4x Super Bowl Champion, Jon Kolb on Almost Killing Terry Bradshaw, Lessons He Learned from Chuck Noll, and How to Make a Difference

Episode Summary: In this episode of the L3 Leadership Podcast, we hear about the inspiring journey of four-time Super Bowl champion, John Colb, as he recounts his experiences in the NFL and some cherished memories.

About Jon Kolb: Jon Kolb is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle and center for 13 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He was also an occasional strongman competitor in some of the early World's Strongest Man contests.
Jon is also the founder of ATP (Adventures in Training with a Purpose), a Christian nonprofit organization focused on helping those most in need to improve their quality of life through an adventure of purposeful physical training.

3 Key Takeaways:
1. Jon recounts a hilarious incident involving Terry Bradshaw.
2. He also shares insightful anecdotes from his time with the legendary coach, Chuck Noll, and the profound impact it had on his career.
3. He talks about the commendable work being done by his organization, Adventures in Training with a Purpose, in helping veterans and those with physical disabilities.

Quotes From the Episode:
“What he gives, he will supply.”

Resources Mentioned:
ATP

Connect with Jon:
Facebook | X | Instagram 

Transcript

Doug Smith: 0:07

Hey, leader, and welcome to another episode of the L3 Leadership Podcast, where we are obsessed with helping you grow to your maximum potential and to maximize the impact of your leadership. My name is Doug Smith and I am your host, and today's episode is brought to you by my Beratung advisors. We also recorded this episode live from the new reiturn. com studio. If you're new to the podcast, welcome. I'm so glad that you're here and I hope that you enjoy our content and become a subscriber. I know that you can also watch all of our interviews over on our YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed there as well, and it's always. If you've been listening to the podcast for a while and it's made an impact on your life, it would mean the world to me. If you leave a rating and review on Apple Podcast or Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts through. That really does help us to grow our audience and reach more leaders, so thank you in advance for that. Well, leader, in today's episode you'll hear my interview with four time Super Bowl champion, Jon Kolb. If you're unfamiliar with John, let me just tell you a little bit about him.

Doug Smith: 0:58

Jon Kolb was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers out of Oklahoma State in 1969. He played with the Steelers from 1969 to 1981. Overall, Kolb started at offensive tackle in 177 games and earned four Super Bowl rings during the 1974, 75, 78 and 79 seasons. During his playing days, Kolb was widely regarded as one of the strongest men in the NFL and played one of the strongest, protecting Terry Bradshaw's blindside from his left offensive tackle position and opening holes for running backs like Franco Harris, rocky Blyre and others. Like many of the Steeler players of the 70s, john had his own cadre of fans known as Kolb's Cowboys. Kolb competed in the second and third annual World Strongest man competitions in 1978 and 79, finishing in the top three both times. After his playing career ended, he became an assistant coach with the Steelers, working in different capacities as the line coach, tight ends coach, defensive line and also a strength and conditioning coach. Kolb currently resides in Hermitage, pennsylvania, with his wife, Deborah, and he's currently running a nonprofit called Adventures in Training with a Purpose, which is an organization focused on helping those most in need to improve their quality of life through an adventure of purposeful physical training.

Doug Smith: 2:14

And in our conversation you'll hear John share some of his favorite memories and stories from playing with the Steelers, and he tells a story about almost killing Terry Bradshaw. That is absolutely hilarious, so you're going to love that. He'll share what he learned from Chuck Noll, how faith played a part in his journey, and so much more, and I just think you're going to love this conversation. But before we dive in, just a few announcements. This episode of the L3 Leadership Podcast is sponsored by Beratung Advisors. The financial advisors at Beratung Advisors help educate and empower clients to make informed financial decisions. You can find out how Beratung Advisors can help you develop a customized financial plan for your financial future by visiting their website at beratungadvisorscom. That's B-E-R-A-T-U-N-G-Advisors. com. Securities and investment products and services offered through LPL Financial, member of FINRA and S-I-P-C Beratung Advisors. Lpl Financial and L3 Leadership are separate entities.

Doug Smith: 3:08

I also want to thank our sponsor, Henne Jewelers. They're a jeweler earned by my friend and mentor, John Henne and my wife Lara and I got our engagement and wedding rings through Henne Jewelers and had an incredible experience. And not only do they have great jewelry, but they also invest in people. In fact, for every couple that comes in engaged, they give them a book to help them prepare for marriage, and we just love that. So if you're in need of a good jeweler, check out HenneJewelers. com. And I also want to thank our new sponsor, reiturn. com, and Leader.

Doug Smith: 3:32

Let me just ask you this have you ever had an interest in investing in real estate? Well, now, for as little as $500, you can become a commercial real estate investor. Just visit Reiturn. com to learn more. That's R-E-I-T-U-R-Ncom. Investing involves risk. Just consult the Return offering circular if you're interested in investing. And with all that being said, let's dive right in.

