Bucky Irving Talks About Getting Toughened Up At 4 Years Old
December 31st, 2024
One of the most fun personal stories told by a Buccaneer came 13 years ago when then-head coach Raheem Morris formally thanked his three uncles for beating the crap out of him daily as a child because it led to his success.
Bucky Irving may have topped that today.
Irving joined The Rich Eisen Show and explained that he was introduced to football at 4 years old.
His uncle, per Irving, brought him onto a big field in front his home and lined him up in Oklahoma drills against a 14-year-old cousin.
Those aren’t typos. Irving was 4 and the other kid was 14.
Irving said his uncle wanted young Bucky to understand football is a tough game that requires painful commitment to be successful. So he had the cousin bury Irving.
“He made him like hit me hard to realize, like, you sure this is what you want to do?” Irving said.
“It was fun but it kind of hurt … After that, I wasn’t scared to go against nobody else.”
Irving was smiling telling the story; he didn’t look like a guy re-living a childhood trauma.
Joe loved it, Frankly it jogged a memory of Joe’s youth.
Joe had developed a bad baseball habit of bailing out of the batter’s box slightly on inside fastballs. Joe’s manager freaked out and the next day brought his son, a top high school pitcher, to throw batting practice.
The kid was given one order when it was Joe’s turn: fire fastballs inside. Joe was told the fastballs would keep coming until the bailing out stopped.
Joe was cured rather quickly, but then the manager kicked it up a notch. “Now lean in and take one on the shoulder so you know it’s not so bad.”
The rest is history. Joe went home with a nasty bruise and never came close to achieving what Bucky Irving or Raheem Morris have.
December 31st, 2024 at 5:53 pm
Kid is so dam impressive
December 31st, 2024 at 6:01 pm
That’s a cool baseball story, Joe. I went through someone similar at 3rd base one spring day in New Jersey with my little league coach. I still turned my head on a wicked hop to 3rd in a game shortly after that lesson. Lol
December 31st, 2024 at 6:39 pm
Only taken a few psychology classes but this anecdote comes far from explaining Joe’s borderline alcoholism and inferiority complex
December 31st, 2024 at 7:27 pm
Did not affect your ability to type. Rubbed some dirt on it and kept on, good man, Joe.
December 31st, 2024 at 7:44 pm
B Says:
December 31st, 2024 at 6:39 pm
Only taken a few psychology classes but this anecdote comes far from explaining Joe’s borderline alcoholism and inferiority complex
——–
Bringing the inside heat all over again.
You guys are wacky. –Joe
December 31st, 2024 at 7:48 pm
I wasn’t a great baseball hitter. Getting hit by the ball was my go to move when I absolutely needed to get on base.
Joe actually went on from that practice to become a lean-into-the-pitch-when-needed guy.–Joe
December 31st, 2024 at 8:01 pm
In today’s snowflake world, this would be considered child abuse. To most of us (especially with older brothers), this was just part of growing up.
December 31st, 2024 at 8:08 pm
we take it for granted what these families due to develop players that can play at any level, and at this level no doubt the family and support group really deserves a tip of the cap.
if we learn that a coach being “tough” is actually a compliment, it will help. no one wants a kid abused obviously
December 31st, 2024 at 8:21 pm
I can see it now. Joe, misty eyed, recounting the “forced contact” story as his jersey gets raised into the rafters at JBF world headquarters.
Actually, Joe’s jersey hit the rafters in March of 2017. Special day. Freddie Martino and his band from the velvet-lined lounge of the Vero Beach Ramada Inn made the trip.–Joe
December 31st, 2024 at 8:35 pm
The kid is so smooth. I love watching him glide behind his blocks, hesitate, and slip around tacklers. He’s got some kind of voodoo going on.
December 31st, 2024 at 8:37 pm
Physically abusing children is never a good idea, no matter what kind of delusional reasons you might have. It just isn’t, no matter what.
December 31st, 2024 at 9:27 pm
Haha nice story Joe. Experience is the best teacher
December 31st, 2024 at 9:49 pm
Happy new year. Dirk Koetter is the OC for Boise St and just called the OJ Howard wide ass open play.
December 31st, 2024 at 10:43 pm
Bucky Irving is a tough ass runner and as good as I predicted chumps
December 31st, 2024 at 11:08 pm
Love that story Joe!
“Oklahoma drills” were daily in “two a days”. LOL
I dont think they are alowed to even say either one on TV these days.
Just hearing those words might give someone a hangnail.
Go bucs!
December 31st, 2024 at 11:35 pm
Happy new year to the Joes and everyone….
This is an truly exciting time in Bucs football as we enter the new year with a franchise quarterback, franchise running back and (hopefully) a home playoff game.
Even through this teams flaws, be grateful that this hasnt fallen into another lost decade in the post Brady era……
This is not your Lovie Smiths, Dirk Koetter, Greg Schiano Bucs and Freeman and McCowns arent throwing the passes….its a new day in Tampa Bay. Go Bucs.
January 1st, 2025 at 10:44 am
One of my old coaches used to say ” A little pain never hurt anyone,” and outside a broken bone or torn soft tissue he was correct.
Until you get past the pain if football crashes, you will never succeed at the game. Learn that lesson early.
One of the biggest hurdles I have coaching young kickers and punters is becoming a legit defender after kicking the ball. If they can’t tackle, if they show fear when tracking a ballcarrier, unless they are great I will go with someone else. I don’t like 10-on-11 STs. And whacking a ball carrier like Pat McAfee not only is a great emotional outlet, but earns teammates respect.
I also had a fear of inside pitches, but turned out I had a difficult tracking and judging speed of inside pitches. So a coach got me to open my stance considerably, almost like facing the pitcher, choke up an inch…and like magic I became a prolific hitter through college ball. Until they started throwing breaking junk for strikes, my Achilles Heel. Fortunately, HS and college pitchers back then couldn’t consistently throw junk for strikes, so I just waited them out.
January 1st, 2025 at 1:01 pm
Two good stories in one Joe. Nice work. Happy Nee Year!
January 1st, 2025 at 5:25 pm
When I played Little League I was the only 1 taken from my team to the all stars for the LL world series I was only person hitting over 500 BA no joke we took 3rd but back then it wasn’t normal to think about money & big leagues I wish my time was now not in the 70’s cause I’m sure life wud have been diff than back then.