00:05
Hey guys, this is Ryan Alford. Welcome to the Radical Company podcast. I'm kinda geeking out today. I didn't tell him this, I was trying to keep it all together. But one of my, just being a Clemson grad and graduating at the same time he was playing, it's just a real honor and privilege to have Woody Dantzler on the show today. Just really excited to have you, Woody. I mean, I had these flashbacks when, you know.

00:35
We've been messaging on LinkedIn and talking, it's like kind of that surreal moment. And I'm sure you get this a lot, but it's like thinking coming up and I was born and raised a Clemson fan and at Clemson the same time you were playing and sitting in the stands, watching you run up and down the field or throw bombs to Mal Lawyer. Yeah, he was there. Yeah, like. Yep. And old Mal. I know, you still thought of him. Yeah, he's down there in Charleston, Monk's Corner.

01:04
Back in his hometown doing some good things. But man, just thrilled to have you on the podcast. That's thrilled to be here, man. I really appreciate the opportunity to sit down and just, as you stated, have some good old conversation. Yeah, exactly. And that's what we do here on the podcast. And just real excited to kind of get in, talking. There's people that, a lot of clumsome people listen just because I'm a local Greenville guy, and we're here local, so a lot of people know who you are. But I definitely want to give you that opportunity.

01:33
talk about your story coming up through Clemson and before, and the things, your involvement with youth and organizations and to what you're doing today. So real excited to kind of get into all of that. So I mean, what's, but we'll go backwards, but let's just talk about what you've been up to, man. I mean, you know. Aside from being, first job is being a husband and a father. Yeah. As we mentioned earlier, we're in October, we 10 years as a married man.

02:03
It has flown by. Yeah. My wife, Portia, and I, we have two beautiful girls, Trinity and Zoe. Trinity's the oldest, she's 16. Zoe, she's the younger one, she's 10. So, doing that, I mean, that's the fun part of my life. And then, part two, I've been in sales for some time now. Currently in pharmaceutical sales. And that's what I've been doing, and that's what I was doing earlier this morning. So, with that.

02:33
on the wraps, pharmaceutical sales, family pharmaceutical sales, but then also I just launched my business. So I'm a business owner as well. And what I do primarily is focus around speaking and motivational speaking, encouraging individuals to be the best version of themselves. Also what will be run under my business, Dancer with Three, will be some community service efforts as well as some youth programs that I've been putting together. So that's kind of an abbreviation of...

03:02
what's going on right now. But it's a good time right now. It's good, there's two daughters, man. We talked about this. I've got four boys. Yeah. What's it like being daddy? It's like, I was about to say it's a gift and a curse, but it's not. It is an awesome privilege to be a parent, especially when you're teaching and instilling something in your kids, and then you finally see that moment when they get it, and it's like, oh man.

03:32
Me and my wife are talking through some things and we identify something we wanna work on and we see the change made in our kids. It's just, it's a wonderful thing. Well, let's go back a little bit now. Played at Clemson from 98 to 01, right? Mm-hmm. Time frame in there. Yes. State timeout at Clemson. And, but talk, maybe give people kind of like, let's talk the Cliff Notes version of before, you know, being an athlete, going to Clemson.

04:01
you know, kind of the synopsis of that experience. And then I'd love to talk a little bit about the pro days. And, you know, we talked about it before, the perspective that, you know, athletes haven't made, you know, like everything's laid out for them. But I know, you know, we've all had our ups and downs, but I want you to talk about that, but maybe talk about, you know, that background leading up to Clemson and then just kind of the synopsis of those Clemson days. I mean, because it was, you riding high, man. I mean, you were the man.

04:31
It's pretty interesting and it shocks a lot of people when I talk about it, especially growing up. I was not the big sports fan honestly and still to this day. I am not. So when I was in elementary school, middle school, high school, I didn't really know anything about Clemson or Carolina. Go up here in South Carolina. I knew about South Carolina State because that's in my hometown. And you know, just one of those things. Hey, I play high school ball at OW so we can go to the game free if we want to.

