Today is Monday, June 24, 2013. My stats today: 10 minutes of lifting weights and 45 minutes of walking = 2.5 miles for a June total of 45.6 miles. My weight was 163.2 pounds.
QUOTE from Shaquille O'Neal: "Excellence is not a singular act; it's a habit. You are what you repeatedly do."
My THOUGHTS today are on the Marshall Yanda program that was held yesterday at the Anamosa High School. I went to the High School to see the program honoring Marshall Yanda. Marshall is the most famous and decorated athlete in the history of Anamosa High School. I had Marshall as a student in my seventh grade geography class in 1997-1998.
Marshall was not a terrific student in seventh grade or at any time through high school. But he was a hell of a football player. He started as a sophomore and played three years as an offensive tackle and a defensive tackle. He was looked at by D-1 schools but his grades were not good enough to get accepted. So he took the junior college route by going to Mason City and enrolling at the North Iowa Community College. He went there to play football and not necessarily to get too serious as a student. The first week of practice the football coach asked the 122 players how many wanted to play D-1 football. All 122 raised there hand. Then the coach said that only 1% of you will make it - Marshall was the only one.
After a very successful first year he got his head on straight. D-1 schools were interested in him if he would get serious about bringing his grades up. Marshall decided to get serious. He knew if he could get 17 credits in the summer and in the fall semester he would be eligible to graduate in January and play spring football for any D-1 team that would offer him a scholarship. He started studying, brought his grades up and graduated in January. Then the scholarship offers started coming - from Iowa State, UNI and finally the Hawkeyes. He almost went to Iowa State but Ferentz finally offered on the day Marshall was going to Ames to sign with the Cyclones. His goal in life was to play for the Hawkeyes and play football in Kinnick Stadium. He made it. He graduated from Iowa in 2007 with a degree in economics.
He started two years for the Hawks. Then he got drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round of the 2007 draft. The rest is history. He ended up starting midway through his rookie season. He got hurt his second year and spent the year rebuilding his torn ACL. He returned in 2009 and has been starting the last four years. He has been selected as a Pro Bowl player the last 2 years. And he was the starting right guard for the Ravens in their Super Bowl win over San Francisco this past February. Some sports analysts have called Marshall the best guard in the NFL.
Yesterday Anamosa honored Marshall Yanda. The guest speaker was Kirk Ferentz, coach of the Hawkeyes. Coach Ferentz talked about how hard a worker Marshall was and he should be an inspiration for all young athletes. Darel Schepanski, the sports editor of the Anamosa Journal- Eureka, talked and presented Marshall with a plaque that designated the high school weight room will forever be known as THE MARSHALL YANDA WEIGHT ROOM.
Then his high school coach, Dan Kiley, spoke and surprised Marshall. He told Marshall that after his last high school game, he took Marshall's #77 jersey, stuck it in his classroom closet because he was certain Marshall was going to make a name for himself in D-1 football someplace. So coach Kiley held up a framed, glass enclosed #77 jersey and told Marhall that his number #77 will be retired and no other Anamosa football player will ever wear #77 again. What a wonderful honor for Marshall.
Marshall talked and thanked everybody for coming. He told how he had gotten his act together his second year in Mason City and how plain old hard work is what changed his life and made him what he is today.
I talked to Marshall and had my picture taken with him. He remembered my class from seventh grade and called me Mr. Bungum. I thought that was pretty neat and so respectful. Marshall is one wonderful man - so down-to-earth. He posed for pictures with anyone who wanted one and signed autographs for an hour or two after the ceremony. To me, Marshall is the epitome of a hardworking Iowa farm boy who made it big but has never forgotten his roots. His Dad and Mom were farmers north of Anamosa where they raise corn, soybeans, hay and raise hogs and have dairy cattle. Marshall goes and still helps his Dad on the farm when he is has the time.
By the way, Marshall is a multi-millionaire - two years ago he signed a seven year 32 million dollar contract with the Ravens. You'd never know he was a millionaire by talking to him or by the way he acts. When he signed that contract he told Schepanski in a newspaper interview that this is not going to change me - I'm still Marshall Yanda - an Iowa farm boy.
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