Shows
Cut Traded Fired RetiredDan HinoteHad he grown up where he was born, chances are Dan Hinote would not have experienced a decade-plus pro hockey career. Afterall, Florida isn’t really a hotbed for hockey players. Case in point: Dan became the first Florida born player to score a goal in an NHL game. When Dan was very young, he moved from Florida to Minnesota where ponds are plentiful and eventually everyone laces up some ice skates. He was fast on ice and good at hockey but didn’t have a specialty. So, he became proficient in many aspects of the game and did w...2025-07-221h 03Cut Traded Fired RetiredKeith BishopKeith Bishop chooses his words wisely: when he speaks, people listen. That came in handy during his decade career with the Broncos as an offensive lineman, especially when the Broncos were on the 2-yard line in Cleveland needing a 98 drive to tie the Browns in the AFC Championship game in 1987. Keith noticed the Browns defense snickering, so he got ticked and told his huddle “We got those mother f-ers right where we want them.” His teammates started laughing, the Browns were confused and Denver got the last laugh in The Drive. After his 10-year career in Denver, the 7-time...2025-06-251h 05Cut Traded Fired RetiredTyrone BraxtonHad someone told a young Tyrone Braxton that one day he would be a two-time Super Bowl Champion and earn a PhD in his late 50’s, he would never have believed them. Had someone told him he’d get involved in alcohol, drugs, be arrested and almost lose his family… well, he may have believed that because that’s what happened to everyone he grew up with in Madison, Wisconsin. The fact that ALL of that happened to Tyrone and he’s now working to help young people avoid his pitfalls makes for an incredible story. When Tyrone graduated f...2025-05-2844 minCut Traded Fired RetiredScott ElartonHe was born and raised in Colorado, yet when Scott Elarton was told he was being traded to the Rockies from the team that drafted him while he was in high school, his first emotion was shock. The pitcher thought he would be an Astro for life. But as Scott would learn over the next almost decade: “for life” is extremely rare in Major League Baseball. Growing up in Lamar, Scott excelled in many sports including football, basketball and baseball. He decided to forgo college after the Astros drafted him 25th overall when he was just 18 years old. He wo...2025-05-1442 minCut Traded Fired RetiredRick BerryHe grew up on a horse ranch in a small town in Manitoba, Canada. Rick Berry thought it was perfectly normal that his family had some 200 pure bred Belgian horses and when those horses urinated, it was collected (by Rick and his brother) for the Premarin in the urine and sold to pharmaceutical companies. He later found out that wasn’t so normal. What was normal for Rick: having a pond nearby and playing hockey. A lot of hockey. When he was 16, he left Canada and went to Seattle to live with a host family and started junior hoc...2025-03-0544 min
Taking it for GrantedTaking it for Granted Ep 177 - Susie WarginSusie Wargin wears many hats. She is the Broncos Sideline Reporter, Host of middays on 103.5 The Fox, a Realtor, and most importantly to her, a mother and wife. She hosts the tremendous podcast "Cut, Traded, Fired, Retired," where she talks to former athletes and coaches. Susie is a fourth generation Coloradan, and couldn't imagine living anywhere else. She loves going for a run or riding her bike through the mountains, but her family is what means the most to her. To learn more about Susie, give her a follow on all social media platforms @susiewargin or check out her podcast...2025-02-121h 04Cut Traded Fired RetiredCharlie BlackmonCharlie Blackmon had no illusions of grandeur once he realized his days as a left-handed pitcher were numbered. He’d been a pitcher in high school and junior college and figured when he transferred to Georgia Tech he’d ride his time out on the bench, get a degree and find a job. Life worked out a bit differently. It all changed when Charlie spent a summer in the Texas Collegiate League and got some advice from Texas Rangers Hall of Famer Rusty Greer. Charlie went into the TCL with a bit of a fib: he told them he cou...2025-02-0428 minCut Traded Fired RetiredGabe KnaptonSometimes the road to professional football takes a non-traditional path. Colorado native Gabe Knapton knows that trail well.After playing linebacker for his dad, who demanded a lot as the head coach at Skyline High School in Longmont, Gabe had his choice of many colleges to continue his playing career. It came down to Wyoming and Colorado State. He chose to be a Cowboy because of alumni in his family and most importantly, the coaches. During his time in Laramie, the staff switched Gabe from linebacker to defensive end. He made the transition look easier than i...2025-01-0852 minCut Traded Fired RetiredNate IrvingHe thought he would be a basketball player and never considered football until high school where he learned the game on his 1A high school team. First on offense, then moving to defense. His team was good, regularly beating larger schools and garnering large home crowds. The college