 Hi, I'm Rusty Komori, and this is Beyond the Lines on Think Tech, Hawaii. I was the head coach of the Punahou Boys varsity tennis team for 22 years, and we were fortunate to win 22 consecutive state championships. My books Beyond the Lines and Beyond the Game are about leadership, character, and creating a superior culture of excellence, which is what this show is all about. My special guest today is a man of great character with a fantastic team-first mentality. He is Florida State quarterback Mackenzie Milton, and today we are going Beyond Football. Hey, KZ, welcome to Beyond the Lines. What's going on, Rusty? Thank you for having me. Now, I know you've been in Florida, the state of Florida, for some years now, but what are some things that you miss about Hawaii? I would say I miss the people, first of all, and then the food. The food from where? Oh, everywhere. Zippies. I've grown pretty fond of my cafe in Kapolei. That place is unreal. They have these malasada pancakes, so every time I go home, I go there, I get smoked meat. Yeah, it's unbelievable. It's the best food in the world, and I tell people that here all the time. Well, I know that you love it there in Florida as well, and the people of Florida absolutely love you. Mackenzie, I want to ask you about your family. Your parents, Mark and Teresa, are incredible people. What's the biggest thing you learned from them? Like you said, just how they treat people, and then also just working hard. They've done everything to provide for my family and myself, so I appreciate them greatly for all the lessons they taught me along the way, and I am who I am because of them. And Mackenzie, that's so good. I got to know your dad pretty well now. He's my new friend, and I know that you and Tua Tangovaloa are friends for a long time. How did your friendship begin with Tua? When we met in elementary school, he joined my parents' youth football league along with his brother, Talia, and his cousin, Myron, they were on our football team. And he was our quarterback, and I was running back, and we played together for a season. So that's how we first met, and we kind of kept in contact since and followed each other's career since, competed against each other, and I guess I had just kind of supported each other ever since. So he's a class act. What you see is what you get with him, and he's definitely someone I look up to. Just the way he carries himself, and obviously the way he plays, he's an unbelievable football player. And tell me about that youth football league. That's something that your parents had started? I'm not sure if they started the YPO Panthers, but they inherited it, and they ran it for, I think, 15-plus years, and it's out of YPO Gentry Park, and we played our games at Milani District Park. And that's how I made some of my lifelong friends from playing in that league. They just gave back to their community, and they kind of adopted me from the mainland. So I was extremely grateful for that, because it provided me an avenue to one, fall in love with football, and then to make some lifelong friends, like I said. Oh, that's so good to hear, because they definitely made a huge positive impact with so many families here in Hawaii. And Casey, I want to ask you about my books. I know you have both of my books, and you're in the first, you're reading the first book so far. Are you liking it so far? I am. I'm liking it so far. One thing that's kind of stood out to me is, or two things that kind of stood out to me, is the first thing is just, you know, everybody has choices, and the choices kind of ultimately lead to who you are. And then the four P's is what's stood out to me in the early chapters of, you know, one people, everything you do involves people, especially in sports, so. And one thing I've learned, you're only as good as the people around you. And then process, I don't feel like you can cheat the process. It always takes something to get to where you're going. And then purpose, I think purpose comes before process, I'm sorry. So you find your purpose is obviously important. And then performance, you've got to perform to be great. And like you did at Puno, you guys won 22 straight state championships, which is unbelievable. I was only able to get one at Milani, so I know how hard it comes. Hey, Casey, I'm impressed that you know the four P's. Nice. That's me really. So I feel grateful and honored that you like the book so far. Hopefully you keep liking it. And I want to talk more about your experience at Milani High School, being the quarterback there, and, you know, winning the state championship. You guys had a pretty good team that year too, right? Yeah, and I think it was 2014, we actually beat Puno, but they beat us a year prior. But yeah, we had some talent on that team. And I would argue it's maybe the best high school team ever. I'm obviously biased, but, you know, between, you know, myself, a Varmala PI, Calla Cala-Tamil, Rex Monu, Kaimana Pidello, Kainoa Wilson, Tuivali Purcell, there are a lot of guys play D1. And more than anything, you know, we worked really hard. And Coach Rodgort, he instilled a work ethic in us. And it's a team camaraderie. I think that's where I really learned, you know, you know, there's no individual success without team success. So especially