MATT STOVER RETIREMENT PRESS CONFERENCE
Ozzie Newsome opening statement:"Thank you for coming out today to be a part of this occasion. I had the opportunity – it was the year that I retired from football and I started this other journey that I've been on for some 20 years – that there was, as I've talked about in some of the press conferences, we used to have a Plan B free agency, and Bill [Belichick] had been the head coach, and Matt [Stover] had been with the Giants. I didn't know if he was on Injured Reserve or what; he was stashed that year. And Bill knew about it, and we had some kicker issues in Cleveland, and we signed Matt as a Plan B free agent. I've had the opportunity to watch him and be a part of his career. I had a coach tell me very early on that reliability can be just as or more important than athletic ability, and I would have to say Matt has probably been one of the most reliable Baltimore Ravens that we've had in this franchise. Now, being a guy that you always need to be looking over your shoulders, we did bring people in to compete with Matt. I mean, we would complain about the kickoffs, we would complain about the distance on his field goals, and we would bring in some pretty good kickers to compete with him. To let you know the guys that we brought in that he was able to compete with and beat shows you the type of competitor that he was. You talk about Joe Nedney, who I think is now with the 49ers, Robbie Gould, who is a Pro Bowl kicker with the Bears, Ryhs Lloyd, who is a long distance kicker who I think is now with the Carolina Panthers… So, not only was he reliable, he was very competitive. When it came to moving from the old facility to this facility, Kevin [Byrne] came up with a suggestion of 10 players that we wanted to put pictures of up in the building that we thought had contributed the most to the franchise. I think, Kevin can correct me, on every ballot of those 10 was Matt Stover. He was right there with Ray [Lewis], Jonathan [Ogden] and the other people. But, I want to end [with saying] that I was just in a conversation – and Kevin and Bob [Eller] almost stole my thunder – with Bernie Kosar within the last hour, and I told him, 'I'm getting ready to go down to Matt Stover's retirement ceremony.' He started to laugh, and he said, 'A testament to Matt's career is his ability to kick in Cleveland Stadium and to kick in all those windy conditions in other places.' Forty percent of [Matt's] career was kicked in some of the worst conditions that you could play in, and [Bernie] just wanted to say 'congratulations' and he enjoyed you as a teammate."
John Harbaugh opening statement:"Congratulations, Matt. Having come up the ranks as a special teams coach all those years, you have a special respect for the guys that play that position, and especially the kicking position. And Matt Stover's been doing it longer and better than anybody that I know. So, we got to be friends over the years a little bit. You talk before the games and you see each other and you talk shop a little bit, and I always had tremendous respect for him. I admired him and always worried that he was going to make the winning kick against us, obviously. You knew pretty much when he got out there it was going to be over. And then being fortunate enough to have the chance to be with him for a year was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had as a coach. Not so much because of the kicking – that goes without saying – but coming here and meeting Matt and then meeting his beautiful family. [They] are sitting here right here in the front row. The boys are looking very sharp and the girls are looking great. I like the tie – the purple and black, yeah. We got a chance to get to know them as a family. That was over at the pool near where we live, and it was just a really special deal. And it wasn't easy. It's always tough because there's a lot of pressure and a lot of things are at stake. But, we've gotten to be even closer friends, so I cherish that. That's the kind of person he is. As a first-time head coach, first-year, being able to go to Matt, have him come up to the office, grab him on the field, grab him in the locker room or whatever, and ask him what he thought and what he thought we needed to do and what direction we were going – that was invaluable. That's without the kicking part of it. That's the kind of leader he is. [Matt] going back to the other players and explaining where we're coming from and what's important and what we're trying to do [was an asset]. I know he's been that way his whole career, but that year was huge just for me personally, and I thank you for that, Matt. The other thing is all these kicks that got made. You look at this [stat] sheet here, and you guys have all got it… There are hundreds of kicks and hundreds of extra points and very few missed – in Cleveland Stadium and in Baltimore – over the years. It's pretty impressive. You look at the numbers, and it is kind of numbing. So, you think, what does all that mean? Well, to me every one of those kicks is a meaningful kick. If you go back to the Tennessee game, the playoff game in 2008, and we are in a battle, and we've got a couple of turnovers, and we're fighting to hang on, and we find a way to get the ball down in field goal range, not in great field goal range… Now, that was a great kick. And it was a bad field and tough conditions under huge pressure, and Matt Stover goes out there and takes his patented Matt Stover stance, and I think we all knew that kick was going through the uprights, and it did. Every one of those numbers there, whether it's 443 or 471, those are huge numbers. Every one of those is that kind of a kick. It's a huge kick. It's not just the game-winning kicks, but the one you kick in the middle of the second quarter, that makes the difference and the win. And that's how valuable and important the kicker is. And to do it for all those years is just a great testament to not just the type of athlete you are, but coming through in clutch situations like that. That's very special. So, thank you and congratulations, Matt."