scouts didn’t stop by often, however Nate was still offered a few scholarships. He chose North Carolina State where he would become an All-American his senior year. An honorable feat by itself, but even more impressive considering he missed the year before recovering from multiple injuries sustained in a sin...2024-12-1841 minCut Traded Fired RetiredKenn Solomon aka "Rocky"He’s not the typical professional athlete, but his resume reads like one: he was on the payroll of a professional team, he entertained fans and he performed athletic feats many would never dare. He also wore a mountain lion costume. Kenn Solomon was Rocky, the Nuggets mascot, for over three decades and while he kept his mascot code of silence when in costume, now he’s “just Kenn” and has plenty to talk about. Kenn grew up in Las Vegas and was self-taught gymnastics in his backyard. After seeing the San Diego Chicken at a minor league baseball...2024-12-0450 minCut Traded Fired RetiredRicky BrewerWhen a life lesson presents itself, it’s usually best practice to learn and grow from it. Like Ricky Brewers’ junior year at Colorado State University. A year that he didn’t play football and instead was suspended and on the scout team. Ricky is a Colorado native with roots in the Denver Public School system. In high school he played football for legendary high school coach Dave Logan and won a State Championship. He had his choice of colleges but wanted to stay close to home and committed to the University of Colorado. That changed when Gary Barnett...2024-11-2054 minCut Traded Fired RetiredJim RyanEven though he was making tackles left and right at William & Mary, Jim Ryan never thought about going to the NFL after college. He was getting his Business Management degree and heading into the real world. That is until a scout from the Broncos contacted him. The scout knew Jim wasn’t going to be drafted but saw his talent and wanted to be on the linebacker’s radar when he was picking out a team to sign with as an undrafted free agent. Turns out the Broncos were the only ones who called, and the kid from New J...2024-10-0947 minCut Traded Fired RetiredDavid AndersonHe set receiving records at Colorado State University and eventually landed in their Athletics Hall of Fame. Not bad for a guy who didn’t have the size of a “typical” wide receiver in the early 2000’s. These days, David Anderson would fit right in. David grew up in California and played at Thousand Oaks High School, a hot bed for college recruiting. Despite having numerous D1 scouts and coaches at his games and dominating at wide receiver, David’s first scholarship offer came in the late fall of his senior year. During his visit to Fort Collins, he committe...2024-09-2558 minCut Traded Fired RetiredTanya HaaveIn 1976 (when the Olympics were easy to watch on one over-the-air channel), Tanya Haave got inspired by a sport featuring women for the first time: basketball. Watching Team USA that year would lead her around the world. At Evergreen High School, Tanya was a standout in both basketball and volleyball. In 1980 she was so dominate, the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame created a female selection to their High School Athlete of the Year award and she won the first one. That same year, she won the coveted Steinmark Award and Sportswoman of the Year. She opted for...2024-03-1241 minCut Traded Fired RetiredBrian CabralGrowing up in Hawaii, his dream was to play football at Notre Dame like his dad. That dream was crushed when the Irish sent him a rejection letter. Brian Cabral then turned to a school where he would spend decades of his life. He was a stellar linebacker and team captain for the University of Colorado. Nearly 50 years after he played, Brian’s name is still on the top 20 list of the Buffs all-time tacklers. A list that also includes 10 names he would eventually coach. After graduating from CU, Brian was a 4th round draft pick. Du...2024-03-0535 minCut Traded Fired RetiredRandy GradisharHis small Ohio town didn’t offer football until the 9th grade. Because of that, Randy Gradishar fancied himself more as a basketball player because he’d spent far more time on the court than the gridiron. Thankfully college coaches didn’t feel the same way. Randy was courted by a number of colleges, which caught him off guard because he had never planned on attending college. His parents couldn’t afford it and he figured he would start working after high school like everyone else he knew. Instead, Woody Hayes connected with Randy and as importantly, his father a...2024-02-2745 minCut Traded Fired RetiredMike NewellHis heritage in Colorado dates back five generations. So, it made sense when Mike Newell graduated from Littleton High School that he wanted to stay in Colorado despite football scholarships from many other schools. He quickly became Colorado State’s starting center and along with being part of an offensive line that did not allow a sack for two straight seasons and a Holiday Bowl win over Missouri, Mike racked up a number of impressive accolades. He was eventually inducted into the CSU Athletics Hall of Fame. Along with Mike’s great play, came some