Greetings!
He was class president of his high school at age 17. Graduated from his university
in three years with an overall 3.67 GPA. He made the Dean’s List on three occasions.
Seven times he earned a spot on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll! A
finalist for the very prestigious NCAA Arthur Ashe Award in 2010. Chosen THE
Sports Person of the Year in 2012 for his entire college conference. Currently
studying for his Master’s Degree in Communications.
Oh, besides all of the above, he found time to build a winning tradition
for his college football program that had lost for 13 straight seasons prior to
his arrival. Led his school to their first Bowl Game victory since the year 1992
(he racked up 67 points in the win) and happened to capture the 2011 Heisman Trophy
among his many accolades. Meet Robert Griffin III.
The Washington Redskins were
so wrapped up into his charismatic personality and athletic skill set on the
football field that they proceeded to shock all NFL teams and their fans
everywhere by swapping out their first round pick (#6 to #2) and two more
future number one’s and a second round selection to St. Louis for the rights to
select RG3. Put yourself into his
mindset: You’re just 22-years-old. Now fresh out of college. Heading to the
Nation’s Capital - the same city where our President, Senators, Congressmen, the
country’s most influential deal makers and media scribes and bloggers reside! All
eyes are on you! You’ve just been given the keys to a franchise worth $1,600,000,000
(or $1.6 Billion) according to Forbes Magazine. Their rabid fan base is
starving for a winner after seeing the team finish dead last in the NFC East
each of the last four seasons prior to this year.
No pressure right? Before the plaudits come in with how Griffin helped lead the Redskins to an exciting first place finish here in 2012 and a spot in the NFL Payoffs, perhaps RG3’s greatest individual achievement this year is not what we all witnessed on the field but I see it as how he retransformed the Redskins’ locker room just like he did at Baylor University. Many say he was simply a force of overwhelming belief from that very first day he walked into the team’s training camp last July.
“His expectation of winning and playing great is a huge
influence in here,” said veteran tight end Chris Cooley. “It’s been a drastic
change of culture, and you could say Robert has been the biggest part of that.
He’s a natural leader. When he talks, people listen — and people believe. No
one said, ‘Okay, you’re the quarterback, so we’re going to listen to what you
say.’ You build that trust.
“It’s an unbelievably hard thing to do,” Cooley continued.
“I don’t think he came in and in his mind said, ‘I have to make everyone
believe in me.’ I think he came in and said, ‘I believe in myself, and I’m
going to do what I do best.’ And the rest just falls into place.”
This is Griffin’s team now. The seeds were first planted –
and evident to everyone – when the team was preparing to play their first
pre-season game back on August 9th. RG3 got himself into the first
row seat on the team bus before his teammates arrived so that he could reach up
and “fist tap” every single player and coach as they boarded the vehicle. It was Griffin that also gave a riveting
locker room speech to the entire team when they came off the bye week in
mid-November with a three-game losing streak and a 3-6 record.
Because of these moments, Griffin now wears a Captain’s
“C” on his Redskins’ jersey, an extraordinary honor unheard of for an NFL
rookie. “Everybody gets in line behind him and says, ‘Take us to the promised
land,’ ” says wide receiver Santana Moss, himself a 12-year veteran. “I know it
sounds funny saying that, but he shows what it takes every day to get to where
he’s trying to get by how he prepares. It shows up on the field on Sundays. There’s
no question you want this guy to be a captain.”
“I think I earned their belief after the first preseason
game, and I think I got their trust after the first regular season game,” Griffin
said. “Because your work and your work ethic can only speak so much, but once
you go out and do it in a game and you perform in the clutch, that’s when you
can really earn guys’ trust.”
What sets Griffin apart from most everyone else? He has the
charisma and showmanship of a Michael Jordan, combined with the self-confidence
and leadership skills to run a Fortune 500 Corporation and then add in the feel
goodness of a quality human being that genuinely cares about people … he is an
attraction magnet!
SO THAT YOU KNOW, ROBERT GRIFFIN III IS PROOF THAT GREAT
THINGS CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE DESPITE YOUR DRAFT ROUND OR POSITION ON THE TEAM. BACK
IN 2008 AS A SENIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL, SCOUTS HAD RG3 RANKED AS THE 42ND
BEST PROSPECT - JUST IN THE STATE OF TEXAS ALONE! TODAY, HE’S AT THE HEAD OF HIS
CLASS JUST LIKE HE PROVED ACADEMICALLY YEARS AGO!
All the best my friend!
Jim
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“Somehow I
can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who
knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to
me, can be summarized in four C’s. They are Curiosity, Confidence, Courage, and
Constancy, and the greatest of all is Confidence. When you believe in a thing,
believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable" – stated by the
legendary Walt Disney
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“What happened yesterday is history. What happens tomorrow is a mystery.
What we do today makes a difference” – stated by Nick Saban, University of
Alabama Head Football Coach
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“No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward
for what he gave” – stated by Calvin Coolidge, our 30th
President of the United States (1923–1929)
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Jim Loria
E-Mail: loria@sfstampede.com
Jim Loria
E-Mail: loria@sfstampede.com
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