Merrill Dubrow: My name is Merrill Dubrow, CEO of M/A/R/C Research, and a 35-plus-year veteran of the Insights community and the host of our podcast, On the M/A/R/C. Welcome to another Merrill-ISM segment. Today, we're changing it up. We're changing the format. It's gonna be longer than three minutes. Why? Because I have a special guest. Entrepreneur, former NFL player, Olympic medalist, husband, father, pickleball champion, and all around good guy. Johnny Quinn, welcome to the On the M/A/R/C Podcast.

Johnny Quinn: Merrill, if you could see me, I am blushing right now. That might be the best intro I've ever received. Thank you. Thank you.

Merrill Dubrow: Well, let me tell you it's something, Johnny. I- You know, I love pickleball, and one of the main reasons is it's a very social sport. You know, you're close, it's a small court. You got usually four people on a court and you really have a lot of interactions. And I'm so happy that I know we met through pickleball. I had posted something and you responded and we got to know each other a little bit. We played a few times. We actually won a little bit of a competition together, which was great. And I've really enjoyed getting to know you and your wife, and it's just special. So thank you so much for doing this podcast, and I'm excited to talk to you.

Johnny Quinn: Merrill, this is awesome. And I'm excited of the podcast, but you know what else I'm excited for? I'm excited to get back out on the court with you, because I want our listeners to know that Merrill, you, my friend, are a pickleball champion and it's an honor to be your teammate.

Merrill Dubrow: Wow. I grew up at Fenway Park with my dad, and that was a special occasion. We would always go to Fenway. We had season tickets and I always wanted to follow in the footsteps of Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski and Jim Rice and just all the left fielders, and I wanted to play left field for the Boston Red Sox. The problem was I had very little skills. I had very little size. I was a backup on my baseball- to my high school baseball team and I didn't play in college and stuff. So but I always wanted to do that. So when you were growing up, did you know- did you have a dream that you wanted to be an NFL player or an Olympic athlete?

Johnny Quinn: Merrill, I did. At such a young age, I knew I wanted to be a professional athlete. Now, what sport, I would say that came a little bit later in life. I fell in love with the game of football. But, Merrill, I am- You know, to share it lightly, I'm a little vertically challenged as well, my friend. And so, growing up, I realized if I wanna go to the NFL, the best of the best in professional football, I can't sit back and hope that it happens. And so, really, Merrill, at a young age I understood this concept of beginning to establish a strong and remarkable work ethic, because what that did is it started to put me in position to go after this big dream.

Merrill Dubrow: You know, it's interesting you bring up work ethic. I was fortunate, Johnny, about seven, eight years ago, to sit on a plane next to Nolan Ryan.

Johnny Quinn: Wow.

Merrill Dubrow: From DFW Airport all the way to LaGuardia, and I- It was about a four-hour flight, and I didn't want it to end. And I spoke to Nolan for about three and a half hours straight. It was funny. He read cattle daily, and he was reading the Texas Rangers budget. It was interesting. And one of the questions- I didn't wanna ask him any questions that were so ordinary. But one of the things I wanted to ask Nolan was where did he get his work ethic? Because, you know, he worked on a farm. His workouts were legendary. I got my work ethic from my dad who was just got up early, did his thing, came home, and his whole- He had blinders on, and all he wanted to do was put food on the table for his family and give us clothes and send us to college. So where did you get your work- Was it your dad, your grandfather? Was it your- How did you get your work ethic?