injuries, incl...2024-02-2042 minCut Traded Fired RetiredBen GarlandFrom a very young age, Colorado native Ben Garland knew he wanted to attend the Air Force Academy. He researched what the Academy wanted in a cadet and joined countless clubs to show his dedication to service and community. He also played some impressive football at Central High School in Grand Junction. Ben lettered all four years and was first team All-State his senior season. He had full ride offers to several schools, including the Academy, but stayed with his goal and went for the grind in Colorado Springs. The days were tough between practice, marching, drills and...2024-02-1333 minCut Traded Fired RetiredRyan Jensen & Garrett GilkeyOne grew up in Colorado, the other in Illinois. Two redheaded offensive lineman. Both received $2500 scholarships to play Division II football. Ryan Jensen headed south to CSU-Pueblo and Garrett Gilkey played for Chadron State. Their schools were in the RMAC and they quickly learned about one another. The competition grew between the two, especially as Ryan and Garrett began getting noticed by national D2 publications and NFL Scouts. It continued after college: Garrett was invited to the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine and in the 2013 Draft, Ryan was picked one round ahead of Garrett. They still jab each...2024-02-0745 minCut Traded Fired RetiredMike SanfordBeing a college football coach is all Mike Sanford has ever known. After all, his father, Mike Sanford Sr., was a college coach before Mike was even born. Not only did Mike grow up moving from city to city with his father’s career, when he went to Boise State, he was the backup quarterback where he got used to a headset and clipboard. He didn’t mind either one, in fact he loved it. As soon as Mike graduated, he got on as a GA with his dad’s staff at UNLV. He didn’t stick to...2024-01-301h 01Cut Traded Fired RetiredSPECIAL EDITION: Susie's Broncos Radio 2023 Pregame FeaturesSPECIAL EDITION: CTFR episodes are typically with athletes and coaches from the past. This episode contains Susie Wargin’s pregame features from the Broncos Radio Network with Broncos players from the 2023 season. Each feature has a topical theme with multiple players putting aside the X’s and O’s to have fun and shed light on their past, causes close to their heart and teammates.Thank you to Alan Jackson for producing all of these features and being our amazing producer for Broncos games. Enjoy!2024-01-2625 minCut Traded Fired RetiredJimmy SpencerHis high school is known for having one of the best programs in the nation and producing more NCAA and NFL players than any other high school. Needless to say, there were no “off” days for Jimmy Spencer at Glades Central in Florida, which was fine because Jimmy knew he wanted to play in the NFL since he was 7. He had his choices of colleges and was being looked at as simply an athlete. He played quarterback at Glades Central, but his speed caught the eye of scouts. Jimmy opted for the University of Florida and skipped his seni...2024-01-2350 minCut Traded Fired RetiredMark KnudsonHe’s the only person who played high school, college and professional baseball in the state of Colorado. After graduating from Northglenn High School, a suburb north of Denver, Mark Knudson went straight up I-25 to Colorado State University where he majored in journalism and pitched for a baseball program that was dissolved a decade after Mark left for the pros. Mark was drafted by the Astros in 1982 and credits his college ball for giving him a fast track to the majors: he debuted in single A and just 3 years later, he made his MLB debut. In 1986, Mark wa...2024-01-1637 minCut Traded Fired RetiredEbenezer EkubanHe moved from Ghana to the United States when he was 7. Ebenezer Ekuban didn’t know anything about football and had no aspirations of playing the game because he was focused on academics. When his father told him he needed to do something outside of school, Ebenezer decided to try football his junior year of high school. He became a quick learner on both sides of the ball, playing tight end and defensive end and after just two years of high school ball, he turned some heads and had a number of offers to play in college. He op...2024-01-101h 02Cut Traded Fired RetiredCole PembertonCole Pemberton took a leap of faith when he transferred from Kansas City to Highlands Ranch to live with his dad during his high school years. That leap provided a new relationship with his father and a stellar football career as an offensive lineman at Mountain Vista High School. Cole opted to play college football at Colorado State University for Sonny Lubick and prided himself on protecting his quarterback. He allowed just one sack his senior season and was a team captain. He also dealt with injuries. His name wasn’t called on draft day, but he...2023-12-2047 minCut Traded Fired RetiredDenny NeagleWhen Rockies’ ownership opened their wallets in 2000 and struck mega deals with two big name pitchers, fans rejoiced. Unfortunately, Coors Field is an unforgiving ballpark for pitchers, no matter how much money they get paid. Denny Neagle yearned to be the savior