Doug Smith: 3:53

Here's my conversation with John Kolb. John Kolb, it is quite an honor to be with you. I didn't mention this before we started recording, but the first time I met with you was several years ago. I think you were speaking at a big-sea breakfast and I didn't realize it, but my dad told me that you were his favorite player to watch for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He used to have season tickets and he would literally spend the whole game with his binoculars on you watching you destroy people, and so this is a great, great honor. And I want to start so, for those who don't know, you're a four-time Super Bowl champion for the Pittsburgh Steelers and I just thought it would be great to start off with Do you have a favorite Super Bowl or maybe a favorite moment for your career that you like to share.

Jon Kolb: 4:35

Well, people will ask that my college roommate. We go back in Oklahoma. They have a high school all-state game. So Terry and I met in the high school all-state game. We became friends and at that game then we went to. We both signed to go to Oklahoma State University. We were roommates. And then he's drafted by the Vikings, I'm drafted by the Steelers, and so we played against each other in the first Super Bowl and I could take up all the time I snapped punts. He was the short man on their punt return. So that's when we were on the field together. And so Roger Worley was the punt returner and he's the short guy. So if the punt short, terry would catch it, but Bobby Walden, he was launching them. And so I'm watching the deep guy, the catches of all, roger Worley, and Terry steps off. He just kind of goes off out of my sight to set up the wall. And here comes Roger Ketches and starts this way Bang. And my roommate, the best man in my wedding, blindsights me.

Doug Smith: 5:58

Oh man, you know, and I think, there's a lot of things there.

Jon Kolb: 6:03

One of them is that's the way football's played. You know, I used to go on. I went on USO tours a couple of times with Joe Cleco and the games were much more violent after we became friends than they were before. That. That's the way football's played. So I think perhaps just that, no matter what you do, I think there's always a relationship factor in it.

Doug Smith: 6:32

That's cool. You were also on the field for one of the most famous plays in NFL history the maculate reception. Can you just take us there? What was it like to be on the field and see that transpire if you even got to see it, yeah.

Jon Kolb: 6:45

So here's the thing that I think is amazing To get into that game, we had to beat San Diego in San Diego the week before, and so there was a lot of pressure. I mean we have to win this game or we don't get to call the macular reception. So before the San Diego game we're sitting, we have a chapel service and the chapel speaker and I can't think of his name right now, but he started off and he asked us do you pray before the game? And Ray Mansfield was the oldest guy on the team and he says yes, and so then he says well, what do you pray for? And so Ray gives him that Mary Poppins, you know, answered. He says well, I pray that nobody gets hurt and the best team wins, and this kind of stuff.

Jon Kolb: 7:38

You know, and he goes oh really, it's the best team wins. He says, don't you want to win? And Ray goes, yeah, and he says, well, why do you? And this is what the lesson was about. Why do we pray and hold what is really in our heart behind our back as if God can't see it? And then we all forgot in our prayers garbage stuff that is not in our heart. Like we pray, the best team wins or nobody gets hurt. I mean, I didn't want somebody to get hurt and so and so the thing was about being praying from your heart. You know, the body in Romans A says that we say Abba, father, daddy, and that was the lesson.

Jon Kolb: 8:28

Here we meet San Diego. We're ahead of Oakland the entire game. Craig Hanuman loses containment on Kenny Staber. He runs up the field and with less than a minute to go, we're behind. We run three incomplete passes and now there's seven seconds on the clock and Terry calls the regular reception play. And as we break the huddle, ray Mansfield goes. Somebody forgot to pray to win, and I will never forget that. And one of the things that's kind of for me sad is Ray Mansfield's gone. Sam Davis is gone. All the guys that probably would have heard that are no longer living. But I remember that. And then I kid Franco. You know you get a statue at the airport and I set up the play because my guy jumps inside. It makes Terry step to his right just long enough to get Franco down the field. That's what I tell everybody. So without me sacrificing Franco, you wouldn't have become the hero and get a statue at the airport.

Doug Smith: 9:45

So do we need a statue of John Colb at the airport?

Jon Kolb: 9:48

right next to that.

Doug Smith: 9:51

Hold off on that. So beautiful you got to be a part of that and I just want to start with a bunch of fun stories. Just, you know, as we highlight your career, I've heard you tell the story many times but it's probably one of the greatest stories I've ever told. Can you tell the famous story about when you brought Terry Bradshaw to I think it was your ranch or a ranch. Can you just share that story?