in the game of football, you know, it's all 11 guys working together. And, you know, it's a beautiful thing when it happens, right? And, you know, we were fortunate enough to be a really, really good Puno team. And it literally came down to the last plays. So that's something I still think back on and look back on sometimes. And, you know, those were definitely some great moments. No, that's good to hear. I mean, I, you know, I grew up in Mililani and I was actually cheering for you because I became a fan of you, Mackenzie, just watching you as quarterback and just how you compete. And I like hearing that Coach York had that, you know, team first mentality. And, KZ, what attracted you to go to University of Central Florida? Well, you know, I only had a few offers coming out of high school. I got hurt my senior year, hurt my throwing arm, my shoulder, which I think kind of kept some schools away from me really in the recruiting process. And it turned out to be a blessing and, you know, ended up leading me out to UCF. And I think the main thing was, you know, watching Marcus Mariota play at Oregon and, you know, Scott Frost, he was his offensive coordinator. And that was my dream school, Oregon, especially like, like I said, watching Marcus do his thing. So just having the opportunity to play under Coach Frost and, you know, the offensive scheme he ran and, you know, I knew I could surround myself with some talented guys going to Florida or the state of Florida. And, you know, sure enough, there's been a number of guys that I played with that have ended up in the NFL. And we had some some great times and some some really good success over there. And KZ, I mean, that's that's an incredible story with you and Coach Scott Frost. Because UCF was 0 and 12. And then was it your first year that UCF went six and six? And then your second year, you guys went undefeated, 12 and 0, winning the Peach Bowl over Auburn, who was ranked number seven in the country? Yes, sir. Yeah, our first season, we're coming off a 0 and 12 year. And as a freshman, you know, I started several games and we went six and seven. And then following your, like you said, we went 13 and 0 and beat Auburn. And it was just a special journey, you know, with a group of special guys and special coaches. So and Coach Frost, he was the guy to catalyst at all. He was a great coach, a great leader. And with all that, he's an even better person. So that's someone I definitely look up to. And I hope to emulate him one day when I get into the coaching. Well, you know, I love Coach Scott Frost. I've been following him for years because, you know, I went to Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and he was the Nebraska quarterback winning the national championship. And why is why was he such an effective coach at UCF? I mean, he just commanded the locker room. But at the same time, he knew he cared about his players and anything he said, like it got through to you no matter what it was. And, you know, it was if he was getting on, you knew it was never coming from a place of him having something against you or just trying to better you. And I think that was something special about him. So and also like you just came to work every day and you're just a genuine guy. You could talk to him about anything going on in your life. So I think that's something that's important as a coach, you know, X's and O's and on the field is one thing. But when you truly care about your players, that's something that you can truly form a special bond and have that trust on and off the field. No, that's great to hear. I mean, empathy is such a such a key thing for for any leader, you know, to have success with their teams, whether it be in sports or business. And and Casey, I want to ask you about that devastating knee injury that you had. I mean, I watched that game. I mean, it was it was horrific. And and you were doing so good in the game. And then, you know, tell me the details about how bad that injury really was. Yeah, you know, we were and we had one 22 straight games going into that. And I just took a bad hit helmet to the knee and my knee dislocated and I suffered nerve artery and limb ligament damage. It's pretty much the worst knee injury you could possibly have playing a sport or in general, typically, it's something that happens in a car accident. This is unfortunate and, you know, the rehab process has been tough, but luckily, I've had some great surgeons and a great medical team to, you know, help me through it. So it hasn't been an easy road, but it's definitely been rewarding, you know, coming out on the other side of it and, you know, being able to get to to play again. Amputation was a possibility as well. Yes, with with this injury when, you know, you have artery and nerve damage, it gets dicey, especially with the artery. If there's no blood flow going to your leg, you know, just becomes a dead leg. So I think it's about 50 50, you know, with this injury. And, you know, by the grace of God, you know, I was right in Tampa and it was one of the best trauma centers in the country, Tampa General. And, you know, they had to do an artery bypass the night I got hurt. And, you know, thankfully they saved my leg and my nerve, my nerve came back, which was also part of, you know, the