Join Nate Costa, the ex-University of Oregon quarterback, on a journey exploring his origins in Hilmar, CA, discovering a profound connection with Eugene, Oregon, gaining insights from his knee injuries, recognizing the value of a strong support network, and navigating the challenges of transitioning beyond football. Today, Nate serves as the Director of Business Development at Launch Oregon.
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Join Nate Costa, the ex-University of Oregon quarterback, on a journey exploring his origins in Hilmar, CA, discovering a profound connection with Eugene, Oregon, gaining insights from his knee injuries, recognizing the value of a strong support network, and navigating the challenges of transitioning beyond football. Today, Nate serves as the Director of Business Development at Launch Oregon.
Want to hear more? Check out previous episodes, subscribe & leave a review.
APPLE PODCASTS: https://apple.co/32M5E2T
SPOTIFY: https://spoti.fi/32AyXFq
Connect with Collin:
TWITTER: / collinkushner
INSTAGRAM: / collinkushner
FACEBOOK: / collnkushner
LINKEDIN: / collin-ku. .
PERSONAL WEBSITE: https://linktr.ee/collinkushner
EMAIL: ckushner1@gmail.com
I'm not who I am because I was born this way. I'm just a product of my environment. And I was very fortunate and privileged to grow up in the environment that I did around the people that I did with the support network that I did. And that's why I'm back in Eugene, right ? 'cause that support network here is just nothing I've never experienced anywhere else on this planet planning .
Speaker 2:Welcome back everybody to another epic episode of the Heyward You Go podcast. I'm your host Colin Kushner, and we have former University of Oregon quarterback Nate Costa, California dude as well. I always like to start from the very beginning because his children were super impressionable and that usually is kind of the foundation that sets us up, you know, for, for our, our lives and how we kind of move through things. You grew up in Hill Mar , California, which is near Modesto. What was your childhood like and what were you like as a kid growing up?
Speaker 1:Hill Mar is a very unique small town. Um, it's about 5,000 people population wise and has been that size for, you know, 20, 25 years or so. It's not a place that grows , um, but it's a great place to grow up. I think that the life that I lived as a child , um, was unique. Um, it was one where I was heavily supported by not only my, my parents, my family , um, but also the community. Uh , it's a very strong community, like I said, tight-knit, small town type of deal, agricultural based . So , um, blue collar work ethic is definitely ingrained into everyday life over there. Um, and the schools that I attended, you know, it's , it's definitely a one elementary school, one middle school, one high school town. Uh , when I was growing up, I think they had a grand total of three stoplights. I think they have four or five now. Um, so moving up on the world on that scale. But the schools were always excellent. I think that once again, they had a lot of consistency. You had teachers that had been there for, you know, 10, 15, 20 years in some case. Um, and that really helped 'cause they're kind of ingrained in the culture of what the town of Hilmar is and was and continues to be to this day. So very fortunate to be from that community, be I am, I am who I am today because of the way my parents raised me and also because of where I was fortunate enough to grow up as a child.
Speaker 2:I kind of wanna talk about your folks a little bit. Um, I know your dad came to the states from, from Portugal. Like, can you kind of describe like your mom and dad and you know, what they were like kind of growing up in that environment in Hilmar ?
Speaker 1:Yeah, excellent parents. Um, to this day still very involved in my life and, and the lives of my children. Um, they're just, I don't know, the kind of parents that want to see you succeed and wanna do a lot of things for you to help you succeed without stepping over the boundaries. Um, you know, and from a financial standpoint, you know, we weren't the most well off financially, but we always had the necessities that we needed for life. And we also had love and support, which is probably the most important things that they could give to me. Like you said, my dad , um, is an immigrant , um, from the country of Portugal specifically. Uh, the islands of the Azores Islands, which are kind of a , a set of islands that are off the coast of Portugal. And he came to the States when he was about 14 years old, I wanna say. Um, so obviously came here with minimal education , um, but worked his tail off and everything that he did , um, and put himself and, and eventually our family into a great position in life because of just his strong work ethic. He was the kind of guy and is the kind of guy , uh, before he retired, he just never missed a day at work. You know, he would, he retired, he had like, you know, an ungodly amount of, of sick days off that he never even used and, and a number of vacation days that he never even used. So he is one of those guys just committed to his costs , you know, and , um, I , I think a lot of the work ethic that I had , um, and still hopefully have to this day comes from him. Um, and then my mom , um, she's born and raised in California. She , uh, is an educator, so I get that kind of education coaching side of myself from her, I think. Um, and once again, very, very involved in my life. She's kind of nearing the end of her, her career as well. Um, as far as being an educator, she's nearing retirement, so she's looking forward to that. But she's had a an amazing impact, not just on myself, but, but many youth , um, in the Central Valley area, whether that be in Hill Mar or some of the neighboring communities like Merced and Sir . Um, she's had a , an impact on youth , um, year after year. And I would appreciate the perspective that she gives for me on life. Um, she's definitely the type of person who's not afraid to speak up and say things once , when things are outta place. And that could be things in my life, you know, if I'm doing something that she doesn't necessarily agree with you don't let me know. Um, and she's always been that way with me and, and always been not afraid to coach me up. Um, and for the most part, I do take the direction <laugh>,
Speaker 2:It's tough when it <laugh> when it comes to her mom, especially. I feel like we always like tend to fall in line. I remember my mom told me to go do something in my mind. I'm like, I don't want to do it. And then two seconds later I'm, I'm doing it maybe 'cause I was a little bit fearful <laugh> about the, about the repercussions, man. But that's, that's so cool how influential your parents are or still are today in your life. And, and , and I'm really looking forward to kind of diving in, you know, on , on how they guided you through your, your football career. Was there somebody who got you started in football or like what, what made you gravitate towards the game of football, I guess is probably a better way of asking it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, my dad being, you know, Portuguese immigrant, he wasn't necessarily , um, an American football fan. He was more of a football or soccer fan as we call it in the States. So he's athletically inclined. My mom is athletically inclined as well. She was more of a thrower in track when she was coming up through the ranks. Um, my direct involvement with football is more related to my cousins. So my cousins who , you know, probably have 10 or 15 years on me , um, on average , uh, most of them played football and they played football Pop Warner level and they played football for Hilmar High School , uh, for the green and gold of the yellow jackets. So there's definitely some strong family pride tied in with playing football, specifically in Hilmar . And then two of my cousins did play quarterback. Um , and the reason why I wear or wore the number seven of the player is because of them. So there's definitely the ties to them and that's kind of the what I followed. You know, when it came time to learn how to throw a football, my dad wasn't necessarily gonna be able to teach me how to throw a football. 'cause obviously he was more of a soccer player , um, which is great. But I had cousins that were very influential and around and they were able to show me, you know, the firing points of playing quarterback. And that's really what got me hooked on the game and playing the position is the involvement of my cousins. Um, and to this day, there , there's still people that are, for the most part, pretty diehard 49 er fans growing up in the valley. You're usually a Niner fan, possibly a Raider fan. Um , but my family was more tied to the Niners and to this day I still have conversations with all those cousins, you know, about the niner season, how Brock Purdy's doing and , and things like that. So they're really the ones that got me directly involved , um, from a family standpoint. And then obviously , um, the coaches that I got to interact with in Hilmar, pop Warner wise , high school level wise , and I'm sure we'll dig into that a little bit later, but they just kind of continued that evolution for me.