Steve Bisciotti opening statement:"My wife has owned one Baltimore Ravens jersey in the last 11 years, and it's Matt Stover's. She's still got it. I told her she couldn't wear it a couple of years ago; it might bring us back luck. But, she has one and that's it. [Matt] is a special guy. I came to this party late. You've been playing since I was in college, I think. (laughter) So, [I came to the franchise] very late. I got in in 2000, and to start your football career with a Super Bowl win and have that monkey off your back – not to say the rest are gravy because I want one desperately again – but we don't win that Super Bowl, we don't win that Super Bowl that year, without Matt. It's funny, in these last couple of years when we hear fans that are critical of what we can't do to win a Super Bowl, when you can't score a touchdown in October, is quite a remarkable feat. I'll never forget the 15-10 [victory] in Jacksonville. To me, that was on the road, to win a game 15-10 [and] to win two of four games where you don't score a touchdown, is something that I don't think will ever be repeated in the NFL. Also, we're allowed a little hero worship around here in Baltimore with our kicker, because it's tangible. And I can go back to that and say that Baltimore might be still searching for the first their Super Bowl if it wasn't for you and what you accomplished at that time when our offense was struggling. Art Modell, [is] not here. Pat [Modell] is under the weather. I want to give my best to both of them. Matt was part of this team that Art put together when I came in, and I get to sit here and tell you all that he's going up on our Ring of Honor this year – November 20 against the Bengals. You have your highest career [points] total (284) against the Cincinnati Bengals, is that correct? A lot of field goals. So, get your tickets, be there, it's going to be great. And we're really proud to have our kicker in our Ring of Honor, in our Ravens Hall of Fame. You deserve everything, and I'm proud to be associated with you – in the past and forever."
Matt Stover opening statement:"I appreciate that. I appreciate you, I really do. Well, Steve, Ozzie and John, thank you. Playing for the Baltimore Ravens, I've always said, is a privilege. Being in the League has been a privilege, more than anything you can imagine. To be able to walk away from the game – it took me a year to do that. I stayed away from the League, as you noticed, I disappeared. People were asking, 'Where's Stover going to be?' But most, and more than anything, Steve, when I look back, once you entered... I can say this much: Without your involvement with this organization, we wouldn't have been able to retain the players that we had. If you remember, Ozzie, we were in meltdown mode with cash flow, right? And we had to get some players, and I was one of them. And they signed me back in 1999. If you remember, that year was a little tough with Brian Billick, but we got through it. And we ended up kicking him into a Super Bowl the following year.
"I want more than anything in my career to be remembered by not only what I've done on the field, but what I've been able to do off the field. To be a part of this community – leaving Cleveland, even though it was hard – Baltimore has been a phenomenal, phenomenal place for me and my family. Ozzie, you can testify to that, being part of that Cleveland community forever. This community is, bar none, awesome. The fans here are phenomenal. I remember going into the Memorial Stadium in 1996 – packed every single game. Moving into, at that time what was it, PSI Net Stadium? I can't remember; it's changed a couple of times. Sorry about that. (laughter) But, going into the new stadium in 1998 and just being able to carry on a tradition and to leave it behind, to me, my prayer is that a legacy has been left behind and a standard has been set by not only by what I've done on the field, but what I've done off the field. And I know that these guys here understand what it takes to be a professional, to be a champion. And that's always been my goal: to invest in others and to be a part of the team, greater than just being a kicker. Coach, and I think you spoke to that, and I appreciate you saying that, because that has been my overall goal here.