04:59
So that's what that was about, I was able to go to those games. But next level playing college ball, it never really occurred to me until my senior year in high school, because I know they start sending those letters out, those questionnaires from different colleges, but my high school coach, he purposely kind of withheld those letters before our senior year. So he started, you know, giving them to us our senior year and prepping us for those next steps. And then coach started coming in and talking to me and getting phone calls.

05:29
the reality of college started to really blossom. So that was kind of a nutshell of me growing up. I just played ball because it was fun. I had me and my friends and we enjoyed doing it. That's what football was for me. So, and then got dug in, got done there, and then made the transition after leaving Orangeburg Wilkinson, got a scholarship to go to Clemson, which was huge for me to be able to, because outside of that scholarship, you know.

05:57
I didn't know how I was gonna go to college, how I was gonna get paid for. So it was just one of those things, a great blessing. What about, talk about your time at Clemson. I mean, I think everybody thinks, I just remember the junior season being great, but then senior season, throwing for $2,000, stress for $1,000, Heisman talk, all that. How do you summarize your Clemson experience not looking back? Like, I mean, was it?

06:26
Everything that someone would think it would be as far as, you know, kind of being, having that just amazing career that you have there. It's one of those things of like anything else. It's what you make it. And right before I left to go to school at Clemson, my dad gave me this statement because, you know, my dad and I are really close and he was always giving me information and knowledge and wisdom.

06:54
And one of the things he said before I left, he said, don't you go up there and be just a football player. So I took that as, you know, take advantage of the opportunity you have. Don't just sit in that bubble. If I'm an athlete, you know, go through school, take full advantage of the academic side. So I was able to not only be very involved as an athlete, I was very involved in student council, multicultural affairs, you know, I was in different departments, meeting different people.

07:21
understanding different aspects of the college, like different majors. So it was, it really grew me up a lot, especially coming from OW. You know, we joke around and say, OW stands for one white predominantly black high school. Then going into a university where now I'm the minority. It was, it was, it was a great experience for me. What do you see? How much has it changed? Because like now it seems like with the internet and social media and like,

07:51
When I was at Clemson, you know, like, I was a huge Clemson fan, I'm going to Clemson. You know, I was in that bubble. But there wasn't social media, the internet was just kind of getting, you know, we had email and like some stuff. But in 2099, it was just starting to get moving. Right. You know, but now with these players and like the news cycle, it feels like everything's out there and the attention's even more and all that. Like, do you think about like,

08:21
those differences a minute at all, like do you think it truly is different now? Like are they, is it more like they're superstars now? Like it's the great players, the Deshawns, and you know, now Trevor and all that. Or do you think, do you see parallels even to the same, like of how big, how that bubble is and how the attention is? Like do you see differences there? Yeah, it is a huge difference, not from a playing standpoint, but just from the quote unquote accessibility.

08:51
You know, social media gives the fan more access to the player and to the different people that they wanna connect with. It feels like, it's like social media now has turned sports into a reality show. If I wanna see what's going on with my favorite player, I follow them on Twitter, I follow them on Instagram or whatever social media, so now I can see if this individual who I like to watch is somewhere over on the other side of the country touring Africa, all right?

09:20
I get to be a part of that because I see a picture of him. And it's just a way of bringing the fans in and connecting the player to the fan. So it has its goods and it has its bads. I'm not really a social media person. I actually just got on social media for the sake of my business a couple of months ago. So and I've fought it for so long. I'm really a private person, but it's just, it's one of those things, it's what you make of it, as I mentioned earlier. If you navigate it properly, you know.

09:51
it can do some good for you, but not a lot of people use it right. Yeah, that's for sure. Talk to me a little bit about like that senior season and maybe something, you know, as far as people know, which is all the stats and all that, was it, did you feel the pressure? Like was it as much of a spotlight as it seemed? And then maybe something like a misconception, but from all that, you know, of what?

10:20
what was to come from it. Like, you know, like, did you, was the pressure on when you were a senior? Did you feel it? Or did you strike me as like, you don't really use, like you said, you weren't into sports, like it's almost like you were in your own bubble. You have so many other interests outside of sports and football and you're much more dynamic than just a sports guy. You know, there was just life, I see that. But like at the same time, I mean, we're talking how as a candidate, like all that, like what was that like?

