Hour 2: The Good Cult (feat. Columbus Football Coach Dave Dunn)
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What insights does Coach Dave Dunn share about Fernando Mendoza?
This is the Dan Levitar Show with the Stugatz Podcast.
That is exactly the way that I expected Columbus's coach to look and stand, and he's just intimidating. He's trying to—I can't believe Tony has arrived in the weight room. I also am unsurprised to see that Columbus has a professional-grade weight room. They do not mess around there. Tony has arrived. Tony, how did you get in there with Dave Dunn? It had to be with Dave Dunn's permission. He is Fernando Mendoza's high school coach, and right now he is a local celebrity of the highest order.
I told you it was 100%. It was for certain. Yo resuelvo, papi. I told you that already.
All right. You know what the deal is.
I got Coach Dunn here in the midst, right here.
Okay, so do you want to – let's go ahead. And then you go ahead and sideline report and interview the coach of Fernando Mendoza. I can't believe how accurate that kid is. I also can't believe that he is the quarterback for every abuela that has ever existed because they love how Dave Dunn made this person be a model Cuban human being. Coach, okay, let's start right there.
How did you make Fernando Mendoza be a model Cuban human being? I'm gringo of the highest order. What? No way. So I had nothing to do with it. That's all his parents. Coach, when you think of Fernando Mendoza, getting him as a freshman to now where he stands as a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback who's about to play for the national championship on an undefeated team and presumably maybe the number one pick in the NFL draft, how have you seen that transition from him as a kid to now a grown man? It's been amazing to watch. The cool thing about him is just how much he loves the sport and how much he pours his heart and soul into it. And he really is that energetic of a young man. Like everyone would ask me after his interviews, they said, is that how he really is?
That's how he really is. He attacks every single day that way. It's surreal. But watching him have the success he's had on this stage has really been amazing for our whole community.
Dave, can you go to the game? Are you going to be able to go to the game? Tickets are very hard to get.
I was able to squeeze a couple tickets out of some people here. We got some deep pockets here at Columbus High School, and they came through for me.
If I were to tell you back whenever it is that you thought Fernando Mendoza was going to be something, what's the best that that's going to be? He's exceeded whatever it is your dreams were for that already, correct?
It's tough because I knew he had the ability to be a great quarterback. I just couldn't convince anybody else that he was going to be a great quarterback. So he didn't have a lot of offers out of high school. But once he started getting reps when he was at Cal and producing the way he did even in practice, I'm like, the sky's going to be the limit for this young man. And then to move to Indiana with the coaching that Coach Cignetti's provided for him has really just been a perfect storm. And he's taken off this whole senior year.
Can you tell me what that process was? You trying to convince people that he was going to be a good college quarterback and them telling you, no, he is not going to be?
It was frustrating. It really is. And I think he always had a positive attitude about it. And I'm sure it had to bother him. But we tried. He went to about 18 camps in like a 25-day period to throw for people. There was another ACC school there. that he went there and he threw and was the best quarterback there. When he left, they just told him, have a good flight. So he literally went through the ringer, an emotional roller coaster during his recruiting period and his positive attitude helped carry him through it. And then we were able to get a break late in the recruiting process, really late, like a week before signing day. And Cal came with a late offer. And it's just, you know, just seeing him get that and the joy that he had in his face when he committed to Cal was it was unbelievable.
Take me through, take us through the details of the heartbreak, like the details of you guys are fighting so hard to get him a chance because you two believe, but so few other people do.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What insights does Coach Dave Dunn share about Fernando Mendoza?
0:00–4:06
2
How has Fernando Mendoza evolved from high school to a potential NFL draft pick?
4:06–8:32
3
What challenges did Coach Dunn face in convincing others of Mendoza's talent?
8:32–12:19
4
How does the Columbus High School community react to Mendoza's success?
12:19–16:10
5
What is the significance of the upcoming national championship game for Coach Dunn?
16:10–21:38
6
How does Coach Dunn describe the culture at Columbus High School?
21:38–26:30
7
What are the implications of ticket prices for the national championship game?
26:30–30:31
8
How does the conversation shift towards Ja Morant's trade market?
30:31–45:18
Speakers
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