by Dan Oswald
A few weeks ago, the San Francisco 49ers, with the 131st pick in the NFL draft, chose Marcus Lattimore, a running back out of the University of South Carolina. Considered by many to be the most talented running back in the 2013 draft, Lattimore wasn’t chosen until the fourth round because he had suffered not one but two knee injuries while in college. So while he possessed the talent, there was some question about whether he would ever be able to demonstrate it on Sunday afternoons in the NFL.
The second of Lattimore’s two injuries came during his senior year and was quite serious. Mothers with sons playing football, stop reading and skip to the next paragraph! In an interview with ESPN, famed sports surgeon Dr. James Andrews said Lattimore’s knee ligaments looked like hamburger meat and that he was lucky he didn’t lose his leg. Given the seriousness of the injury, it wouldn’t have been surprising if it had ended his career.
But Lattimore had a dream of playing in the NFL, and through a tremendous amount of hard work, he was able to realize his dream—with some help from the 49ers. You want to see a young man thankful for an opportunity? Watch this clip of Lattimore receiving a call from the 49ers on draft day. Oh yeah, all of you moms reading this are going to want to watch it, too. You’ll probably be able to relate to his mother’s reaction!
It’s great to see someone fight through adversity—not once but twice—and get the opportunity to achieve something he has dreamed about his entire life. But just as interesting and inspiring as Lattimore’s story is the decision by the 49ers and their coach, Jim Harbaugh, to draft him.
There’s a chance Lattimore won’t play a single down in 2013. The 49ers don’t want to rush him onto the field and risk another injury. The team was the NFC champion last season and already has a Pro Bowl running back in their backfield, so they can afford to be patient with Lattimore. They chose him because he is a “first round talent” and they can afford to wait until his knee is 100 percent healed before putting him on the field.
The 49ers picked Lattimore because of his talent and his ability to overcome adversity. Coach Harbaugh was impressed with his character, so much so that he asked to speak with his mother on draft day. The coach complimented her on what a fine son she had raised and told her the decision to draft him was due in large part to what they saw in him as a person.
There are great lessons in this story for all of us. First, if you have a dream, don’t let anything stand in your way of achieving it. Lattimore suffered two knee injuries. No one would have questioned him if he had hung up his cleats after the second one and decided that playing in the NFL just wasn’t meant to be. But he didn’t. He worked hard, overcame the injury, and got drafted. Last week I quoted Winston Churchill on how important it is to never give up. That is something Lattimore certainly understands.
The second lesson for us comes from the 49ers. They chose talent and character and figured the rest will work itself out. Lattimore isn’t completely healed from his injury. He might not be ready to play this season, but the 49ers believed in his willingness to work hard and rehabilitate his knee enough to take a risk when others weren’t willing to do so. And that decision, in part, was due to the high degree of character he had demonstrated and how he had persevered. They could have picked someone more likely to help them immediately, but they took a risk on the upside that Lattimore possesses. Sometimes it’s not best to do the safe thing. We’ll see how it turns out for the 49ers.
While it can be inspiring to witness people overcome adversity, I think it’s important to keep in mind that sometimes the truly brave act is to put aside one dream and pick another to pursue. I’m not sure I would want to see my child risk losing a limb to play a professional sport. For example, I may be even more proud if that child gave up the pros to work with kids who need a coach or mentor. It’s pretty tough to be an injured athlete and working to overcome the limits of an injury are admirable. But it’s just as admirable (and challenging) to let a dream go and find a new direction.
When you cons ider no only this young man’s determination, I think also his ability/talent, and education focus on the long term with the probability of coaching come into play as well. As the father of a son who loves the game and coaches his talented sons who also love football I am sharing your blog with them. I am also sharing this with another son who suffered a torn ACL in high school that ended his football playing days. He recoverd, sustained a second tear cheering for the Utah Jazz recovered again and has had success in other endeavors. Thanks for sharing this inspiring story.