Take A Risk. Write A Blog.
Football has always been a part of my life, and it has taught me many lessons that have helped shape me into who I am today. I am on the football team here at ONU, and it has given me so many opportunities to meet new people and better myself. So, it would be fitting for me to write my first blog about a lesson I have learned from football this past week.
This past Monday was the national championship game in college football. The story that has stuck with me from this game is Coach Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers. This isn't the same story every year, where the big bully wins like an Ohio State or Alabama. This is a story about the little guy betting on himself and believing in himself to get the job done. This story starts with Head Coach Curt Cignetti. He worked his way up all the way from the bottom to the top. Coach Cignetti was a wide receivers coach at the University of Alabama, which is one of the most historic programs in college football. One day, he randomly decided to quit that job and become the Head Coach at a Division II program called IUP. Some looked at this and had question marks about this decision because it was a huge downgrade from where he was before.
Fast forward a few years, and his underdog mentality has followed him all the way to Bloomington, Indiana, where he became the Head Coach of the worst program in college football history. In his first season, he flipped the program around and took the Hoosiers to the College Football Playoffs for the first time with a record of 11-2. This past season, he led the Hoosiers to a national championship and an undefeated 16-0 season. This season from the Indiana Hoosiers and Coach Cignetti will go down as one of the greatest turnarounds and sports seasons in the history of collegiate athletics.
What did I learn from this? Take a risk. When it's 4th and 5 on the 12-yard line in the biggest game of your life, and everybody in the whole world is wondering what you do? The safe play is to kick the field goal and take your points. Go for it. Go against the grain. Go outside of your comfort zone and introduce yourself to new opportunities. If it weren't for this class, I would have never started my own blog. This story of the Indiana Hoosiers has taught me it's okay to be different and try something new. The risk that I took this week is writing this blog and going outside my comfort zone. Take a risk. Write a blog.
I agree, I think Indiana had a very inspirational football season, and I also think this year's playoffs really put a spotlight on the underdogs. Whether it was with Indiana, which had the worst program in college history, Miami, where many people were upset that they even made the playoffs, or Ole Miss, where their quarterback was a transfer from a DII school. However, I also think what solidified how good Indiana was is that they are the first team in this new playoff format to win with a first-round bye.
ReplyDeleteI started watching college football from last semester and it is very fun to watch! I really think this year's Indiana was such a great team (I wished the Buckeyes will win at least 1 game in the playoffs). Also, I think getting out from the comfort zone and challenging yourself is very important when facing a big opportunity.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who isn't the most interested in football, I actually really enjoyed reading your blog. I liked how you talked about the importance of taking risks, and how your experience within football contributed to that. Thank you for sharing!
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