Guests: Derick Hall, NFL Player & Super Bowl Champion & his mom, Stacy Gooden-Crandle
In this episode, we chat about:
- Stacy’s experience giving birth at 23 weeks and navigating the fear of whether she could meet Derick’s needs.
- How Stacy processed Derick’s ongoing therapies and prepared for the uncertainty of what his future might look like.
- When Derick first understood his premature birth story and realized his path might be different from others.
- Where Derick’s drive to keep beating the odds comes from, and how that journey inspired the 1% Foundation.
- What Stacy and Derick want other NICU families to hear—and how people can support NICU babies and families.
Connect with Derick and Stacy
About the guest
Derick Hall was born on March 19, 2001, in Gulfport, Mississippi, at just 23.5 weeks premature. He weighed 2 lbs. 9 oz. and had no heartbeat. Doctors gave him a 1% chance of surviving the night and asked his mother, Stacy Gooden-Crandle, to sign a do-not-resuscitate form. She refused.
Hall spent five months in the NICU before going home, overcoming a brain bleed, underdeveloped lungs, and a weakened immune system. His mother never left his side. He started playing football at age five, partly on doctors’ orders to build up his lung strength, fell in love with the game, and never stopped. He went on to become a First-Team All-SEC pass rusher at Auburn University and was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
In Super Bowl LX in February 2026, Hall recorded two sacks and a forced fumble as Seattle defeated the New England Patriots 29-13, winning the franchise’s second Lombardi Trophy. He dedicated the win to his mother, who was on the field to embrace him as the final whistle sounded. Away from football, Hall founded the Derick Hall One Percent Foundation, named for the odds he beat at birth. The foundation supports premature babies and their families, addresses food insecurity, and expands youth fitness programs in underserved communities.