How do we mine the Talent of the Super Bowl Champion?

May 23, 2012 //
0

Athletes are taught from day one to be a team-mate, to work hard and to try your best to win.  Winning is important!  When a football team wins the Super Bowl, if you ask the question how did they do that?  The answer would be close to the same for every team that has ever won it.  Just about every player would tell you he worked harder than he ever had in his whole career.  He would tell you that when he lined up next to his team-mate, he had a job to do and he had confidence in the guy next to him doing his job.  He would tell you that his team worked harder than any other team in football.  He would tell you that Winning is a state of mind.  He would tell you that his team had a goal to win the Super Bowl and anything else would not be good enough.

Fifty three highly talented men working on the goal of winning the Super Bowl.  Fifteen or more coaches.  Seventy plus in administration.  Another twenty or thirty running the medical and facilities.  You come up with a hundred or so highly motivated people working on the goal of winning the Super Bowl.  The players have to execute and the staff behind them have to do their job.  It all comes together and you win the Super Bowl.

Now compare that to Instagram.  Instagram had thirteen employees and in two years they went public and were worth one billion dollars.  Instagram represents the new America.  We no longer lead the world in manufacturing.  We are a knowledge based economy where technology in King.  Google, Facebook, Apple, etc. is what we lead in.  Add sports and entertainment to that mix and you have the new America.

Now in this New America, put those fifty-three highly motivated, highly achieving, Super Bowl winning athletes in a company called Super Bowls R US (SBRUS).   These guys brain storm in a room for days at a time and take all that each one of them knows and they pour it into this creative pot.  What kind of diversity would be in that pot?  How many points of views would go into that pot?  Fifty three strong winning personalities all in that pot.  Fifty three guys who since high school were used to being The Big Man On Campus.  The guys who dated the cheer leaders.  The Prom Kings.  The Homecoming Kings.

Instead of fifteen coaches, you now have fifteen business leaders, mentors, and visionaries preparing the SBRUS for the New America.  They have all the Social Media in the world to tap into. There are some of the top business minds in the country.  Ivy league corporate leaders in their fields.  Each partner has a unique background that spreads across the United States.  There is a White American who grew up a bigot and now is fighting for equal rights because his best friend is an African-American who changed his mind in college.  There is an African-American who was the first in his family to go to college and now knows the value of a college education and is preparing his children for college from the day they were born.  There is an African-American who never knew what a real family looked like until he went home on vacation with his team-mate from college and saw a real family sit down for dinner.

These Super Bowl Champions are now working in the New America.  They all have money and have invested equally in SBRUS.  Their business leaders are partners and equally invested.  They are not like the owners of the NFL franchise that won the Super Bowl when they played.  That owner was not equally invested with the players.  His portion was rightly or wrongly unevenly distributed to the advantage of the owner.  That is America.  If you own the company, then you call the shots.

SBRUS grows by leaps and bounds.  It goes public and in two years it is worth billions.  These ambitious  young men brought some things to the table that no one could imagine.  The results have been fantastic.  The same traits that propelled them to victory in the Super Bowl are now propelling them to victory once again but this time it is in the field of business.  Wall Street does not know what to make of it.  Their IPO sets records.  They are now in a position to buy their own  NFL team.

They buy a NFL team and implement all the changes they think are necessary.  Changes that they saw were necessary when they were on the other side of the ball and were helpless to do anything about.  All the players in the NFL now want to play on their team.  They win multiple Super Bowls and teach every player the SBRUS motto “We Win Because We Care About Our Players Success On and Off The Field.”

Categories American Football, High School Football, NCAA Football, NFL Football

How many Sports Millionaires Create More Millionaires?

May 19, 2012 //
0

Facebook created 1000 New millionaires in one day and these newly created millionaires will more than likely create new start-up tech companies that will go on to created more millionaires.  That is a great mindset.  Many angel investors locate in silicon valley actively seeking new investments.  That is the nature of the tech industry.

How many Sports Millionaires have been created?  How many Sports Millionaires have gone on to create more Sports Millionaires?  Where is the start-up Sports Industry designed around creating Sports Millionaires who willingly go out and Create More Sports Millionaires?  Lots of questions and I am looking for answers.  We can easily reference Silicon Valley.  Where is the Silicon Valley of the Sport Industry.

Look at the country of India.  This country has produced many great internet minds now and back during the internet boom.  As a people, many of them took their money made in America back to India and set up some of the top internet business and software companies in the world.  They have incredibly went about putting their country on the World business map.  I cant help but to think that it was their intention to do just that.

Now if you contrast that with the Sports Millionaire, here is what you may find.  The Sports Icon more than likely rose out of poverty to “Make It.”  Along the way he will probably thank his single parent mom.  His dad will more than likely be a no-show.  He will thank his coaches along the way for being the father figure in their lives.  Now he goes in the first round and is an instant millionaire.