"To be part of a record book, that to me is just a lot of kicking. It's part of doing your job. I never thought of going out there and not doing my job. During the Super Bowl years, during that season, to have all those field goals just showed me the trust that they had. Cam Cameron, back in 2008, I'll never forget [saying], 'Hey coach, always get me more yards.' Right, coach, did I always say that? 'Always get me more yards!' And the play right before the 43-yard made field goal [in Tennessee in 2008] was an 8-yard gain to the right hash. And it would have been a 51-yard field goal before that, right Coach? And he got me more yards. We were a team out there and we communicated. Coach Harbaugh and I, we've had great conversations about that. And, as you see, the team is in great hands with the kicker that they have now in Billy Cundiff. He's doing a great job, and I'm very happy for the Baltimore Ravens for that.
"Part of the legacy that I always wanted to leave behind also was the tradition of being somebody in the community. I presently have my foundation, The Stover Family Foundation, The Matt Stover Foundation, and I've also created a player philanthropy fund which is a donor-advised fund for charitable giving for professional athletes. We are trying to help athletes be better charitable givers, more responsible charitable givers. That's something that I began. There are a couple of other things that I've started, [and one] is a company helping professional athletes transition out of the NFL, as well as their respective sports, because we all know and have heard of the statistics out there of what has been going on with players. So, that's been a part of it. And also, I mentioned at the other party about a company that I've got a piece of. It's called Evoshield, and that's protective wear for athletes. We are very big in Major League Baseball, but I'm very involved in a company called Evoshield and trying to protect players from injuries. That's been a great, great time. So, is Matt Stover bored at home? No sir, I'm not. In fact, my wife says I'm busier now than when I was playing. I think that's a good thing.
"Ozzie, I can't thank you enough for your investing in me. The fact that in 1991 we started out pretty much together and how you've molded into being a great general manager, having faith in me for all the years that you did... Even though some of the guys had bigger legs than I did, you knew that when it came down to the end of the game, you could trust me. And I think that's what we had together, a trust relationship. Ozzie and I have been through a lot of wars together. Not on the field, but off the field with regard to organizational issues and stuff like that, too. He's always been a great listener. John, I'm sure you can testify to that. Ozzie is just the consummate pro, and I can't thank you enough for that.
"But, really, the organization with Art Modell was wonderful through the 1990s all the way up through 2000 with you, Steve. I can't thank Art and David and Pat enough for what they meant to me in my career. I'm going to even thank Eddie Dopkin and Manny in the cafeteria. All the free meals I've gotten here? Thanks, Steve, by the way, I appreciate that. (laughter) I've had a lot of that. Mark Smith and Bill Tessendorf, the trainers. Ozzie, you can testify about your career to Bill Tessendorf, I'm sure, right? I think everybody who has ever come through this locker room owes their career to that man. He is a tremendous person. Mark Smith has now taken the reins there. Mark has meant so much to me as well. You go through the departments. Kevin Byrne, the reason I have No. 3 is because of Kevin Byrne. And I can't thank him enough and how well he's treated me and so professionally, Kevin. Bob Eller, I look at Bob over there. Bob, if it weren't for you we wouldn't have gotten to any of our games – even though you did leave me one time. Believe this or not, I missed the team plane before. And Bob over there says, 'Where are you? Can you get to us?' I said yes. He said, OK, I'll see you there then. So, it was one of those times. Remember that game? It was the Carolina Panthers. I missed that [trip with the team]. I didn't [miss the game], and I made my four field goals, too, I want you to know. You didn't have to worry about me.
"Another person that I've been heavily involved with right now is Kyle Richardson. During the Super Bowl run, Kyle was the punter, as you all know, who kept pinning the other teams inside the 10- and 5-yard line all season long. He was also the holder that season, and I couldn't have done a thing without Kyle. Kyle served them up every single time for me to be able to put them through. I get the glory, but he gets the credit in my mind. And, I can't thank him enough. Jerry Rosburg, in the short relationship that we had, thanks for the last kick I ever kicked, coach. The 43-yarder [at Tennessee], right, for the Baltimore Ravens? I kicked it and it was a game winner against Tennessee. It was a phenomenal, phenomenal ride. All of you know I ended it down the road on I-70 [in Indianapolis], but that was a God-directed thing. It was strictly God telling me you've got some more work to do, and I'm going to let you in for the last game to ever be played, running out the tunnel at the Super Bowl. If you ask any player, if they have a chance to play in the Super Bowl again, would they come back? And what would every one of them say. Yes, you bet. And I had an opportunity there, and I took it, and it was a really blessed opportunity for me and my family to do that. So, that's enough said for me, enough thank you's, from top to bottom. Everybody, thank you very much for 20 years in the NFL. It's been a ride, and it's been a privilege. Thanks."
