payton in the way he prepared. And so I wanted to go in there chiseled and hard in terms of, you know, physically ready and strong and have endurance built in, you know, my muscles and everything and running hills and all of that.

So what that does, when you're so fine-tuned like that and have conditioned your body, you recover pretty fast. was naturally a fast healer anyway. So on Monday, when I came in, I really wasn't that sore. I mean, I just got, you know, I didn't have a bunch of bruises and stuff, but of course, you've been hit quite a bit and you've got the pads and everything. But by Wednesday, you know, I was ready. I was fine and ready to go. And again, that was the really hard work physically that I did prior in the heat of the sun, you know, 95 degrees. And, and, and, and really pushing my body. And so I was okay.

I really was. I was never one to really be beaten down. You know, Earl Campbell, his last year was my first year at New Orleans, and he's my next-door locker mate. And his style was very physical. And his last year, he's an incredible Hall of Famer and one of the best running backs ever, but he was beaten down. You could tell, you know, and he played 11 years and incredible, credible person,

incredible athlete. But I didn't play long enough to get to that point. And also my running style, I was a slashing type runner. And so I really relied on speed and being an instinctive runner where I would glance off. I was never one to kind of, you know, run into anybody. It's always kind of a blow like that. And when you got a lot of speed and quickness, you know, people aren't going to, you're not like a fire hydrant, you know, on a dog show sort of thing, you know, you're removing and you're not getting the full contact. And that was the same with, you know, concussions. And I tell people, I really honestly

he never had a concussion in the NFL or in college. I had my bell rung a couple times. I remember that, but I was not the type of runner that would just, you know, wham, you know, kind of thing. They had bullbacks to do that. But I was really fortunate in that regard, too, because of my speed.

So speed was really a big deal. And also being instinctive. I just had a way of really anticipating, seeing colors, finding the open space, you know, in milliseconds. And it just came natural to me. Back when you were playing with WSU then, in your junior year, you've probably been asked about this a million times. But you run 357 yards in a single game.

You set the NCAA record at the time, I believe, for single game rushing. And I watched the video of it. It was like, you know, when you talk about speed, like you were lightning quick like that game or did you have multiple games where whenever you touch the ball it just seemed like the the sea parted and you were gone yeah yeah i just uh i had really um i was a uh a quick speed that means i could get from zero to full speed pretty quickly in a couple steps and also again the ability to on my feet

you know, going full speed to anticipate and set blocks up. And, you know, I had a real feel for how to anticipate and find a gap. And it just came naturally to me. And so, but yeah, just, and the physicality, I was pound per pound, the strongest guy on the team at WSU. And so I was 205 pounds and, you know, bench in 380 or something like that and and cleans and and so I was very strong for my my weight and so when someone I'm going full speed and someone hits me it's like you know there's more to it than just 205 pounds coming at

you. You're getting a lot of strength there too and and that's what happened at Oregon. They you know they tackle me and I kind of shook you know shove them off kind of thing and keep on going and And that game in particular in Stanford, you know, they kind of bounce off you a little bit. How much fun was it from coming from the prairies and going into all these different stadiums with thousands upon thousands of fans in there? I myself played college hockey in Wisconsin. So I understand that the number one sporting event probably in the United States is college football. Like it is right there with everything else. You got to play in some of the biggest buildings.

There's got to be some moments that stick out or just like, did your hairs ever not stand straight up walking out onto the field? Well, it's funny you mentioned that, Sean, that my freshman year, we played Tennessee. Again, my freshman in my sophomore year. And back then, the Pack 10 and the Big Ten, they played. game against each other. I don't see that much anymore. But I played Michigan one year. Actually, my junior year played Ohio State. And Michigan had 104,000 seat stadium. And it went, it was this went really wide, you know. Tennessee was straight up in the SEC. And so, yeah, and of course, the Coliseum at USC. And so, but Michigan,