Speaker 2:Do you remember being with your cousins, you're learning the finer points of football, how to throw a football, the kind of nuances of , of the game. Do you remember thinking to yourself internally like, Hey, like I can do something with this, or I would like to, to do something with this. Like what was that internal dialogue, you know, as you're kind of learning the sport and realizing that you really enjoy it?
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was just more of a goal setting thing for me. I knew that I really enjoyed playing football. I really know that I enjoyed playing the position of quarterback. Um, and I started to learn at a young age that, hey, you can do things with this game. Uh , and this game can take you places as long as you respect it , uh, and you work hard and you have a little bit of ability , um, you can do some things with it. So I set those goals early on in life and for me that was always just to play college football, get my education paid for. Um , you know, back then that was the years when USC was kind of on the rise. Um, and I remember even before that, Steve Spurrier was just lightening it up at Florida with like guy named Rex Grossman, who many people don't remember. But , um, and even Jesse Palmer was involved with that, which is funny to say now. But those were kind of the guys that I looked up to, you know, Saturday mornings watching football , um, watching 'em , throwing the ball around the yard, throw for thousands of yards. And then obviously that have evolved into USC and what they were doing , um, with Pete Carroll and all those, those great teams that they had going on. So that was really a glimpse of what it possibly could be. You know, not saying that I wanted to be a Florida Gator or that I wanted to be a USC Trojan, that's just a , a wild thought to have nowadays. Um, but I did know at that point that, hey, I wanna play college football. I wanna play the big time level division one , and , and that's a goal that I have. And at that point, it's way out in front of you. You have no idea how to even get a sniff of that. Um, but I was fortunate to interact with a number of people , um, stay committed to that goal and follow a path. And it got me where I wanted to go.
Speaker 2:What made you fall in love with Eugene, Oregon and you're like, that's the place I want to go. And that's where I know, you know, I can grow as a person and as a football player,
Speaker 1:I took an unofficial visit to Oregon, Utah, Boise State, Iowa, Northwestern, all over the place. So a lot of these schools that had offered me or had strong interest in me, I went unofficially there. Um, and Oregon was one place where I went unofficially and I went here in the summertime. Um, and if you've ever been to Eugene in the summertime, it's hard to beat. It doesn't get too hot, it's beautiful. Um, sun is shining, you know, it's not always this way. Um, 365 days of the year, but during the summer it's great. Um, and then most importantly, the people I've met a quarterback named Kellen Clemons , who's actually I think has been on your show before. Um, and at that point he was a rising senior. He was entering his senior year, had a new offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach Gary Croton , who was recruiting me to Oregon. Um, and I felt like Kellen and I were kindred spirits. Um , we are from a similar background from small farming community. Hi , his , uh, family's from uh , eastern Oregon. Um, so we had a lot of strong ties there as far as just the blue collar work ethic, passion for playing quarterback, passion for the game. Um, and I could just tell how he really loved representing the University of Oregon. Uh, for , for him I think it was special just 'cause he's from the state. Um , obviously I'm not from Oregon, I'm from California, but I'm an adopted resident now. And I felt the same way. You know, I felt that I want to be in a position like Kellen is or was in , um, to represent something that I truly believe in strongly. And I just, I don't know, I only got 30 minutes to an hour with Kellen, but I just felt like I could be like him, you know , I can accomplish some of the same things that he had accomplished and I can do it in a similar way where he was very well liked . He was a leader not only on the team, but like in the community and statewide. So I've told him this before, but he's probably the main reason why I became a duck.
Speaker 2:Once you made it official, Nate, and, and you get on campus, like what were your, what were your goals? Like, what was your mentality going into that as a true freshman?
