Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Kings Network. We've got Miami Hurricane royalty in the house, two-time Super Bowl champion, national champion in college football, five-time Pro Bowler. And I say this as compliment, not insult. Half the man he used to be because Vince Wilfork has slimmed down and gotten healthy. Nice to see you, sir.
It's a pleasure. But the heart's still the same. No matter how much I wear or lose, the heart still stays.
Well, you've always been saluted for your heart. I'm going to read some Belichick quotes to you that are very flattering because he calls you one of the greatest leaders ever. But I told you before we started here, I was hoping to do some of this stuff biographically with you. So when did you know you were going to be a football player? Because I've read that you told your parents very early.
Yeah, around four or five years old, I told my father, like, I want to be an NFL football player, you know.
Yeah.
At a very young age, I understood who I was when it comes down to what I wanted to do. That's what I wanted to do. That's all I wanted to do. That's all I wanted to know about. And my father, he used to coach some football back in the day. You know, I only played one season of, you know, football, and it was flag because of my size and, you know, my age.
So, you know, I used to go to practice all the time with my dad and watch him coach. And when they do drills, I'm on the side doing it myself. You know, when it was time for them to condition, I would go on the side and condition with them, you know, and that's how –
But with football, and I went all that years, my childhood, I went all those years without playing no football after my first time playing it because either I was too young or I was too big. It was the weight limit or your age. And I used to miss both of them. So my next time playing football after that was in high school.
So between, you know, four and five years old to high school, I played basketball. You know, basketball was my sport, you know, and I was a pretty good basketball player, you know. And when I got to high school, my high school coach, he thought for sure I was going to pick, you know, playing basketball because that's all I did, you know. But I was like, no, I'm going to play football.
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Chapter 2: What inspired Vince Wilfork to pursue a career in football?
That's what I want to do. Like, why are you moving me to tackle, you know? And I really didn't understand it at the time. But, you know, sophomore year, I was 300 pounds. Yeah, so it's like, you know, to me, I'm like, I don't care about that. But he was like, no, this is your position. And at first, I was rebellious. I didn't want to do it.
But once I started understanding and learning the game and just following, and I grew up a Hurricanes fan, so I've always watched Warren Sapp and Cortez Kennedy, Russell Mallett, understand who Jerome Brown was and the tradition of defensive tackles. And that's what my coach explained to me. He's like, listen,
You're going to be in the line with these legendary defensive tackles that came out of the University of Miami, you know. And once I saw it like that, I was all in, you know. And that's how I started becoming a defensive tackle my second year in high school. And I never looked back from them. A lot of people don't understand is when I got to New England, I had to learn how to be a nose tackle.
I didn't. I had no clue. I hired a two-gap. I hired a nose tackle. So that was a whole new position. That's crazy.
Belichick says you're the best two-gap defensive tackle he's ever seen in 43 years of coaching.
And I had to learn that. You had to learn it in the pros. I had to learn it in the pros. So when I got drafted into New England and... I got drafted. They did. They just got rid of probably the best nose tackle ever with Ted Washington. Right. True nose tackle. That's when you talk about nose tackle and two gap. He is he's the top dog. Right. So they got rid of him and they drafted me.
And, you know, you know, you and I'm penetrating defensive tackle. You know, I play a one eye and two eye and three techniques. So we were going, you know, we was hitting and getting it. And when I got there, they were like, no, no, we're not doing that. And I'm like, what you mean we're not doing that? This is how we make plays. Like, what do you mean?
So he's like, no, we don't do that here like that. I'm going to teach you how to two gap. And your job is not to get moved. Yeah, I can't get moved. I have to take a beating. I have to take double teams. I have to basically hold up blockers for guys behind me to make plays. That's a two gap in those tackles. So at first it was, you know, it was rough.
It was tough because I'm used to just hitting it and getting it in. I had to really learn that position, and it took me three years. It took me three years to learn that position. Once I finally got to a point and said, you know what, I'm a nose tackle now. Now I have to be the best I possibly can now.
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Chapter 3: What lessons has Vince learned from his football career and personal experiences?