Ohio State, Tennessee, USC, those, you know, when you got 100,000 people or 95,000 people, and they're like, geez, man, this is, and everyone, and at Tennessee was all orange. And of course, Ohio State, it was red. And so, yeah, it was, didn't we think about it that much in college? I was so, you know, your students and you're playing football, and, but it was, wasn't until a pros that I remember, you know, I'd walk on the field and, and when I was feeling really good. And I got to know some of the players, D-Bs, and I'm walking on the field like, hmm, okay, I'm ready, you know, I'm feeling pretty good. And, you know, that was, and I remember a few times my

my rookie year where it was preseason. And then we had some games like game six or seven. I'm in the huddle and and I was 60,000 people in the stands and I'm going to myself, this is pretty cool, man. Here I am and we're going to run a play and I'm going to get the ball and, you know, it's like going to work almost. So that was quite an experience to reflect on that and also be in those big stadiums. did I read perchance that you didn't drink, smoke, or anything like that? Is that true? Well, I drink now. I like a gin and tonic every once in a while. But for the longest time, I didn't drink anything really up until probably maybe 10 years ago. I just was, and I, of course, I had drinks in college a few times.

like we all do. But during the pros, I wasn't much of a drinker. And even after I retired, having kids, I just wasn't something I did. And then just now, I mean, we're empty nesters. You know, I like to have a nice gin and tonic. I actually have a gin and tonic and, you know, things like that. I think I've smoked maybe a quarter cigarette in my life. And I was just like, what is this, man?

This has nothing for me. experimenting when I was in, you know, middle school or something like that. Never taking drugs other than pain killers, you know, that kind of drug. And, but never, I just never appealed to me to take anything like that. That would, you know, change my perspective on things. So that's, that's the, the reason, the reason I ask is I just think, you know, Division I football is one thing. Going to the NFL is a completely new stage. And like I said, off the hop, the NFL is, you know, and fans love to get in debates about it, but I don't even know if it's a debate. Like the NFL is a machine. It is giant. And so when you get up to that level, I just assume you're treated different, you're open to a whole different world that you didn't even know existed. And I'd read that you didn't drink. And I was like, Not that you need to drink to be in those.

I just assume you'd be presented to some situations that you could have never fathomed before and been around probably celebrities and very famous, wealthy people and just some crazy situations, I guess. And for a guy to just to go about his business and enjoy it and not need any additional substance to enjoy it anymore, I guess, is where I was going. Yeah. Well, you know, that's why I think that was unique. Not unique that people were doing drugs and all of that, but that, you know, think about this, Sean. I mean, I spent summers in 10 miles north of Maestown, Saskatchewan, okay? And that's a, that's a complete different deal right there.

And so I really enjoyed the peace and quiet, and that's why we live in Pullman. We live on a place called Lost in Gardens. And I love peace and quiet. And that came from my growing up and going fishing at Saskatchewan River on the weekends, you know, with myself alone or with a couple of folks, ice fishing at Turtle Lake, Helene Lake, you know, those sort of things are part of my DNA. And so now I'm in New Orleans or I'm in Seattle. And I'm still like that.

I'm still, and to this day I'm still like, I like the, peace and quiet. I'm an introvert. And so I wasn't one to have to look for a party. I was one to more like to re-energize my batteries, you know, and watch a movie. I spent one of my hobbies when I played was to, our day off on Tuesday is to go to a theater, you know, it was two o'clock matinees, and I'd be the only one in there, and I'd have a theater to myself. And I think that this energized me to kind of, you know, relax and be by myself. So that's, that's, you know, That's why I think part of that for me, it wasn't something that I needed to, I wasn't looking to party, trust me, being, you know, trying to, the responsibility of carrying the ball and being

the key guy for a while, you know, was part of it too. Yeah, a lot of guys, a lot of guys just get sucked in. That's, you know, and I think it's really, really cool. That's the way you went. Now, when you go to these afternoon matinees, what were the movies you were searching out? Oh, action-pack, you know, like shoot them up movies, of course, you know, the best kind. Well, lay one down on me. What was back in 1980s?

Oh, man, I'm not going to remember that. I don't know. Talk gun, Terminator. Yeah, those Terminator, exactly kind of movies. I still like those kind of movies. So, you know, that's a, you know, that has a happy ending. and you know i'm an avid movie person always have been in the action-packed uh denzil washington is one of my favorite uh actors he's got a couple you know man on fire

you know that's the kind of movie that i i love because you know he's he's been he's been hurt right and he's been knocked down and also someone he loves dearly he's been hurt and so now You can see that the plot is very clear and it has a meaning. And so I love that kind of a movie. Well, Denzel A is the man. Yeah, his movies are awesome. For sure. When you go back to the draft, the NFL draft, where were you that day?

I was in an apartment with a friend and then my girlfriend, who was now my wife, she was there with me. And I was sitting there waiting to get a phone call. Back then, you just waited to buy the phone. And you gave all the teams your phone number. They had your contact information. I was in this apartment. And I was thinking there was a chance I could go in the first round. I was in the top eight in terms of running backs coming out that year.

