Kregg Lumpkin, former Georgia/NFL RB || Blazing A New Trail

Kregg Lumpkin, a highly sought-after football prospect and five-star recruit from Stephenson High School in DeKalb County, GA, reflects on his life journey in this episode of 'Hey, where’d you go?' As a former running back for the University of Georgia, he shares his childhood experiences, his football career in Athens, spending time bouncing around the NFL, and the challenges he faced while overcoming injuries. Additionally, he talks about his current occupation as a firefighter in his home state and so much more.

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Transcript

Kregg Lumpkin: 0:01

The X L didn't want me, team overseas wanted me. So I'm like, what's the next, next step? Let's keep on moving. Don't stop, don't accolade to, to

Collin Kushner: 0:49

Welcome to another episode of the Hayward You Go podcast. I'm your host Colin Kushner, and we have another fantastic guest. We have former University of Georgia Go Dogs and former N F L running back. Craig Lumpkin, really excited to have you on the podcast, man. Thanks for carving out the time.

Kregg Lumpkin: 1:08

Thank you. Thank you for, uh, you know, inviting me and then wanted to, I guess, speak with me where I've been.

Collin Kushner: 1:15

Absolutely. Craig, to start things off, I always like to start from the very beginning of, of the guests that I have. So, uh, you grew up in Stone Mountain, Georgia, which is a suburb of Atlanta in DeKalb County. What was your childhood like?

Kregg Lumpkin: 1:28

I was born in Albany, Georgia, which is three hours south of, um, Atlanta. And, um, my mom and dad and, uh, brother. And so we, um, we moved to Atlanta when I was around two years old and, uh, lived pretty much stayed in DeKalb County throughout my, my years of growing up. And, um, you know, just having the experience to be with your mom and dad, your brother. And then, um, things, uh, when you get into high school, things change. You go into college, things changed. So, um, it was just, uh, you know, a life lesson learned.

Collin Kushner: 2:03

When did you get introduced to football? How did that happen? Was it your folks? Was it, growing up in Georgia? What was it for you?

Kregg Lumpkin: 2:10

My brother was playing football when, when I was five. Uh, he was, he's four years older than me, so, um, my dad used to always tell me when, uh, whenever, when he was at practice, go out there and just race him, see how fast you are, and that's what I would do. And then, um, that following year he put me in football and, you know, I guess it<laugh> That's what started, started the, the transition.

Collin Kushner: 2:33

Did you feel something, you know, playing football that you didn't feel in other parts of your life, or, or what was it that just, that made you just gravitate, hold onto that and, and, and hone your craft?

Kregg Lumpkin: 2:44

The adrenaline. Um, you get a chance to take away, uh, or, you know, just express some of your frustration that you may have at home, at school. Um, you go out there and meet new people and, um, just learn from each other.

Collin Kushner: 2:59

Coming outta high school. Dude, you were a five star recruit, the nation's number two overall prospect behind Reggie Bush coming outta Stevenson High School in 2003. Uh, how'd you handle the pressures of being such a highly touted recruit? Like what's the mindset that someone at such a young age needs in order to tackle that?

Kregg Lumpkin: 3:19

Honestly, I was thinking more of, you know, just trying to help my high school reach the, the state championship every year. Um, yes, I have fun, you know, running up and down the field. Um, but the ultimate goal for each high school athlete, each high school team is to get to the state championship so you can rack up the amount of, uh, rings, the amount of, uh, acknowledgements and, um, you know, just put your school and your, your head coach on the map and, and the rest of the coaches for how much, uh, they put in the work and how much you put in the work to get to that ultimate goal.

Collin Kushner: 3:55

Did you enjoy the recruitment process when all the schools were hitting you up being such a highly tatted recruiter? Was it kind of like, Hey, I just wanna focus on what I have right in front of me and, and, and just let, let the chips fall where they may?

Kregg Lumpkin: 4:07

I did. I, I was, um, ecstatic to know that, you know, so many colleges wanted to bring me into their program and, um, you know, use me as either a feature back or a back out, the backfield, special teams, whatever it was. Um, but just knowing that, you know, all the schools in in, in the United States was looking at you to, you know, uplift their program or just bring you in to be a, uh, another piece to the puzzle.