Johnny Quinn: It's a combination of both. I remember as just a young kid seeing dad, to your point, Merrill, up early, staying up late working to provide. And so, at a young age, it kind of clicked. And it's so elementary when I think through this, Merrill, of staying after to watch more film. Well, my dad would do that, you know, at home to, whether it's reaching a revenue goal or whatever were goals there. So that played a factor. Another big factor for me, Merrill, watching pro football growing up. You know, I grew up in the '90s. And who was dominant in the '90s? It was the Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers. Well, I fell in love with Jerry Rice. I played wide receiver. I wore number 80. You know, I wanted to be Jerry Rice. And, Merrill, this was so interesting. Think about this as a young kid. I'm watching Jerry Rice. I'm listening to all of his interviews, and what stuck out to me about Jerry Rice is when they would go interview other NFL football players who said they would train with Jerry Rice in the offseason, and Jerry would just run laps around them. You know, he'd do more hill sprints than them. He'd be the first one to the top of the hill every time. And so, as a young kid, the way I computed that, because I just thought all NFL players are created equal. You make it to the NFL, you're a really good player. Watching and understanding Jerry Rice's work ethic really set the tone for me that it doesn't matter how much talent you have, are you putting in the work consistently? And so, I really think seeing that at a young age, Merrill, set me up on a healthy path.

Merrill Dubrow: Wow, that's such a great day. Have you ever met Jerry?

Johnny Quinn: I have not. I would love to.

Merrill Dubrow: Well, maybe one day, a friend of a friend of a friend, we can make that happen somehow some way.

Johnny Quinn: It'd be cool.

Merrill Dubrow: Hey, listen, most of us have no idea. Now, look, I know I just watched all the games on Sunday, we're talking on a Thursday, the NFL games and some people play on a Monday, and I know there's a game tonight. But let's assume you had a game on a Sunday. What's the- What's an NFL player's week look like? Take us through Monday through Sunday. I know- Is Monday an off day for everybody. Or is it treatment, Johnny? What is it?

Johnny Quinn: They call it Victory Monday. If you win on a Sunday, you get that Monday off. So, it's a little bit of an incentive. And, you know, during the season, it depends, Merrill. If you're battling an injury, then you are- even on an off day, you are in the training room, you're working on, you know, getting the soreness out from the game, and you're already starting to dive into film study of the upcoming opponent. You're watching their game from the previous Sunday. So, everything throughout the week, Merrill, is getting you ready for that next game. So, it's almost like, Merrill, you've got a kind of like a repeat schedule every week to prepare your body and your mind for the upcoming competition. And so, you really start to get into these daily routines or these habits of consistency, and that's what you wanna see. What I've noticed at the elite level, Merrill, is that these men- You know, let's take NFL, for example. But really in life, men and women in sport and business doesn't matter, the ultra-performers, Merrill, they are consistent with their effort level. And it's been neat for me to see that in the NFL and in the Olympic space.

Merrill Dubrow: Wow. That's great. So, let's go back, and whether it's at- I know you played at McKinney. So, McKinney High School or in the NFL, I know you played for a number of teams, including in the CFL. And I know you have head coaches and I know you've got a position coach and I know you've got a strength coach and you've got all these other coaches that you're around, is there a takeaway that somebody taught you a lesson, somebody gave you something that has stuck with you for decades? Anybody jump out at you?

Johnny Quinn: You know, Merrill, I've had some fantastic coaches over the years, and there's one coach that stands out tremendously, and he wasn't even my football coach. Merrill, he was my track and field coach at the University of North Texas. Now, think about this. You know, I'm trying to go to the NFL, I get an athletic scholarship, a football scholarship to UNT, and what I realized is if I'm gonna go to the NFL, I have to get faster. And so, it made logical sense for me to walk onto the track and field team. And I remember sitting down with this coach. His name is- He's since retired, but his name is Coach Carl Sheffield. And one thing that I remember about Coach Sheffield, when I came to his office and I said, "Coach, you know, I'm a football player. I'm on scholarship for football. I've got to do all my football workouts. I can't not do those. This is why I'm here to earn a degree and play on the football team. But I wanna get faster." And, Merrill, instead of this coach just looping me in with all the other athletes and, you know, trying to, I guess, break me, so to speak, he understood the mission I was trying to accomplish. And so, here's a coach at the collegiate level that reviewed all of my football workouts to know the workload that I needed when I came to track practice in the afternoon. And so, Merrill, being part of that or having that interaction with him during those four critical years of my university study as I'm trying to, you know, have a fantastic college career to go to the NFL, that a coach would actually take the time and understand the individual. That- I mean, you know, here I am, what? 20 plus years later, and that has made a huge mark on my life.