The knock on me was I wasn't much in the passing game. And so people didn't know how I would do in that respect. I had a real good combine, but I dropped a couple balls and long balls that were eased. They felt through my hands. And so I didn't help things. That didn't help matters. And so I visited with the Kansas City Chiefs. And they were thinking about draft me in the first round.

I heard that the bears in Green Bay were thinking about draft me in the first round. And so, and I was, you know, I was an offensive player of the year, two years in a row at the Pact 10 and consensus, All-American, my junior year and All-American my senior year. So I thought I had a good chance of being, you know, mid to late first round. And so I'm sitting there waiting for this phone call. And I see these players that I played with at these All-Star games, and they're getting drafted ahead of me. And then Darrell Clack, who was a running back at Arizona State, and who was below me in terms of priority, he got drafted.

And I said, what? Darryl Clack got drafted in the Pack 10, and I didn't get drafted yet, you know? And so I said, that's it. I'm done with this whole thing. I'm going to go become a lawyer. I told my girlfriend three at the time, and now she's my wife for 32 years, that I'm done. If they don't respect me enough of all I've done accomplished at the college level, you know, they're not going to have my services. But right after that, I got a phone call from the New Orleans Saints, and they said, hey, we've drafted you early in the third round. We're excited to have you here. we drafted other running backs.

And so then I said, okay, where's Portland? So I had to go to get a map and see where it was. And that's a whole different world down there. And then I remember going down for a press conference, and they had drafted Dalton Hillier. Do you know the story from LSU? And he was All-American also, and just 80 miles away. Barry Word from Virginia, myself.

So they drafted a lot of running backs. It was Jim Fink's first team, first season, and Jim Moore, his first year as head coach. So they were trying to clean house with bum Phillips and all that kind of stuff. So we had all these running backs and then Earl Campbell and Beaufort Jordan. And so there was a whole, like, there was like eight or nine of us. And so the Times Pick you and they asked me what, you know, I thought, being from the Pack 10, and from Washington State University, you know, where I see myself fitting in here. And I said, well, here's what I think.

I'm starting here. I don't know what everyone's thinking, but that's what I plan to do. And here we go. So next day in the Times Pick, Yun, running back contributions, he may say he's going to start. So that's what happened. And that's what happened. So. That's awesome.

You had in your first day in New Orleans, you'd started a controversy. What did the other guys think? Like eight other running backs, were they gunned them for you? Or did you just all go out? I didn't care. I'm just like, I had to learn the place. Our first meeting with Jim Skipper, and that was his first time. And he just retired last year after like 35, 37 years.

And he had a picture of his family. So he came from the USFL. And this was first year as a running back coach, you have Earl Campbell, don't hear you, very word, you know, all these players. We're all sitting there. And he pulled a picture of his family. And he just like this picture up here behind me. And he says, see that? That's my family.

He says, I love my family. So here's the deal. I don't care if you're a first round draft pick. I don't care if you're a free agent. I don't care if you're a Hall of Famer. It doesn't matter to me. If you produce, you start here. that's end of story.

And he had some more choice words. Yeah, colorful words to put in that statement there. And I said, wow, that's interesting. This is different than college, man. You know, in college you go practice and you go have pizza with your buddies and, you know, you go to class. This is pretty serious, man. And they're pretty serious because there's a new regime, obviously.

So that, again, was another opportunity for me to fish. establish myself and, you know, he said, players make plays. And he also said, always sayings from these different folks, you know, the cream always rises to the top. So if you work and you're good enough, you're going to rise eventually in NFL for sure. They do not care where you're draft, unless you're a quarterback, you know, and you're drafted high, but you have to produce or else you won't be there very long. Well, and I, you went to New Orleans with out of contract for training camp, yeah? Yeah, yeah, I did.

In the summertime, I rented a teammate. He was at WSU. He's a linebacker. And he was staying in Washington. So he allowed me to stay in his condo, him and his wife's condo. And I went and worked out and went early and trained to learn the plays. I had a dream of being an NFL player, and I wanted to prepare for that. So that's what I did.

That's pretty cool. That's not, I don't know if Balsey's the right word, but I mean, that's confidence showing that, like, yeah, I don't got a contract, but I'm coming down and let's get this rolling. Like, how long did it take? How long did it take Rubin before they're like, here's a contract sign on the dotted line? Well, it didn't take that long. it was a pretty basic contract. But the thing, because I was drafted a little bit later, my agent, we had a lot of incentives in there. So it was a pretty basic three-year contract.