Jon Kolb: 10:09

I just think listeners you know, one of the things that I think that was amazing about our team is we had, if you're a white guy at that time playing for the Steelers, you're a minority. I thought that was kind of cool. I mean, the way the team. Today we have to use words like adversity and stuff like that. That's the wrong word. The word is purpose goal. Well, you know, getting a group together to accomplish something, and that's what it was like. But nevertheless there were guys on the team that had different, like Fringey, fuqua and LC Greenwood. We called him bags, hollywood bags, but those guys they were dressers. I mean, they always they'd come to practice, all dress stuff. And then there were the. There were guys like Andy Russell and his group and they were the investors and they and so before practice, the investors would be in a group. We had a group of hunters and Terry wanted to get in that group that was the man's group, you know and he never knew how to fit, and so we were roommates and that night he was asking me questions that during Mullins and a couple of the other guys Jack Lambert was a hunter still is we're talking about and so we were going back and forth and he said well, I never shot a deer and I'm going, my gosh, in Pennsylvania you never shot a deer and you go so. So anyway, I told him, come out, come out to the farm and I'll tie one up. That's what I said. I'll tie him one up so that you can. You can for sure shoot it. So anyway, he was late getting out there. I'd already fed the cattle.

Jon Kolb: 12:03

I was actually going to get ready and go in to work out, and here he comes, and so then he's in the barn and he's looking at it. One of the horses and I'm explaining this is a horse that I wrote with. So he said, wrote something. And I went, okay, I settled the horse, I told him to go across the pasture, take off running. I'm alignment, okay, and he takes off running. But he started it, he goes. You know he's looking over the shoulder and he goes. You can't catch me. I'm on a horse with four legs. He got two legs, and so in about half a second I'm right up on top of him. You know, I roped him, popped the slack, and he's standing there, roped, and so now I got to get the rope off of him, but he keeps walking up to the horse and she keeps backing up. So I kept saying, terry, stay there, stay there. And he, he didn't understand that.

Jon Kolb: 13:08

So my second mistake at the opening was I got off the horse and I go to take the rope off and then he goes. Oh my gosh, what happens if she spooks? Well, that's spooker. And out the pasture she goes. And if you've ever been to the three rivers, rivers, we got a. You see that spray behind the boat.

Jon Kolb: 13:29

Yeah, she was pulling him so fast. The dew on the grass was all this spray was popping up and he's going as it go out the pasture and anyway. So there's a barbed wire fence and I thought, oh my gosh, she's going to run through the fence. And and she didn't, and she came back around on the second move. I tried to grab the horse and I missed. So I and I grabbed the ropes. So now she's pulling both of us and the thing that saved us was he had put the wrong reins on. He put split reins on and one of them was dragging. I was able to grab the reins and a little loose of the rope and and that spun her around. She just starts eating. And I look over there and he's like not moving.

Doug Smith: 14:14

Oh man, and I thought oh my gosh, she's, he's dead.

Jon Kolb: 14:19

And I don't remember who we played, but he, he threw three touchdown passes and that that that three days later. And the neatest part about it just happened a couple of years ago and I it was the last time I was with Chuck, no, and he died just a couple of months after that, and I was talking about being alignment and how we, you know, we don't call plays, we don't? You know, we're not supposed to be the smart guys or something. And then Chuck goes, you mean like roping, your course, you're quarterback and getting in the past, and I went, I went. This is 50 years later. I went, you knew about that. Oh man, you know, chuck, it was just this, you know, just this little greasy smile, you know, and just it was, just it was, it was a neat thing, it was neat.

Doug Smith: 15:17

So two follow-ups on that One. Where was that in Steeler history? Like, had you killed him, would Steeler's Nation would have missed out on you know three Super Bowls? When was that?

Jon Kolb: 15:28

Oh, that was yeah. We had not won a Super Bowl yet.

Doug Smith: 15:32

Oh my God, all right. So, wow, you would have ruined it all for.

Jon Kolb: 15:37

Steeler's. Nation Beautiful, you know the funny is, while while she was dragging him and I'm trying to catch him, I thought this is not going to work and I'm actually thinking the humanness of us. I'm thinking what are they going to do to me? Will this be murder one? Could I plead insanity?

Doug Smith: 16:01

Oh, I'm glad it all worked out. You mentioned Chuck Noll, obviously a legendary coach. You got to play for him. I believe your whole career. Everyone I've talked to that's gotten to play for him or coach just talked about how much they've learned from him and I'm just curious what was the impact that Chuck made on you? You know what was your big takeaway from sitting under his leadership for so long.

Jon Kolb: 16:21

One of the things is, could you use the word leadership? And I think of leaders. Chuck definitely was a leader. Chuck's leadership style is different than anybody's leadership style that I've ever been around. So I think when somebody wants to, you know they're in a position of leadership. You've got to look at a lot of different people and bring in the concepts and the qualities that God created in you. You know you can't be a Chuck. No, there was only one, chuck, and my son, caleb, is a great leader. Tony Dungey is another one that's a great leader. All three of those coaches. Caleb coaches wrestling at Pine Richland. If you watch him coach and you watch him after the match, you wouldn't know if his kid won or lost the match because he's going to coach with so much love.