Collin Kushner: 4:38

You make it sound so simple, man, but how, like if we could go back to 17 year old Craig, and we go back in, into the mindset that you had, how challenging is it? Because you look at the recruiting stuff today and everyone gets so hyped up and they're, they're showing off, you know, the offers that they get. How do you keep that mindset focused on exactly what's in front of you in the present moment and not get carried away with all the other recruiting stuff? And especially when you're such a highly touted prospect, like that's the part that, that I'm fascinated by.

Kregg Lumpkin: 5:10

Just gotta stay humble. Um, just like in high school, uh, an injury can pretty much ruin the rest of your, you know, high school career, college career to where you're battling to get back to a, uh, position to where you once was. So, um, just, just staying humble. Um, things can humble you real quick.

Collin Kushner: 5:34

And did your folks, like, were they a pretty big help during that time too? Because it's always nice to have if you, if you got good family and friends around you as well.

Kregg Lumpkin: 5:42

Yes. My, uh, my mom, my dad, and, you know, all of my family was a big help. Uh, my coaches made sure I stayed humble. Um, you know, without them, you know, a lot of people, number two in the nation, oh, you, this, that, and the other, and the third, and you get all special kind of treatment, you know, you grow, you get, you can get a big head real quick, real fast. And then, like I just said before, um, one injury can, you know, ruin that or one mistake or off, off the field can ruin that. Uh, not making the grades to get to, you know, graduation or anything like that can ruin that, that opportunity for you to continue your career.

Collin Kushner: 6:21

Yeah, there's so many pitfalls, man. I mean, you just named off a couple of them. I think we get, so the glitz and glamor is, is what's right in front of you, and I feel like it's easy for that to take over, but there are so many little mishaps that can happen along the way. Cuz let's face it, man, like we, we could choose choices, but not the outcomes necessarily. So you're right, man, it's like there are so many little pitfalls along the way that you have to watch out for and that comes, ultimately comes down to you. And then again, coaching staff, your teammates, your parents, and your friends. So you're in high school, highly tatted, recruit, university of Georgia comes in. What was it about former head coach, mark, Rick, and the Georgia staff that really stuck out to you and sold you on going to Athens,

Kregg Lumpkin: 7:03

You know, visiting the campus? Uh, sitting down there talking with Coach Rick, uh, in my, in in our living room, um, talking to the running back coach and, you know, his expectations of what he's expecting. If, if I went well when I came to the program, uh, what he's looking for me to do, how he's trying to grow me into not only a better athlete, but also a better man.

Collin Kushner: 7:26

How do you weed through that when you're talking to coaches and coaching staffs? How do you weed through, like what's, what's genuine and, and what's not?

Kregg Lumpkin: 7:34

You have a sense of who is, it felt like family and that's what a big thing for me. You know, I love, uh, I'm, I'm big on family, um, and that's what I was looking for. Um, so I, that's what I experienced with Coach Rick and the coaching staff throughout my years in the, at Georgia.

Collin Kushner: 7:54

During your time at Georgia, Craig, you got on campus, you were injured a lot. How did you push through a lot of those injuries? Like, like what was it internally that got you to continue pushing through, uh, to play four years of college football?

Kregg Lumpkin: 8:10

It was more of, again, trying to prove people wrong. Um, that was one of my biggest things of motivation. Um, people say you're injury prone and oh, you never get back to where you used to be, or, um, you just can't do it anymore. So again, my biggest motivation was trying to prove people wrong. Um, and, and you know, just uplifting myself, motivate myself to know that I can't be something great.

Collin Kushner: 8:41

And I'm sure too, like you, you kind of get the opportunity to channel all the hype going into college, then you get the injuries and then again, people start saying you're injury a prone. Did that kind of, did, kind of going back in time to the player that you want, that you were before, did that also kind of help channeling, you know, the Craig before the injury stuff happened?

Kregg Lumpkin: 9:04

Of course. And then, uh, just having a, a running back room, who loves to compete? You know, uh, being with, uh, Tony Milton, Michael Cooper, Tyson Brownie, Ronnie La Ronnie Powell, um, Chrisette, Albert Hollis, uh, Danny Thomas Brown, Nosha Moreno. I mean, you gotta, it was a stable of running backs to try to compete with, to get on the field to again prove yourself and, and all the, the people who said you were just, uh, you are hype, you, you're all hype and, and no, uh, results. So just motivation.

