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FULLERTON, Calif. - The sounds coming from the gridiron are not
unfamiliar to those in the game. However, the scene is different.
Ninety-nine players from across the country run drills in pad
and helmets. On the surface, it looks like football practice, but a
deeper lesson is being learned on this field. They're learning
character – a quality that will not only help them be better
players, but individuals.
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Gunnery Sgt. Justin Crawn, a drill instructor from Marine
Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., leads highly rated high school
football players in physical
training and warm up exercises Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015, at Fullerton
College in Fullerton, Calif., during their second training day in
preparation for the the 2015 Semper Fi All-American Bowl. (Official
Marine Corps Photo by Sgt. Jon Holmes)
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Teaching them these traits are drill instructors –
Marines whose sole purpose is to develop young men and women
from across the country and instill them with intangible
values like honor, courage and commitment.
“I'm not
here to teach them about football,” said Gunnery Sgt. Justin
Crawn, a drill instructor from Marine Recruit Depot Parris
Island, S.C. “I'm here to teach them about respect and
teamwork.”
Crawn is one of three
drill instructors working with Team East for the Semper Fi
All-American Bowl. Like him, they are devoted to making the
players better athletes and individuals by developing traits
like respect, honor and integrity.
“We know you're
talented. That's why you're here,” said Staff Sgt. Latoya
Carty, a drill instructor from Parris Island, S.C. “It takes
a better individual to be talented and have character.
That's what we want – them to be better individuals.”
The Marines work with the players daily by running
physical training with them, taking part in practice and
mentoring them based on their own experiences. Often, they
offer lessons they learned from the Marine Corps, hoping
that it will benefit the players and make them better
individuals.
“Who's the most important player on the
team?” asked Staff Sgt. Victor Rodriguez, a drill instructor
from San Diego, California, speaking to the team. “There's
no special position. Everyone plays a role. Just like in the
Marine Corps. Everyone plays a vital role to make the Marine
Corps successful. I, me, my – that's individualism. That's
not a team.”
The lessons are vital ones, according
to former NFL coach Alvin Reynolds. The character he sees
developing in the athletes this week not only helps them as
individuals, but as athletes.
“If I can get an
athletic guy or a guy with character, I'm gonna take the guy
with character every time,” said Reynolds, who has more than
30 years of professional coaching experience with teams like
the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons. “If they don't have
character, you don't want them. They'll be a cancer to your
team."
“Champs have character,” Reynolds continued.
“That's from experience. I've seen it. I've lived it. I've
breathed it. I've been there.”
It's that same
character Reynolds sees the Marines instilling in the
players.
“Marines are people of character,” Reynolds
said. “It's not something you can conjure up. It's real. The
Marines should be proud of what they've done.”
By U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Jon Holmes
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2015
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