The movie Invincible is
based on the true story of Vince Papale, a 30-year old bartender who gets a
late-in-life chance to join the Philadelphia Eagles professional football
team. In the film, Vince has lost his
teaching job, his marriage has ended, and he’s contemplating going to the
Eagles’ open tryout. His father is a
blue-collar pragmatist, and suggests Vince not get his hopes up because, “a man
can only take so much failure.” Vince
goes anyway, earns an invitation to pre-season training, and makes the cut to
formally join the team, ultimately becoming a central force in revitalizing them. This week’s story says similar things about
how failure can drive us…
When young Pete would call his friends, he’d speak a single word
into the phone: “ballgame.” Not “hi” or
“it’s Pete,” just “ballgame.” Growing up
in the bay-area town of Larkspur, California, Pete was consumed with
sports. When he’d call and say
“ballgame,” there was no telling what he meant—an all-day basketball marathon at
the local school, a San Francisco excursion to watch baseball from the cheap
seats at Candlestick Park, or a gathering at his house to see whatever big game
was on TV. The only certainty was that
it would be fun.
A talented athlete, Pete excelled as a boy in Pop Warner youth
football. However, he faced his first
disappointment in high school, when his lack of physical growth left him a
slender 110 pounds as an incoming freshman.
Initially told he was too small to play, Pete wasted no time obtaining
special clearance from his doctor. After
that initial speed bump, Pete became a three-sport standout, playing
basketball, baseball, and nearly every position on the football team. He washed dishes to pay his way to football
camp the summer after his junior year, and received his school’s Athlete of the
Year award as a senior.
Pete went on to play football in college, earning numerous
athletic honors while getting his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. After graduating, he tried out for a
professional team, but didn’t make it due to his small size. He got a job as a roofer, and entered the
first period of his life without football.
It wouldn’t last long.
Pete wanted to find a way back into the game. Starting as an assistant, he began a long
climb through a series of coaching positions.
His enthusiasm for the game and ability to empathize with players at
every position earned him high regard as he gained experience. After 18 years in a variety of roles, Pete
finally got a coaching position at the professional level, as head coach of the
New York Jets. But the dream job was
short-lived: after just one
disappointing season, Pete was fired.
After two seasons as an NFL defensive coordinator, Pete got
another head coaching opportunity, this time at the helm of the New England
Patriots. However, his style didn’t mesh
with the goals of the ownership, and after three seasons in New England, Pete
was fired again. With the unfortunate
label of “damaged goods” beginning to follow him around, Pete spent a year consulting
for pro and college teams, writing a football column, and doing charitable work
for the NFL. In that time, his sense of
competition intensified, and he began doing everything he could to prepare for
his next opportunity.
When USC took a chance on Pete, who wasn’t their first, second, or
even third choice, he was ready, and credits his firings as a huge part of
making him a better coach. He must be
right. Under Pete Carroll as head coach,
the USC Trojans established a record of 96 wins and only 19 losses in 9 years,
during which time they won two national championships. This set the stage for Pete’s return to
professional football, becoming head coach of the Seattle Seahawks in 2010. Pete completely revamped the Seahawks roster
and built the team that, just three years later, advanced to Seattle’s
first-ever Super Bowl and a victory in 2014.
Pete Carroll’s path to football greatness was a checkered one, and
says much about the critical, life-enhancing value of failure as a component to
future success. Failing seems like
something we should avoid, but the simple truth is, some of the most important
experiences we’ll need to live our best lives can only be gained by enduring and
learning from failure. Don’t give up,
view failure as a source of constructive feedback, and you can coach yourself
to the top of your game!
Until next week...
Live Your Dreams!
No comments:
Post a Comment