Speaker 1:I had realistic goals is what I would say. I know as a true freshman that I was not likely to , to be the starting quarterback. You know, I had Dennis Dixon and Brady Le that were two experienced Pac 10 quarterbacks at that time that were in front of me. My goal was to get there and , and make an immediate impact as far as just ingratiating myself into the team culture. Um, getting the coaches to trust me, getting my teammates to trust me. 'cause I knew eventually I wanted to be , uh, one of the preeminent leaders for the program. Um, and that was my goal. But I knew that wasn't gonna happen overnight, so I just took my time. I was myself. Um , but I made sure that everyone saw that I was working extremely hard. I was one of the hardest workers on the team, that I was not just doing it physically in the weight room and on the, on the football field, but also doing it in the classroom. Um, as far as applying myself, learning the offense , um, learning defensive coverages, doing the extra things that quarterbacks need to do that just aren't gonna fall into your lap. Um, and I think I did a good job of that early on. And obviously my career is what it is and had a number of physical , um, injuries that caused me to hit some roadblocks. And I think I did a good job overcoming those in the end. But when I got first on campus, that was my goal. Um, and I think for the most part I did accomplish that. And there was some coaching change over during my time at Oregon, which, you know, was commonplace in college football. But I think the initial impact that I made as far as just displaying who I am as a person and as a teammate , um, allowed me to withstand some of that coaching change. Um, and just put myself in a position to be successful and ultimately help Oregon football. I think that when you look at the totality of the career that I had, and many of the great teams that I was able to be on Oregon football was in one place when I got there. Um, and I always, you know, kind of anchor it to bowl games that year 2006, my freshman year, we got our tails kicked in , um, by BYU in the Las Vegas bowl, and obviously wasn't the best finish to the season. Um, but by the end of it all my senior season, we obviously played against Auburn , um, for the national championship. So not saying that was all on me, it definitely wasn't. I was just fortunate to be along for the ride. But I think that you can see the stead ascension that we were on , uh, during my career.
Speaker 2:I kind of want to talk about those years at Oregon. You dealt with a ton of injuries, a lot of knee injuries, I mean consecutive, I think it was three different knee injuries during your time in Oregon. I wanna understand, Nate, from your perspective, like you're a young man, you go to Oregon, all of a sudden these injuries start piling up, boom, boom, boom, three knee injuries, and then you're on the shelf rehabbing. What was going through your mind like during that time and how were you able to, to work through those setbacks?
Speaker 1:Extremely challenging times. Um, and I think the reason why I was able to fight through power through, you know, come back multiple times is that I just had a great support network. Um, I had my family back home, which was gonna support me no matter what. Um, I had a coaching staff at Oregon that, I don't know why, but for some reason they just always believed in me. Um, and they were patient with me and that was helpful. And then I had just an excellent training staff at Oregon, you know, chief and Kim and for Oregon people, they'll know what those names mean. Uh , for the average listener, they might not know, but those are the, the , they were the head athletic trainers at the time at the University of Oregon. So obviously if you're in ACL rehab protocol all the time, like I was, you're gonna be , uh, well versed in who those people are and I think they did an excellent job. Um, they forced me to be patient because if you're coming back from a major injury like that, especially in ACL, patience is key. And when you're a 18, 19, 20-year-old, you don't have much patience. It's not part of who you are. You know, you want to get back out there, you want to compete with your brothers, you just know that patience is gonna be key. So I had excellent guidance, I had an excellent network of, of peers , um, and the support that I had is really what made the difference for me. If I didn't have that support network, I'm not sitting in front, sitting in front of you today. And , and my story probably ends , um, not too shortly after getting to Eugene just 'cause the adversity was challenging. And, you know, I never truly questioned whether I should be continuing to try and play the game or not. Um, that thought does cross your mind just 'cause you know, it is an option. But for me it never really was a strong option in my opinion. I I just was always looking at that day and what did I need to do that day to push myself forward and hopefully get better with thinking, Hey, six months from now I'll be back on the field. Um, but six months from now doesn't really matter. It's today. That matters the most to me. And I try to take that approach and, and some days I was really good at that approach. And then other days I had bad days and I wasn't, but I always came back. Um, and that was kind of the key for me. So if there's one thing that I could pull it back to, it's just an amazing support network that I had here in Eugene at the University of Oregon. That's the reason why I was able to come back a couple times.
Speaker 2:Were you able to use that time, Nate, over the course of the various injuries? Were you able to use that for self-reflection?
Speaker 1:I was , um, I probably didn't realize it as much at the time as I do now. You know, being 35 years old now and, and reading some of the stoic philosophy books by Ryan Holiday , um, you realize in the moment you were doing a lot of the things that the ancient stoics did and that staying present. And then I always tie it back to the , the motto, win the day and the win the day motto was a thing that was connected to the University of Oregon strongly , uh, for a long time , um, with Chip Kelly and kinda became our team slogan. And you don't realize that at the time, but that's really what you're doing. You're just focused staying in the present , uh, focused on, on practicing mindfulness and trying to , um, just take that step forward that day and understanding that you're not always gonna be successful with that approach. But if you are great, you forget about it and you try and do it again the next day. And if you are not successful, which happens from time to time, same thing. You flush that memory and you take that next day and try to attack that for the best of what it was. So I didn't realize it was much in a moment. Um, but now what I try to do on a day-to-day basis is very similar to what I was doing now, less it's, it's less focused on, you know, ACL rehab protocol or, or studying cover three that US C'S playing. And it's more focused on my, my current business opportunities. But , um, it was a lot of the same similar skills that I was building then are things that I'm using in my daily life now.
