I’ll never forget the sound of the band playing in the hallways every Friday afternoon in the Fall.  It was game day, which meant there was a pep rally in the main auditorium.  I loved game day and I loved pep rally’s, which was really no surprise.  I had played football all my life and now I was playing for my high school, the McNeil Mavericks.

Looking at me you would never have guessed I had ever even touched a pigskin.  I was 5 foot 6 and barely weighed 140 lbs. soaking wet.  But where I lacked in size I made up in speed, strength and fury.  I was a little guy but I was a little guy that liked physical contact.  My small size that produced big hits on the field was quickly noticed by coaches, teachers and parents in the stands and it wasn’t long before I became quite popular for how I played the game.

This feeling felt good.  I mean I had always been popular with classmates and girls but never for being good at a sport.  I had caught others attention with something other than my personality or the way I looked.  For the first time ever I remember feeling a sense of accomplishment and self worth.  Putting on those football pads and helmet allowed me to take out all my pain and hurt and leave it out on that field.

So when our season ended in the 2^nd round of the playoffs on a cold, rainy December afternoon, a piece of me ended…or at least I thought it did.  I wept in silence with my helmet still on most of the bus ride back to our school.  I wasn’t crying because we lost, I was crying because I was afraid people would forget the little guy on the field that showed no fear and never held back.  I wasn’t ready to go back to David “The Ladies Man” or David “Mr. Personality.”  I wanted people to still look at me as an athlete and respect me for how passionately I played the game.  And to my surprise, that’s exactly what happened.

With the end of my senior year of football, I thought that meant the end of the small legacy I had created that season.  But I was wrong.  I had been playing football my entire life and was never anything better than a pat on the back.  But what I did my senior year, my last year I would ever play football again; is still talked about these days.  Later that year I would be awarded the Most Valuable Player award for Special Teams…my first and last award I would ever receive in football.  I remember running into coach one final time towards the end of the year and he asked me: “Where does it all come from?”  I think I just laughed not really knowing how to answer right then.  But if you were to ask me today…”Where does it all come from?”  Ide tell you; it comes from fear.  Some people will tell you it comes from heart or it comes from desire or will.  But I think it comes from fear and when you can stand up to your fears no matter how big they are, you can do great things, you can shock the world.