That Sports Icon was more than likely spending the majority of his time training for his sport.  He was not spending the majority of  his time in college taking the essential courses and being a normal college student.  His time was spent practicing, meeting and watching film for his upcoming game.  Then he had to get treatment for his injuries and go eat.   Where is the student time?   Where is the Real Study time?  I am sorry but since the player must sleep, there is simply not enough time in the day.  Now the single mom who raised him is more than likely back home taking care of the rest of his family working at a blue-collar job.  He is not going to get that much support/guidance/money on how to succeed in college from back home.

Now that young man who was writing software code and getting that Ivy League education more than likely came from a two parent white-collar household who had planned for him to go to college since the time he was born.  He was being prepped for Wall Street from day one.  His whole family support structure probably goes back generations of Ivy League education.  Now what does that really mean?  It means that Wall Street was being talked about at the dinner table.  Power, ownership, business was being deposited in his DNA.  He was learning that if you create Wealth for others, they will help create Wealth for you.

Now compare that lifestyle to one of fast food, take care of yourself mentality in a week to week pay structure of a single parent home and try to wrap your mind around what this kid’s DNA will be made of.  In case you don’t get it, here it is and you can look at it happening everyday.  For example, the first round draft choice signs his multimillion dollar contract, he bling blings, gets hurt and the next thing you know his manager has stolen all his money and he is broke.  How about this one.  This potential first round draft choice gets arrested for stealing trinkets.  How about selling sports items for tattoos?  Need I go on?

If we look at Sports Icons who had long-lasting careers and examine how they fare in the business world after their careers are over, the success stories will be few and far between.  Sure some guys can go and be successful Sports Talk Hosts but that is a limited field.  I am looking for the exceptions.  The NBA has many players but how many Magic Johnson‘s do they have?  MC Hammer blew $30 million back when that was a lot of money.  How and Why?

Mark Zuckerberg is now worth $17 billion at 28 years old.  Facebook has created 1000 millionaires.  These people will create more tech companies with more millionaires and billionaires.  This will be passed along in all their families DNA.  All their children will go to college and their lives will be planned out as such that Success Will Be In Their DNA.

The Sports Icon will have his 15 minutes of Glory.  He will be invited to Zuckerberg’s private box at the stadium.  He will be invited to private dinners at the Zuckerberg estate and socialize in his private circles.  The problem is most of the people that he meets and greets will go on to be captains of Industry and create more captains.  The Sports Icon will fade from memory and maybe end up killing himself when the star light burns out.

Categories American Football, High School Football, NCAA Football, NFL Football

I Played Football-Michael Holmes

May 12, 2012 //
0

It all started for me in the streets of Akron, Ohio.  We played football in my neighborhood every chance we could get.  It was telephone pole to telephone pole.  Any available field and it was game on.  I was too big to play bantam football or any pee wee football so my real career did not start until 1970 when I was a sophomore at Akron East High.  Since I always played QB I tried out for QB.

Very few Black Americans were allowed to play QB in the 1970′s.  Coaches were instructed to move high school QB’s to another position in college.  I received a full scholarship to the University of Michigan in 1972.  Glenn Edward “Bo” Schembechler was my head coach.  I was not prepared for college.  I cannot remember a high school teacher mentoring me in preparation for college.  My parents were lucky if their generation completed high school and they had no idea about college prep.  I was the first in my family to go to college.

I showed up in Ann Arbor an eighteen year old naive football player.  I  signed up for all the required classes and when I went down to the football building and my coach looked at my transcript and asked, “who do you think you are, Einstein.”  He made me go change most of my classes and I still struggled my first semester.  Actually, I went on probation.

My best friends at Michigan all came from similar backgrounds.  Tim Davis (Warren, Oh), Gordon Bell (Troy, Oh), Greg Morton (Akron, Oh), Calvin O’neal (Saginaw, Mi),  Al Wheeler (Cincinnati, Oh), Frank Moore (Detroit, Mi).  Bob Wood (London, Oh), Les Miles (Elyria, Oh) and Don Dufek (Ann Arbor, Mi) parents were college educated.   Bob Wood was not on scholarship.  This really was an advantage for him because he was focused on school.  He interned at Dow Chemical every summer and was hired by Dow right out of college.   He later became a Dow executive.  Don Dufek was from Ann Arbor so it helped to have the home support.

My freshman year was the first year freshmen were allowed to play varsity football.  Archie Griffin was the first freshmen star player.  He went on to be the first 2 time Heisman trophy winner at Ohio State.  I played QB and FS on the freshman football team.  The next spring football practice I realized that I was not going to play QB.  Dennis Franklin was the starting  QB and was a junior.  Dave Brown was the starting SS and was an All American.  I had no chance to play either position so I moved to DE on the practice squad.  I spent the whole year learning how to play DE and lifting weights.  I worked up to the 3 DE my junior year and started my senior year.