Speaker 2:Those skills that we have as we get older, we accrue experiences and that , you know, it's almost like we become more philosophical, you know, over time to some degree. I mean, ones that you were actually practicing during the rehab process, why do you think like you were able to have, do you think that access came from that amazing support system? Like I feel like not everybody is maybe able to kind of tap into that one step at a time, one day at a time mentality at such a , at such a young age. 'cause again, you're young, you're, you're fired up and you just want to get back out there as quickly as possible.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that it's just an accumulation of letting them learned over my life. I don't think many things in my life have been given to me and I would not have it any other way. You know, matter of fact, you know, now that I have two children of my own, I'm trying to find ways to, to not give them everything that they need in life. Obviously the basic necessities of course. But you know, how do I have them learn some of the lessons that I learned early on in life about you're just gonna have to go out there and earn it every single day. No one is entitled to anything. And you're gonna have to just prove why , um, you're worthy. And that's something that I learned at a very young age, you know, as , as young as far as I can remember. You know, talking about five years old on some of the lessons that your parents teach you about har hard work and how it eventually will pay off. And it might not be immediate. The results aren't always gonna show up the next day. Um, but you're accumulating a bank account, you know , and eventually you wanna hopefully spend that bank account for something worthwhile. And that trickled into my Pop Warner days that all had trickled into my high school days. You know, I , I had to compete every year to be the starting quarterback in Pop Warner in high school. Nothing was ever just gifted to me. Um, and I think having those lessons drilled into me day after day, year after year, they just followed me up to the University of Oregon. And you get to a place like that and it's, it's that way and it's, it's even more intense because obviously it's a big business. Um, and earning your keep every day is mandatory in those situations. Everyone's doing it, you know, every player that's worth their salt is earning it every day. Every coach that's worth their salt is earning it every day . So you just follow along with the culture. And for me, fortunately , uh, my personality just fit well with that type of culture where you're gonna have to show up every single day for work, show up early, right, leave late, that type of approach. And , um, it's paid off. Um, and it continues to pay off. And I think as I continue to have this endeavor in life , um, those traits, no matter what I choose to do, will always be important to me. They'll never leave me. They're just habits for me now.
Speaker 2:I think it's so cool, man, that you've, you've been building and, and just finessing those traits, you know, for all these years where now they've become second nature and you're able to apply them in so many areas of your life, business, fatherhood, relationships, you know, all I think all the parts that, that really matter. I think the one thing that I'm curious to understand from your side, Nate, is you go play d in college football and everyone's like looking at statistics and, and all these numbers, right? And , and I don't want to discredit that because yeah, of course if you're throwing up big numbers, you're getting all the praise, like that does mean something. But in some ways, don't you think that all of those lessons you learned and all of that , all of that adversity, if you think about the scope of your life, is worth a million times more than being the guy who did put up all those crazy numbers and who was a first team all American and, and won a national championship and all of the actual physical accolades?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't say one way or the other. I think with my situation, I'm partially biased to myself, of course. Um, I think that my biggest thing was impact. And I know that in life, in the game of football, 'cause football sometimes is a microcosm of life, is how do you measure impact? And oftentimes you do measure impact through statistics, quarterback rating, completion, percentage, touchdowns versus interceptions. And I get that or necessary. You can't win football games unless you're scoring points and getting high level quarterback play. That makes a lot of sense to me. Um, having coached the position, having played the position, I understand that , uh, my situation was a little bit different. You know, I did compete. I only started one game collegiately. Um , I only had a , an impact in , in a number of different games. So my, my stat line's probably not the most impressive , um, if you look at it that way. But I do think if you ask my teammates, you ask my coaches, you ask people around this community and this program, did Nate have an impact? I think , um, unequivocally you're gonna get an answer of yes and hopefully it's a resounding yes. And that was my goal. My goal was to have an impact. And I knew sometimes that was gonna take place on the playing field with the opportunities that I was able to earn. Um, but I also knew a lot of that stuff was gonna take place on the sideline. It was gonna take place on the practice field, it was gonna take place in the locker room, in the weight room, in the community. Um, and I knew I was gonna have a lot more opportunities to make an impact in those spaces as opposed to between the white lines , um, on Saturday afternoons. So I just wanna maximize those, those opportunities. And I think I did. Um, and it , it could be something as simple as you see a teammate who maybe misses a rep , a rep in the weight room and instead of blatantly calling 'em out and making sure everyone knows that you're a strong leader in that you called somebody out, you just, you know, wrap your arm around 'em and say, Hey, I know you missed a rep right there, let's make sure we get that one. Um, it could be stuff like that. It could be being active in the community. You know, if there's flag football tournament going on for the third graders and you have an opportunity to be there and have an impact and coach somebody up and maybe brighten their day, well , you better take that opportunity. You better wake up early in the morning, you know, show up to that field and, and have that impact on that , those young individuals. So I just tried to do that. I think I was fairly successful at it and I think nowadays I have the same approach and I still want to continue to have an impact.
Speaker 2:When you look at your knees and you think about everything they've gone through, what do they represent today in this moment?
Speaker 1:Uh , a lot of scars, a lot of , uh, a lot of hardware built in there. I don't know if I quite trigger the x-ray machine at the airport, but I, but I get dang close. Um, but to me, I got a lot of aches and pains to be honest with you. You know, for a 30 5-year-old with , uh, the aches and pains in my knees, it's probably not normal. Um , but that's something that I'm hap I'm gonna have to be smart about for the rest of my life and find a way to manage, which I will. Um, but they are , um, they're actually a great reminder when I wake up in the morning most mornings. I do have some type of pain in both of my knees , um, just like early onset arthritis and most people would look at that in a negative fashion. Um, but I actually look at it in a positive fashion 'cause it's a reminder of my , my journey and a reminder of some of the struggles that I've been through. And I know that my story, some of the journey and struggle that I've been through has actually been inspiring to others because they've let me know that. Um, so I , I carry that with me as a point of pride , um, as my knees continue to do what they're , whatever they're gonna do and I try to take care of 'em. Um, I guess I always have that lasting reminder that hey, you know, this is just part of your journey, part of your story. That story's not over either. Um, and it has inspired others in the past and hopefully it can continue to inspire others in the future. One of the things that, just to kind of carry on with that point that's great is most people around here, and and most people that I kind of relate with, they're aware of the injury history and, you know, knee injuries are, are fairly common , um, especially amongst young athletes, male, female, and especially in high school. Um, and a lot of times when they're dealing with those types of impactful injuries at that level, at that young age, they don't necessarily have someone that relates to them 'cause maybe their mom or dad hasn't been through the same situation. So I've actually been able to connect with a number of young athletes, you know, high school age athletes for the most part that are, you know , they did tear an ACL or they do have , um, a medial meniscus tear. Um, and I'm able to just relate to them and kind of give them a reference point of, hey, like I've been in the same situation as you, here are the things that I did that worked for me. And it's less about the physical rehab protocol and it's more about the mentality. And I think I've been able to have a positive impact in those situations. And even though it's just, you know, one-to-one type of personal stuff, it's not necessarily a scalable thing that I can provide. It's still , um, meaningful to me that I can have an impact in the young athletes and , and hopefully just be one positive glimmer in their athletic career that helps 'em push through and , and get to the next step.
