Valuable lessons from my time on the gridiron

Football will always be so much more than a mere spectator sport to those who have played the game.

Only those who have played football can truly begin to comprehend why the sport we love means so much to us. It’s so much more than just a fun time in our lives, it’s a part of who we are, to the very core of our being.

I consider myself fortunate to have played football here at USD under former head coach Joe Glenn. The experience taught me a lot. I don’t think I could ever learn anything more in any classroom or lecture hall.

I learned about perseverance and how to keep fighting and never put my head down, even after multiple setbacks or a huge mistake. I learned about community, togetherness and trust. Most importantly, I learned that you can’t let one thing, little or big, get in the way of your goals. If you have the right mentality and you work hard, you truly can accomplish anything.

This gratitude I possess isn’t expressed as a reflection of the less than mediocre record that was accredited throughout my time here. While there is definitely something to be said for successful results on the gridiron, a team’s cumulative record is a strictly utilitarian, merely trivial facet of the game when compared to the overwhelming benefits it offers its participants.

The unparalleled effects a sport like football can have on those who succumb to its priceless teachings present a much deeper, more meaningful and more impactful reward than the tangible results of a season.

Communication, trust and a solid relational foundation are absolutely essential when 11 people are asked to perform at their highest level of ability, in tandem, in order to achieve a common goal. This is exactly what football players do on every single play from scrimmage. For those unfamiliar with football on an intimate level, the technique, footwork and various schemes are much more meticulous than its generalized reputation suggests.

Before each play begins, every successful football player possesses the knowledge and expectation that the other 10 individuals, his colleagues, are going to do their jobs simultaneously, within the same few seconds he’s carrying out his own duties. This process must occur upwards of 100 separate times each and every game.

My personal experiences with my fellow colleagues on the USD football team were life-changing. I truly developed life-long friendships and have made memories that will last a lifetime. I’ve also gained a unique perspective on the power of relationships. Being involved in these deeply influential, productive relationships within the competitive atmosphere of collegiate athletics has allowed me to draw several connections to the importance of a culture built around trust and the perspective of leadership that supports this notion.

The feat of achieving unity with diversity proves necessary for any football team. Each of us brought our own diverse cultural background to the unit. Throughout my time on the football team, I have befriended players from Los Angeles to Chicago, Minnesota to Florida. I have personally experienced no better example of achieving unity with diversity than being a member of the football team here at USD. I can definitely see how bringing a variety of beautiful backgrounds, cultures, values and experiences together under one vision can be exceedingly beneficial.

Our football team, and any football team for that matter, is proof that unity isn’t the same as uniformity. We brought our own individual identity and culture with us to work every day. This allowed each of us to completely give 100 percent of ourselves each and every day. As a result, this established a foundation of trust. Each of us must trust one another because success is a process that involves a long-term, encompassing vision. This mutual trust, fueled by our completely candid, individualized character, brought us closer together and allowed us to create a distinct culture as a football team.

Football has allowed me to truly experience moments worthy of life-long embrace. I have made memories that will spark moments of nostalgia 20 years from now. There were several specific moments in games — when we were driving the ball through the core of a defensive line, in critical situations when we needed a first down or needed to score, when we broke the huddle and the entire season was on the line — every one of those moments will not be forgotten. I will cherish them and hold them close to my heart for the rest of my life.

The moments we share and the deeply grounded, life-long relationships we develop throughout our lifetimes shape us as individuals. I can candidly say without the sport of football, which encompassed so much of this for me, my life would have much less substance and meaning.