3X First-Team All-Pro Kick Returner Devin Hester Talks About Breaking Deion Sanders Record And Being On The NFL 100 All-Time Team

the offense side of the ball. I hate it. I mean any defensive player let me tell you if you don't hate this dude, to play against him because he's so damn dynamic. Um. He has had so explosive, so creative and just make you know something from nothing. Devin Hester man one of the best kickoff return specialists, best special teams guys ever. Uh, definitely is a Hall of Famer when it's when it comes in time. Broke Dion Sander's record. Uh, just so many different things and anyway

it's gonna be a good one. Devin Hester. You know what school we're part of, the What part of the world are you in right now? Man? In the Orlando you're on the Lando. What what you got going on down there? Um? Man, you gotta stay in on Orlando now, so you know, just kind of just located here, settled down, man, got kids going and school and all that, so making it my home now. I would you know what's funny.

I was in Orlando probably about six months ago. Well my boy Mojo, who uh who's in the w W E? And so we're out there going around and everything was wide open. This was like five Is this like five months almost five months ago? Yeah? Yeah, that side, isn't that pretty much? This one open? Now? Hey? So so that's so you're down there for like permanently, right, because

I saw your kid. You were just telling your kids when I when I seen that the first post that social media uh video your son going viral, the first thing I I saw my it's probably a couple of years ago. I think it was. When I saw it, I said, man, this world got another another Devin Hester like like, come on, it can't be no more. You

around like so many I'll tell you. That's when we used to watch film and do all this, and week you always you always gonna try to, you know, play your best against the best, right, So you're like, okay, you told what he did the week before you're sitting there watching like, Okay, he ain't doing that that, So this is what we're gonna do. Man, we go out

there and still do this. Man, I ain't nobody got no nobody got nothing to say with what Man, what kind of stuff do you hear like over over the course, like when you came in uh in No. Six you had I mean, you bawled out your rookie year. How did how do people start looking at you and like preparing for you now? Because then you already was on the map. So at first no one knows about you. Then you know they you kind of get put on the map, right man, I mean to prepare like like

what we did. Man. It it's when like film, film tells a lot, you know, and when you watch film and then you see the guys that you know what I mean, hit him for twenty thirty yard point return. And then you look at the speed team United Black Man, those guys you're hit him for twenty third yards they didn't even have as good as we are. We're gonna kill them. And so with that right there, it really really motivated us when we play against because you at

the end of the day, when you watched you. You can tell who has a good special team unit and who has a terrible spec team unit. So I think that right there alone. My my speed team coach Day told man, you did a hell of a job man preparing us man weekend and week out for that situation, because you know, and you appreciate that respect, because I know we had the respected just watching you. But you know, I go into games, I'm looking like, man, this this

dude is on another level. And I remember when you when you broke Dion's record. Was he? Let me ask you, because I always always say this, was he somebody that you you like you wanted to breaking record? Did you ever have it known? I was a person like when I played ball, I didn't really look into a ruggers until somebody mentioned it to me. Like it wasn't somethinghay I googled every week. Okay, let's best most return yards?

Who has the most kickoff return touchdown? It was always brought to me, so you know what I mean, Like we have like you know, the guys that sold that work in the office, They will come up to me and say, hey, you know you four yards away shot from moving up to the fifth place and most yards are this week coming up. You know, if you have you know what I mean, physicide yards, you break somebody else rek. So I never really looked into it until

somebody brought it to my attention. So when they got closer that time for the record for Den, it was more so okay, you three now you three tonsdowns away from it. So when they told me that fast when it it starts settling, Okay, man, I'm getting closer and closer. Yeah, no, dude, No, The thing is no one really want to talk about it and be saying okay, that's that's the guy looked

at and I want to break his record. And even though it's not all about records, but I tell you when I my first year, when I got to the charges to Know five, all I heard is about Junior Say, you know, I just heard about out and I was like, man, if I can do and break any kind of record of Junior say I'll have around here, then I know that's how I'm how I'm gonna be judged and looked at. So you know what I mean, Like you don't want to go out and intentionally just say I'm trying to

break this Dow record. But you you couldn't help me. I got close. You're like, man, this Dion Sanders, you know what I mean, Like, that's that's for us. Man. You know, at the end of the thing, you know, you as flayers, like Flair's that lovely game of football. Guys to him that that set the temple, Like we honored up to those guys. Those guys are like the Chilles and the Chores of the ancient world, you know what I mean. So we we admire those type of guys.

