Helmets Off
Candid conversations with athletes and celebrities
Hosted by Scott Mitchell. Sponsored by WCF and Strong Volkswagen.
The Inspiration For Helmets Off
A few years ago my neighbor and legendary PGA golfer Billy Casper approached me complaining that he couldn’t get anyone to golf with him. At first, I thought he was joking, I mean who wouldn’t want to play golf with a legend? Very quickly I realized he was serious, so I obliged. He was like a kid in a candy store with excitement, and thus began one of my most cherished memories. Over the course of the next few years, until he no longer could play, Billy and I played several rounds of golf at one of the best muni courses in the Nation, Hobble Creek.
One Professional Athlete to Another
From the outset, I was determined to take full advantage of my time with Billy. As one professional athlete to another, I wanted to know what his experience was like. Were there parallels to my experience or was he on a totally different level? I was full of questions about all aspects of golf from technique, to mental approach and everything in between. The cool part was, he was full of answers and wanted to tell me anything I asked.
I will never forget the first question. So, I said, “When did you realize you belonged on the PGA tour”? Billy answered, “My first event”!
What! I thought it took me four years of gut-wrenching work, and soul searching before I came to the realization I belonged in the NFL, and this guy goes out his first event and never looks back. Bill said, “I made money in that first event and never stopped”.
His response to my first question created a thought in my mind that I couldn’t let go of. I thought I wish I could bottle these moments up and let everyone hear this conversation. We had some amazing and moving conversations that I will cherish my whole life, it was such a blessing to spend that very personal and intimate time with Billy. Billy has kids that I went to high school with he could have been my father, yet we connected like buddies, soulmates, and friends. This became the genesis of Helmets Off.
Humanizing Heroes
I thought it would be interesting to talk with other Heroes in my life, talk as if no one is listening, ask the questions I want to know the answers to, and in a very inquisitive, sharp-witted, and unassuming way take off the masks and Humanize my Heroes.
I’ve found that as life goes by and some of our Heroes fade into the sunset a couple of things happen. First, they are really candid, they really speak their minds. Two, they want to share how they feel almost in a cathartic way. Finally, they have a lot of interesting, moving and powerful things to say.
Be A Fly On The Wall
The listeners of Helmets Off get to be a fly on the wall of a personal, insightful and unplugged conversation. They get to see their heroes and maybe their enemies in a different, entertaining and moving perspective.
Every show is different, I learn something new from each guest, and I thoroughly enjoy every minute of Helmets Off.