And then I had quite a bit of money and incentives. And so when I got to the Pro Bowl and all these different things, I added quite a bit of a few zeros on there my first year. I remember my first year, I made $300. $82,000. Back's 1986, quite a bit of money. I went back to college and my roommate from my junior year, my senior year, I stayed back with him and I said, hey, my accountant just sent me this. I made $3802,000. That's pretty cool, isn't it? He said, oh, yeah. So, but, you know, that's that's what it was and my signing bonus was a hundred thousand dollars i thought i died and gone to heaven i had a hundred thousand they gave you a check for a hundred thousand dollars and so you know um

that was uh that was great what did you do with a hundred thousand dollars like well you put it in the bank first of all i was able to help my mom and my dad a little bit with some debts and uh helped my uh sisters a little bit with some college stuff and and and then eventually buy a home and So, you know, but you pay taxes on that too. That's pretty cool, though. You gave back to your family. Well, I mean, I didn't know what else to do. I mean, my dad had a business and was in a little bit of debt.

And my mom, my parents were divorced and she was behind a little bit. And so, you know, compared to what I had, it was a small amount of money. Plus, the Canadian dollar wasn't worth as much. So, you know, multiplied there. And so that was one of the first things I did. And I wasn't married the time. And so I felt I could do that. And of course, that changed when I got married and was able to do that anymore.

But that was a happy day for me when I could go home, when I went back home and able to help my dad, my mom out a little bit financially. It was good. That's a good thing. That's a super cool thing. Yeah. The reason I'm not surprised, I shouldn't say surprise, the reason I enjoy what you did with your signing bonus so much as I've heard, you know, I've had one kid come on and he went and bought cows for the farm. I thought that was pretty cool. But I've heard a lot talk about, you know, I went and bought a new car.

I bought this. There's nothing wrong with that. Who am I to judge, right? But to go back and help your parents out with some debt, that's pretty cool. Yeah, it's very fortunate. You know, you think about those things and I just think twice about it. And like I said, it wasn't in the context of things. It wasn't a lot of money. But it's just, you know, you have the money. You know, you're doing this thing called professional football. You really don't have a context. I remember I'm jumping around here a little bit. but I remember after it was announced that I was made the Pro Bowl and Rookie of the Year,

I remember calling my mom. And she said, and I was all excited. And I called her and I said, hey, mom, mom, I just got voted into Pro Bowl and Rookie of the year. She goes, oh, that's great. When are you coming home? You know, kind of put it in context. So that's why I think that growing up where I did, and you know, being from that area,

that's just a different deal. It wasn't like I was raised in L.A. or, you know, in Portland or Seattle or whatever. I come from a very different background. And I think that's helped me a lot in terms of just looking at the world a different way. I became a Christian later in my pro career. I wanted to get that in there. And that was a different trajectory in my life and in my perspective on things. So I'm so grateful for the journey. And to me, I'm thinking, I want to live to be a hundred because I get to enjoy every day and explore new things. And hopefully I can live as long as I can live because life is, life is glorious. It really is. It's an adventure. Yeah, it's a pretty cool outlook on life you got. I wish, not wish, it'd be cool to have more

people sharing that thought. There's a lot of, well, I mean, we're living in some pretty tough times right now. And it's easy for people to stare out the wall or stare out the window and see all the negative. Like right now in Lloydminster, Alberta, Saskatchew, and it is an absolute snowstorm. That's, that's no fun. Yeah, we got one here too. It's in Pullman, Washington. But then, you know, it's all how you see it. I'm saying, hey, this is great. I was swimming. I'm a big swimmer. and the guy that swims next to me, he was there, and I was asking him, you know, how the crop was. I knew it was great. We had great crops this year.

But he said, yeah, it was pretty good. You know, there's always good to see in everything. There really is. And snow means lots of moisture for us. The cold, I actually like the cold. You know, it kind of breaks things up. And, you know, you got to put a coat on. You got to, you know, you got to prepare a little bit better.