Speaker 2:The Portland Tribune called you, the Heart and soul of the 2010 team that advanced to the national championship game, ultimately losing a Cam Newton in the Auburn Tigers, even though you were injured, how would you best describe being in that environment with your team?
Speaker 1:Hmm . That's a tough question. Um, I know that that statement by that news outlet is, is probably , um, a strong statement. I don't necessarily agree with it. Um, less , more individual minded, more about team. And I think that when I look at that 2010 team to this day, it's the best team that I've ever been a part of. And the best part for me is if you look at the individuals that were on that team, I think we had one player that year drafted in that draft class. And that was Casey Matthews, I wanna say he was fourth or fifth round pick as a linebacker. Um , obviously there were some younger players in that team that ended up being NFL athletes, but we didn't have a lot of , um, amazing NFL talent that was draftable NFL talent in the junior and senior classes that season. Um, but we were one of the best teams in the country, you know, when it all was all said and done, I think we're finished as number two 'cause obviously we lost to Auburn in that national championship, but 12 and one , you know, obviously a PAC 10 championship, an undefeated regular season, you know, things that haven't been accomplished at this university before and still haven't been accomplished to this day. Um, and that's why that team was recently inducted into the University of Oregon Athletics Hall of Fame. So that was pretty cool honor. But just an amazing team, amazing team full of individuals that , um, that cared, that cared deeply about the culture. We had been through a lot, you know, there were a lot of ups and downs, there was coaching changes, there was, you know , some issues off the field with a number of different teammates, some of which were still on that team and some of which had been removed from the team. But no matter what we pressed forward, we worked hard, we got better. I think the summer leading into that season was probably the hardest working , um, just fastest moving summer I've ever been a part of as far as getting our conditioning right, getting our strength right, but also just building a cohesive unit of leadership. Had a number of leadership council meetings, just trying to point the direction of the team in the right way. Uh , we didn't know at the time , um, but obviously it all worked out really well. So tremendous honor, one of the biggest honors of my life just to be attached to that team. And anytime that I see my teammates, you know, whether it be offensive linemen that I work directly with or whether it be defensive backs, who I competed against everyday in practice, it's nothing but love between us and is 'cause you, you know, you've spilled the same blood in the same mud as they say in the military, and that's a bond and a connection that we'll have for the rest of our lives. And even they're old and we can't do it anymore physically. Um, so great to see those guys
Speaker 2:That was your last collegiate football game, the BCS national title game against Auburn. In that moment, were you able to kind of soak in that like, like this, like this is it, or like, what was that transition period, you know, walking away from a game that that gave so much to you and that you gave so much back to that game overcoming so much adversity and then it's over and, and it's time to move on?
Speaker 1:Probably one of the biggest challenge of my life , um, and probably something I still deal with mentally to this day. I think that because football is such a big part of your life for so long, and not just the game, but actually playing the game , um, being out there working hard with your brothers, you know, trying to accomplish a goal, it's not necessarily something that I've ever been able to replicate in life. Um, outside of actually playing the game, you know, and I've coached the game at a high level and even then , um, you just can't replicate it. It's just not the same. Um, so having to leave that, leave that brotherhood and leave that daily struggle, I think it's hard for people to understand unless they've actually done it themselves. Um, but it's, it was very challenging at the time. You know, one day you've got a tremendous amount of structure in your life, you know, you need to be here for meetings, you need to be here for practice, here for training table here for meetings. Again, your whole life and schedule is lined out, including your academics. And then, you know, the day after that, that structure's gone, you know, and , and you can see it go a number of different ways. You can go the path of I'm just gonna let my hair down, obviously a fig of speech for me and I'm going to , um, just do whatever I want to do. And I had a number of teammates that took that approach , um, where you can say, Hey, I'm gonna take this structure that I had as a lesson, I'm gonna build my own structure and I'm gonna allow that to kind of guide me , um, through the rest of this journey that we call life. Um , I've took the , took the latter approach as opposed to the former approach and I think it's benefited me well. Um , but leaving the game as a player is very, very hard. And to this day, you know, whenever I have conversations with, you know , former teammates, kids or if I have , um, conversations with players that are currently involved in the game at the different schools that I've coached and you know, they're thinking about stepping away as long as it's not health related , I always ask 'em to reconsider. I say , I say to them like, Hey, I wake up every day wishing that I could still play this game at a high level. Um , I definitely can't. Like you can. And I think that if you do step away and it's not health related , I'll regret that later in life. Um, and I, I really mean that when I explain that to them, and I want everyone to have their own journey and make their own decisions, but the game is, is highly impactful. Not just because of what happens on the field, but mainly because of what happens off the field. And , um, I do to this day, I do miss it.
Speaker 2:Do you ever have vivid dreams about it, Nate? Like you're out there and, and you're under center and you drop back and you're, you're throwing a , a pass to Jeff Mail
Speaker 1:<laugh>? Yeah, it's , uh, it's sad to say 'cause it's kind of like, it makes me sound like Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite <laugh>. Um , but I'm not afraid to admit it. I mean, the game had such a big impact on me that I do, I do actually from time to time still kind of have those visions and I'm usually not throwing the ball to Jeff. Um, I'm usually throwing the ball to my guy Drew Davis. Um, 'cause him and I are , um, are brothers for life. Not, not saying that Jeff and I aren't close, but usually I'm looking for, usually looking for , uh, drew Davis or, or sometimes David Paulson. 'cause he was the tight end on those teams and you could always rely on David to get open, especially on third down. Um, but yeah, I definitely deal still have those, those dreams from time to time.