risk of amputation. The nerve was severed. And, you know, I'd never get feeling back in my leg, which would also result in amputation. So I said, it's by the grace of God, you know, obviously it's an unfortunate injury, but it could have been worse. And it wasn't. So, you know, I'm back on the football field, playing the game I love and, you know, I'm mixture in the group for that. You know, I always felt like that wasn't the end of the story and I still don't feel like it is. And I don't take it for granted at all, though, you know, being back on just practicing. So there's a lot of, I mean, most people would have said that I wouldn't get to this point. And, you know, but I never believed that, you know, my parents, they never let me believe that. And, you know, that's a goal I had since the moment I got hurt was to get back on the field. And, you know, that's what I've been doing. And, you know, it's not just getting back. It's I want to perform at a high level. And I feel like I'll be able to do that. Once Scott Frost left UCF, Josh Hypole became the head coach. What's something that you learned from coach Josh Hypole? I think just the main thing I learned from him was just the details of things and, you know, not taking shortcuts or anything like that. You know, we kind of butted heads a little when he first got there, because, you know, I would sometimes come late to things. And like I said, he was just a big guy that, you know, if you're not great in the little things in your life, you're not gonna be great in anything. Eventually, you know, those little things will surface. So I really appreciate him holding me accountable to that. And just bettering every aspect of my life. And I feel like that's the biggest thing I took from him and now he's at Tennessee. And, you know, we actually just talked tonight. So I have a lot of love for him and his family. And, you know, I wish him the best at Tennessee. And I'm sure our paths will cross again, you know, very soon. Hazy, I want you to tell my viewers about why you decided to transfer from UCF to Florida State. You know, part of it was, you know, my buddy Dylan Gabriel, he is a graduate from Milani High School as well. And, you know, he's like a little brother to me. And, you know, he's playing QB at UCF and, you know, he's doing a great job. So, main reason I just feel like we're both too good to be on the same team. I feel like that's part of it. You know, there's only one football. And, you know, I didn't feel like he had to take a backseat to me or I had to take a backseat to him. So, you know, it's his job now over there. I couldn't write it any better. So, you know, hopefully signing off, you know, we'll have a great season and, you know, if everything goes as planned and, you know, that'd be awesome. Then hopefully I'll get a chance to play in the NFL. But, you know, just being here has been awesome for this spring. I've only been here a few months, but I'm just extremely grateful for the opportunity. I mean, that's your, you have that team first mentality right there where, you know, it's all about team, you know, Dylan and then your teammates there at UCF and you want the best for them. And then now that you're at Florida State, I mean, what is it about Coach Mike Norval that you admire and that you like about him? You know, I competed against him while he was at Memphis. And every time we played them, they were a tough, tough team. They were physical, they were fast. And I like what they ran on offense and just getting to know him as a person. You know, he's another one of those guys that truly cares about his athletes and not just on the football field and every aspect of their life. He expects excellence in the classroom. How you conduct yourself off the field. And, you know, that's something I appreciate. And I think that's why he's had the success he's had as a coach. And I think that's why he'll continue to be one of the best coaches in college football and wherever he goes. He's gonna continue to flourish because, you know, he's molding players, but he's also molding men, which, you know, I feel like sometimes, you know, some coaches miss the ball on that, but he's a guy that has surrounded himself with great assistants, great players. And, you know, he's gonna yield great results because of that. And, you know, Florida State has, I mean, they have a huge tradition of, you know, football greatness. And, you know, well, tell me about how your teammates are. I mean, I know that you have a lot of talent around you. Is everyone kind of gelling together right now? Yeah, you know, it's going really good. Our spring practices have been extremely productive. I feel like we're making strides each day. And, you know, that's something that's important because you only get to put on the pads for about a month in spring. And, you know, if you had to maximize each day, and I feel like our guys have been doing that, putting in extra work, whether it's film, on-field work, or anything like that. You know, I don't feel like we've wasted a day in these spring workouts. And I feel like we've continued down that path. We will have a chance to be pretty good. You know, right now, you are who you are today and you are who you are tomorrow. So, you know, we just got to keep pushing