So and your sis, your situation with Junior said, so when you get closer, you know what I mean, accompanying something that he had, it's amazing, it's big, you know what I mean. So for me and in that situation of breaking Dion, man, it was more so of the relationship that we dealt that man. We did it, you know what I mean. We put these these stats up on the map, you know what I mean, and have players him then at a young age trying to try

to achieve these these type of records. But at nd day, as a unit, Manda came together as as as one and said, hey, we did it, you know what I mean, No, no, a hundred percent. And then the next step to be, to be honest, since we're on that we're talking about it is that is that jacket? You know what I'm saying,

Like the next thing is that? And for me, you know, when I retired and I got a chance to work at the NFL Networks, my first like broadcasting gig when I when I retired, and I remember sitting up there. I was up there with Dion Sanders, Michael Irvin, Marshall Falk and uh and the l T. And the l T at the time didn't have it, you know, he wasn't enough for his jacket yet. But I was like I was sitting up in the company like, damn, you know, I'm the only one sitting up here without a jacket.

And I went to uh La Damien's Hall of Fame speech, I went to Ray Lewis's and I'll probably be going to Antonio Gates and possibly Philip Rivers. If you know, if it's up that time, does that ever click to you at some point now, like it's that part of it is right around the corner. What's that gonna mean? It's it's uh, it's it's it's so over women. I got an opportunity to Uh, exparience and close close like

that situation. Uh. We had the ceremony um in Miami with the Super Bowl when they announced the top one hundred and so um making that list. We uh had like pretty much a whole week prior to the Super Bowl. We up to the Super Bowl where we had like seminars and banquets and stuff like that where it was presenting our jackets and getting opportunely meet a lot of guys.

So sitting in that room amongst all those guys man that made the top one hundred in all long with Hall of famers, you know, and then it was like, Wow, I'm in that situation that where all these guys right here a hall of famous you know what I mean.

And now we're talking about the top one hundred gritist with all the time, and I'm in the room right now and I don't even have I don't even I didn't I'm the only one that didn't made the Hall of Fame year and I'm sitting in the room amongst the greatest top one because the NFL history, And it was like I felt like a rookie all over again. Man, to be honest with you, No, I know what. Let me tell you I was. I was in the um.

I was in the room with Ray Lewis while they knocked on the door and your your your time coming up. So I'm gonna go ahead and break. I'm gonna be a little spoil alert. Man. That knock. That knock is different that you know, like you get a regular knock at the door, like somebody coming to you know, you know, turn your bed over and clean your room. You might get somebody to come up. But that knocked, man, when they're coming knock on that door, dude, is next level.

It's one of them. It's almost I think that that right there is almost a knocker. Getting that phone call Drift, it feels like that's high phone be that that phone call you get when you're sitting that way in the room for your drugs and then get called for draft. That's like I would say, ten times more extrange and more pressure and the draft with just up, the draft with just up, you know what I mean. So I

got a great story, man. I remember when your name came up and I was with the Chargers and obviously we got you know, we had during sprows there with episode I knew that I was when I was in the draft room and they were talking about you your name, it came up. But they were also talking about different positions too, So what what what what was that like when you kind of were you always asking to get on the other side of the ball and play, you know,

play different positions and stuff too. Well, that's something they just that kind of came along, because I don't think it would have came along moved me to the office side of if I didn't do what I did my