Speaker 2:When you wake up from those, like is there a sense of, of sadness, gratitude? Maybe a , a little bit of both.
Speaker 1:I just smile, I'm gracious. Um, I usually keep it to myself. I , I usually don't tell my wife that that's kind of what, what's going on, but um, I think she kind of understands. I'm just very grateful, grateful for the opportunities that I've had in my life and continue to have because of the University of Oregon, 'cause of Oregon football, 'cause of the game of football. And then most importantly, the relationships. You know, I mentioned a , a few of my teammates by name , um, but I could go on, it's a laundry list of them. Jordan Holmes both ran CE Kaiser and I could go down the line. La Michael James Kenon Barner . It's , it's literally, you know, just a laundry list of guys that to this day, if I picked up my phone and I called them and I told them, Hey, I need you for something, they would say, okay, where and when, they probably wouldn't even ask me what's going on, they would just say where and when. And , um, I don't think a lot of people nowadays have those types of relationships because, you know , our world is changing and our world is somewhat unique. So I am , uh, very grateful for every one of those relationships 'cause I have a lot of them and they're strong.
Speaker 2:It's a beautiful thing, man. I think that's, I think that's one of the really, really cool parts about playing team sports and , and having that bond with your teammates is your brother's on the field. And then when it ends and, and everyone kind of goes their separate ways and you move on to still have those relationships or to, to pick up the phone, you know, if, if if you need something they'll drop anything to come help you. I mean, I think at the end of the day, that's what it's all about, man. It
Speaker 1:Is. And I think, you know, our country's in a unique situation and our world's in a unique situation nowadays. And , and obviously mental health is, is a big deal. And um, I think part of the reason why mental health has probably become more prominent is 'cause people are more open to talking about it. It's always been there, but people want to talk about it more. And I think that's great to get it out into light. I think that's awesome. But I also think part of the reason why mental health may be more of a recurring issue in our country now is 'cause people lack that social connection. They lack a support structure system. And that's why I think I'm so fortunate to have a strong support structure and to have strong social connections and they just happen to be born outta the game of football and have continued throughout my life. And , and I think that's very unique. Um, and, and it's not something that just happens magically. You know, obviously you have to go through trials and tribulations with those people and, and link arms with them and those bonds get built very strong and they stay with you for a long time. So I , I'm just fortunate and very lucky, you're
Speaker 2:Transitioning away from your playing career. You go into coaching, you coach for a number of years, you do some television work. What was it like going from being on the football field then all of a sudden you're still kind , you're still, you're still involved in the game, but it's just you're wearing a different helmet this time.
Speaker 1:I don't know if everyone feels this way, but part of the reason why I got into coaching and the way that I did or even why I was doing the broadcasting work is I just wanted to stay involved in the game. I felt like I had built up a bank of of resources and some type of institutional knowledge , um, and I felt like it was my duty to try and share , um, some of that knowledge with the younger generations that are coming up in the game. Um, and I also wanted to stay around the excitement and some of the logistics of the game and, and around some of the people that tend to gravitate, you know, towards playing, towards coaching, towards operations and those types of things. And I felt like being in coaching was , was a really good way to accomplish that. And it did work out that way. It was definitely a passion of mine to continue working around football. And that's something I continue to this day, even though my role nowadays, as we'll talk about later, is definitely not directly related to football. Um, that part of me will never exit. So my pursuit of coaching , um, was definitely just finding a way to stay around the game. Uh, finding ways to continue to grow as a person, you know, and, and professionally develop, but then also pass on some of the many lessons that I was fortunate enough to learn. And I think the game of football, you know, there are a lot of people who coach and there are a lot of people who coach for a lot of different reasons. You know, they're not always the most pure reasons in my opinion. And, and I always wanted to be like the coaches that I interacted with, like the coaches that I was able to be coached by, you know, Frank Marcus at Hilmar High School, Craig Andy at Hilmar High School, getting to the University of Oregon and being coached by Gary Croton and Mark Helfrich and Chip Kelly being around Scott Frost. And then, you know, being able to work around those guys as I became a coach and started my own career, I just wanted to emulate their example and try to be like them and have pure intentions for the game.
Speaker 2:When you were coaching, like, I know I'm sure you're going over mechanics, like tons of different concepts, but would you say that one of the main concepts was resiliency and how, like you have a plan, right? And you , but that plan doesn't always happen the way that you envisioned it. So like were you able to help out, you know, different guys kind of understand that concept?
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that's probably one of the main things that I tried to teach that as well as leadership. You know, we can talk about all day about the mechanics of, of throwing a three step drop and we can talk about the finer points of how to exploit , uh, cover three with the four vertical concept, you know, that kind of stuff. But really anybody can teach that. I can have a YouTube video that can teach you how to teach that. Uh , what I tried to bring is something that you can't really get from a YouTube video and that was, you know, the intangible part of the game. Uh , resilience, toughness, right? And then some of those leadership approaches. And part of that was sharing my individual story. But that kind of wears itself in , you know, a lot of younger athletes nowadays, they're not necessarily interested in , in hearing about you and your story, they wanna hear about themselves and their story, which I totally respect. That's kind of how we are as people and as humans. So my job was always to try and relate it back to them, like you said earlier in the podcast, you know, be relatable to them. And that was always a goal of mine. I think I accomplished it a number of different times and think I had a big impact on some of the student athletes that I was able to work with over the years. Um, but resilience is one of those things that different coaches will give you different answers on whether you can actually simulate it in practice or not. Um, I happen to be a believer that you really can't simulate it in practice per se, but what you can do is you can get a lot of exposure to it in the game. Um, you can train those muscles leading up to the game and then obviously there's uh , either you did it or you didn't type of situation in the game. And no matter what happens, you know, whether you did it correctly, you responded well to adversity, you displayed resilience in that moment or whether you didn't. Either way it's a teachable moment. Um, and I always try to har back on those and make sure that we use those opportunities. 'cause sometimes they're rare and they're few and far between. Um , but making sure that you locate those opportunities and whether it was positive or negative as far as the outcome is , um, that no matter what you learn from it.