Um, my teammates and the friends and stuff, he loved that stuff. So, you know, everybody used to call my dad and coach, you know, because he would get on anybody. He would coach anybody. It didn't matter, you know, and he's always have a saying it's hard, but it's fair. You know, and I have a buddy of mine all the time. He'll text me. It's hard, but it's fine.
Every time you say that, I'm thinking my father, you know. So our relationship was really, really good. And it wasn't a normal relationship where, you know, we just had the freedom just to be a kid because we did it. You know, our freedom was taking care of my father.
So a lot of stuff in life, you know, even now, you know, it's a lot of stuff that I have to learn at an old age and not to put on top of it that, You know, being 20, 21, 22, 23 years old, now all of a sudden I get drafted. My dream come true. Now I don't have my parents, my father, you know, so, you know, all this money. So where's, you know, my job and what my one of my dream to be? I've got it.
So why do what I have to worry about, you know, learning certain stuff? Because I am where I'm where I'm wanting to be. But it doesn't work like that. You know, you still have to have some stuff in your life. You have to learn and you have to teach yourself. You have to educate yourself on some stuff. And we all go through that, you know, and I was no different. But.
You know, at the end of the day, I wouldn't change anything. You know, the only thing I would change is to keep having my parents here. You know, but my process and how I had to go through my process and things I had to do to make things happen and make it shake, I wouldn't change any of that if I was put in the same situation.
Oh, but the way that you're talking about this, you lost your parents months apart while you were in college, and they were both in their 40s.
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Chapter 4: How did Vince's upbringing influence his leadership style?
Like, I remember when that happened to you, reading and feeling heartbreak on your behalf. Like, what kind of suffering is that to be able to deal with that at that age?
Yeah, you know, so I lost my father June 5th. My mother's birthday June 6th. So I lost my father June 5th, you know. And a couple of days before that, I would go see my father all the time in the hospital. Once I leave school, I'm in college. Once I leave school, I'll shoot up to Boynton to see my father and just to talk to him and just be around him. I would do that every day.
And last time I did it, I don't know if it was God or what, but my father used to always say, give me your national championship ring because you're going to lose it. Because I was known to lose everything. And I always, I used to always tell my dad, like, no, I'm not going to give you this. Like, I'm not going to lose. I'm not going to lose it.
So, but something was on me that my last time seeing my father alive, you know, I called my mom. I'm saying, hey, you know, how's pops doing? He was like, he, he haven't talked all day. You know, he just, you know, being stubborn. I said, okay, I'm on my way. And I said, let me go pick my ring up, you know, cause I'm going to, I'm going to give it to him. Right.
So I go pick my ring up and, you know, I get there, I bust in the room, like pops, what's up? and he know my voice and he popped up like, Hey son, I said, I got something for you. So, you know, I put the ring on his hand and his finger and I'm talking about, he was filled with, he was overjoyed. I mean, he, he couldn't stop talking.
Now, mind you, this was a guy that went all day, not talking to nobody, not talking to the nurses, nothing. Right. But now all of a sudden, uh, He had this energy, you know, so I felt good about, you know, leaving. But I know what my father been through because I've been through it with him. I've seen him and my brother. We saw it. So we knew my father over 20 years. My father struggled.
But, you know, he just kept he kept pushing, kept pushing. But I knew that day. I'm like, OK, I made him happy. You know, so I get in the car, head back home and my mom called me. Your dad is just he said he called all the nurses in here showing me a ring. So my dad was happy, you know, and I went home and I say everything is going good. And, you know, he's fine. He's he's excited.
He got the ring. And the next day they called me, told me he passed. And, you know, I couldn't believe it. But at the same time, it was like a it was a piece because I know how much my father struggled. He never let us see him struggle or feel down. He never did that. My father was a strong individual, mentally and physical. He was just strong, strong, strong.
So when I got that phone call, it hurt me. You know, it hit me because my relationship, only thing I was doing is like... When I make it, you guys don't have to worry about nothing else. We used to talk about what kind of car you want. My daddy wanted an Escalade. My mama wanted an Alexis, you know. What type of house you want. I got you whatever house you want. We got it, you know.
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Chapter 5: What challenges did Vince face as a defensive tackle in the NFL?
And I called, you know, I called the team and say, hey, I'll meet you guys out in Arizona for the bowl game. And I think I got there. I don't know, a Tuesday. I can't remember. It was such a fog.