Collin Kushner: 9:39

How important do you think it is for athletes to be resilient?

Kregg Lumpkin: 9:44

Very, um, you gonna go through trials and tribulations, ups and downs, goods and bads and, um, just, just staying humble and, um, motivating yourself and having a good support staff who's gonna motivate you as well to keep pushing you through and, um, and tell you when you're wrong, you're wrong, and, uh, steer you from doing the wrong things continuously.

Collin Kushner: 10:06

You talked about a lot of the great running backs at once played at the University of Georgia. You had to compete with guys like Michael Cooper, Danny Ware, Thomas Brown, no, Sean Moreno. What did you learn from that experience? Competing with all those guys?

Kregg Lumpkin: 10:21

Just, uh, just watching them, how they practice, how they play. Um, and then, uh, just again, compete with them. Trying to make sure that, um, I get my opportunity to get on the field, give some, get some catch, not on offense, on special teams. Uh, any way you can help contribute, uh, to make the team successful. And that was one of the, the motto that we had at Georgia, big team little me. So, you know, sacrifice yourself for, uh, individual statistics to help the team out.

Collin Kushner: 10:55

It's a really great lesson to learn, cuz it's easy to get immersed in that into the individuality of the position that you play. But over, I think that was the one thing I noticed from doing a little bit of my own background before I sat down with you today, was that you did, you did everything that you had to do to benefit the team. I didn't really see anything that was just Mimi, me or I I i, it was all about bettering the team

Kregg Lumpkin: 11:19

Once I got there, you know, it was all hype and then you get injured. What's, what's your motivation then? Is it, uh, or I'm just gonna give up and quit, or I'm gonna keep fighting to get back to, or get some opportunities to just assist and, uh, help the team out as best as I can.

Collin Kushner: 11:36

When we're channeling that resilient part of ourselves, we, we all have the ability. It's whether or not we tap into it. At least that's, that's kind of what I believe. When you're tapping into that, how do you get through the, the, the dark moment in time, you get injured and you kind of, there's kind of always a low period before you build yourself back, build yourself back up to the high. What would you tell, uh, a younger version of yourself or, or a young athlete now that was going through that to help'em, to help them, to help them push through those barriers and walls that we sometimes put up, uh, in front of, uh, in front of ourselves,

Kregg Lumpkin: 12:09

I would say, uh, first have a, um, have a good support group and also, uh, dig into that word, dig into, uh, let God move you. Let God walk through you, um, motivate you, uh, bring the light back into you. And, uh, and then with that support staff, you know, again, having people that's going push you to get back to where you once, not only on the field, off the field, um, um, once you get, once you fight through injuries, you can go to a dark place. Um, but again, just um, just motivate yourself. You gotta, again, like you said, have it inside of you as well as have those external factors to push you through.

Collin Kushner: 12:51

When you got yourself back to that level, Craig, you get back on the field at Georgia, you score a touchdown in front of 90 plus thousand fans in Athens. What was that feeling like?

Kregg Lumpkin: 13:04

Indescribable. I can say that, um, just, uh, in the moment are you hear the silence, but then once you cross that threshold of the goal line, you hear screams and uproars and, and, and just the, the, the rush of adrenaline that pumps through your body knowing that you have, uh, you overcome a lot of obstacles, you've overcome, um, boundaries, and you're back on the field playing and you are in the end zone<laugh>, everybody wants to score a touchdown, get a ball in their hand, make something happen. So, I mean, it's, it's, it's indescribable,

Collin Kushner: 13:42

You know, I love asking that question because I, uh, I used to cover LSU when I lived out in Louisiana and we'd have to film the game. And obviously you're right on the field for that. And that was the first time, the first time I went into Death Valley and I was on the field in front of the a hundred thousand fans, even though I'm not playing, you're right next to the action. It just, it was, it was a surreal moment that I couldn't, I couldn't even explain for a while, just as a camera guy on the field. It was. And that's why I love hearing what it's like to actually be one of the players involved in, in a big play. During your time at Georgia, I know you had mentioned academics were always really important to you and your family. Uh, you ended up double majoring in consumer economics and housing. Why is it important for current male and female scholarship athletes to take advantage of the opportunity to have school paid for?

