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My very first full-length sit-down interview with a professional athlete was Eagles’ Safety Brian Dawkins.
I was nervous as all-heck.
Dawkins was just entering his prime and was one of the biggest sports personalities in all of Philadelphia. I had been working at Philly’s Sportsradio WIP (the number one sports radio station in the nation at that time) and I had done some group interviews, but nothing “one on one.”
Of course, I figured if I messed up this interview, I might never get another chance again and my entire career would be ruined! I had heard some horrible stories from seasoned journalists about how rude pro athletes can be (along with lots of encouraging words) but I was afraid he’d turn out to be another Chase Utley–someone who always appears gracious on camera but bites reporters’ heads off the second they ask a question that he has the slightest problem with.
I could not have been more wrong.
Brian was as wonderful a big time personality as I ever had the good fortune to interview. He said he was honored to be interviewed by me (I knew he didn’t, but what a thing to say??) and made for pleasant talk before the interview, joked around a little, and then gave clear and well thought out responses to all of my questions. I could not have imagined a better experience and it was a tremendous confidence boost for the hundreds of sit-down interviews I’ve done since.
I had the good fortune to interview Brian again twice more…once when he was “on the way out” of Philly (one of the dumbest things the Eagles did–and they’ve made a lot of “brain dead” decisions). Dawkins was once again as kind and as considerate as he was the first time, even though he was no longer on top of the world and his career as an athlete was in decline.
A few years after that, I had him on RCN SportsTalk — this time as a retired ball player who looked back at his career and his road ahead as a family man, a tremendous banquet event and inspirational speaker and as a businessman. He was, and is, a tremendous person and a joy to interview.
Brian Mitchell is very similar to Dawkins.
Both are tremendous athletes who have done great work in their respective communities. Both are terrific interviewees and give deep, thought-provoking answers and are pleasures to speak with.
Also, both athletes “get it;” aka, they’ve always known they are not “God’s gift” to mankind, even though they both are two of the greatest football players I (and millions of others) have ever seen.
I also first had a sit-down interview with Mitchell when he first came to the Eagles. Although it was later in his career and, by this time, it was not my first “one on one” with a pro athlete either, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with him and had a great radio interview with him.
Shortly after Mitchell retired, I interviewed him again for television and, just like Dawkins, he was a great person to speak with and gave just as wonderful an interview as before.
And this week, much like Dawk did, Mitchell will be giving a sit-down interview on this Thursday’s SportsTalk program.
Much like the third time I interviewed Dawkins, Mitchell will be looking back at his career and all his highlights, including memorable experiences with his playing time in Washington, Philadelphia and New York. But he will also be discussing growing up in less-than-ideal conditions, how football helped save his life and many more important issues than just “Xs and Os.”
We hope you will tune in to hear his stories and insights.