on a loop. And, you know, we always talk about getting 1% better. And the standard for us is just being your best. Nothing less, nothing more, just be your best. So I feel like if we continue down that, we'll have a chance to be a pretty special team. Oh, that sounds good. And KZ, I want to go a little deeper with you now. Why do champions become champions? I feel like it's a combination of things, but I feel like the main thing is consistency. You know, if you're consistent in who you are day in and day out, and it's not just being consistent in, you know, big things, it's the little things. Like, your book kind of talks about, you know, if you get up and make your bed, that's the first thing you do. You've already accomplished the first task. So it's not just the big aspects of your life, it's every aspect of your life. And, you know, when you take care of those things, that's when, you know, I kind of believe in good luck per se in the sense of, you know, good things will happen to you if you take care of, you know, what you're supposed to, because, you know, sometimes a ball will land in the right spot or it'll roll the right way. Just because of what you put into it. You know, it just happens to be that way sometimes, what I've learned, you know, playing sports for a long time. So I feel like consistency is the biggest part of it. And, you know, bringing others along with you is another big part of it, especially in the team sport. You know, like I said, there's no individual success without team success. So champion is able to bring others along with them to get to where they wanna go. And great leaders create other great leaders around them. And, you know, I feel like it's just a combination of all those things, just the little things add up. And I feel like when you overlook the little things, that's when, you know, you'll get caught slipping eventually and the slips and the cracks will eventually become losses and you'll find yourself not where you wanna be before the time, so. No, I love hearing that. I totally agree with you. It's all about those little things because little victories lead to big victories. And KZ, you know, when you guys beat Auburn in the Peach Bowl, why did you guys win that game? And you, I mean, just tell me about what you think it was and what was it like in the locker room at halftime? You know, I feel like we won that game because we knew we were supposed to win that game. We felt like we were a better team and, you know, I always say, you know, the game's played out Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. And by the time Thursday hits, you're walking through Friday, you're walking through and it's all dress rehearsal at that point and then Saturday, you just go out and perform. You know, the separation is in the preparation. You know, if you feel like you have the answers to the test already, then you're just going in and marking it up, you know? So I feel like that's kind of what set us apart at UCF against those other teams. Obviously, you have to have good players. You have to have good athletes. At the same time, it's, you know, failure to prepare is preparing to fail. I feel like our team did a great job preparing and, you know, we knew we matched up physically, athletically and all we had to do was just go execute. And honestly, we didn't execute a great deal during the game and we still won because we were a better team. And truthfully, I feel like if we played them again and executed at a high level, it would have been a two to four touchdown game, either way. Yeah, and that just goes to show you, I mean, how good you guys were. I mean, because great teams can find a way to win even when they're not playing their best. And to go back on what you said at halftime, you know, like I said, we weren't executing well, but we were still up. So we had confidence going in that if we just do our jobs, we'll be just fine and win this game. So we had no worries. We felt like we're supposed to win that game that we did. No, it's a mindset. It's, I mean, you guys were just believing in yourselves and in each other and I love it. That shit showed it on the field. And KZ, what drives you to be the best that you can possibly be? Oh, you know, part of it is, you know, I want to represent, you know, my family with a lot of pride, but also, you know, I do it for myself and that's not a selfish thing is, I think just coming off the injury is more so, you know, I want to prove to myself that I can come back and overcome this obstacle. It's not to prove any doubters wrong or anything like that. You know, it's for me to just prove to myself and also, you know, to show that, you know, God can work great things through some tough circumstances. So it's a combination of those three things. I feel like, you know, myself, my family and God really, but other than that, you know, I love playing for my teammates. I love all that, but, you know, like this, I feel like this year is going to be special just because, you know, it's been a long time coming and, you know, those people around me have been the catalyst to help me get back to where I want to be to play. So mainly for my family, but also, you know, this isn't going to be for me. And I'm not trying to be selfish, like I said, but I feel like, you