So I've always been like that, though. I've always been glass half full looking to, you know, what's the positive? And I'm an encourager by nature. And so I just feel very fortunate. And maybe it's just from my dad's, you know, he's like that. And so to me, it's easy for me to say because that's kind of, you know, how I'm wired. But you're right, COVID-19. We have good days and bad days.

but the thing about it is, you know, what really, how do you impose your will today? How are you going to impose your will? How are you going to make a difference? How are you going to encourage somebody? You know, how are you going to try something new? I'm trying to cook Indian food now as kind of an indoor hobby now. I'm learning how to do that and destroyed the kitchen last Saturday. But, you know, just try new things and take some chances.

and you're going to get knocked down and you're going to fail fast as a term, you know, an entrepreneurship. But you get back up and you keep on going. Well, I'll wrap us up here into the final segment, the Crude Master Final Five. A shout out to Heath and Tracy McDonald, supporters of the podcast since the very beginning. There's just five quick questions for you or long questions as long as you want to go, Rubin. Sure. I got nothing but time.

I always start with, if you could sit down with one other, sit down across from somebody like we're doing right now. You could have anyone you wanted to pick their brain. Who would you take? Probably, well, I have a couple. You know, Paul in the Bible, I'd love to sit down and sit across from him because of what he did in world history and Jesus Christ, for that matter. But in terms of here, probably that's a good question. Probably Walter Payton. I met Walter Payton when we scrimmaged against them in Chicago Bears, but I never had chance to sit down and talk to him. But Walter Payton was really an idol of mine.

And I was speechless when I met him the first time. But yeah, Walter Payton would be someone that I would let's sit down and talk to you. who was one defender you lined up against back in the day and when you saw him you're like crap he's pretty good or scary or yeah large taylor because my job was to chip him uh when we played against him when chip is you you you you hit the outside half of their body to keep them on their block because they're so good and uh he was he was like six three two 60 probably a solid muscle, quick as a deer. And I chipped him a couple times because he didn't see me.

But the third time, you know, I've come running at him to chip him. And he sees me. He just launched me, man. You know, so he was a really good player. I remember that. And running a lot, too. I played him. I played against him a couple times each year against the 49ers there in our division back then,

still are. How about a guy on the opposing team that you watched and went, man, is that guy an athlete? Yeah. Mike Singletary. Mike Singletary, pretty good athlete, not, you know, athlete, but also ferocious, intense, a leader. And the reason I know that, because I saw the other side of it, he was part of this pro-athlet ministry program called PAO. And so I got, me and I got spent some time with him and his wife in Arizona at a, conference one time and he's very soft-spoken. He's a very intense guy, but he's completely different off the field than he is on the field. But on the field, yeah, just an intense guy in all over

the place, jumping and making plays. Where was the first game you played in the NFL? And do you remember it? Like your first ball touch, were you nervous as all get up? I think it was Kansas City in New Orleans. And the reason I remember that is because I missed a block and there's a picture that of my quarterback getting a helmet in the middle of his back and I'm blocking in front of them. And so he said, you know, Rook, if you want to keep playing, you're going to have to, you know, do your blocking assignments. That was Bobby A Bear. But I'm pretty sure it was a preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Final one for you. Who had the best or the craziest fans?

Well, I'd have to say the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome. The Saints, you know, they love their football. And back then they didn't have a basketball team. And everyone lived and died by wins and losses of the Saints. And, you know, it was back then I think they could smoke and they had alcohol. So you can imagine a Monday night game or something like that. It was like crazy. There's a haze of smoke in there.

People are drunk. They're screaming. I think the Saints were the most intense fans, actually. Bonus question then. Yeah. Did you like playing on Sundays or the Monday nighter? I like playing on Sundays. I don't, I'm not a night person.

I'm a really morning person. I get up between four and four. 30 in the morning. And so I'm ready to go. By 8 o'clock, man, I'm pretty well shot. And so waiting all day for a 6 o'clock game and you're sitting in your hotel room, you go to the local mall, you walk around, you got team meetings. It killed me. I hated it. You're just waiting around all day. And then, you know, you get to the evening and you got to play this football game. So just get it out of the way. Let's, you know, play at 10 o'clock or something. Well, Ruma, I really appreciate you hopping on. I'm glad I finally tracked you down. This has been

thoroughly enjoyable. Oh, excellent. And thanks for the opportunity. It's great to meet you, Sean. Thanks for reaching out. And, you know, all the best to you and whatever you do. I really mean that. Thank you, sir. Hey, folks. Thanks again for joining us today. If you just stumble on the show and like what you hear, please click subscribe. Remember, every Monday and Wednesday, a new guest will be sitting down to share their story. The Sean Newman podcast is available for free on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you find your podcast fix. Until next time.