Jon Kolb: 17:24

And Chuck wasn't a huggy, feely person, you know. So there's, you know you, god has given us different qualities, but Chuck, you know he was a technician, which is that? I think that's the number one thing that I learned from him is he, he's a technician. He's a technician in football. I got to play for him for 13 years and then I got to coach for him or with him for 10 more years. So when I left this, when I left the Pittsburgh Steelers I had spent 23 years with Chuck. No, over half my life, Wow, I spent over half my life with which up, no, and the runes and this and the Steelers, and you know, and Chuck would say things you come up the line here, you know, line of scrimmage, say you got together information.

Jon Kolb: 18:26

You know he had these quotes. He would say you got to do whatever it takes, you know. And if we lost the game he would say, alright, today we're gonna go back to basics. I mean those are just. I mean there's a bunch of them, but those are things the Chuck would say. And he was a big guy on basics and I think that gathering information Sticks with me before I take off trying to do something. How much information on that can I gather? Now, if I'm playing football, it could even be looking at the tip tilt of my opponent to read is that mean he's thing? You know, if I, because a guy, if he's gonna come inside, he's gonna drop his hips just a little bit, and then you can read that and that's, that's an example. So you gather an information. You want to do whatever it takes. So those are, yeah, chuck is them.

Doug Smith: 19:27

Outside of Chuck, and I don't even know that he was the most influential. But who? Who impacted you most is your, your time as a player? I'm just curious was it another coach, was it a player, and how did they impact you?

Jon Kolb: 19:40

From a coaching standpoint. Lolley Dodge Was our offensive line coach and Dan Radikovic. Both of them were technique guys. They were so technique oriented.

Jon Kolb: 19:54

I Remember Jerry Mullins. You have to be around Jerry Mullins. He's a kind of guy that can. You know, no matter we would, we had tough practices and so you got it. You need a guy that complains all the time so that you know you're not as bad off as they are. Jerry Mullins is getting inducted into the Hall of Honor but we would think, you know, did we lose that game the way they? You know, the way they would be? The coaches would be honest, like that. But Donnie Shell Was a defensive back Strong safety is a free agent came with the you know Lambert's install worse, and swans came that year as a free agent. Donnie Shell would knock on my door at seven o'clock in the morning and I'm trying, I'm trying to get every last minute of sleep that I can because I gotta go out and have two days and and I would get up and open the door and he'd say, oh great, you're up.

Jon Kolb: 20:59

I'm having Bible study down in my room, so come on down and and I wasn't up, but I would go down and Donnie would Start, he give his Bible and he would go. I was just reading this last night and here's what popped out at me. He just was talking about one having authority. So I was looking up what's that word authority me? And then he would go on and and so Donnie was a guy that Was Lived his faith 24 it still is. He called me. I mean, he'll text me. Hey, john, I just praying for you today. You know just something like that. And then also, hollis half was our team chaplain and we had Bible studies on Wednesday nights that a bunch of guys came to and then we did. He would organize high school football camps at Geneva College where we would Minister to high school kids, and I think that was so Pivotable, pivot, pivot. I won't try to say that word to you, though.

Doug Smith: 22:13

I got you there you go.

Jon Kolb: 22:14

That was. That was a really a Changing thing, because Christians we tend to want to be served and Sometimes we don't get the idea that, okay, you've been to training camp, now go out and serve. Bud Wilkinson was the head coach at Oklahoma. At Oklahoma, when I was a kid, they'd run 47 games in a row. He asked they. He was asked what's his definition of football and he said football is 40 young men Running around on a football field desperately in need of rest, been watched by 40,000 people up in the stands, desperately in need of exercise, and there's Christians who got to get out of the stands and get down on the field.

Jon Kolb: 22:57

Wow, and. And Donnie was one of those guys and Hollis half started doing that. He did. He did the Sunday services for us, he did the midweek Bible studies and then he started doing camps where we would go and and and and teach not just football techniques but have little Bible studies and stuff at Geneva College for high school kids. And 45 year old men will come up to me now and say, hey, I was in your, we came to your camp when I was in.

Doug Smith: 23:31

Yeah, can you? It's interesting. We have a mutual friend turn joking. Played for the Steelers dealer broadcast. Unfortunately just lost him a few years ago, a huge supporter of light of life, and I just remember him talking about you and and basically your whole era of players I think were, you know, the captain's of the team etc. When he came into the league and he just talked about the impact that you all made and His life. I'm just curious Can you talk about how to make a difference? You know you talked about getting into the game. How can we, as people of faith, get into the game and actually make a difference in the lives of others? A passive and just being an Example. Is it really intentional? And going on being aggressive? You know, I'm just curious your view on that.