Players in other position groups sometimes look down on kickers as not being true football players. You were always self-deprecating about that. Was this attitude, as much as your work ethic, what kept you going all these years?
*(STOVER) *"I'm not a true football player; I'm a kicker. The perception of kickers on a team as not true football players… I'll never forget Mike Flynn looked at me one time and just gave me the hardest time out there on the field: 'You kicker this, and you kicker that.' Then all of sudden, I'm lining up in Cincinnati for a 50-yard game-winning field goal, and I smoked it. And he looked at me like, 'Dude, I will never make fun of you again. I have no idea how you just did that.' Really, the respect comes from performing as a kicker, and after you do that for a while – it took me six years though – and in Cleveland and here, but eventually you get the respect, and that's a lot of fun."
**What is the one moment you remember more than any other in your career?
*(STOVER) *"Other than the 43-yard field goal that we kicked the last kick with the Ravens, it was the 47-yard field goal in the Super Bowl. What was going on in the locker room prior to the game was the defense called out the offense and they said, 'You get us 10 [points], we win. That's 10 points. All we need is 10.' To an offense, that's pretty cool. That's letting the reins out pretty easy – let's just get 10. [Brandon] Stokley scores the first 7, if you recall, I kick the extra point, and we're up by 7. A minute and 58 seconds left [in the half], I'm lining up for a 47-yard field goal. When I'm trotting out onto the field, I hear from Rob Burnett, 'We get 10, we win, Stove.' I said, 'Gee, thanks for the extra pressure, man.' And we hit it. Qadry [Ismail], Brad [Jackson], we were all part of that right? I remember Brad – I'm sure you were one of the guys saying, 'You get 10, we win,' right? Yeah, and we did. We got the 10 points and we were in the locker room at half-time, and they said, 'We got it. It's over.' And it was; it was over. So, that was the most memorable kick that I ever had."
**
In addition to talent and working hard, what was it mentally that allowed you to be a good kicker?
*(STOVER) *"A great wife. You've got to have a good foundation. You've got to have good support behind you. When your life tends to be in order – not that it was perfect – but that it was more in order, it gave you the strength, the security and knowing that I wasn't just kicking to make the field goal. I was kicking for something that was bigger than me, and that really took a lot of the pressure off me. Knowing that it was a privilege to say, 'Hey, coach, give me the ball,' and I'm out there with the ball. That was always my mantra, 'Give me the ball, coach. I just want the ball.' If you don't want it as a kicker in the NFL, you shouldn't be out there."
In 1999, you were firmly entrenched as the kicker, and then Brian Billick came in and changed things. Did you have to re-prove yourself for him?
*(STOVER) *"Well, you really have to re-prove yourself every year. Ozzie will tell you that. As a player, it's not what you've done, it's what you're going to do, because you do need to understand that it's a very competitive environment. I think that John said that. But the competitive nature of me was, 'I'm never going to let a guy beat me.' And I never did let a guy beat me. Performance sometimes on the field can falter. We've all seen me have some bad days. It's what do you do with that and those lessons that you learn from poor performance in order to get better? And, I always let the misses teach me a lot more than the makes. During the course of that season in '99, I missed a couple of long field goals, and a lot of that was just a communication breakdown between Brian and I and our special teams coach. At that time, I had to communicate with Brian. We did, and we got it worked out. I hit 18 straight field goals, and then we signed a new contract and kicked it into the Super Bowl if you remember, right? So it was a good ride there. Those were lessons learned. Brian learned a lot through it, he told me. I learned a lot through it. It made me a better kicker."
When we asked you about misses, you'd talk about them in the same tone of voice as when you made kicks. How were you able to stay so even-keeled?
*(STOVER) *"It's part of the game. When John came onto the team he said, 'Matt, I don't expect you to be perfect.' As you notice, I'm 83.7% [for my career]. There's going to be some misses in there. If you understand that that's part of it, and you do everything you can in preparation to not miss that field goal, so when I go out there and if I miss one, there's no regret. There's regret with respect that I didn't perform well, but there was no regret with the fact that I didn't do everything I could to make it. So from a guilt perspective, it was gone. I looked it square in the eye, didn't want to do it… We all had bad plays. Get it off of you and you move on as quickly as you can, because you know in a game situation, [if] you miss a field goal, you may have a game-winner coming up. So, you've got to let it go quickly."
