This is an I-Heart podcast.

And we continue with our American stories.

Up next, a story from Rich Wingo. Wingo played football at the University of Alabama

under legendary coach Paul Bear Bryant. Bryant is considered by many to be one of the greatest

college football coaches of all time. Wingo also played five seasons for the Green Bay Packers

from 1979 to 1984.

Here's Rich Wingo with the story of how his time under Coach Bryant and with the Green Bay Packers

transformed his life.

I was raised in Northern Indiana, Elkhart.

It's right on the Michigan line.

Coach Bryant recruited me.

I was looking to go to, had committed to Notre Dame, and Coach Bryant, I just felt

it was too far from home and actually committed to Notre Dame.

And my father, I came home from that visit that weekend. And my father said,

that's a great school. You get a great education. He said, but Rich, I don't want to see you come

through that back door until Christmas time because I was 20 minutes from Notre Dame. And when, you know,

when he was 17 and left high school, he went and fought in a world war. And he wanted me to

separate. And so after that,

that's, you know, hurt my failings actually, you know, honestly. And I told my high school coach,

I wanted to visit Alabama because they had recruited me. And I did. I came down here. It was

February. It was 70 degrees and beautiful. And I left 13 below in Chicago, but I wanted to be a part of something

special. Coach Bryant said if I wanted to be a part of something and work hard, pay a price.

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