10:49
That external stuff was not a big deal to me, honestly. The biggest issue that I had to fight, and I fight still to this day, was my own stuff. You know, you would think, you would look at an individual, touch them myself, and you'll see me out there on the field doing these different things. I'm standing in front of a crowd, and I'm speaking words of encouragement. You would never know that I'm a pretty insecure guy. So...

11:17
just relating it to Clemson, you know, you have a good game, you know. After the game, a lot of times, I was not enjoying the win or the success of the game because now all of a sudden I'm in my head saying, oh my gosh, I had a good game. I don't know if I can do it again next week. What if I'll do it again next week? Will they bench me? Will I lose my, so all these things are going through my head, but again, what I learned from that is, you know, just being able to talk to things with my dad and just.

11:47
being able to, okay, this is a situation. So what I'm going to do, I'm going to prepare like no other so that when my next opportunity comes, I'm ready to do it again. So I let those insecurities drive me and focus me on, you know, really truly preparing and making myself able to do it again.

12:09
So we finished Clemson, I mean is there just the assumption, like I think being fans and being outside looking in, there's assumption with someone like yourself who was so gifted athletically, who were doing everything. Go, got it made, go to the NFL, what you did. Talk about post-Clemson, was it kinda like, what now or like you started, I mean you had, I'm sure, did you do the combine? Yes. Yeah, you did the combine.

12:38
You know, you did that, you got involved. I mean, talk about post-Climson, that time period and kind of what was going through your mind and what transpired, what didn't transpire. Well, I was in a very, very peaceful place coming out of Clemson. Cause again, football wasn't my lifeline. Yeah. It was a means to an end. And I had, thankful to a man by the name of Darren Bruce.

13:08
who came in with Tommy Bowden and his staff, and he really introduced me to Jesus for real. So in 1999, I started walking with Jesus, and this whole, my whole mind frame shifted even more. So now I figured out how, the reasons why, I enjoy playing ball, but I wasn't all wrapped up in it. I was given a gift for a reason, so I can go out there and play ball, make it through, make great plays.

13:35
but it was for another purpose. So going through that whole process, it was like, okay, God, I'm just gonna see where you're gonna take me next. So I'm going through the combined process. I'm having a ball. There's no pressure on me. There's no stress on me. I'm meeting people. I'm competing. You know, it was just a blast because I was just in such a peaceful place because I knew that this game of football was gonna take me somewhere else outside of football. So I was just gonna ride the wave as long as I was gonna be on that wave.

14:04
until it's time to step off the surfboard. What a player should be like. You know, you were obviously a star, and, but, you know, you win a couple different rounds in the NFL, you know, you played with the Cowboys, played with the Falcons, right, and played safety, little running back. That was crazy, isn't it? Yeah, thank you, Bill. But no, it was good. Again, like I said, I was in a peaceful place, so.

14:33
I was able to, maybe a couple of years before that, I wouldn't have been in the right head space to be able to do that, because I understood that the purpose was outside of, you know, what I really wanted to do. So they asked me, matter of fact, going into the senior bowl after my senior year, I didn't find out I was going to be playing running back in the senior bowl until a week before.

14:56
One of the, it was an agent that was trying to recruit me, actually called me and told me that I had no clue that that was going down. So it's just one of those things of being able to shift your mindset and just be adaptable. So it taught me change, again, because I already had to work at it to be able to really work on it. But yes, I ran the ball a little bit, but it's a different dynamic being a true running back and being able to just, you know, take off and run or a specially designed QB run. It's a whole different dynamic, taking the hand off.

15:25
Blocking I mean all that stuff is just different. It's a matter of set my mindset to say, you know what? It's a child. Let's go see what's gonna happen. So it was it was it was fun so, you know What players feel like when they're finished playing and maybe they're kind of those fringe athletes that aren't first-round draft picks You know, but Mike they're kind of on that mind of Mike can make you can't make it I think me outside looking in we just think

15:55
you know, athletes have a mate, right? They're set up for life, you know, because either they're gonna be given all the exact, you know, free jobs or free experiences or they're gonna make it in NFL. I've learned that that's not the case. No. But I'd love to hear your perspective on, you know, people's assumptions around that. People's, it's just like anything else. A lot of people assume and think they know because of what they see. I like, I'm.