What was the hardest part of convincing yourself that your career was done?
*(STOVER) *"Being that I played 20 years, it wasn't really a difficult position that I was in. I didn't get beat over the head, I didn't have a bad toe, I didn't have multiple concussions. Really, what it came down to is that I didn't want to look back at my career and say, 'Man, did I hang on? Did I do something…' I ended in the Super Bowl. That, to me, was more gratifying than you can imagine. The last time I ever ran out onto the field was running out of the tunnel and onto the Super Bowl [field]. And to end my career with the Ravens like I did with a game-winning field goal to help us get into the AFC Championship, that was more gratifying to me as well. It was no problem that it was time to move on. My wife and I had discussed it very heavily, too, about the direction of my family and where we were going to end up living. And part of that process was maybe in Texas, and we needed to have a direction in that. So, the decision to make our family the priority at that time, it was time. We decided to stay here in the community because we felt like what was best able to support us was Baltimore and McDonogh [School] where they go to school, and all that was, I think, the right decision to boot. It also allowed me the opportunity to stay in the League for another year if the opportunity showed itself."
Was faith important to your career?
"I think it was a center point. [With] my faith and my football, faith was always first, family, friends and then football in that order. I think that the priority I was able to maintain really helped me be stable out there on the field. There were times I got rocked like everybody, but as we ended up, that to me is the most important thing. And the other thing, I missed a field goal in the last Super Bowl I played in, and I point up, and one of the things that was said, that, 'Matt's out there, he's the guy, the man that points up even after he misses a field goal,' and to me, that was the culmination of a career, even though I missed it. It was, 'Wow.' That's what it was for me, and to me, it was always bigger than me. It wasn't about Matt Stover; it was about the Guy up there. That's what it was about, so thanks for the question."
What does it mean to be included in the Ravens Ring of Honor?
"Well, thanks for bringing that up, because being a part of the Ring of Honor – Ozzie, as you are – you know, and being in the Hall of Fame that he… Wow, I'm sitting next to a Hall of Famer. The thing about being in the Ring of Honor is that I meant so much to my team, to the community. That to me is just an awesome, awesome privilege. I cannot imagine a greater honor that an organization can give to a player, and I appreciate the Ravens for doing that. I did say that earlier, and I'll be proud to do it – to go retire as a Raven and to be up there with some other great players."
What would you say to the fans in Cleveland who don't want to see Art Modell in the Hall of Fame?
"You know, Art is a great man. He's done a lot of great things in the NFL, and I understand some of the animosity they have toward Mr. Modell. But with regards to what they ended up with, it is a very great situation – with a new stadium, a very wealthy owner – a situation that they would not have had if Art would have stayed. So, a three-year hiatus from football, I think was a good thing. And, Art ended up landing well with his team. And as you know this, we got him a Super Bowl. I think both… And Baltimore deserved the team, as you know. It was a drag how it happened, but how it ended up… I think both cities ended up very blessed."
How did you develop your unique kicking stance? Have you always kicked like that?
"No. It was all about survival on bad fields. I took it from some golfers, really. It's stabilizing the head – just keeping the head still. If you move your head around, you're dead. That's all it is, right?"
(HARBAUGH) "If I could get a pen, I'd take a note on this." (laughter)
**
(STOVER) "Yup, it's all about keeping the head still, and if you have a bad field, your head moves. You've got to keep it still, and that's all it was. It was keeping the head and going through the ball."
Did your stance prolong your career?
"Absolutely, but I had to take away my three and four iron out of my golf bag, and I could only go out there with a seven iron with it. I mean, it really took some clubs out of the bag when I did it, but it was all about survival, and 48 yards-and-in was pretty good. After that, I was OK. I mean, I'm out there trying to hit a 190- [yard] shot with a seven iron. That's not always easy to do, right, Oz?" (laughter)
**
(NEWSOME) "No." (laughter)
**
Is the NFL Hall of Fame something you have thought about since very few kickers are inducted?
"Well, there's Jan Stenerud in the Hall of Fame, but [for] pure kickers, it's very difficult, and that's why I brought up to be thought of as that within this team and this community to me is the biggest honor I could receive, and not necessary in any means, but not even looking at it. If I played this game for the honors and for the rewards, I don't think the points and the everything would have come like it did, because that's not why you play. If it ends up being that way, great. That's how I feel about it."
