NFL Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez

Episode notes

Photo: Jesse ThornNFL Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez on his new podcast Wide OpenTony Gonzalez made football his career, but it could just have easily been basketball. In college, at UC Berkeley, he played both, but in his own distinct way: he played forward sort of like a football player, and he played tight end sort of like a basketball player.

In 1997, Tony entered the NFL draft. Tony played 12 seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs, and then another five for the Falcons. He’s been to the Pro Bowl over a dozen times.

He ranked in the top five for career receptions, and after he retired was inducted into the hall of the fame in his first year of eligibility.

These days, he’s on TV a lot. He’s an analyst for Fox Sports, where you’ll see him both Sundays and Thursdays.

He’s one of the greatest tight ends in history, but it wasn’t always easy.

Growing up, he was bullied constantly. His first year in the NFL was so tough he almost called it quits. And throughout his career, he never really felt like he could stand up and address his whole team.

He’s very open about his struggles and sacrifices. Tony’s got a new podcast where he invites people in business and entertainment to talk about the oftentimes difficult journey to success. It’s called Wide Open. It’s a show about becoming the best version of yourself, what he calls “leveling up.”

We’ll talk about his new podcast, wretched middle school days, and he’ll open up about his time in the NFL.

Click here to listen to Tony Gonzalez’s interview on YouTube.

In this episode...

Jesse Thorn

Host

Kevin Ferguson

Senior Producer

Jesus Ambrosio

Producer

Richard Robey

Maximum Fun Producer

Daniel Huecias

Maximum Fun Production Fellow

Daniel Arón Speer

Video Editor

Guests

Tony Gonzalez

About the show

Bullseye is a celebration of the best of arts and culture in public radio form. Host Jesse Thorn sifts the wheat from the chaff to bring you in-depth interviews with the most revered and revolutionary minds in our culture.

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