Kregg Lumpkin: 14:32

First of all, it's, uh, it's not putting a burden on your family. Um, just paying for books, uh, room and tuition, meals and then, uh, transportation. That's all that is involved in and it's very expensive, especially now has how, um, prices have increased, increased, um, to go to college now. So, I mean, why not take advantage of the opportunity if you get a free scholarship? Make the best of, make the best of both opportunities, you getting a free scholarship, and again, the icing on the cake is you playing that, that sport that you love to do, that you excel at in high school or in literal, literally to high school. And I do the same thing on, on and off the field.

Collin Kushner: 15:14

While you're at Georgia, did you have your eyes sit on the N F L? You know, you're, you're obviously getting that the education part, you're excelling on the football, football field as well, you know, pushing through numerous injuries was what was next for you in your mind?

Kregg Lumpkin: 15:27

Just everybody's little league goal to make it to the league. And, um, of course, uh, when I got injured of those dark days came into set in my head, oh, well maybe how if I don't return from this, uh, injury, then, you know, what's the next phase of my life? And, and that's why, um, I would, I'm always pushing for education. Um, and then your sports and academic and in your football or whatever sport you're playing is you're icing on the cake. Um, cause again, any injury can put you out of commission for the rest of your career. So then what are you gonna fall back on?

Collin Kushner: 16:05

You ended up making that dream come true in terms of the NFL you signed with the green, with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2008, were you bummed out that you didn't get drafted? Did that not happening, have any effect or were you just stoked just to hop on with, with a team that believed in, in you and your abilities?

Kregg Lumpkin: 16:26

So I kinda knew, um, during that draft, um, my agent was saying that, you know, from what he's heard from the 32 teams that, you know, just having so many injuries, again, having that injury prone, uh, the bug of injuries that, you know, team kinda, uh, skeptical of even trying to draft me. Um, even on draft night, I got a couple calls that, uh, mentioned, couple calls mentioned that I probably get, uh, drafted late, late, late. Um, but that didn't happen. So my mindset again was to prove people wrong that, you know, I could still play, um, I can be an effective, uh, running back and blocking, catching, um, and, and, and catch or running and blocking, catching and running out the back field. So, um, that was my goal to prove again, people wrong that I am still valuable.

Collin Kushner: 17:16

How difficult is it to navigate public perception? Um, when you're a big time athlete,

Kregg Lumpkin: 17:23

Again, you can go through those roller coasters, ups and downs, ups and downs, on and off the field, um, family issues, uh, um, football issues. So you just gotta, again, have that, that, that support system that's gonna motivate you and push you through to make sure that you are humble, levelheaded and, uh, staying on track.

Collin Kushner: 17:45

The humbleness aspect, I think on, on previous episodes of the podcast, you know, I've, I've chatted with, with numerous athletes where they, they do talk about the, the being humbled piece at some point and how that changed the trajectory of their career and, and, and ultimately their life and, and in, in a, in a positive way.

Kregg Lumpkin: 18:02

Even in the N F L when I was undrafted. I mean, every Tuesday, every Tuesday you'll see people coming in doing workouts and tryouts and you like, oh man, are they coming from opposition? Are they, am I gonna get cut so they can replace somebody? So again, it's always make the best of your opportunity when you get a chance to.

Collin Kushner: 18:24

Craig, you spent four years in the N F L with Green Bay, Tampa Bay, Seattle, and the New York Giants. What's the biggest lesson that you learned from your time in the National Football League?

Kregg Lumpkin: 18:34

Stay humble, work hard, um, fight through any adversity and just, uh, again, take advantage. Take advantage of our opportunities. Um, not, not everybody gets the opportunity to play in the nfl. Not every opportunity that you get once you get in the NFL will stay. So, uh, I mean, you gotta fight through adversity, fight through injuries, and, uh, make sure you stay, uh, active. Uh, just keep on pushing.

Collin Kushner: 19:06

Why'd you walk away from football?

Kregg Lumpkin: 19:08

<laugh>? I didn't walk away. Um, 2013 after our, uh, my season with the Giants, um, nobody called my agent said that they wanted to either bring me in for a workout or, uh, a tryout or anything. So life goes on, right? Can, um, continue to just sit here and continue to work out, workout, workout, spend money to travel to work out and not get any cause of any teams, uh, wanting to, uh, bring you in for a workout or a tryout or a look. So, um, life goes on. So then I used my two degrees to, uh, start my career o out outside of football.