Rockies fans so desperately wanted. He’d worked his way up through the baseball ranks, starting with college ball at the University of Minnesota, getting drafted by the Twins, becoming an ace and All-Star with the Pirates, starting a World Series game and earning another All-Star nod with the Braves and winning a World Series ring with...2023-12-131h 02Cut Traded Fired RetiredBradlee Van Pelt - Part 2The NFL Draft and Beyond: Bradlee Van Pelt thought he’d be drafted on the first day, which shouldn’t surprise anyone. BVP oozed confidence after his tie at Colorado State University and was convinced the NFL was ready for his unconventional style of playing quarterback. He waited all the way until the 7th round and the Denver Broncos took him with their second pick in that round. His NFL experience is filled with some wild stories, mostly because Bradlee wanted to do things Bradlee’s way. He soon realized NFL coaches didn’t care for his tactics. After th...2023-12-091h 22Cut Traded Fired RetiredBradlee Van Pelt - Part 1The Early Years: When he arrived at Colorado State University, the skateboard wielding transfer quarterback from Michigan State was all the talk and a bit of a mystery. Fans called him “Sunshine” and no one could quite figure out Bradlee Van Pelt. Including Bradlee. What Bradlee did know is he wanted to play quarterback and he stuck to his plan despite nearly everyone trying to push him to another position and never receiving any proper quarterback coaching. He threw footballs at targets for hours after practice, just waiting for his moment. When that moment came, Bradlee rose to the...2023-12-0557 minCut Traded Fired RetiredReuben DroughnsLife was rough growing up for Reuben Droughns, but no one would ever guess that based off the permanent smile he wears on his face. No one would know he stayed in hotels at times, was homeless other times and dealt with custody issues. Reuben could have used his young life as an excuse, instead he just stayed positive and forged on towards a career in the NFL that lasted three times longer than most others. Reuben mostly grew up in LA and when his grades weren’t where they needed to be, he went to junior college af...2023-11-2845 minCut Traded Fired RetiredJeremy BloomHis story sounds improbable: middle class kid from Northern Colorado becomes a high caliber two sport athlete at the highest levels. After his athletic career, he starts a non-profit which gets acquired by AARP and a start up software company that sells a decade later for 9 figures. Now he’s husband to a Brazilian actress and father of two kids. This is your life Jeremy Bloom. Jeremy’s story sounds like a fairy tale and while he’s extremely grateful for everything he’s accomplished, none of it came without trials and tribulations. The training it took to be a wor...2023-11-2242 minCut Traded Fired RetiredBrandon LloydAs the youngest of 7, Brandon Lloyd had a lot to live up to with successful older siblings and knew from a very young age he wanted to make a name for himself. The recognition started in high school as a stellar football and track athlete. Sure, he was a little on the smaller size, but he made up for size with explosive speed. That got the colleges calling. He chose the University of Illinois mostly because of the degree he would receive. The NFL wasn’t on his radar, and he had his sights set on a degree in...2023-11-141h 06Cut Traded Fired RetiredWeston RichburgHe was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2013 NFL draft after graduating from Colorado State University, one of the few schools who offered him a scholarship out of high school. Weston Richburg didn’t play every season of football at Bushland High School due to being injured, yet he still caught the eye of the CSU’s coaches and being an “Ag guy” in Texas, he fit right in. Weston credits the CSU coaching staff for teaching him the techniques he needed and the mental toughness required to play on the offensive line and his position of center...2023-11-0741 minCut Traded Fired RetiredSean TuftsHis first go around at the University of Colorado was a success: Senior Captain, Big 12 Championship, Honor Roll and drafted in the NFL to name a few. In Sean Tufts second stint at CU, not only did he compete his MBA and was class President, he became the first former football player to also be a Ralphie Handler. Sean is a Colorado native who attended Cherry Creek High School and had his choice of colleges. He opted to stay close to home and don the Black & Gold in Boulder. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the 6...2023-10-3148 minCut Traded Fired RetiredTodd DavisSome guys have the “storybook” path to the NFL: highly recruited out of college, invited to the NFL Combine and drafted. Not Todd Davis, he had to prove himself over and over again. Not only did he make it to the NFL, he stayed for several years and was a Captain for the Broncos Super Bowl 50 team. Todd played high school football at a small school in California. His dad sent out tapes to everyone and anyone. Todd had his sights set on Stanford, until they told his dad they didn’t recruit in his area. That gave Todd a...2023-10-2438 min