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Denver Native (Carol)
01-25-2008, 01:19 PM
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_8070460

Mark Schlereth | From the NFL to ESPN and "Guiding Light"

In a former life, Mark Schlereth was an NFL offensive lineman who tipped the scales at 300-plus pounds. Today Schlereth goes about 220, up a few Cobb salads from his post-career low of 209.

No NFL player in recent history — maybe ever — has undergone the kind of physical makeover that Schlereth has. A low-carb lifestyle brought out his inner hunk. Add a sense of humor and the national exposure of ESPN to the mix and a star was born.

"It's unbelievable, it's unreal," Schlereth said. "All these other opportunities, I never would have guessed they would happen. Part of it is good fortune and the other is being diligent. People see what they see, but they don't know I've worked extremely hard on this side of things, just like I did in football."

Schlereth played in two Pro Bowls and won three Super Bowls, including Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII with the Broncos. Since his retirement after the 1990 season, he has become a fixture as an ESPN studio analyst. When he finds time, that is.

Schlereth has joined the cast of "Guiding Light," as detective Roc Hoover. He writes a column for Men's Health magazine, has finished three or four chapters of a book, and is about to launch "Mark Schlereth's Stinkin' Good Chili," coming soon to a grocery store near you. He's a fill-in on ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike in the Morning" and just landed a State Farm Insurance commercial.

"I've been at this for seven years now on the TV side, and I like to say instant success takes about 15 years," Schlereth said. "I've worked hard and opportunities have followed in so many different ways. We'll see what happens, but it's been fun."


Tyrone Braxton | Trucking along and back on track

As usual, Tyrone Braxton has only a minute to talk.

"I've been busy and that's good for me," Braxton said. "You get bored and, as they say, idle hands are the devil's hands."

Boredom is what Braxton attributes to his arrest in December 2006 for possession of a small amount of marijuana and cocaine. Staying busy is what he attributes to getting his life back on track. That and his outpatient rehab program.

"Growing up, I always had jobs," said Braxton, the Broncos' starting strong safety in Super Bowl XXXII. "When I was playing, I was always busy in the offseason lifting weights and running. Then I just kind of got bored. To me, this has been a blessing in disguise. I got things worked out and I know what I want to do and where I want to be."

There's seemingly no end to what he wants to do. Let's start with KRSK Trucking, the company he owns with former teammate Kevin Clark. He's also selling real estate and owns an online travel agency. Then there's the online mall he's setting up.

When you're a former 12th-round draft pick, you learn the value of hard work. Braxton's work ethic helped him last 13 seasons in the NFL, 12 with the Broncos.

Drugs? Booze? He doesn't have time for them anymore.

"When you're doing that stuff, you're not going to change until something bad happens," he said. "Something like this wakes you up. It lets you know you've got to change your lifestyle. Since this happened, I've been doing great."

Glenn Cadrez | Lucky in love with a former Playmate

John Elway landed in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but some — OK, some guys — would say Glenn Cadrez is the luckiest man who played on the Broncos' 1997 Super Bowl team.

Why? Because he married a former Baywatch girl who was Playboy's 2001 Playmate of the Year.

Cadrez met his wife, Brande Roderick, when he was a partner in a production company for low-budget horror films. She was reading for a part, ultimately landing a role in an epic saga called "Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror." Suffice it to say, Roderick got better reviews from Cadrez than the movie did with the public.

"We met and hit it off," said Cadrez, a backup linebacker on the Broncos' Super Bowl XXXII team. "We started talking football right away. She's from the Bay Area, so she's a big fan. I was doing a radio show and I asked her to be a guest. She said yes, so we kept talking. Next thing you know, we were dating."

The two were married in June 2007 and live near San Diego. Their latest venture is a celebrity networking company that organizes parties for VIPS, including one scheduled for Super Sunday at the Playboy Mansion.

Gary Zimmerman | Still kicking back in Oregon

Ten years after his final football game, Gary Zimmerman's life is the same as it was 10 days after his final game.

He's still retired, still loves to tool around on his Harley, and still prefers the solitude of Bend, Ore., to the hustle and bustle of the big city.

About the only thing that has changed is the pain in his left hip. It has gotten so bad Zimmerman has had to leave his beloved snowboard in the garage this winter.

He needs a hip replacement, but doctors have advised him to hold off until his early 50s, leaving him with several more years of discomfort.

"The good part is that my hip is so bad, my shoulders don't hurt now," Zimmerman said. "Maybe I don't want to fix my hip because my shoulders are going to bug me again. Up until a couple of years ago, I couldn't sleep at night because my shoulders hurt so bad. Now the hip hurts so much, it takes all the pain."

One thing short of a hip replacement could ease Zimmerman's pain: a selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A member of the NFL's all-decade team for the 1980s and '90s, Zimmerman finds himself a finalist for induction.

"It would be a great honor, but it's out of my control," said Zimmerman, who came out of retirement in September of '97 to reclaim his left tackle spot. "It would mean you're the best of the best, but I don't want to get in on a sympathy vote. I'll never politick to get in there. If they vote me in, though, I'd be very happy and gracious."