Alright, so you wanna know how many fellas from them NAIA schools are playin’ in the NFL, huh? Well, it ain’t as many as them big-shot schools, that’s for sure. You know, them fancy colleges with all the TV cameras and whatnot. But lemme tell ya, there’s still some good ol’ boys makin’ it to the big leagues from them smaller places.
First off, what’s this NAIA thing anyway? Well, it’s like a bunch of colleges, smaller ones mostly, that play sports together. They got their own league, you know? Not as famous as the NCAA, but they got some tough players, don’t you doubt it. They say there’s somethin’ like 237 of these NAIA schools all over the country. That’s a lot of schools, even if they ain’t always on TV.
Now, how many of them boys actually make it to the NFL? That’s the real question, ain’t it? Well, it ain’t easy to say exactly. They don’t keep track of it like they do for them big schools. But I heard tell that if you’re good enough, it don’t matter where you come from. If you can play, them NFL scouts gonna find ya. It’s like they always say, “If you play good, they’ll see ya. If you don’t play good, they won’t”. Makes sense, right?
I heard a story once ’bout this fella, Walter Payton, they say he was one of the best runners ever. And guess what? He started out playin’ in one of them NAIA schools. Can you believe it? This boy was a star in high school, but them big SEC schools, they didn’t even look at him. So he went and played with his brother at Jackson State, which was NAIA back then. Shows ya, don’t it? You don’t need a fancy school to be a star.
- So, why don’t more NAIA players make it? Well, it’s a tough road, that’s why.
- Them big schools got all the fancy equipment and the famous coaches.
- They get all the attention from the scouts. It’s harder for a fella from a small school to get noticed.
But don’t go thinkin’ them NAIA boys ain’t got a chance. They do! They just gotta work harder, that’s all. They gotta be tougher, gotta be more determined. And some of ’em, they make it. They prove that it ain’t about the name on your jersey, it’s about the heart in your chest.
I reckon there’s a few every year, you know, sneakin’ into the NFL from them NAIA schools. Maybe not a whole bunch, but enough to make ya proud. They’re the underdogs, the ones nobody expected to make it. And that’s what makes their stories so special. Makes ya wanna cheer for ’em, don’t it?
So, next time you’re watchin’ a football game, and you see a fella you never heard of, makin’ a big play, don’t be surprised if he came from one of them small schools. Don’t be surprised if he came from the NAIA. ‘Cause them boys got somethin’ to prove, and they ain’t afraid to show it. They’re the real deal, just like them fellas from the big schools, maybe even tougher.
You know, it ain’t just about the NFL, neither. Them NAIA schools, they give a lot of kids a chance to play sports, get an education. That’s important, too. Not everyone’s gonna be a pro athlete, but everyone can learn somethin’ from playin’ on a team, workin’ hard, and never givin’ up. And that’s what them NAIA schools are all about, far as I can tell.
And let me tell you, getting a good education is important too, not just sports. These NAIA schools, they focus on that “well-rounded” education thing. So these kids ain’t just learning to throw a ball, they’re learning to use their brains too. That’s important, you know, for when they’re done playing football and gotta get a real job.
So, yeah, there might not be a ton of NAIA players in the NFL, but the ones that make it? They’re somethin’ special. And even the ones that don’t? They still get a good education and learn a lot about life. That’s worth somethin’, ain’t it?
Tags: [NAIA, NFL, College Football, Walter Payton, Small College, Football Players, Athlete, Sports, Underdog]
