My Two Cents: Invincible
In football there is a drill where two players face off like rams, butting and crashing into each other, sacrificing their bodies to knock the opposing player down. Once one or both players fall, the coach blows his whistle and the two warriors rise to their feet, resume action and go at it again.
It's an exercise specifically designed to distinguish the strong and to eliminate the weak; to expose the importance of character versus the over dependence on natural talent.
I saw this drill play out in a movie recently; a movie based on a true story.
In 1976, the Philadelphia Eagles had just completed a losing season on the heels of a string of losing seasons. A defeatist attitude had taken over the team and the city. The players had become lax and the Philly fans were tired of losing. Everybody was ready for a change.
The Eagle organization heard this message loud and clear and responded by bringing in a new head coach, Dick Vermeil.
Coach Vermeil, determined to keep the Eagle fans enrolled in their team and wanting to send a clear communication to his players that nobody was irreplaceable, called for an open tryout that summer. The turnout was huge, but the talent was slim. Out of the masses that showed up there was only one who stood out. His name was Vince Papale.
Vince Papale, a 30 year old rookie, never played college football, and was not listed as a draft selection or even considered to be a viable prospect for that matter. But at 30 years old, Vince Papale displayed great speed and an athletic ability.
But did Papale have what it would take?
During training camp, Vince was matched against a much bigger and more seasoned veteran. The whistle blew and, although surrounded by skeptical coaches and cynical teammates Vince Papale unleashed the unexpected, now legendary hit, that left one guy flat on his back and shocked the rest of the team.
Unwilling to accept defeat at the hands of a rookie, the veteran player eventually turns the tables on Papale by lifting him up and slamming him down - to the ground.
Laid out and dazed, no one expected him to get back up to his feet, however, Papale slowly rises and continues to rise to his feet practice after practice, game after game throughout his colorful career with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Vince Papale was a walk-on that would not be denied. He had a dream to play professional football and against unbelievable odds, he was able to do exactly that because he had heart.
Vince Papale possesses the kind of character that they write about in books. They make movies about the kind of intangible determination that Vince Papale carried with him every time he walked out onto the football field.
Vince Papale was a good athlete, but what made him great was the fact that he was willing to do whatever it would take to be whatever was required to win.
That's my two cents (for whatever it's worth),
Auguste Roc
auguste@danaroc.com
