Single Story

Dan Young

 

Out of Place

 

    As many people can relate to, it is hard to perform your best at any position in life when you get ridiculed for being out of place. Even if it is true that one is trying to perform something outside their normal ability, the lack of belief that can come from observers to your ordeal can be overbearing. Personal, my situation came when I played high school football. It was then when I learned what heart was all about.

    When I was a youth football player I would be what one considered “fat.” Like any other fat child my age playing football, I became an offensive and defensive lineman. I excelled at my position.

    As the years went by, I continued to play as a lineman and won consecutive positional MVPs. Unfortunately, as I approach the time when I entered high school I began to thin out. By the time I was a freshman, I was pretty much just another skinny kid, but I still had my love for being a lineman. Despite my new stature, I decided to stay at my position.

    According to my freshman coach I was “completely undersized” to play as a defensive lineman. He feared I would be too easily thrown by offensive lineman. I saw almost no playing time that year and became very discouraged.

    I had my doubts about returning to the field once my sophomore year started. I found consolation in my older brother, who was a great athlete. After telling him about my doubts about my ability to play as a lineman he simply responded, “It ain’t about the size of the dog in the fight, it’s about the size of the fight in the dog.” That was all I needed to hear.

    I planned my sophomore year in full and managed to make a name for myself as a lineman; however, this was still only JV. In order to be respected at my position i would have to exceed at the Varsity level.

    Than began my junior year. At this time I was only 145 pounds soaking wet, but I possessed more heart than anyone else on the field. I fought heart through camp and managed to hone in on my defensive art. I was able to beat my offensive opponents with speed and agility rather than strength. I managed to become an alternate on the starting d-line for our team by our first scrimmage. Suddenly, my worst fears were realized. In one of the first plays I was in, I was brutally blocked and thrown to the ground by a man named Shawn Oakman, a current six-foot eight-inch starter at Baylor.  

    Naturally as any bad ass would, I persisted to practice and train despite the fact that I was about 60 pounds undersized for my position. One week after our scrimmage, it was time for our first game. In practice the day before the game, I was still in battle for the starting position of the defense as I heard, “And that’s why Willis! That’s why Youngy is getting the start over you. He has more heart, is harder working, and deserves it more than you.” I was elated to hear the cries of d-line coach confirming that I would start the next day’s game, and I did not disappoint.

As I approached the line to start my first series, I heard cries of laughter and shock coming from the opposing players. They could not believe that I was lining up to play defensive lineman. I, the smallest person on the field, was up against a man that weighed almost 85 pounds more than me. The game was a battle from start to finish. Despite my size, I was able to use my agility to make plays as the game went on. At the games end, I was left upset with my performance. Our team had lost the game, and I was replaying every chance I had to possibly turn the game around. At this moment, I was walking off the field seriously doubting my ability to play at my position when the opposing coach approached me.

“Son, I just wanted to let you know that you are one of toughest players I have ever seen play the game.”

The opposing coach, a former Marine and NFL player, told me I was one of the toughest players he had ever seen. Any shred of disbelief I had in myself had vanished. I went on to finish my career at Haverford with one of the highest sacks counts on record and All-County Honors. My experience as a football player helped mold the man I have turned into today.