Speaker 2:Where do you think resiliency comes from? I think as human beings, like, and, and again there , there might not be a direct answer to this, but I like, I've always been fascinated by like , where does it come from? Does it come from your environment growing up ? Does it come from your parents? Is it something where it's individually in you and when you reach hard times you, you reach and access it on your own? Like, like that to me has always been something I've been curious about just, and maybe it's selfish just from going through stuff in my own life and having to , to, to try and figure out ways to, to push through certain obstacles.
Speaker 1:It's probably not a solid answer out there. You know, I do, this is something that I do research and try to learn about the nature versus nurture argument. I think part of it is it's genetically ingrained in who we are. Um, I think for the most part, tough people tend to make other tough people. Um, and I think that's part of it. But there also is , um, uh, an evolution of growth and a learning. I think it is a muscle, I think it is a skill. I look at examples like , uh, David Goggins, somebody who would probably admit to you if you follow his story, that he wasn't the toughest, most resilient human on the face of the planet. Um, you know, when he was in his twenties and, and even in his thirties. But now he might hold that title single handedly and that's something that he taught himself, he learned over time. So I do think there are plenty of examples of that , of , of that out there where it's not just a a born skill, it is a muscle and something that you can work and improve , um, if you are focused right? And if you have the intention to do so. And , and honestly, if you have the right people around you, that's a big part of it too, is having the right influences around you. And that's the reason why I was able to develop that muscle and skill and continue to work on it to this day. Um, and I think there are plenty of examples of people that were taught how to be tougher, how to be more resilient. Um, but it's not immediate results. It takes a long time and there's gonna be a lot of pain and anguish involved with it. Most people don't want to deal with pain and anguish , um, which I get, I understand. But if you're willing to deal with those types of things , um, I think it is something you can grow over time.
Speaker 2:In my own life, my mom passed away when I was 25 and I remember like the next day I was sitting outside of her condo in Southern California and I didn't know what to think and the sun was setting. And I remember thinking to myself, there's like this like inner voice. It was like, like you got this, like you're gonna go, like you're gonna go do this. Like it's time to get after it. It was almost like that, like a really nice like hockey coach that I had saying like, Hey dude, like, it's all right . Like, like you gotta get after it. And I don't know where that came from, why it happened the way that it did, but it really propelled me, you know, through that difficult moment , uh, to get to where we are now seven years later as a 3-year-old man. So like, I, I don't know, and I've always like wondered like, where did that come from? Why did that happen in that moment? And to your point, like there isn't, no one has the exact answer to that, but that's why I've been enjoying asking, you know, you guys that question because everyone has a different answer that's unique to that .
Speaker 1:Yeah. And obviously for you, you know , that's a obviously sorry about the loss or your mother, that's like, that's probably one of the most impactful and toughest situations that a human being can face , um, I would think is is losing someone that is that close to them. And you never really know how you're gonna react in the moment. And everyone has different reactions. Not to say one reaction is right and one reaction is wrong, but obviously the way that you reacted in that moment was right for you and it's probably propelled you to where you are today and it's a situation that no one wants to go through. You hate the fact that you have to go through it, but it is a muscle, right? And as you , you getting a rep at experiencing resiliency and , and coming out on the other side in a positive manner , um, the situation's not always gonna be the prettiest and yours obviously was not. Um, but for you it was the right way to move about. And I have a feeling that that's , um, a lesson you'll never forget.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean that's something I appreciate that dude. It is something for sure I try to <laugh> I try to remind myself, you know, even when there's little small things that happen that might be a little annoying, you know, in , in , in daily life, but life's crazy man. Like all those twists and turns like I never ever thought in a million years like I would want to have these like esoteric philosophical like conversations, but I don't know, again, like certain things have happened in my life, I'm like, wait a second. I want to hear about other people's experiences and how they've been able to push through. And honestly, that's why I wanted to have you on the podcast. 'cause here we are. I remember watching you, you know, in college and I was, I'm not that much younger than you, but I, I, for whatever reason, I didn't remember all the injuries. So when I was, you know, preparing for this and I saw that, I'm like, oh my God, like keep coming back, keep coming back, keep coming back. I'm like, that is just the, the fricking coolest thing in the world, man.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. A lot of great experiences and like I said, it's, it's definitely not an an individual thing. Um, I'm not who I am because I was born this way. I'm just a product of my environment and I was very fortunate , um, and privileged to grow up in the environment that I did around the people that I did with the support network that I did. And that's why I'm back in Eugene. 'cause that support network here is just nothing I've never experienced anywhere else , um, on this planet. So I'm very fortunate.
Speaker 2:Well this is honestly a, a real , a really cool wrinkle to your story. You're now the director of business development at Launch Oregon through the UL Foundation. How did this all come to be Nate? 'cause you're , you're coaching and then now you have this wonderful opportunity at your alma mater in, in a different capacity.