16:23
What was that? It was a show. I can't remember the name of it. But it was the worst, the worst representation of the national football league ever. I mean it was, and we had people actually believing football was about playing ball on Sunday and then spending time having sex with girls and drinking and doing drugs. Because they saw it on the TV show. Was it Ballers or something? No, it was before Ballers. So I think, not Cuba, but what's this? Omar Gooden was one of the lead actors.

16:54
It's just what, it all depends on that individual player. You know, who's been speaking into their life, who's been preparing them, how much they identify themselves with football. Cause some people, they find their identity in football. And when that doesn't work out, you know, it's almost a state of depression. And then even outside of that, those who are successful, a lot of individuals don't know how to transfer the skillset that they have from football into the business world.

17:23
So it's a whole different dynamic, just being able to shift your mindset and shift your mode of operation to transition. Not many people know how to transition. Such as myself, I didn't know how to transition when I came out. I still really didn't know what I wanted to do when I got done playing ball. That's probably why I stuck in it for so long, because I just didn't really know exactly what or how to do it.

17:50
So just being a part of a group, you know, Clemson is doing a great job right now. Rashad Hall, big shout out. He's doing a great job with that program, along with Jeff Davis and Paul Vision, actually getting these guys prepared for, hey, not everybody's going to the NFL. Even if you do go to the NFL, you need a next step after you're done playing. So these guys are really being prepared now for life after football. And when I was there, we just didn't have that support system. And a lot of individuals still don't have that support system.

18:19
So when they come out, a lot of the time they crash and burn, which is sad. Yeah. Trend, good transition. Like it seems like Clemson's got it going on right now. I mean, like, look, they've won two national titles and the success is speaking for itself, but from being Clemson guy with what that was doing, players in the, you know, he's building it from the inside out. You know, it really seems that way. And.

18:49
You know, talk about like what you're seeing. I mean, facilities are incredible. Like it's almost like, yeah, they're reaping the rewards now, but it wasn't, you know, in 2009, I don't think when they have to go over, it wasn't like that, you know? But what's, as a former player, knowing, you know, your experience, seeing the successes now, seeing the things they're doing now, what's kind of your perspective on all that? It's just one of those things of, it's just as simple as, you know, what I'm saying is charity starts at home.

19:18
or with any great movement, it starts with one's self. So when Coach Sweeney was able to take over, he began to recruit guys and actually develop the individual. So the individual, yes, they're part of a team, but the individual player is being developed as well. So it's not just the aspect of, you know, it just comes in football, but once you get the right players in the right position and you develop them properly.

19:46
they all fit into that puzzle and then now you see the beautiful picture. So that's what you see. It takes a while to get these, some guys make it, some guys don't. So you gotta figure out who's gonna fit in your puzzle and then go from there. But the first, I think the biggest thing that is an attribute of Coach Sweeney is he's developing men. So when you look at their graduation rate, I mean, it is up there with schools such as Stanford. You know, I mean, that's nothing to sneeze at.

20:17
It's like almost 99, 98% graduation rates. And guys who don't graduate end up coming back and getting their degree. You know, so I mean, it's a beautiful thing because now these guys are the full student athlete. I'm not just coming here to play ball. I'm coming here to get my education. I'm coming here to grow as a man. And I'm being prepared for society once I leave Clemson. And that's the big thing. You got good quality guys that come in.

20:45
and they buy into the program and they focus on what they need to do to, you know, be the best person they can possibly be so they can make the team the best team they can possibly be. So that's what he's done and you see it because it's not, again, it even branches out from athletics, you know, it's into the university now. Students, regular students take pride in Clemson University. So now they're even.

21:12
pushing the envelope to exceed in just their individual majors because of that part of the product having the orange and white. So it's a beautifully infectious thing. Yeah. I kid around with some of my friends. I don't think I can get into Clemson now. Oh, I know I couldn't get into Clemson. Of course. My wife could get into Clemson right now. But yeah, she's the brainiac, but no, no. My SATs and my grades were okay. I mean, I was a B student.