My last game at Michigan was the 1976 Orange Bowl.  It was Michigan vs Oklahoma for the National Championship.  It was my 3rd year playing DE and Michigan was talking to me about a red shirt possibility.  An extra year playing DE would really be helpful for my career.  Michigan did not offer me the red shirt.  They just kindly said goodbye and I was just another senior out the door.  Sad but true.  Once your college career is over, the university needs to get to work with the incoming class.  Your services are no longer needed and the university moves on.  It is not personal but it is a fact.

Gordon Bell got drafted by the New York Giants.  Dan Jilek was drafted by the Buffalo Bills.  Calvin Oneal and Greg Morton both got red shirted.  Al Wheeler dropped out of school after his sophomore year and joined the Navy.  Frank Moore was murdered in Detroit at a Christian Revival tent.   Tim Davis was told he was too short to play in the NFL although nobody could block him in college football.

Michael Holmes, Tim Davis and  George Przygodski signed on to play for the Pontiac Arrows Semi-pro football team in Pontiac, Mi.  We never practiced and just showed up for the games to collect our checks for $200.  We won the league.

I signed a free agent contract to play for the new Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  My contract was for $25,000.  I was so happy to have my chance to play professional football.  I was working hard ever day.  Bud Ashley the GM at College Dodge in Ann Arbor offered me a job selling cars with the opportunity to continue training for the Buccaneers.  I took the job.

One day a Saudi Prince came into the dealership and we met and became close friends.  I explained to Prince Khaled that my dream was to play in the NFL and I had signed a contract to play for  Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  He ordered a custom van from me that I sold to him for $14,000.  My commission was $2500.  That was amazing in those days.  He traded in his new 1976 Jaquar XJS which was worth $20,000.  We gave him $14,000.  It was the biggest commission I ever earned.

Prince Khaled invited me to his cousins house for a party and I met him there.  He introduced me to 3 of his cousins and I had the best time. The Prince’s house was the most beautiful house I had ever seen.  It had an indoor swimming pool.  After hanging out with the Princes I was quickly getting out of game shape.  Prince Khaled asked me to think about working for them.  They asked me to travel with them to Europe to experience their lifestyle.  I said ok because I had never been to Europe.  I had never flown on a plane unless it was to a Michigan football game.

We flew first class from Detroit to London.  I was drinking Champagne all the way.  We touched down at Heathrow airport and a private car picked us up at the plane and took us to the VIP lounge where customs agents stamped our passport.  We took a Rolls Royce to the Dorchester Hotel.  I was in awe.  I had never seen anything like this before.  We partied in London for a week then took a lear jet to Nice, France.  We checked into the Negresco Hotel and I quickly discovered that tops were optional at the beaches in the south of France.   Wow!  We took a limo to Monte Carlo and did some gambling.  After one week, the Prince went home to Saudi Arabia and I returned to Ann Arbor.  He gave me the van.  I named it the Blue Falcon.   Mo Pads in Detroit customized it.  When we first met I asked him  what was his hobby in Saudi Arabia and he told me he was a  falconer.   I used that information and had Mo Pads air brush a falcon swooping down into the desert on both sides of this powder blue van.  I put 2 dark blue tear drop windows in the back panels at the end of he air brush.   It was a show piece and now it was mine.

I decided to work for the Prince and I never showed up in Tampa for rookie camp.  I was hooked on the good life.  It was truly a life of royalty. Everywhere we went, everything we did it was all first class.  One day there was a terrible snow storm in Ann Arbor.  The Prince and I went outside and we could not find our cars.  He looked at me and said “Mike lets move to California.”  I said ok.  We moved to La Jolla, Ca.

I met and  married Katina in La Jolla and Alex Holmes was born in 1981.  He entered La Jolla High as a 14 year old freshman and went out for football for the first time.  He had dominated in basketball and baseball up to start of high school.   The CIF had a rule that you must be 15 to play varsity football.  They have since changed that rule.   Alex was good enough to play varsity but by rule he was  ineligible.  He was forced to play La Jolla JV football. The La Jolla varsity was not good and the JV was lousy.  Alex didn’t learn much.  The principal Mr. Tarvin who was in his last year of a 25 year career as La Jolla High principal asked my wife and I for a meeting in his office  along with Dana Shellburne the vice principal.   He told us that he had been watching Alex and thought he was a special student.  He suggested that we have Alex appeal to the CIF for a 5th year of high school eligibility.  We asked Alex and he agreed.  Alex was a strait A student but he had a severe illness in the 8th grade and missed many weeks of school which caused him academic problems.  He still placed in the top 1% in the world in Latin 3 years in a row.

