than were available in the past, they don't have to build up resilience. If they don't like how they are being treated in college they just transfer to a different college. This does not correlate with real life. In real life there is no transfer portal, you can't just up and leave real life situations.
Otis' story is about how he made it to the NFL even though he wasn't the biggest, fastest and strongest player. He grew up in the Bay Area, Union City. He was the youngest of four boys. He has one brother that is a principal at a junior high school in Elk Grove. He has another brother that is 6' 3", 300 lbs., same mother and Father, go figure. He is now the defensive line coach at the University of Arizona State. His oldest brother is a marine. His mother was a counselor at a middle school and managed to transport all four boys to every sporting event as they grew up. She was a very faithful and believing mom. His dad came from a rough up brining and ended up a raging alcoholic. He could function during the day but would stop by the liquor store on the way home and arrive as a stumbling raging alcoholic at least three to four times a week. Playing sports was a way to escape the chaos of the home situation.
The sport he was actually best in was baseball, playing center field and lead-off hitter. He also excelled in basketball. His favorite sport now is golf. The sport he made it all the way in was football. He won the wrestling championship in middle school. In high school he was rated the #1 receiver in the entire Bay Area. He was poised to go to any college he wanted.
At the age of seven, he remembers claiming that he was going to play for the Forty Niners one day, even though there was a 0.6% chance of making it. Only 259 players get drafted into the NFL every year out of the thousands available to play.
Otis secures a partial scholarship with the University of Oklahoma. He choose Oklahoma because they just won the National championship. Unfortunately, he injured his knee in the last game of his high school football season ending that opportunity. His coach told him that it doesn't matter what school you play for, if you can play, they will find you. He ends up getting a call from a school he never heard of, Sac State. They interviewed him and checked out his grades and character before ever asking about his football exploits. They ended up offering him a full scholarship while he was still hurt.
His first game with Sac State he went in as the #5 receiver. Two receivers get hurt. He plays as the #3 receiver and catches 6 passes, the last one to win the game. He went from the #5 to the #1 receiver in one game. He ended up breaking every receiving and returning record at Sac State. His ultimate goal was to succeed enough to buy his mother a home as a way to tell his mom thank you for all she did for him growing up. Sac State didn't have a good football team losing every season he played. Even though the team was bad, he had faith in hard work and his dream to buy his mother a home.
He had an opportunity to transfer to Oklahoma State and declined it to complete his commitment to Sac State. His junior year a scout from the Steelers was at Sac State checking him out. He remembered being told, if you can play, they will find you. That idea transcends sports and applies to all professions. If you are good at what you do people will come looking for you. He ended up with a pro day with eight NFL scouts putting him through his paces. He was asked to bench press 250 lbs and needed to do it at least six times. He did it twenty times, second best that year. He also ran a very good 40-yard dash. His 7-year-old dream of playing for the 49ers was about to come true. He also wanted to see himself in an ESPN highlight countdown. He ended up getting drafted by the 49ers. However, he has to win a place on the roster. The coach tells them that only five of the prospects will make the team and everyone starts looking around to see how they match up. He ended up making the cut at #5.
The first game of the year against the Rams the coach decides to start him, as he wanted a fresh player in the game. He is sent in to take a punt from the Rams. There are a lot of things that the receiver is supposed to check while waiting for the ball to be kicked. Otis forgets them all and is only thinking about where his mom and girlfriend are in the stands. Because he was distracted, when he realizes the ball is coming to him, all he knows is that he needs to catch it. A 6' 4" 260 lbs. player is in his face. Otis makes him miss his tackle and takes off running. Thanks to many key blocks, he is headed for the end zone. The only person between him and the end zone is the punter. The last thing a returner wants to have happen is to be tackled by the punter, you never live it down. He makes the punter miss and there is no one between him and the goal. He turned his head to see where the nearest defender is, seeing none flashes a peace sign to the defense, and goes in for the score. His very first play in the NFL ended up being #4 on the ESPN Countdown.
Growing up, he was never the biggest, never the fastest, never the strongest but always willing to put in the work. That translates now in the work he is doing in the community, feeding the homeless, doing cloths drives and other things.
One of the highlights of his life was the time he went to Arizona and showed his mother four homes and in the fourth home he handed her the keys to the house and he thanked her for her sacrifices while raising her children. Everything he said he wanted to do at the age of seven he was able to accomplish.
He is now the Regional Director for a faith-based group, Fellowship of Christian Athletes. They work directly with student athletes and have save many from committing suicide.
Otis met a student that was accepted to every Ivey League school but couldn't afford to attend them. He ended up playing for Moraga. Otis asked him what his plans were for his life after sports. He said he wanted to write, direct and produce movies. He showed Otis his first short film. Otis knew he was a gifted movie artist. He ended up graduating from Sac State with honors. He believed in his dream so much that he paid his own way through USC film school. He called Otis and told him he was working on his first movie, would he like to be in it? Otis was in football training camp at that time and couldn't but a few of his friends did. The movie was titled Fruitville Station. He ended up calling Sylvester Stallone to pitch an idea and was cut off mid-sentence when Stallone said I do not know who you are. Fruitville station did so well that Stallone called him back. He convinced Stallone to allow him to write and produce a movie called Creed. Then he produced Creed 2. Marvel ended up calling him to produce a movie. His friend ended up producing the #1 grossing movie at that time, of all time, Black Panther.
You are not too young or too old for you to accomplish what you feel you need to do. You need to be able to lay on your deathbed and know that you left nothing undone and that you did everything you were put on earth to do. If you can play, they will find you.
President Goore thanked Otis for a very uplifting message.
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