first year at kickoff and return um aspect. It was it got to the point where it was like that, like you said, coaches, coaches read by into like new stuff, like they what they here, like like all of coaches doing they see something the news paper, people talking about why this is the best weapon they got on offense, you know what I mean, on the office side of the ball. This is the best bird. So it started feeding. They start feeding too and saying, man, we got a

moved that got offense. You know, it was something I didn't want to do. I didn't want to move offense. I wanted to dB, you know what I mean, and settle and make a name for myself at dB. But when teams started kicking the ball away from me and taking me out of the game. For us me getting my hands on the ball, the coaches said, we don't have no choice but to move your offense. And so that's why I got pushed it offense out of the ball.

That's always crazy to me, Like I would sit back and why the hell teams are still kicking to this dude. That that was the That was the first thing that came to my head, like this, these people are crazy. They're still kicking and you already took one or two to the crib. There's no way you're touching that ball again for the rest of the game, right man. I mean that's that we we kind of deal with, you know.

And then the more I got talked about, I guess teams started realizing that a man, we gotta kick it out of We gotta kick this ball away from this guy. Man, It's no it's no no other scenario. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup and the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox sports Radio dot com and within the I Heart Radio app. Search f s R to listen live. And last thing though, before we go, because I got I got an eleven year old son.

Because I always asked other other guys that I either play with the played against and then my son played quarterback and they play safety, right and what And I saw the social media post that went viral on your son? Does he do you how much pressure? Because you obviously played at the highest level possible, you're gonna, you know, hall of famer. You know you've you've done your thing.

How much pressure do you put on your because and I'm curious because I don't you know some of these cases like I don't know, I don't know whether to stay back and you know, let the coach doul to step in there and sometimes his coaches black Man Sean go you know, do you know do you think go go talk to the team and coach And I kind of wanted to sit back because I already know the pressure is there for him to go out and do

what I did on the football field. Do you do you know your son ever had that conversational just like, yo, he's a freak athlete. Let him go and do his thing. To my son, he was he was I got three boys, right, So my oldest son, I don't want to do anything with the ball. Nothing with anything with the ball. He

don't want to do it. And you know, I said, you know, I'm not gonna be that that father that because I grew up with kids, a lot of friends that fathered pressing him into doing this and being trying to be like they wanted to be in life, say you know, I'm not gonna do that, because I've seen the relationship those kids be at what their father in

their dad. But my middle one was he was just he was just specially like for Christmas at the age of two or three years old, like all his gifts from Christmas came from Dick's, Dick's and Sports Cada type of stores. That's all he wanted. That's all he wanted. He don't want tout a no trains, no trucks, no car. He didn't want to watch, no TV, none of that. All he wanted to do and play with balls and go outside and play. That's all he wanted to do. And so he got to the point where we was side.

If I would find myself now outside just playing kiss with him, start coaching him up on you know, shape moves and how to do the cone drives and how to do the lodder drills. And stuff like that. So I I stepped to him one day and I say, hey, man, if you really want to be special, you know what I mean, let me know and I can coach you. Because I was. I was, I'm in his coach, so I always was his coaching every sport he played for

much and so I actually like men him. Were driving home one day for practice and I say, um, do you feel like i'd be hard on you like when I'm coaching you? He said, I feel like you don't. When when when I make mistakes, you you you more and more mad and you get more louder than I for another kid beside me do the same thing. You don't really ask, you know, you don't really really get on him like that, But when every time I make a mistake, you get on me. I say, man, it's

a point. It's a time and the point where it coaching has to decide who to get on, you know what I mean, who can handle it or at the end of the day, that's really not my kids. So I can't really get hard on him. I say, but you know what you still you are right now, right, so you let me know, and I promise you I won't be mad, I'll back away a little bit. I stepped back a little bit if you want me to back away from you, But if you want me to, if you want to be great, I gotta continue to

coach you like this. And I said, you make it to say. I say, listen, this is a dad Is this a dad and side talk? It's not a coach coach coach has and drake and talk this right now. It's it's a dead and father sign talk right now. Okay. So I promise you I won't be mad as I if you want me to just come down a little bit, back away, because I understand you still young. He looked me in my eye and said, Daddy, I want you to coach me hard. I want you. I said this, aw,

you really really won't dred. I promise you I won't be mad. He said, Dad, continue to coach me this way. And tears ran from the top of my head all the way to the tip of my pinky toe. And he looked, man, his eyes got watery. That's when I knew here for real. He said, don't let up on me. Do not let up on the coach me the way you've been coaching me. Because I want to be great. Yeah,

