They are busy. Their time is valuable. They’re in high demand. Breaking through all that red tape takes weeks, sometimes months.

Trying to get two of them together at the same time? You may as well be asking for Knute Rockne himself to come back to earth and give a pep talk in the middle of Bank of America Stadium. But let the impossible be possible my friends. Mike Rucker and Mike Minter graciously agreed to give us some time to profile their learning center, The Ruckus House.

Here’s a little history: In my past life I used to produce college football stories. I’ve chased the coaches down, I’ve run up and down the field, I’ve coordinated interviews with guys who won Heismans. I used to cover the college football hall of fame inductions. I knew to ask John Elway about Cal Stanford 1982. My purpose in telling you this? I’m not just some dumb girl who got handed somewhat of a sports story. I have a little background, but that didn’t stop my stomach from being in knots.

For those of you who have never coordinated a shoot, it’s kind of like going to the DMV. You need to think of everything you could possibly need. Birth certificates, social security cards, titles, insurance, the change from your ashtray. Because if you waited in line for four hours for some guy named Harlan to say you forgot something, you will not be happy. All that time, all that work for nothing. So like the DMV kids, you need to be prepared. You only get one shot. You’ve got to make it good. You need to think of everything.

For this one, I planned my questions more than I usually do. I didn’t want to appear dumb. Professional athletes are different than the college mold. They’re guarded, they’re more rehearsed, they’ve been there, done that. It is intimidating interviewing people who you know have talked to big-time reporters who’ve been in big-time magazines, who are on ESPN on a weekly basis. So what do you? You gotta just act like you know what you’re doing. Never let them see you sweat, even if you are paranoid to lift up your arms. And just when you think you’ve planned it all out, a tornado blows through and ruins your cute outfit AND all your planning. (Just ask Colleen Odegaard about the CARS premiere) That’s a crisis. This is why you plan and why you expect everything to go wrong.

But here’s the beauty of this shoot. Nothing did! In the middle of the interview I whipped out my secret weapon. Rucker and Minter both went to Nebraska. I did a show there during my college football days. That’s what led me to my secret weapon. A giant Cornhusker hat. It is huge! It is a giant corn cob. It was so big I had to bring it in a special box. They got a good laugh off of it and it helped me lighten the mood. It also helped me untie the knots in my stomach.

The guys were ready for what we wanted to do. They looked sharp. They played with the kids. They were nice. They were genuine. The teachers were fabulous, friendly and very accommodating. It was a dream shoot and a dream afternoon with the Mikes. These guys are officially my favorite football players ever. When I have kids I’m taking them to the Ruckus House. My first born may just have to be named Mike. Go Panthers!

Watch Back to the Gridiron: Chrysler’s Panther Preview Sept. 7th to see how the story turned out.