Merrill Dubrow: No, that's some really good takeaways there. So, you know, when you think about overcoming obstacles. So overcoming things that have happened in your life, whether you're on a football team, and life is great, and whatever happens, you get injured or for whatever reason you get cut and you got to start over and you got to prove yourself to another team, you know, talk a little bit about overcoming obstacles for Johnny Quinn and how you kept moving forward and not giving in to those obstacles?

Johnny Quinn: You know, the first time I got cut, I was from fresh out of school, I signed a three-year deal, $1.2 million with the Buffalo Bills. And so, I am just thrilled. My NFL dream's coming true. You know, I didn't get drafted. I'm an undrafted free agent, whatever. We're gonna do this the hard way. That's fine with me. And when the Buffalo Bills cut me, Merrill, that was the first time in my athletic career that somebody said, "No. Johnny, you're not good enough. Johnny, we're not keeping you around and developing you. As a matter of fact, today, we are cutting you." Contract gone, job gone, opportunity gone. And, Merrill, here's what I needed to realize, or what I needed to find out, and I needed to find this out pretty quick, is I needed to know, are there men and women who are further down the road of life than I was at that point in my career, that have had a challenge or had a setback or, you know, overcome an obstacle? Were they able to do this after a "failure" is what I'm gonna call it. And so, Merrill, here I am at 22 years old. Here's what happened. I became an avid reader, seriously, because I needed to find out. Can you overcome when something doesn't go the way that you think it's supposed to go? And Merrill, let me tell you what I found out. I started to find out, you know what? That's actually a freaking prerequisite to success. That's actually a prerequisite to accomplishing future outcomes, is finding a way to navigate the storm. And, Merrill, for me, it was getting cut in the NFL. For our listeners, maybe it's a failed business venture. Maybe it's a relationship that has gone south. Whatever that storm is, we have to understand that there are tools and resources out there to help you overcome.

Merrill Dubrow: I think there's some really good takeaways there, Johnny, for all of our listeners and amazing. So, let me ask you this. So, there you are, you're in the NFL, you're cut, you go to the CFL, and then, you know, you've done something that only three people in the history of the sport has ever done, which is play in the NFL and been in the Winter Olympics. So, then you wake up one day, and it's- you go outside, and it's a little brisk in Texas, and you're like, "Hey, I'm gonna be an Olympic athlete, and I'm gonna go to Bobsled." Like how do you go from ex NFL player to I'm gonna play in the Olympics and I'm gonna be on the Bobsled team in the US? Like how does that happen?

Johnny Quinn: Merrill, you watch the movie Cool Runnings over and over-

Merrill Dubrow: I did. I love that movie. I love that movie.

Johnny Quinn: Really put Bobsledding on the map. Great '90s movie.

Merrill Dubrow: Sure.

Johnny Quinn: So, Merrill, look, here's the deal. You know, I get cut multiple times in the NFL, my agent sends me up to the CFL. I'm thinking, I'm gonna get some film, I'll get back in the NFL, and I blow my freaking knee out in Canada. And so, here I am, three cuts, I lost 2.6 million in NFL contracts, and I have a blown out knee. Merrill, you know, the writing is on the wall. Football is over. I mean, I look like damaged goods to any GM. Three cuts, a blown out knee, nobody's picking me up. But here's what I realized, Merrill. I realized that I still had something left in the tank. Now, it can't be football. I have no more opportunity here. And so, some interesting things started to line up. My agent represented a bobsledder back in the day. My mom, one of her co-workers, was a bobsledder back in the day. And, Merrill, because there's no NCAA level bobsledding. You can't go to-

Merrill Dubrow: No, exactly.

Johnny Quinn: College to be a bobsledder. Where do they have to recruit from? Well, they recruit from football and track and field. And, Merrill, I was a dual sport athlete at UNT, football and track and field. And so, I fit the mold on what they were looking for physically. But, to your point, when you grow up in Texas, we don't really get any snow.