Collin Kushner: 19:48

Was there like a dark period of time, Craig, when you weren't getting those opportunities, you know, knowing that how you've pers how you have persevered through the injuries and through the other moments throughout your career, was it, was there a dark period before you transitioned out completely?

Kregg Lumpkin: 20:06

Yes. Um, it was always, always the question in my head of, um, what could I have done better? Or what am I not doing? Or, you know, why, why am I not getting any more looks? Um, when I felt like I was doing a good job at, you know, special teams start down, back blocking, catching out the back field. So, um, you know, just the opportunity. I didn't present itself anymore and then I had to move on.

Collin Kushner: 20:38

Was there anybody or, or anything internally that popped up to, to help you move through that,

Kregg Lumpkin: 20:43

That support system? I'm, uh, can we keep talking about it and, uh, that support system? Um, once you talk to your support system, then you talk to your agent and nobody's saying that they even want, uh, bring you in for a tryout workout. The didn't warn me, uh, no, no team. So I'm like, ok, what's the next phase, next step? Um, let's go. Keep on moving time, don't stop time. Don't, don't stop for anybody.

Collin Kushner: 21:15

Some of us, I feel like it's easier if you grow up and, and you have present parents in your life, present family and and close friends. I think it, it's easier to find that support system. But what, for those that, that don't have that, like how, how do you kind of vet out the people that you know you could count on just, just from your own experiences?

Kregg Lumpkin: 21:37

I respect to a lot of teammates that I've, uh, encountered throughout my years in, in college and in high school, college and N F L. Um, even some of the coaches that I've been encountered with, I still keep in contact with now. Um, just, you know, bouncing ideas off of'em and, and talking about how, how they transition and, and what are they doing now to help motivate them, push them through to, to get, to get, get them to where they are now.

Collin Kushner: 22:04

Did anybody talk to you about the piece? Cuz I, I know like you said, the, the first thing you're thinking about during that, that dark period is what, what could I have done better? What can I do better? What can I right it all, like what, what can you do? But did anyone talk to you about that? That had nothing to do with you at all? And it was just, imagine like, you have two different circles, right? This is you and then there's the other circle, but it's all the other circle. Did anyone kind of help kind of that with that mentality?

Kregg Lumpkin: 22:33

My ex exit interview with the Giants, um, he pretty much told me it was a numbers thing. So, um, and you hear that throughout the NFL that, you know, it's a numbers game. Um, so nobody really sat down and said, Hey, you didn't do this right or You wasn't productive in doing this or this, that, and the third. So it was more of, it was a numbers game, you know, you gotta understand that coming into the N F L, it's always gonna be a numbers game, uh, whether you are the, the third, fourth or fifth running back and, uh, quarterback goes down, so of course you, you have enough running backs so they're gonna replace you to bring in somebody else, uh, to fulfill that cornerback or other position. So, I mean, it's a numbers game.

Collin Kushner: 23:23

At what point after your career ended were you able to look at yourself in the mirror and be like, Craig, what an awesome career man. Just like, just like hug it out yourself. At what point were you able to hug it out yourself? I'm like, that was an awesome career, uh, in high school at Georgia in the pros. And just give yourself kudos for everything that you had persevered through and accomplished.

Kregg Lumpkin: 23:44

I would say it took me about a year, uh, after the fact. And again, just talking to your support team, your support system, um, knowing that you have a family. Now I gotta move on. I mean, uh, yeah, I still get out there with my oldest son now and his team and, and run sprints and um, play scout team running back or scout team linebacker just to keep moving cause that's what I got, four boys. So<laugh>, I can't stop<laugh>.

Collin Kushner: 24:16

I just know that transitions in life for an a it doesn't matter if you're an athlete or not. I know those are always challenging and I'm just fascinated by how I think every individual has their own unique experience and that's why I, I I wanted to kind of dive into that with you because we all eventually get to the other side, but for some of us it takes more time for others, maybe they can't let go of a certain thing and it's such an important, uh, lesson in life, even though it does suck going through something like that,

Kregg Lumpkin: 24:44

You get to the top and you set a goal to stay in the, in the, in the league for 10, 15 years. But, uh, again, if it's not injuries, it's a numbers game or, or you know, um, they always looking for somebody bigger, better, faster, stronger.