Jon Kolb: 24:08

Yeah, I, that's a great question and it's something that I think about a lot and I wished that we, as Christians, would change the, the way we present Christ. Jesus died on the cross for us, amen. I get it. Okay, I am saved through faith, not as a result of works, and no man should boast. I get it. But Paul, I Hear that all the time from Christians. But Paul also writes you show me your works Without your faith, or you show me your faith without your works and I'll show you my faith by my works. So I Don't think, as Christians, we, we, we we've been given a gift, the worst thing in the world. Okay, anybody watching this Romans 12 says you've been given a gift. I think it's first Corinthians, chapter 12. It says we've been given a gift. James, the book of James, talks about God has given you a gift. The word I, we don't want to die and not know what our gift is and not have an employed it and some of the places that it talks about serving, talks about teaching, talks about leadership.

Doug Smith: 25:33

I am curious that you have any regrets looking back at your careers. A stealer, you know.

Jon Kolb: 25:39

No, I have lots of regrets, the things that I you know from outside of sports, from being a coward and you know, saying you should go up and talk to this person. And then I didn't do it. John guest, one time I'm at the airport and and we're we're, we're flying out to play a football game, and and I meet John guest. He's coming, he's coming off the plane, and so he says hi, say hi. And we stand there and we're talking, and this little boy comes up and he says Mr Cope, could I have your autograph? And so he gives me this paper and I'm thinking, okay, typically I write my name and then I put Jeremiah 12.5 on there. Your people can look it up, okay.

Jon Kolb: 26:35

And I thought, well, if I do that, john Guest is going to, he's going to think I just did that to impress him. I just put my name and my number and handed it back to the little boy and he said thank you, thank you. And the little boy runs off. Then John Guest goes with that English accent John, I can't do that. You just missed an opportunity to make an impact on this boy for eternity. And I'm looking for a hole in the airport to crawl into. And so those are the things that God does, things for a reason. I don't know if God's a Steeler fan.

Jon Kolb: 27:28

I don't think he's a Cleveland fan but, he does have a plan for our life and there's a reason for things. And so we've got to look and say what is that reason, why is this? And then take advantage of it. And I'm not glad that happened. It's a regret, but I can tell you, if you're out somewhere and somebody asked me for an autograph, I'm going to put my Bible verse on there. That's so good.

Doug Smith: 28:04

No, I think that's such a powerful story. We all get this prompting sometimes and the fear comes up. So thank you for sharing that. A few more fun questions. What do you think the biggest difference is about today's NFL versus NFL you played in in the 70s and 80s.

Jon Kolb: 28:19

Well, somebody said the other day to me and it's kind of funny. He says aren't you amazed at how much stronger and faster the players are today? And I went what, what, what? I ran a 4-6-5-40. Larry Brown ran a 4-6. Jerry Mullins ran a 4-7. Sam Davis ran a 4-7. There's not a guy, a lineman in the Steelers or maybe perhaps in the NFL, that can run under a 5-flat today. They're big and fat. They're big and fat. They can't bend their legs, they can't change directions. Stronger my best squat was 715 pounds, over twice my body weight. There's not a guy. I don't know for sure but I'll bitch it. Call me up whoever watches this and tell me if I'm wrong. Somebody that can squat twice their body weight. Larry Brown, close grip bench press 495. 495 pounds, like that Thumbs touching. Okay, I'll buy anybody dinner if they can show me a guy that can do 495 or 500 today. The today's players aren't stronger and faster. I mean, I'm talking lineman.

Doug Smith: 29:50

I love it, so I guess I would be curious then. Do you think you'd be playing? Would you have been a tackle in today's NFL, or would you be a different role? Do you think? I don't know.

Jon Kolb: 30:01

I probably wouldn't have got a look because I was only 6'3", my heaviest weight was 258 to play, so I may not have gotten a look. We trapped, we ran trapping plays and pulling plays. Today they run zone blocking schemes. It's a whole different scheme and the way they do it you've got to kind of be a big person to, because they actually take a step back, which is so un-football Offensive lineman. That's why we're called offensive. We want to be offensive, but they'll take a step back on their zone blocking schemes. So it's just a different technique and it doesn't fit my head.

Doug Smith: 31:01

One thing I'm curious you won four Super Bowls, had a legendary career and, again, I've only known you recently, but you just seem like you have a humility about you that's so sincere and authentic. And a lot of people may see you as the legendary four-time Super Bowl winner, etc. But you had pretty humble beginnings. How do you stay humble and what did that have to do with your humble beginnings?

Jon Kolb: 31:24

Yeah, I read a book I'm trying to take who was the author? And they said nobody could ever write a book about how they became humble. I always thought that was cool, but I do think you have to remember who you are and where you came from, and so many of our guys. Larry Brown went to school in Kansas, grew up in Florida and was not allowed to play on a football team because he was black until his senior year. Then he got to another school, john Stallworth and a couple other guys told me when the quarterback club would feed their team that before the game that the white guys went in the front door of the restaurant, the black guys had to come in the back door of the restaurant. So most of the guys that played on those stealer teams they kind of dug themselves up, I think, and they remember who they were. I was allowed to go in the front door of the restaurant but I sat on the left side of the bus and everybody else sat on the right side of the bus going to school.