Merrill Dubrow: No, you don't.

Johnny Quinn: So, it's like, you know, what do you do here? And so, I submitted some film of me sprinting, of me lifting weights to the Olympic Training Center to say, "Hey, here's a guy that has, you know, the physical makeup to be a bobsledder, but we obviously have some technique work that would need to get ironed out." Long story short, Merrill, I flew into the Olympic Training Center the night before team trials. My first time ever on ice was at the US, four-man team trials and we took third place. I mean, it was unbelievable. And that's what set in motion this four-year journey to becoming an Olympian.

Merrill Dubrow: That's unbelievable. That is just special. So, you know, it's interesting. We've met a number of times, we've hung a number of times, you know, I've gotten to know you a little bit. I met your wife before. You know, I gotta tell you, you've accomplished a lot of stuff. So you're not just an entrepreneur, not just a husband, not just, you know, a son and a father, but you played in the NFL, which is cool. It's sexy. There's only about less than 1,500 people a year that play in the NFL. You're one of three people. Herschel Walker and Jeremy Bloom, who've ever played in the NFL and who've ever from the Olympics. And how do you keep your ego in check? I know that's weird of me to say, but, you know, I've never felt that you're like, "Look at me, I'm Johnny Quinn, Olympic athlete. Look at me, I'm NFL star, Johnny Quinn. Look at me, I'm Johnny Quinn who wrote a book. Look at me, I'm Johnny Quinn who kicks ass on the pickleball court." How do you keep your ego in check? Because it's- I gotta tell you something, Johnny, and I'm not saying this just because I really like you a lot. It's really refreshing.

Johnny Quinn: Well, Merrill, thank you. Thank you for saying that. You know, let me just help- You know, let me- So, on the Olympics, we sent two sleds to Russia. I was on the sled. We missed the medals by 1.8 seconds. Now, we did get an American flag on the sled, but I, you know, unfortunately didn't bring a medal back to our country. That being said, you know, let's think through this. Merrill, I'm always looking down the road. I've since retired from sport, you could say, you know, I'm back at it on the pickleball court with you and some other buddies.

Merrill Dubrow: Sure. Sure.

Johnny Quinn: Here's the thing. As I look back on my career as an athlete, I want going to the NFL, or I want going to the Olympic Games. I mean, to wear the red, white, and blue, represent our country on the world's greatest stage. It literally was remarkable. I mean, I'm just getting goosebumps thinking about opening ceremonies. I mean, it was amazing. But Merrill, I want that to be like number 13 or 14 on things that I've accomplished in my life. And I think some people would- If you're familiar with sports, would say that's weird because is it - I mean, isn't that supposed to be the top thing you've done? Well, Merrill, I don't like that. And so, what this does is it's helped me repurpose my daily decisions and my actions on what I'm looking to accomplish. And so, while I've had an incredible career and journey through the world of sports. And I'm a sports fan and I love it, but that doesn't define who I am. And that's why I'm always thinking of the future and what's to come, and what that does, Merrill, is it helps me understand that my actions today, how I treat people, how I interact on the pickleball court, off the pickleball court, you know, on LinkedIn, at a speaking engagement. Merrill, all that matters and there's value in that.

Merrill Dubrow: Wow. I gotta tell you, Johnny, I really enjoyed getting to know you. I know all of the listeners will enjoy this segment. I'm gonna ask you if they post questions online, will you answer them on this post?

Johnny Quinn: I would love to do that, please. Yes, that would be fantastic.

Merrill Dubrow: Perfect. Well, again, I say thank you to author, husband, father, keynote presenter, entrepreneur, former NFL player, Olympic athlete, Johnny. I can't thank you enough for being on today's podcast. Thanks for listening, and I look forward to hearing from you. And stay well, stay safe, and please, please, everyone, stay in touch.

Johnny Quinn: Thank you, Merrill.