I was recently Master of Ceremonies at the CBA of Georgia Leadership Division conference at the Contemporary Resort in Orlando. The final keynote speaker was legendary coach Bill Curry. He is best known as coach of Georgia Tech, but he also coached at Alabama, Kentucky and, most recently, became the first coach for the fledgling football program at Georgia State. While most know him as a coach, he also had a professional career in the NFL, playing primarily for the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Colts.
Bill gave an inspiring, motivational talk that included many stories from his playing and coaching days. What floored me was when he said his position on the team was center. Center? Those guys are 6’ 6” and weigh 275 pounds. Now I realize retired professional players are not as bulked up as when they played, Bill is now a very athletic and active seventy-three year old, but when you meet him, you don’t guess he was ever anywhere near that big.
He even joked about his being way undersized as an NFL center. More fascinating is the story he told of how he became a center. When he was in the eighth grade, he went out for football. At his school, the eighth grade was part of high school, so all of the new incoming eighth graders were assigned positions. Since Bill was a big porky (his words, not mine) and since he was last in line, he got the last position left. In fact, it was the position no one wanted and Bill dreaded. Center. Bill quickly realized being a center against the upper class linebackers and consistently picking himself up out of the dirt wasn’t going to be fun. He thought of quitting.
But he remembered his Dad’s house rule. Once you start something, you finish. Bill knew his Dad would never allow him to quit football once he started, so he poured himself into learning what it would take to be the best center. Not the best center who ever played the game, but the best center Bill Curry could be. After his senior year in high school, he played football at Georgia Tech, center for Coach Bobby Dodd. After his senior year at Georgia Tech, he got a call from a buddy who told him he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers. Since his buddy was always joking around, Bill thought it was a prank and hung up. But it was true. The undersized Curry became a part of the NFL champion Green Bay Packers. So how did he manage to make it to such a high level without the physical tools typically associated with playing at a professional level?
Magnanimitas. It’s a Latin phrase that means “greatness of spirit.” Bill Curry had it in spades. He was determined to play at that high level, even in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds. It is likely the experience of how hard he worked to make it as a center and a pro athlete gave him the necessary leadership traits that made him both Grounded and a great football coach. But it got me thinking. I was a center. That’s right. Since I was in pee-wee football, perhaps starting at age eight, I was a center. In fact, when I was younger, I was center for Anthony Carter, who was a great quarterback but who went on to become a greater wide receiver and return specialist for the University of Michigan and the Minnesota Vikings. Unlike Bill Curry, I did not have to exhibit any particular Magnanimitas to make it as a center. I was a beast.
Today, I am about 5’11’’ and weigh about 225 pounds. That’s exactly what I was in the 6th grade, only younger and much stronger. I grew fast and by the seventh grade, I was an all-everything athlete, in multiple sports. Won multiple awards for seventh and eighth grade football, and I was a great young center. At the beginning of my ninth grade year, of course, I went out for football. Sitting in the locker room, I looked around and saw a bunch of guys that were my size and bigger. By my tenth grade year, I was out of football altogether. In 1976, there was no room for a 5’10” center; I was too small. I certainly didn’t play college football (although I was on the field. I was a cheerleader for Florida Tech’s inaugural football season).
Magnanimitas. It’s a Latin phrase that means “greatness of spirit.” Bill Curry had it in spades.
Had I been a bigger athlete, I would have continued with football, but I did not have the drive or passion Bill Curry or thousands of others had that grinded out high school, college, and even professional careers. After hearing Coach Curry speak, I understand what he means. I became the best cheerleader David Peterson could be. Later, I poured myself into banking, banking software, payments, and helping financial institutions become more successful. Now as a professional speaker and consultant, I embody what Coach Curry explained in Magnanimitas. When you have passion, you achieve greatness of spirit such that you are prepared to do whatever it takes (within reason) to succeed, to win. Not cutting corners, cheating, doing unprofessional things or taking illegal shortcuts. Magnanimitas encompasses the Grounded traits very well. How could you be rich in Magnanimitas and have serious issues with Grounded by traits – lack of courage, lack of initiative, and lack of perseverance? Can’t be done.
When you have passion, you achieve greatness of spirit such that you are prepared to do whatever it takes (within reason) to succeed, to win.
Perhaps you found your true calling at a young age. Perhaps it has just come to you recently as you are starting your career. Maybe, after many years of working, you are just now figuring out your true calling. Whatever it is you do, you should earnestly seek to achieve Magnanimitas. If you are engaged in a profession and don’t feel the passion for it, you have two choices. You can get out and move on to something that will light your fire, or you can also take the route that Coach Curry took. You can decide you are going to become the best software developer, the best sales rep, the best accounting clerk you can be. You can pour yourself into making those around you better. You can become a better co-worker, employer, or owner. You can be a better leader, even if you are only leading yourself. Think of it this way, as Curry himself says, center was the ONLY position in which he could have played professional football. He got to snap the ball for Bart Starr and Johnny Unitas, but only after he applied himself through grueling practice and hard work. Yes, staying the course will be hard, but it may be a much better option for you than starting over in something else. But you had better go for it all the way and let nothing stop you from achieving your goals.
You can learn more about what Coach Curry is doing to motivate others to increase their Magnanimitas at www.billcurry.net. If you get a chance, go listen to him speak. He is a Grounded man, confident he is spreading an encouraging, uplifting word to those who would hear.
Originally published on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/best-you-can-throwbackthursday-david-peterson