Collin Kushner: 25:03

Do you still have any like dreams or like any like, floating thoughts about the playing days that pop into your head now?

Kregg Lumpkin: 25:11

Oh yeah. Um, so<laugh> every recruit class that, uh, that I've been a part of, I asked questions, you know, if any calls back right now, let my sons asked me every out in the backyard, throw the ball with'em, catch with'em, uh, run sprints with em. They think they can beat me in sprints and running. So it's just, uh, you always think about it, you know, what could, shoulda woulda, but now it's more of, you know, move on to the next four boys to try to, uh, motivate them in, in, in any sport that they wanna do and, and just tell them the, the truth, the ins and out ups and down the roller coasters and that theyll experience.

Collin Kushner: 26:01

Today you are the chief of training at the Newton County Fire Service and Rescue in Covington, Georgia. You're blazing a trail man. Um, I was super stoked when I was, when I, when I was trying to figure out what happened to Craig Lumpkin cuz I grew up watching you and I found out that, that you were a firefighter. That just blew my mind, man. How did that, how did that all come to be? So the N f L ends, you're trying to figure out what you want to do. Did you always want to be a firefighter? Did someone inspire you to do that? Like how did this all come to fruition here?

Kregg Lumpkin: 26:31

Once I left the league, um, again, like I said, I, I used my two degrees to go into, uh, real estate. I did real estate for with my cousin for a couple months, and then I went to a leasing consultant, uh, for an apartment complex for a couple years. Um, I even tried to go into the school system and be a, a, a parapro or, and assist the teachers. Um, but then 2016 is when, um, Michael Cooper, who worked for Clayton County Fire, uh, emergency Services, um, I reached out to him and he just talked, told me about how he loved it and liked it and, and enjoyed it. So, um, I went and, uh, applied for Clayton County and to me it is so much similar to playing sports or football. Uh, you practice, you train, you play, and then you, when you get that call in a fire service, that is your, your game, um, just, uh, in real, in in the fire service. It's a real life situation to where, uh, somebody just is depending on your skills and your knowledge to assist them and save them. Um, and the nfl, um, you're protecting your life, uh, from any risk or hazards, um, but it's more of an entertainment than, than a real life scenario to where somebody's life is in your hands, clearly.

Collin Kushner: 27:55

And we're talking Michael Cooper, your former teammate, you at University of Georgia?

Kregg Lumpkin: 27:58

That is correct. Wow.

Collin Kushner: 28:00

<laugh>. Oh man. The running, the running back room at Georgia runs deep, man. I love that. So he's the one, he's the one that connected you and, and did he talk about the synchronicities between the two or did you figure that out once you started getting into the training?

Kregg Lumpkin: 28:15

I figured that out in, uh, in my train, my training. Um, just, you know, you have a helmet, you have a fire helmet, football helmet, fire helmet, you wear, uh, fire gear and you have shoulder padss, knee pads for protection. Um, again, um, to me it's similar. You train, you practice, you play, and then when, when the lights come on or when that call hits, it's your time to perform.

Collin Kushner: 28:42

What does it mean to you, Craig, today to be able to, to help people and, and to be, to be a public servant and to, and to save people from dangerous situations?

Kregg Lumpkin: 28:52

Uh, it means a lot. Uh, you just think about how many times your family has been in a situation to where you wanted to know the information of how could I help, um, how could I assist, how can I get this person, um, to the, the correct medical, um, attention that they're needing at that time. And, and once you get into it and just learn the ins and outs of, uh, being a mtt, advanced mt starting IVs, um, working on the fire trucks and, and knowing how to re re read the building. Just, you know, just all the intricates uh, being, firing the ems, um, emergency technician, um, helping somebody understand, uh, what uh, what to do in a certain situation, um, is again, indescribable cause that your, your knowledge, your information could help that person. Um, it could help save their life pretty much.

