He was always the best. Until Josh McDaniels told him he wasn’t. At the age of 9, Jarvis Moss set his sights on playing in the NFL. He achieved that goal as the Denver Broncos first round draft pick in 2007. Mike Shanahan even moved up to get the defensive end coming off a BCS Championship with Florida under Urban Meyer. Everyone had high expectations for Jarvis, including himself. Afterall, he’d made it through so much get to the NFL. For instance, when he was being recruited in high school, Jarvis stepped onto a plane for the first time and went by himself for his college visits. Not because his parents didn’t support him, but because they were both incarcerated. The NFL was tough. His rookie season, Jarvis broke his shin, went on injured reserve and to top off the pressure meter, became a dad. In November of 2010, he was cut and when he was done with football a year later, he was disgruntled with the game and wanted nothing to do with it. Until his son started playing. Today, Jarvis is an assistant coach at Cherry Creek High School where Noah is a freshman. He also helps coach with Phenom Academy a sports academy within the Phenom Phoundation, a non-profit organization.

“I think I’ll join the Air Force just like my dad.” That was Dave Veres’ plan after high school when he didn’t have a single offer from a college and figured his baseball career was done. Then a phone call came from a junior college coach and his path was completely altered. Dave went on to pitch for Mount Hood Community College, got drafted and spent 17 years in Major League Baseball between the minors and the majors. There were numerous trades, injuries and a couple releases. There were also lifelong relationships, heartache when his best friend and teammate passed away and figuring out how to be the best husband and father to four kids who were usually in another city. Dave persevered. In retirement, Dave works as a gas and electric utility broker for Last Mile Advisors, co-owns Bandit Energy Solutions and is the pitching coach at Cherry Creek High School in Denver. He’s also added “Grandpa” to his list of family titles.

Born into a military family, Reggie Rivers learned how to adapt to new situations early. Not only did he move from state to state, he also spent time in foreign countries where he found one common language: sports. During his high school years, he stayed in San Antonio and attended Randolph High School on the Randolph Air Force Base. He played several sports and football eventually rose to the top. While on scholarship to Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University), he had a stellar senior season at running back and was noticed by an NFL scout. He didn’t get drafted, but was offered free agent contracts by the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles. He also had a “real” job in place after graduation. He decided to have some “fun” and go to the Broncos NFL training camp after being assured the real job would be there when he got cut. He made the team. He’d make the team six more times until he was cut before the regular season in 1997. After he was cut, Reggie continued to write (something he’d done since high school), worked in radio and also in TV. From there, he moved into a successful keynote speaking career and wrote several books. Then, a little over a decade ago, he found what he calls his true purpose: helping non-profits raise money with a company he formed called The Gala Team. From just a few events the first year, Reggie’s team now works with hundreds of non-profit organizations each year and they are starting to expand beyond Colorado. Continuous reinvention at its best!

Mike Myers loves a challenge. Thank goodness, because the pitcher’s resume is filled with 10 different teams: Giants, Marlins, Tigers, Brewers, Rockies, Diamondbacks, Mariners, Red Sox, Yankees and White Sox. He was in the majors with most of those clubs, however if he hadn’t taken some advice during his stop in Detroit, his run may have stopped with the Tigers. That was when a Hall of Fame pitcher told Mike he needed to add some funk to his stuff. That funk became Mike’s signature: a sidearm throw. It wasn’t easy to master, and it took Mike about 40 games in the minors to physically get the movement down and to mentally come to terms with being a pitcher in the bullpen. Prior to that, Mike had always been a starter. Little did he know how much he would love being a reliever and how far it would take his career. These days, Mike is a liaison for MLB’s Player’s Association – a job he saw a need for as a player because he never fully understood the ins and outs of the business. The job didn’t exist when Mike retired, so he went to the MLBPA in New York and presented his thoughts. They created the job and now Mike, along with two others, split up the league and spend the season reaching out and educating players about their rights, the Collective Bargaining Agreement and much more.

He's the perfect example of how school and sports can coexist and be successful. David Bruton Jr. graduated with a double major in Political Science and Sociology from Notre Dame. He was also a starting safety for the Fighting Irish his junior and senior years and got noticed by NFL scouts. In 2009, he was chosen in the 4th round by the Denver Broncos where he would play for seven years. He became known as an exceptional special teams player and served as special teams captain from 2013-2015. His skills at safety weren’t too shabby either: during his time in Denver, he finished nearly every season with double digits tackles, had five forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and three interceptions. David was having his best season in 2015, with arguably one of the best Broncos defenses in history, when he broke his fibula during a game in November. He kept playing, thinking it was just a contusion. The next day he was placed on injured reserve. By February of 2016, his fibula was healed, however, since he had been placed on IR, he wasn’t able to play in the Broncos Super Bowl 50 Championship. The next season he signed with Washington, found himself on injured reserve again after his 6th career concussion and retired the following summer.After retiring, David went back to school and earned a doctorate from CU in Physical Therapy. He now runs his own clinic, Between the Lines Physical Therapy and still is very involved in his non-profit Bruton’s Books.