Speaker 1:I was following the coaching career path and, and I was working my way up slowly. Um , but surely just trying to grow and develop every day and be better for the student athletes that I was interacting with and the coaching staffs that I was a part of. Um, I think that the situation was strange in that the timing was tough. You know, I got an opportunity offered to me to come back to Eugene and to work for a cause that I strongly believe in, which is the University of Oregon's mission statement. Um, and although the timing was extremely challenging, it was an opportunity that was too good for me to pass up. You know , it was the right move for my family and myself. And I do feel poorly because, you know , I left the University of Nevada my previous employer and in a tough, precarious situation 'cause I literally left two weeks before the season was supposed to start, you know , so that's never gonna be an easy bandaid to rip off. Um , but I am completely content and happy with my decision. Um, I know , um, people that I'm working for here at the foundation and within Launch Oregon. And obviously we'll get into the details of what exactly we do. Um, the people that I'm working for here are excellent. They're all very committed to the cause of the University of Oregon, which is something that's always been near and dear to my heart. And , and I've had a role in, in many different facets. Sometimes that was on the athletics side of things, and you now it's more on the educational side of things. Um, but being a part of this place, being back on campus , um, is , is special for me. It's really a homecoming. Um, and when my wife and I were considering taking this opportunity was always a , gonna be a group decision for us. We came back to the fact that Eugene's been the , the one place that we've lived and we've lived all over. We've lived in Sarasota, Florida, Los Angeles, California, San Diego, California, Reno, Nevada , um, a lot of places. Um, this is the one place that we've lived where we've had a sense of community and a sense of belonging , um, and a sense of extended family. Um, so for us that helped make the decision a little easier.
Speaker 2:I love that, man. I mean, the, this, it's, it's all full circle. I love how you call the a a homecoming and , and you're onto something, man. I think the older we get, like you want to have, you want to have that, that sense of community wherever you go. I mean, you could be in the most beautiful place in the world, but if you don't have that sense of community and that foundation, then to me it , it , you don't really have, you don't really have a lot. Um, so I think that's really amazing how that's become a place for you and your wife and, and to raise your kids , um, you know, back for you, you know, at a time that , um, that you still, that you still fondly look back on to this day. Um, so like, take me through like the ins and outs of, of, of what you do on , on, on a daily basis. Yeah.
Speaker 1:So this new entity, and it's, it's brand new, you know, I've been here for literally a month now. Um, and the entity was only spun up about, you know, in March or so of this year. So it's brand new. But what the goal and mission of Launch Oregon is, is to take commercial commercializable ideas, inventions that are happening on the UL campus and in the UL community at large, and help them be built into commercializable ideas. So things that obviously will benefit society and also benefit those individuals in the future. So, you know, probably three quarters of what we're doing is business building, literally taking thoughts and ideas and building 'em into something that's actually commercializable. And then the other quarter of what we'll do is , um, injecting capital. So obviously we have a fund of money that we can use in a venture capital like fund structure, and we can provide that capital , um, to those inventors, those professors, the people with those ideas, those companies , um, that can help them , um, just advance their idea a lot quicker. 'cause as we know , um, money can be hard to come , come by in this world, but you gotta spend money to make money. Uh , so one of the things that we're gonna do is be able to provide some of that money that they need , um, to accelerate their ideas and to impact a little faster.
Speaker 2:That's so cool, man. I mean, what a fascinating, you know, opportunity at your alma mater. Like when you, when you got the call, like, were , were you like surprised? Like was there a sense of like, shock?
Speaker 1:There was <laugh>, you know, and , and I have done a decent job of, of ingratiating myself around the university at large because obviously the foundation is not necessarily directly related to athletics and all that kind of stuff, but I think I've done a decent job of kind of tending to my , uh, reputation. I think people know my background is not just around athletics, not just around football, but I also have a business mind to myself, which is why I was courted for this job and, and why I was interested in it. So when I actually got the job offer itself, you know, it's something that , um, was a shock, but it was also just , um, a pleasant shock to receive because I knew it just aligned with me in a number of different ways. Ultimately, the cause is gonna benefit the University of Oregon. I love the University of Oregon. This place has given me so much in life. And while this is also a way for me to, you know, get a paycheck and, and help my family fin financially, it's also a way for me to give back. So the fact that I get to do both of those roles at the same time is just very unique and you just don't get the opportunity. And, you know, this venture capital space that we're in too, it's more of a long-term mindset. And I come from football and coaching where it's day to day , year to year , year success is literally measured in a six month span. Um, in venture capital, you don't measure success in six months span because if you did, nothing would happen on time. You know, venture capital is 3, 5, 7, 10 year , uh, time spans. Um, and that's what we're hoping to build here. And we're hoping to build something that will last well after me , uh, well after , um, my coworkers trying to build a legacy essentially. Um, and the fact that I can be involved with something that has a potential to last well beyond me, you know, when I'm gone and in the ground or when I'm retired, like what we do now is going to have an impact for the future. And that was probably the most exciting prospect for me financially, is just being able to have that long-term mindset of this thing can last a long, long time and have a big impact, not just on the U of O or Eugene, but the state and potentially the entire nation. So those types of things, those type of big vision goals , um, that have, you know, long-term lifespan , um, those are exciting to me.
Speaker 2:Do you feel fulfilled today in this moment?
Speaker 1:I wouldn't say I feel fulfilled. Um, I've, I always yearn, I always have just something kind of here where I am grateful for the opportunities that I have, very grateful for the position that I'm currently in, but never satisfied. And I , I don't think a , a feeling of fulfillment happens very often for me. Uh, just a few times in life. I failed , fulfilled , um, when I got married , uh, to my wife. Um, and then the, the two children that we've been able to bring into this world, those are probably two moments in my life where it's like, okay, there's a sense of fulfillment and I feel happy and I feel content. Um, now that, that quickly erodes and goes away and then it's back into a normal life and it's back into striving and yearning and trying to be better and trying to , um, push forward. And that's, that's what my work is every single day. And I get in here, I'm one of the first people in the building, I'm one of the last people to leave. That's never gonna change just a part of who I am. Um, and yeah, just 'cause there's a hunger and there's a drive and I want to see this entity succeed and I want to be , um, a part of the entity for a long, long time.
Speaker 2:Nate Costa, everybody, former University of Oregon quarterback and now the Director of Business Development at Launch Oregon . Appreciate the time, man.
Speaker 1:Thanks a lot. I really appreciate you bringing me on. Um , you're doing a great job with this podcast and just happy to be a part of the journey.