21:43
make the cut now. So competitive that's nothing being able to sit and serve on the on the Board of Visitors and you get to hear the different dynamics of Clemson University you know how the university operates as a public university you know from you know the digital side the business side the I mean it's just so many interwoven parts to be able to sit in those meetings and listen to them go through different things they have coach Clemson, now I'm not coach.

22:12
But President Clemens come and talk through some different things. It's amazing the stuff that goes on from building funds and raising money and all how that ties into Clemson University. And as you were speaking, just talking about admissions, the average SAT being over 1,300. Great part of it is now you gotta make sure you're getting into these AP classes and college so you can excel past, 4.0 is.

22:40
Now 3.8, that's no, you need about a 4.5, 4.8, somewhere up in there to be considered and to get in. It's that competitive to get into Clemson. That money must be spread around because I taught a class last week, or I guess it was Monday, my day's running together. Obviously busy. A social media class over there. And I drove by and they've got a new, right in front of the president's house.

23:05
that new facility for students. It was like a gym and like, I don't know how much time you spent up there. Oh yeah, I know what you're talking about. Yeah, whatever that building is, that wasn't there. That's the, that's the new dorm. And it actually has, it has their fitness center in there. So yeah. That was nice. We didn't have that. That was Clemson House, I think. Yeah, Clemson House was over there, and they beat all that down. And when something else was over there, they tore down. But yeah, it is, it is, it is coming up. But it's still a building. How much time have you spent in the new facilities? Like the football facilities.

23:35
I spend it because part of my territory is Clemson. So if I have time while I'm working, I might stop in there. If I don't have a lunch that day, I may go over there and work out. And I'm part of the Tigerhood program, which is a program where former athletes mentor current athletes. So I get to spend some time with some of the guys and, you know, really speak into their lives and help them along the journey that I've already been on. A lot of these guys are so far along than where I was. It's just amazing. It's good to see and good to hear. You know, I learned a lot from them.

24:03
them just sit down and just casual conversations. Is it ridiculous? I haven't been in it and I've just seen the ESPN videos and all that. Is it out there? I don't think so. I think it's something out there for the state of South Carolina. So I mean you go over and you think about Oregon's facilities. I mean they've had this stuff for a while now.

24:32
It's just something new for the state of South Carolina and Clemson University. So they was calling it Davo land. I mean, I'm not gonna take anything away from it. It is a state of the art deal. I went over there, I don't know, one other day and I saw they got these little pods in there where they got the massage chairs and the nap room and all that. I mean, it is definitely amazing. Well, I don't think it's that, not that it's not that amazing.

25:01
I think they over-hyper to what it is. It's still a grand building, but it's just something new. So what are we up to now, man? I mean, you talked about it at the beginning, but like, what, where are you wanting to go? I mean, like, you know, there's such a piece about you, but at the same time, I feel the drive in you to like really make a difference. Yes. And so what are those passion points and where are we headed? Yeah, those passion points for me is I love people.

25:31
You know, that's why I got into sales. It gave me, especially pharmaceutical sales, it gave me the ability to put two of my passions together, you know, my philanthropy side and helping people, especially one of my medications is migraines. I got medication to help people with migraines. If you know anybody who's suffering from migraines, they are debilitating. So being able to get in there and talk to doctors and get them to prescribe my medicine and then hear the success stories how people are re-engaging in life because of a medicine that I carried and I was able to.

26:01
clear to articulate enough for them to have confidence to write my medication. You know, that is huge, but then also that sales side gets you back into that drive to be the best that you could possibly be, making sure I know how to pronounce the words and understand the disease state and the different aspects of my job, you know, making sure I'm the best salesperson that I can be so I can perform good for my team and my company. So all that runs together, and then outside of that, the whole, I've been...

26:31
when I talked about the setup with football and sports, that gave me a platform. So now, as you mentioned, people hear the name Woody Dancer, and then they come to see Woody Dancer, but then they end up meeting Jesus. And on top of that, they get some words of encouragement that will light that fire in them, so they can go out and be the great person that they've been created to be, because I kind of coined myself as the friction that likes to match.