Chapter 6: How did Vince transition from college to professional football?
But I got there kind of late, you know, and I just remember Andrew Swayze, our conditioning coach, he was just running me just to get me back going, just to shake me like, hey, condition, condition, you missed a lot of practice. Be like, you want to play? We have to condition. We have to condition. And I always hated condition. But in that moment, I didn't care.
Chapter 7: What does being called a 'captain of the captains' mean to Vince?
You know, it was just I was a zombie. But all I knew was football, you know, and I went out and I played that game and I really don't remember it. You know, if if I watch clips now, something some of those things I don't remember. I now remember us being robbed. I remember that, you know, but even that. It didn't do nothing for me. I had no emotions towards a football game.
I can't even imagine the fog you were in. How long were you in that fog?
I was in that fog for the rest of my life, honestly, because I grew up in a household that our communication skills weren't good. We had so much other stuff that's going on in my life. And in our household, communication wasn't one of them. So I didn't learn how to communicate. You understand? So That haunted me still to this day.
I have bad problem communicating certain things because that was just part of my life. I never learned. I never had time to because why everybody was out dating, having fun, figuring out who they were. I was taking care of my father, me and my brother. That's what we were doing. We didn't have the luxury to do all of that stuff. We didn't have that luxury. We had school, football, home. That's it.
And we talk about it at a young age. So it took me a while to kind of understand who I am, why I am the way I am. And I'm not telling you everything is good because it's not. You know, it's not. You know, it's things and problems and issues I have as an adult that stem back from my childhood that, you know, I have to fight those demons. But I'm willing to put the work in anything.
You know, I never shied away from work.
It doesn't sound like you had a childhood, though.
No, I didn't. But it's OK. God blessed me to have a successful career and a successful life, be around some good people, great people. Sometimes, you know, some of my friends didn't work out. You know, my first marriage didn't work out, but it's OK. You know, we all learn and we grow.
um it's just being you know surround yourself with the right people that's going to tell you the right stuff not just be yes men when you when you say that you have communication issues and you were too busy surviving right to learn certain skills absolutely and what does it entail taking care of your father for those who don't understand what that is well yeah you have to understand my father was at a point where he couldn't walk
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Chapter 8: How did Vince cope with the loss of his parents during college?
Some guys that made it what they had to go through in life, but still made it. Who are these people who are doubting you? Oh, it was neighborhood people. And it was neighborhood people. But at the same time, you know, haters going to hate, you know, being successful. A lot of people don't like people that successful. That's just what it is. Because how can you be successful? And I'm not.
how come you get all of this? And I, I play, I play, I play football too. I play basketball. I did this in high school. I went to college, but how come you get to live out your dream? And I couldn't. So you're going to have haters. And I always say, I love haters because that, that lets me know I'm doing something right today. I don't have a hater. It's a problem. You know, it's a problem.
So, um, I love, I love, I love it. You know, like I said, I, I just like, um, who I am. Um, if I can touch anybody or a youngster that's going through a lot of stuff in their life and they hear this, Hey, listen, it doesn't stop. The grind doesn't stop. You know, your dream doesn't stop, you know, and, um, long as you, your life is going to give you what you put into it.
If you work at it, you're going to have good results. It's no different than anything else in life. If you practice and put forth the effort and things to make things better, it'll be better. But if you just talk about it, and never make no changes. It won't change.
Explain to me the relationship with your brother. Have you told him, uh, have you thanked him for how it is that he helped you with your dad and how it is he helped you get where you are?
You know what? The crazy thing is, is I am because I have some plans for him. Um, um, soon, uh, hopefully soon. Um, because I put myself in his shoes, uh, And, you know, at the end of the day, we all have problems. Like, you know, it is what it is. We all have problems.
But for my brother to understand his mindset, I had to look at everything through his eyes and understand what he's seen and what he been through when I was in college, what he had to do. His life had to be stopped. So. We'll have that conversation. You know, we definitely will. Because like I said, I have something that I'm planning with him and for him. And I think it would be awesome.
You know, I don't think it's never been done before. When we get to that point, we'll see if it's ever been done. Even if it's been done before or not, it's still going to happen.
It sounds cryptic, though. You got a surprise for him.
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