Now Alex was returning to La Jolla High as a 9th grader again but assuming the CIF was not going to rule in his favor, he took all new classes so that he could graduate after his junior year should the CIF rule against him.  Alex was now taking Greek instead of Latin and was on course to take his math class at UCSD his senior year.  As his parents, we were thinking he could be a Rhodes Scholar.

Alex dominated San Diego football as a freshman.  He played tight end and nose tackle.  In the first game of the season against Mission Bay High he caught a 5 yard pass and dragged the entire Mission Bay team for a 15 yard gain.  The entire stadium let loose a sounding ohh!  We just knew that Alex was going to have a great season at tight end.  He never was thrown the ball again the rest of the season.  I did not understand. He dominated at nose tackle as he could not be blocked.  He started on the basketball team and then set the freshman record in the discuss and shot put.  He was rolling.  Two weeks before the school year ended the new principal Shellburne contacted Alex and told him that he decided that Alex was no longer a freshman but was now a sophomore.   We were furious.   I went down to the school to find out what was going on.  I first went to the head football coach  Dick Huddleston and asked for his support.  He told me that he agreed with the principal.  I reminded him that Alex was not bused into La Jolla high and he was born in La Jolla and lived in the nieghborhood.   To my surprise I could not get his support.  I right away thought about Alex never seeing another pass after thrilling the crowd with his brusing catch and run the first game of the season.  Now, the school was pouring gasoline on my fire.  I went to Shellburne and he told me his mind was made up with no explanation.   I reminded him he was in the room when principal Tarvin proposed the idea.   I was furious.  I didn’t want to play the race card but that was the only thing that made sense.  Either that or there was something between Tarvin and Shellburne.   Why would La Jolla High not want to get credit for producing such an unusual student/athlete?   He was Mr. Tarvin’s own personal project and the new principal was changing the game for no apparent reason.  We were preparing for the CIF to deny Alex but not La Jolla High.  Why not leave it to CIF so we could make our case? We now had no case.

I called my friend Brian Taylor who headed admissions at Harvard Westlake in Studio City, Ca.  Brian was a friend from La Jolla who used to play basketball for the San Diego Clippers.  Brian, Sidney Wicks, Randy Smith and Joe Bryant all played for the Clippers and lived in La Jolla. We used to hang out and our kids played together.  Brian suggested I bring Alex down to the Harvard Westlake to take the entrance exam and meet the football coach.  Alex passed the exam and was admitted into Harvard Westlake.  Harvard Westlake was considered by some to be the best academic high school west of the Mississippi.  They sure were not known for their football team.  Two years prior to Alex arrival they had two seven foot twins Jason and Jarron Collins both of whom attended Stanford and still play in the NBA.  Of course, they won the CIF state championship in basketball.  Now Alex Holmes was bringing that same recognition to the football team.

Harvard Westlake agreed to petition the CIF on Alex’s behalf.  As parents, we thought the CIF would consider the petition on academic grounds.  Alex went on to be the Los Angeles Times Offensive Player of the Year and the CIF ruled against him after his junior year.  He decided to attend his senior year of high school and not play any sports.

It was a confusing junior year for Alex  because legally coaches could not recruit Alex him.  He had every college coach in the country salivating but they were in limbo and so was Alex.  Every school in the country offered him a scholarship and I mean every school in the country.   I personally told Bo Schembechler that Alex was going to Michigan.  I went back to Michigan for Bo’s Boys 30 year reunion.  There were 500 ex Michigan football players gathered to honor Bo and I was the only one who had a son being recruited by Michigan.  I was honored when Coach Jerry Hanlon took the microphone and told every football player in the building to come up to me and make sure  my son Alex chooses  Michigan.  I was on the spot.  I was in a room with a Heisman trophy winner Charles Woodson, Dan Dierdorf an NFL announcer,  the future CEO of Dominos Dave Brandon and current AD at Michigan and many other noted Michigan alumni.  By the way, I beat out Dave Brandon at DE when I was at Michigan and he was 2 years older.   Alex had made me the most proud Michigan man in the entire room.  I was stunned.  Everyone in that room was instructed to contact personally and ask me about Alex.  Dan Dierdorf said to me “I don’t know who you son is but he must be really good.”   I got phone calls from Les Miles my team mate who was coaching TE’s with the Dallas Cowboys now LSU and Dave Brown the original Seattle Seahawk.  Kirk Lewis called me from Idaho.   Everybody who knew me was calling me asking about Alex.

Decision time came and Alex as a 18 year old told me “Dad, I was born and raised in Southern California, I want to go to school here and I want to start my business here, I need to go to USC.”

http://storify.com/mghinc

Tags , , , ,
Categories High School Football, NCAA Football, NFL Football
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 120 other followers