He's in the Hockey Hall of Fame, his jersey is retired and he holds a franchise record for goals scored in a single season (57). All that and you still may not recognize his name. Michel Goulet is too humble to boast about his incredible 15 years in the NHL or the fact that his name appears FOUR times in the top 10 list of single season goals scored in Colorado Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques franchise history. He’s too modest to ask why his retired #16 jersey with the Quebec Nordiques isn’t recognized somewhere at Ball Arena, home of the Avalanche. Instead, Michel lives his retired life in the Denver area in anonymity, often attending Avalanche and Rockies games without anyone stopping him to talk about his history. When he visits Canada, it’s a different story. “Monsieur Goulet” is stopped everywhere. The Canadians know Michel’s greatness not only in the NHL, but also as a member of Team Canada who won the Canada Cup twice, beating Sweden in 1984 and Russia in 1987. They also know why he had to retire after a game on March 16, 1994 when he crashed hard into the boards during a Blackhawks game and suffered a severe concussion. After his concussion, Michel had to relearn many basic skills and while he hoped he could return to hockey, his coordination was so off, he had to retire. He soon became the Director of Player Personnel for the Avalanche and was part of their Stanley Cup runs in 1996 and 2001. Michel also served as a scout for the Calgary Flames and Anaheim Ducks. www.CTFRPodcast.com

When Michael Jordan wrote about Mark Randall’s release from the Chicago Bulls in his book, the first round draft pick was ticked. But he also realized the underlying reason he was so mad: he was told in front of the Bull’s owner, GM, head coach and teammates that he wasn’t good enough to play. Tough words to swallow for a guy who had always been a standout player with a high basketball IQ. After he was cut and placed on waivers, the former Cherry Creek High School and University of Kansas star began a journey through the NBA and now defunct CBA with stops in Minnesota, Detroit, Miami, Rapid City (twice), Denver (twice), Ft Wayne and Wisconsin. After retirement, Mark tried his hand at scouting and coaching with the Nuggets. He enjoyed scouting, but with a family the traveling was tough. He also enjoyed coaching, however he was fired from that job after one year with no reason given. He was then offered an ambassador job with the Nuggets which he did for many years and loved getting out into the community with other alums and/or current players. Currently, Mark continues to be a Nuggets ambassador in between his full-time job as a District Manager of High School Athletics for Denver Public Schools.

“I don’t want you to look back on this in 5 or 10 years and wish you would have tried to play baseball.” What if Jeff Huson’s dad hadn’t said that to him as he walked out the door to start school with his friends at the University of Arizona? Chances are very likely “Huey” would have missed out on a 15-year baseball career between college and the big leagues. He would not be in the Glendale Community College Hall of Fame or the Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame. He would not have played 3rd base next to Cal Ripken Jr. when Cal broke Lou Gehrig’s record for consecutive games played. He would not have played in two of Nolan Ryan’s no-hitters. He would not be going on 18 years as the color analyst for Rockies TV Broadcasts. Thankfully, his dad’s words stayed in his head, and he turned around on the steps of the admissions office at U of A and all of the above did happen… and then some. It was a grind, but with the support of his wife Wendy and many others along the way, Jeff Huson played for 6 major league teams starting with his MLB debut with the Expos in 1988 and wrapping up in 2000 after a season with the Cubs. After his playing days, Jeff coached for a few years. In 2006, his name was thrown in the mix for the Rockies TV color analyst job. He auditioned, got the gig and for hundreds of games every year, brings his impressive amount of experience and knowledge to the broadcast.

Raised by his grandparents and later foster parents, Rick Upchurch had his share of ups and downs growing up, however there was no denying the love and support he received from his family and his community in Holland, Ohio. From his grandparents passing away, being held back in the 6th grade, getting his GED and going to junior college hours away from his hometown, Rick learned how to persevere.The Broncos didn’t even have him on their radar in 1975, but after a Broncos assistant bet a steak dinner with then-Broncos GM & Head Coach John Randal that Rick would be the AFC Offensive Rookie of the Year, they drafted him in the 4th round. John lost the bet. But he won big with Rick, a guy who showed no fear as a return specialist and could also catch and run with the ball. Rick’s list of accolades is long. He’s one of only 29 NFL players on two All Decade Teams (1970 & 1980). A 5-time All Pro. A 4-time Pro Bowler. The Broncos 50th Anniversary Team. Broncos Ring of Famer. University of Minnesota Athletics Hall of Fame. Not to mention, he’s a darn good person with a great story who made countless Broncos fans yell and scream whenever his hands touched the football.

Despite playing basketball at three different high schools, Bill Hanzlik still stood out and had many options for playing at the next level. He chose Notre Dame where he played for four years and earned an engineering degree. Bill helped the Fighting Irish get to their first Final Four where they lost in the semifinals. He was also part of the 1980 Men’s Olympic basketball team that never made it to Russia because of the US boycott. He was drafted 20th overall in the 1980 NBA Draft and played for two years in Seattle until he was traded to Denver. Bill went to the playoffs every year he wore a Nuggets uniform. When he became their head coach in 1997, it was quite the opposite: his team won just 11 games, a record that is currently tied for 4th worst NBA regular season record. He was fired after one season. During his playing and coaching days, Bill started and grew the Gold Crown Foundation. What began as a basketball camp for 150 girls has grown into a multitude of camps in a variety of sports for thousands of young people. While Gold Crown is Bill’s passion and mission, he also loves his long-time gig as an analyst for the Nuggets on Altitude TV.