Jon Kolb: 32:52

And the reason is because I fed pigs in the morning. I would call it slopping hogs in the morning. That's why I love the parable of the prodigal son, because what does he end up doing? He ends up slopping hogs. So pigs do not live on dry ground, pigs live in mud. It can be 110 degrees in August in Oklahoma. Somehow they live in mud, and mud has property called suction. And when you feed your pigs you carry these buckets across the pig pen and they got pig slopped in them and it kind of pours out and so the pigs will come in and they go away 300 pounds and they'll ram their head in that bucket and as you're trying to hold that up and you take a step, suction will pull the boot in the mud and then your foot comes out and your sock comes down in that mud. And then, if I'm late, I don't have time to change clothes, take a shower I just got to go get on the bus and so pig mud. I could give you a description you can wipe cow poop off, you can wipe horse poop off, you can't wipe pig poops. And dogs, pigs is the epitome of it. That's what I remember and that's what I want to remember.

Jon Kolb: 34:23

That's where I came from, just like the prodigal son, and so just like a lot of the guys on our team. We came from places and God has brought us to where we are. Not anything I did. I got a football scholarship to Oklahoma State University. My best friend got a scholarship to Vietnam. They had a big dinner for me, 800 people in Oklahoma for their hall. Oklahoma has the state of Oklahoma has a hall of fame. They flew me down there.

Jon Kolb: 35:00

My buddy called me up and says can I pick you up at the airport? Yeah, so he's picking me up at the airport and he's carrying my luggage. As we walked to his car, his license plate says Bron Star, bron Star. And I got to banquet. Why? Because it played in a Super Bowl. And I said, gary, bron Star, like when somebody says to me well, you got a Super Bowl ring, I said, oh, bron Star, what? And he just went like this and I said what happened? And he didn't say anything for 10 minutes. When we got there, poor, he goes. There was an ambush and a lot of guys didn't come home.

Doug Smith: 35:46

Can you just tell people what you're doing today through ATP, what it is and what you're doing, because it's remarkable.

Jon Kolb: 35:55

Yeah, atp is called Adventures in Training with the Purpose. I picked those words on purpose. Adventure means I don't know how it's going to turn out. Training I hope there's some physical therapists here watching this because they'll go. Are you a therapist and I go? No, and I didn't go to Pittsburgh Steel or Therapy Camp either. We went to training camp and I didn't go to basic therapy. At Fort Campbell, kentucky, I went to basic training and it feels okay.

Jon Kolb: 36:26

So therapists do, somebody has a surgery or whatever. They go to a therapist. That's limited typically by insurance, because that, in fact, that's why we kind of started this, because we would do. I was working in an orthopedic office and we would do a surgery. Yeah, if anybody needs their hip done or their knee done I've seen enough hip and knee replacements. I'm pretty good. Carpal tunnel you don't want me to do that one, you've got to have these special glasses. But we would do a hip replacement and 12 weeks later insurance would say you're done and I would run upstairs and I would say to the doctor this lady can't get off a toilet seat, she can't go downstairs, how come she's done? Well, insurance isn't paying.

Jon Kolb: 37:18

So when therapy is done, people, many times older people. What about people with Parkinson's? What about people with MS? What about people with strokes? What about amputees? Amputees aren't going to grow a new leg and all of our amputees we've got I have five right now None of their legs. The leg keeps shrinking and so they've got to go back and get new prosthetics. Those are 5,000 apoc, I mean I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be honest so box, but so ATP is adventure. I don't know how it's going to turn out. We're doing training and we want to have a purpose, just like.

Jon Kolb: 38:02

I think it took me a while to figure this out. 20 veterans plus every day take their own life. If you read Tony Dunge's book, tony Dunge played with the Steelers, won a Super Bowl coaching he talks about in his book. The suicide rate for former NFL players is 10 times the national average. What's the common denominator?

Jon Kolb: 38:25

Well, it took me a while because I'm a lineman, but after a couple of days I figured it out, because both groups are in a mission. They have a mission, they have a purpose, they have a team around them. Somebody's got their sixth. That's army talk, for I got your back and then, all of a sudden, you're done. You know, I do not know a single football player that said I'm tired of this, I don't think I want to do this anymore. No, we get to the point where we can run as fast. Something's broke our fingers, you know, our fingers go different directions. Our noses are flat. That's the good stuff. And then we're done. And then you're trying to figure out now what do I do? What is there out there that is as challenging and purposeful as going to a stadium and 70,000 crazy Stealer fans waving terrible towels, yelling Well, serving people is.