27:01
And sometimes people just need to know and feel that they can. Because a lot of people's background, it's been one of despair. It's been one of just getting by and OK is enough. You know, really want to push people into greatness. They always talk about the 1%, the 1% on the top epsilon of people. And there's really no difference between the two. It's just that ability to really focus.

27:29
in on what I want to get accomplished and do exactly what I need to do to get it done without taking those days off.

27:37
I mean, I know you're doing speaking and different things. Is there things on the agenda the rest of the year, like if people want, you know, to have Woody Dancer speak, like talk about, you know, any other plans to speak the rest of the year and then how someone might would go about finding you for speaking.

28:00
Right, well it's pretty simple to find me now. Like I said, now I'm on social media. So. Thank goodness you made it to work. Right, exactly. So I'm on LinkedIn. You know, you can search me on LinkedIn. And also I have a business page on Facebook, also on Instagram. So I can be found there. And information for info at dansler3.com. Shoot me an email about the event. We'll respond and.

28:28
we'll get everything set up. So it's really just that simple. Contact me through that email info at Dansler3.com and Dansler is my last thing with I-I-I. That's the three part of it. Dot com and then social media will be found on Facebook and LinkedIn as well as Instagram and then put in the request and we'll go from there. You get involved with any of the other players? Like, you know, I was at Taj Boyd's event.

28:57
Yeah, we're gonna be helping him with some stuff and you know, do you get involved with other players? Oh, yes It's a brotherhood we want to one of the things that we've committed to do is Especially former Clemson after I just happens in general to support one another whatever endeavors that Excuse me that we're doing I actually would have been to that event myself But I actually had a speaking engagement that night so I missed it. Yeah, but um, yes, we definitely

29:25
They close, we stay tuned in to what the events one another got to have going on, and we do our best to support one way or the other. Yeah. Is there any of the current players that, how close do you stay to like, do you follow up with recruiting and like current players and all that? No. I don't do the recruiting, I think that's, I'm not a fan of the whole recruiting thing. I guess it's unnecessary, but it is, it is just so.

29:54
But once the guys get there, you know, I'm able to build relationships and talk with them. Any player on your team?

30:05
under the, nobody's under the radar anymore, but like.

30:10
Anybody you're hearing names about over at Clemson in the inside tips? Actually, there are a few guys on that team because you sit there and you say, well, they're losing on the D line. They're losing here. Who's going to replace? They got guys to replace. I'm just going to say that and just keep your eyes open and you're going to be like, how in the world do they keep doing this? Don't miss a step. Yeah, I'm not going to miss a step. It's a machine going on over there. But my big thing with that also, I mean, the talent obviously is there.

30:39
But I always, because people always ask, how you think Coach is gonna do this year? And I always say, you know what? I don't really know. They have the potential to, but I am the one to see, because once moving parts are taken out, I like to see who's gonna step up into that leadership role. And I wanna see what this new team dynamic is going to look like. And then as I see them over the summers, and I see them through spring, over the summer, and then you see them as the year starts, then you kinda see what that team's gonna be, then you get a better predictor.

31:08
because talent isn't always the best what you got.

31:14
predictor of success. There you go. That's what I was looking for. Talent isn't it? Because I said they have the talent. I want to see who's going to step up, be that leader, and how the rest of the guys are going to fall into their places and how they're going to perform as a team.

31:30
Well, I can't wait to stay connected moving forward, you know, like get to know each other better. Yes, yes. Seeing how, you know, Radical maybe can't help you with some things and just, you know, help them tell your story and being involved with you, I can't be more appreciative of you coming on the podcast and, you know, look forward to kind of just, this being the beginning. Yes, it definitely is the beginning. Now, if we got to, once this cuts off, we're gonna set a time to meet again and.

31:59
getting moving on the process because I think there's a lot that we can continue to do together. Yeah, man. Well, really appreciate you being on. Woody gave all the places that you can keep up with him. If you want to reach out for speaking engagements, I mean, this guy is as upstanding as they are and just couldn't be more excited about having Woody on today and the future. But this is Ryan Alford for the Radical Company podcast and we'll talk to you soon.

32:28
you