Collin Kushner: 29:54

How long does it take to build up that confidence? You know, in, in that type of an arena,

Kregg Lumpkin: 30:00

Just like anything you do in life practice training, um, there's, there's no amount of hours that you can, I I would say practice or train on any situation. Cause every situation is different. Um, you can, you can go to the training facility and, and run in and out at burn building, but going to an actual live fire is completely different. Cause there's a different layout, a different, uh, setup of somebody home. Um, running an e EMS call is completely different cause they might present different signs and symptoms. So you just gotta continue to, to practice, train, and learn from every opportunity.

Collin Kushner: 30:44

How do you calm down those nerves in, in that situation going from, again, you're going from practice, but like you just said, then you get into a real situation, it's completely different. How do you calm those nerves down in, in those types of situations?

Kregg Lumpkin: 30:58

Just being confident in your skills. Um, you just being confident in, in your crew members that you, that you work with and you know that, um, if if you got their back, they have your back and if, um, if you need some assistance, just ask. Um, it's always, it's never, uh, too prideful to ask for assistance or help.

Collin Kushner: 31:20

I read something online and, and this was in an, in an article and, uh, you said, I had people ask me why was I there in the first place instead of trying to play football when they said why I was there in the first place. You being a, a, a firefighter, how, thinking about that now, like what comes up and, and how do you respond to that?

Kregg Lumpkin: 31:41

Just having the, the the servant mentality. Servant, um, ability to, to give back. Um, again, I can take all my accolades from high school to college to the nfl, um, but if I don't, if I'm not giving back, then I'm being selfish. It's not, um, it's only been internal rather than like with my boys, I can give them all the knowledge and and understanding of the game as they play football, um, to help them out and ex and of course they're not gonna go through the same experience that I did, but they could. And then in those experiences, then they can fall back on that basic foundation of, well my dad told me this, or, um, if I'm giving a, a class or information, this is the basic foundation of what you could fall back on and you always fall back on the basics.

Collin Kushner: 32:34

When you were a little kid. Craig, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Kregg Lumpkin: 32:38

Uh, won an N F L player. And then, um, I want to be a, a doctor<laugh>, a firefighter, a cowboy,<laugh>. There's so many things that, uh, that I want to be, but you know, just, uh, once you start growing up and you start getting into, um, just finding out who you are, who you wanna be, uh, you're starting to fit, find that mode that you wanna get into,

Collin Kushner: 33:04

How cool is that man that you were able to accomplish? Again, I know as a kid there, there's always a, a myriad of things we want to be, but how awesome is that, that you were able to accomplish too? One of which very few people do, which is playing the N F L and then secondary to that public service man, public servant. As a firefighter that is brick and awesome.

Kregg Lumpkin: 33:23

It's, and, and I'm excited to still be in it and, uh, enjoying what I do. I'm just trying to make sure that, um, everybody gets the training that they need from, uh, the training division, understanding the, that everything is not gonna be the same. Things change on a daily basis. And, um, the one thing in the fire service that, that firefighters don't like is, uh, change. And it's always gonna change every year. Um, like with Covid, uh, how the houses are built now from, from back then, you know, uh, things are going up a lot quicker and lot hotter. So

Collin Kushner: 34:02

You mentioned change earlier in the conversation and then you said your motto at Georgia and you could tell me if I have this correct big team little me, right?

Kregg Lumpkin: 34:09

Yes, sir.

Collin Kushner: 34:11

Do you use that big team little me strategy now? Uh, as chief chief of training,

Kregg Lumpkin: 34:17

I try to do that more of with my division. Um, try to make sure that they are, they have everything they need to make them successful in, uh, instructing our recruits as well as our online personnel. Um, making sure that every year that our online personnel have, um, all the, uh, hours that they need to, uh, re-certify for their state EMS licenses as well as their state fire certification. So, uh, um, I, I changed, I put the, the, the team first before me.

Collin Kushner: 34:50

If you could go back in time to a younger version of yourself with all the knowledge that you've gathered over the years, what would you tell'em?

Kregg Lumpkin: 34:57

Save you the money. Um, stay humble and, uh, continue to work hard at everything you do.

Collin Kushner: 35:06

I love that man. You really hit on some really fantastic points. Change occurring in life. Change is inevitable. It's the only constant being humble. You really touched on some fantastic points, Craig. Really appreciate it, man.

Kregg Lumpkin: 35:21

Yes sir. I appreciate you.