Doug Smith: 39:30

Come on, and so is that. I was going to ask you about that when you transitioned. You know a lot of people would say for Super Bowl is. It's not going to get any better than that. And I'm assuming I don't know how old you were and you were tired Early 30s. Maybe Was that a hard thing for you to find another purpose, or did that take a while?

Jon Kolb: 39:49

It was really hard, Really really hard. One night I got these cramps so bad that I thought I can ask my wife to save me. Doctor, I thought it was going to die. So she takes me to divine Providence, that's. You know. It was right after I got done or finished playing. And God is so amazing.

Jon Kolb: 40:20

So the next morning they stick these tubes down my mouth and up the other end, and so the technician that was running the tubes up and down, he comes in and he's like, okay, John, I'm not supposed to be in here. The doctor's supposed to tell you, but you got an ulcer, and the kind of ulcer you got is from being anxious and worried. So the doctor's gonna give you these pills called Tagamet and they'll clear the ulcer. But he said I read, you're a Christian, so I'm suggesting that if you're a Christian, why don't? Whatever's bothering you, why don't you give it to the Lord? Wow.

Jon Kolb: 41:07

And so he leaves and as he's walking out, the doctor comes in looking doctorly. He's got these doctors, Dr Beard, and he goes John, you know, and we're gonna give you these Tagamet's and now clear it up. And so I kept that bottle of Tagamet's probably five or six years and I finally thought I don't need that in my drawer anymore and I threw them away. But God brought that guy his name was Dell into my life. I said whatever's bothering you, and so sometimes I think God brings people into our life like that and we don't listen. If we take the time, you know he really has an angel usually, or something in scripture for us to connect with.

Doug Smith: 41:57

Yeah, I know we're a few minutes over time. Do you have two more minutes for maybe some fun questions? Yeah, I'm here, all right. So yeah, I usually do lightning round. I'll just throw a few at you. One we didn't get to talk a ton about this, but you have. I think that's kept. Is that Mount Kilimanjaro behind you?

Jon Kolb: 42:14

Yes, so that's painted by an 86 year old vet who was paralyzed for 50 years and now he walks.

Doug Smith: 42:22

Wow, come on, that's a beautiful painting. One thing you all do is take people on adventures, which I fully plan to partake in at some point. But you got to Mount Kilimanjaro. You've been to the Grand Canyon. I heard you on another podcast saying you've whitewater rafted upside down over waterfalls. You know I always encourage people to have a bucket list. What are one or two of the top adventures you've ever had that you would say, hey, if you don't do anything else before you die, do these things.

Jon Kolb: 42:51

You know, adventure. I picked that word because adventure means I don't know how it's gonna turn out Me. That's the definition of adventure, so got it on there.

Jon Kolb: 43:02

Okay, adventure means I don't know how it's gonna turn out, and so you don't know how it's gonna turn out. One of the first ones? Well, no, I think all the way back from being a kid, but I remember hiking across Newfoundland with my son when he graduated, and so it was the last day and there was a mountain, and that's so. They had their GPS's and I didn't know. I mean, I'm old fashioned, this is when they were really new.

Jon Kolb: 43:33

I still, I was carrying a map, and so we were in, we were eating breakfast, and I said I think I'd like to go around the south side of this mountain, and it's the last day. And they said, well, no, let's go around the north side. And so I said, well, you know what? Let's take a chance. You guys go around the north side, I'll go around the south side, I know we'll. You know, every day you've plotted your course, I've plotted mine. We come out in the same spot. So they agreed they go around the north side. I'm going around the south side. I'm walking through some willow trees. I'm 20 miles from the nearest person. I walked up face to face to a moose.

Doug Smith: 44:15

Oh man.

Jon Kolb: 44:16

Moose are 10 feet tall and he. We're just staring at each other and I'm you know, my poker hand right here. I don't have any aces, and I'm in these willow trees. At the bottom of the willow trees are this bee. They may be 10 foot tall, but if I climb up there and so I start walking backwards, just have not taken my eyes off that moose, and he didn't. He didn't, he chose not to run over me and later, 30 minutes later, I was going. Phew, that was close, and I'm walking along the hillside now and up on the hillside, 50 yards up above me, was a black bear. And so now I don't want to scare anybody, because I love your people to come do adventures with us when we go to Fillum and Jor-O, I promise there will be no moose or black bears. But that was, that was just one of the adventures in one of the first ones.

Doug Smith: 45:30

So I mean, with a 750 pound squat, you were still afraid of a moose. You don't think you could take it out? Last question, I guess just to end, and then I'll leave it open and end for you. But would it just be? You know you're towards the end of your life. You know, looking back one day, what do you want to be remembered for and what do you want your legacy to be?