I got chills right now, man. That because that you know, honestly, man, and you know it too when you when you hear that, that's different because that's that's not talent no more. That's not him being a freakish athlete. That's him actually wanting to be really like wanting to be wanting to be great, wanting to be great. Man, I I do. I have a quarterback coach that comes trained him once a week, um, just to work on his fundamental is a little bit. And um, the guy that does it, he does like

the top top ten. I think they have like an episode every year for the top ten quarterbacks and he going, he does training for all the quarterback and he goes around to a couple of colleges and work out with some of the kids. But he's actually training my my son, like once a week. And he said, you know what, he said, you're a son. I only coach two kids that's under eight, your son and another son because he's my close friend. He said, it's hard to coach eight

years because way I coach. After the first day they break down crime and they said they don't want to do it no more. It's too much precious, too much thinking. He said, I was so shocked. He said, I did all I can to break your son to make your son said he's not ready for it, and he didn't. He said, all your son did with pout, but he

never quit. He said, that's that's that's shocking right there, that he really really wants to do it at the early age and you know early too, man, because that because because that you can't teach them that there there's no way for you to make him tough, no made up, but no way to make them want to go out and do that. So if he got if he had that mentality now and when he was you know, eight years old, Yeah yeah, man, Hey, So so what else, man?

What else you got going? You're coaching, you got you know, some business, some businesses going. Uh. Man, I'm really really like you. We both know when you in the game of sports, man, it's really no faminize. So the minute I returned, Man, I said, you know what it's is for me as the fartherest time of me to have makeup. Tip says, I wanna make up time, like I want to really really be able to see my kids go

to school, like when I played ball. I've never seen my kids go to school on the first Dale school. I never seen him get dressed for school, you know what I mean, Only little school classes and little shows that I devil got a chance to attend. It. I say no. For me, it's more makeup time. And I just had another one. He's three now. But I'm at the point right now where I'm just it's it's it's all that that. It's all about the kids now, so I'm more relaxed. I got to own a couple of

commercial spots, a couple of running properly home. But other than that, I'm just shipping back. Man, just and join my family. Doe doe, he my dude. Man, appreciate you for coming on. I'm gonna be out there too that when that jackets, so look in the crowd. I'll come find you, okay. Man, appreciate you, guys, have me man my dog man appreciate you. Okay, y'all gotta take it easy. Thanks guys for listening. Then to another lights out podcast with me Sean Merriman. Uh and that was dope. Man.

You're a couple of things right. So the cool thing about me doing this podcast is you know you you play with a lot of guys. You play against a lot of guys. It's some some guys here and there. You don't get a chance to be around that much because you don't get a chance to talk to him. And you see what they're doing a football field, You see how great they are and what they do in

their craft. But to hear what they got going on and and uh, Devin Heston has a ton of going on, and I'm glad he's getting that chance to spend with his kids. Uh right after they finished going FIRA. I mean he he has some explosive athletic kid. Man. It's all in the gene, so defensive players, ten fifteen years from now, you're gonna be hating another Haster out there in the field. So I appreciate Devin Haster for coming on. Thank you guys for listening. Then to another Lights Out

of podcast, meet Sean Merriman. Uh and keep turning in uh leaving these great reviews subscribing. I get a chance to read them here and there. I try to comment, but most important lead Bell's reviews. Man. It helps out a lot. Thanks for following us. Next week we're back again.