know, I've been through a lot and I just really want to enjoy playing football. And I feel like that's what people a lot of times miss out and, you know, if you're playing something you love, just go out and enjoy it for yourself. Cause one thing about it, whatever sport you're playing, it's not, it's going to end one day. So just enjoy it while it lasts. And football is a game and games are fun and you can never lose sight of, you know, why you first got into football, right? Absolutely, absolutely. Now, KZ, what's a big lesson you learned in your young life so far? Shoot, kind of like we talked about earlier, choices. You know, I haven't always made the best choices in college, you know, or in high school, but you know, I've also made some good ones. You know, I made a good choice to come out here to UCF and, you know, that's what ultimately led me to FSU. So I feel like that's the biggest thing I learned. You know, your choices define who you are and that ultimately determines your legacy. You know, you can choose to work hard or you can choose to take a day off, but you'll never get that day back. So that's kind of one thing I've learned and that's something my dad's always kind of, you know, hard to me, you know, your choices are going to ultimately determine who you are because that's all life is, is a series of choices. And like I said, I know I'm not perfect, you know, I'm trying to better myself every day, but I know I try to surround myself with the right people and make the right choices for the most part. And that's one thing I've learned and that's one thing I'll try to carry with me, you know, forever really. No, I like hearing that because that's why chapter one is the choice is yours in the book. And KZ, you know, you and I, we've been on so many teams in the past, you know, and we know what the coach or the leader has done that was good or what they did that was bad. What do you feel the greatest leaders do? I feel like the greatest leaders, they set the standard and, you know, they'll do anything that they expect their players to do and they'll go through that fire with them. They don't just ask or tell them to do something and don't go through and do it themselves. I feel like the best leaders lead by example and action. I kind of like saying you lead by action more than example because action, you're putting forth and going to do something with them. So I feel like the best leaders I've been around have done that and they've yielded great results and, you know, they made even greater leaders around them, which is, I feel like, you know, leaving a legacy, you know, making anybody can, you know, do something for themselves. But when they branch off, like in your book, you know, talk about Bill Belichick having his coaching tree and Nick saving his coaching tree, that's a legacy. And I feel like that's the mark of a true leader, you know, changing, you know, not just the people's lives around them, but the people's lives around them and then so forth, those people that they're going to impact. I think those are the best leaders I've been around and, you know, that's something I admire and, you know, hope to be one of them. Oh, that's exactly what you're doing, Mackenzie, and I want to ask you one more thing. How do you define greatness? Man, that's a loaded question right there. I would say, I would say greatness is, you know, if you're able to look into the mirror every day and, you know, be able to tell yourself you gave your best, you know, in that day, in that moment, and you're continuing to better yourself, I feel like that makes you great. You know, not every person's, you know, a five-star athlete or a world-class athlete, but you can be great in anything. You can be great in something and whatever your niche is, whatever your skill is, everybody's got something that they're good at, but it's finding that little thing to separate you from someone else and become great. And it's the little things, the little things that matter. And, you know, the difference between good and great, I learned in popular football is just a little more effort, little more effort each day that's going to separate you inch by inch, block by block, and those inches become feet, those feet become yards. And then before you know it, you're miles ahead of the competition and I feel like the greatest competition is yourself. Because if you start comparing yourself to others, that's where it gets dicey because someone might be far ahead of you or way behind you. So if you're comparing yourself with someone far behind you, then you're really regressing because, you know, that's not the standard. The standard should be to just better yourself every day. And I feel like that's what greatness is all about. KZ, you are a great example of greatness and I want more KZs in the world. And I want to thank you for taking time to join me on the show today. Thank you, brother. I appreciate you having me, Rusty. And thank you for watching Beyond the Lines on Think Tech, Hawaii. For more information, please visit RustyKamori.com and my books are available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I hope that KZ and I will inspire you to create your own superior culture of excellence and to find your greatness and help others find theirs. Aloha.