Jon Kolb: 45:49

You know, wow, I hadn't started thinking about that until you mentioned it. 10 days before Tunch died he was still able. He couldn't walk very well, but he could run in our underwater tread-milk tank, because if Tunch weighed 180 pounds when he died but in that tank he weighed 18 pounds, would enable him to actually run. And I remember going at his funeral I was one of the pallbearers and so we carried Tunch's casket over the grave hole, over the hole, and I'm claustrophobic, I don't get on elevators with three people Too tight. I'll get off and take the stairs and I'm going don't look down that hole, don't look down that hole. And as I put the casket down I looked down in the hole and then they had the funeral and everybody left and I kind of hung around the wall thinking they're putting that casket in that hole. And for the next three days I thought about Tunch being in that hole with that dirt on him, and I knew that the Bible says to be absent from the bodies, to be present with the Lord, but nevertheless, and so his spirit and soul went to be with God. I get that, but the body was still in there.

Jon Kolb: 47:35

And then I read in Ezekiel and it talks about when Christ returns, and it talks about this valley and I was there when I got to go do football camps for Israeli soldiers fellowship of Christian athletes, football so I'd mentioned that and I was there at that valley and God asked Ezekiel, there's all these bones. And he asked Ezekiel, ezekiel, can I put flesh on these bones? And Ezekiel says you're God, you can do whatever you want to do. And so he puts flesh on the bones, but it's still dead and only God can breathe life into a body. Somebody can die and every ingredient that they need for life is there, but we can't create life. Only God can do that. And so all these bodies now have bones, have bodies on them, and Ezekiel says can I? God asks Ezekiel, can I breathe life into these bodies? And Ezekiel says you're God, you can do whatever you want to. And they all come to life. And I was cured. I still don't like to get on elevators. So I thought about I'm 76, you're right, I'm still healthy enough to fall off my mountain bike. I flipped over the handlebars twice last week, so I'm healthy enough.

Jon Kolb: 49:19

But those are things that and I talked to Hollis half we talked the other day because Craig Wolfley's brother died and I was at his funeral and I told Hollis I want my funeral to be like that. I want him to talk about how God puts flesh on bones, no matter how long those bones are laid there, and then he breathes life into it and then he's coming to bring that back up. So that's what we do when we get out of the stands. We come down on the field and we live that way.

Jon Kolb: 50:02

And I saw a guy I don't know as a podcast or something had a rope and the rope was white, but the end of the rope was red and he goes this is your life, right here, that tip of that rope, this is your life. And then he starts pulling and he's pulling this rope and I don't know how long the rope was. It had to be a couple hundred feet, but he's pulling the rope and he never got to the other end of the rope and that left an impression on me. So you and I and everybody listen, here we're just on this little red tip and that rope is going to run out, and how we live now can make a difference for light of life people, for veterans, for those people with Parkinson's and also those people that are healthy, and that's our mission. That is so much they don't make.

Jon Kolb: 51:04

If you see a guy wearing a Pittsburgh steel or a Superbowl ring, probably now that's not 100%, but probably he didn't play in the game. He was on the sideline, because you don't need as big as those things are. You don't need a Superbowl ring to remind you you were there. You were there with your buddies, and so what it's about is the little red part right now of that rope. Now, how can we get out of the stands? What's our gift? How's God gifting us? And what he gives, he will supply.

Doug Smith: 51:52

Well, john, I've loved our hour together. Thank you so much for the conversation. Thank you for following God's plan for your life. Thank you for being faithful with it. Thank you for discovering your gift and laying it all out on the battlefield for Christ, and I just love that. And you've got a lot left in you. You're still a beast at 76 years old. I still wouldn't want to mess with you, and I can't wait to see how it uses you in the years to come. Thank you.

Jon Kolb: 52:13

Doug, thank you.

Doug Smith: 52:15

Well, hey, leader, thank you so much for listening to my conversation with John. I hope that you enjoyed it as much as I did. You can find ways to connect with him in links to everything that we discussed in the show notes at l3leadershiporg 4 slash 395. And, as always, leader, I want to challenge you that if you want to 10X your growth this next year, then you need to either launch or join an L3 leadership mastermind group.

Doug Smith: 52:33

Mastermind groups are simply groups of six or 12 leaders that meet together for at least one year on a consistent basis to help each other grow, hold each other accountable and to do life together. For me personally, mastermind groups have been the greatest source of growth in my life over the last eight years, which is why I believe every leader needs to be in a mastermind group. So if you're interested in learning more about launching or joining a group, go to l3leadershiporg 4 slash masterminds or email me at dougsmithl3leadershiporg. And, as always, I like to end every episode with a quote, and I'll quote coach Ants and Durant, who I interviewed last episode, who said this this is this is candid. He said there is no better coach than the bench Boom. Oh, leader, know that my wife Lauren, I love you, we believe in you and I say it every episode. But don't quit, keep leading. The world desperately needs your leadership. We'll talk to you next episode.