Matt's wife, Debbie Stover, on how she felt watching her husband play:
*(D. STOVER) *"We prayed a lot, because most of those things were out of our control – the weather, the snaps and holds and all of those conditions that go with it. You just kind of have to understand that you can't control all of that and pray for him, and that's all you can do. He was pretty good about coming home. He'd take it pretty hard after a loss, but by Monday, we're back watching films and moving on towards the next game."
(STOVER) *"She was there in Tennessee. She was there watching in the upper deck in the tickets you guys got her." *(laughter)
(D. STOVER) "It definitely got my heart rate up, for sure."
*(STOVER) *"There were some times when my kids say that mom had to lock herself in the bedroom just to watch a kick."
*(D. STOVER) *"There were a lot more makes."
Having been away from the game for a year, what do you miss most about football in general, and this team specifically?
*(STOVER) *"Of course, you always hear camaraderie with the guys. The relationships, the Kyle Richardson's, the Brad Jackson's, the Qadry Ismail's, the guys that mean so much to you and the friendships that you're able to gain. That's awesome. But with regard to the football game, [you miss] Sundays. You miss Sundays. You don't miss everything in between, but you miss running out there in the tunnel. You do. That's fun. [There are] 80,000 screaming fans out there, and they all know your name, and it's a privilege. That's what I miss most. [After] 20 years, I'm good. I'm good. [I have] no regrets, and I gave it all I had, everything I had, and I can look back to that [and know] I tried everything I could to be the best I could be."
How difficult was the decision for you not to re-sign Stover in 2009?
(NEWSOME) *"I guess I have to look at it [in] two ways: I, myself, had to walk away from the game, and sometimes it's a tough thing to do. Sometimes you need someone else to be able to nudge you on the shoulder a little bit for you to make that decision. On the other hand, when that decision was made, we made it not only for 2009, we were hopefully making it for '10, '11, '12 and '13. When you add all of those things into it, it allowed us to make the decision. It was done in a way with Matt, with John right there being a part of it… It was a good separation." *
**
Having been here for three years, how do you think Baltimore treats its professional athletes?
(HARBAUGH) "That's a deep question right there. It's a great town, and they respect these types of guys and the type of men that you mentioned. I put Matt in that category. I think Baltimore understands that. They love football, they love good people, they like people that wear their hearts on their sleeves and pour it all out there, and all the people you mentioned are those kinds of guys. To me, Matt is right there, and he'll be revered in this town for as long as we're playing football in this town. Every time I walk in the stadium, I'll see his name up there in the Ring of Honor, and I'll be hoping our kicker kicks just as well as he always did." (laughter)
When the Hall of Fame considers Stover, do you believe he will set a standard for kickers for future admission?
*(NEWSOME) *"I've always looked at people that deserve the opportunity to go into the Hall of Fame that were players... I've looked at it [as a matter of] four reasons. Did they play with longevity? He's got 20 years. Did he play with a winner? He was in two Super Bowls and he won one. Was he accomplished? He's got a lot of records. And the other thing that you look at – most of the guys, they were very, very involved in their community, and so was Matt. When you look at those four things, those are the criteria that I think most of the guys get in on. Matt measures up to all four of them. When that opportunity comes, hopefully whoever is the lead guy for Baltimore is able to bring those things to the table, and hopefully, he'll get a chance to get acknowledged."
*(HARBAUGH) *"There is no doubt in my mind that kickers, punters and returners should be considered and they should be in the Hall of Fame."
**
(STOVER) *"[This is a] special teams coach here talking." *(laughter)
*(HARBAUGH) *"Maybe I am a little biased, and I'll be accused of that, but I've been saying it for years, and I think Matt will lead the charge. You look at the Sean Landeta's and the Brian Mitchell's… I mean, these are guys that should be in the Hall of Fame. It's part of the game. It wins and loses football games for us. When Matt walks on the field, the game is on the line – you either win or you lose. That's a huge part of the game, and I don't know how that wouldn't be honored and recognized in the Hall of Fame."
Tell us about your first holder…
(STOVER) "[It was] my high school sweetheart, Debbie. It started with my wife in high school. She helped me to hold the football and shag for me, and it paid off, didn't it? We did all right together. We've been a great team.
"Thank you so much for this. It's a great celebration [with] no regret. God bless you all."
