As you know, football season is right around the corner! Each year, everyone has their favorite college team/player that they follow. For me; my eyes are on the Northwestern University football team. There is a specific individual on a mission and is ready to have a break out year! Junior Safety, David Arnold is ready to let his hard work and dedication show on the field this year! So be on the lookout for Northwestern’s #32 when it comes to Big Ten Football.
David Arnold isn’t just the average college football player; he is a unique person, in multiple ways. There are 5 categories that stand out as I describe his life story to you.
DIVERSITY
Race has never played an issue in David’s life. Out of any household that I’ve heard of, his would probably be the most DIVERSE! David comes from an African-American father, along with his mother (who he has lived with the majority of his life) that is mixed with African-American and Caucasian. David’s step-father is Greek, and he has a 10 year old brother who was born through his mother and step-father as well. You get the point, there are many ethnicities that are a part of him, and also surrounding him.
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ADJUSTMENT
Coming out of high school, David was originally recruited for the DB (Safety) position. When he first got up to Northwestern, he was moved to the linebacker position. If you know football, that is a huge ADJUSTMENT! Those are two totally different positions with two different responsibilities. Also, keep in mind, David had never played Linebacker in his life, so this was brand new to him. He did well at that position, and now, he’s back at the Safety position for this upcoming 2010-2011 season and is already a preseason pick to achieve ALL Big Ten honors.
ADVERSITY
For anyone who has had a sports injury, one thing everyone has in common is the rehab process, and the simple fact of going through the pain and struggle. Well for David, he has had 4 knee surgeries!!!! He has torn his meniscus in both of his knees. Despite the knee surgeries, David has still been able to overcome all of the pain, struggle, and health issues. And now he is one of the Big Ten’s most watched Defensive Backs. If you ask me, that’s the definition of ADVERSITY!
FOCUS
Everyone has something that makes them stand out from others. Your FOCUS may be different than someone else’s focus! David has developed certain pre-game rituals that he has carried with him for years. He said “It has a lot to do with the pre-game schedule that the hotel goes through every week. Starting when we get to the locker room I like to sit down and listen to music and look through the program for that week”.
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Something that I thought was extremely unique about David when he told me, “One thing that has been a pre-game ritual for him is to not brush my teeth.” He said it started a while back when he was rushing for a game and he had to hurry up and get all his stuff together to go out on the field and he di
