A story about athleticism

In yesterday’s post, I mentioned how scouts like the idea of athletes playing multiple sports.  Although this is a baseball site, I have an example of what I’m talking about from the sport of football. 

If you are a football fan, you probably know the name Howie Long.  The Hall of Fame player for the Raiders currently is one of the more popular TV analysts on game days.  Did you know that he played at Villanova University (my alma mater!) ?  Obviously, not the typical school when it comes to producing standout NFL players let alone Hall of Famers.  Many NFL scouts were a little hesitant to draft him high (he was a 2^nd round pick) because they were not sure how his success at lil ole’ Villanova would translate to the NFL.

The story as to why the Raiders selected him is an interesting one, though. 

Prior to the draft, a Raider’s scout showed up at Villanova to speak to Howie and the football coach.  He apparently arrived a little early and was watching some students play a pick-up basketball game in the old fieldhouse while he waited for their meeting time.  He noticed a monster of a kid playing in the game and was astonished at how he played.  This 6’5” 200+ pound student was running the court like a small player and even dunked.  I don’t think I need to tell you who the kid was.  To see this “lineman” show the stamina, agility, and overall athleticism to stand out on a basketball court blew the scout away.  The scout eventually went back to his superiors and told them how they HAVE GOT to draft this kid as high as possible.

As I said in yesterday’s post, you can’t teach athleticism.  Some players are born better athletes but often a player’s athleticism does improves when they play a variety of sports. 

So don’t be afraid to get off the baseball field and play some others!