My Story: From The NFL To An MBA

[My decision] came down to Berkeley and Northwestern (which came in late). I was pretty much set to go to Berkeley, but Northwestern asked me to make a visit before I made a decision…It was the best decision I could’ve made for myself. When I got there, it was a mild winter and the sun was out, so they fooled me on that end. But the school was phenomenal and the professors were awesome. I clicked and bonded with the team [immediately]. It felt like I’d been with those guys forever. I had a gut feeling that this was the place to be. My college roommate was visiting at the same time – our birthdays were a few days apart – and we had a lot in common, so it felt right. And I knew that it was a great school academically.

Northwestern was a great experience. Prior to Northwestern, I’d never been outside California. I didn’t redshirt and played my freshman year. [My plan] was that I was going to play four years and then get a corporate gig. Freshman year was rough. We were 3-8 and the guy who recruited me, Coach Gary Barnett, took the head coaching job at Colorado. We found out about it on ESPN instead of through him – and that just rubbed me the wrong way. Then, we got a [head coach] named Randy Walker who was a big disciplinarian. Walker was very cold and standoffish. He didn’t want to get close to any players, not even the stars…and that was rough too. In my sophomore year, I was up for being an All American – and that’s actually when I realized I had a chance to be a pro. I led the Big 10 in tackles (fifth in the nation) and started gaining some notoriety.

Academically, it was rough too because I wanted to major in business, but we didn’t have a business major so I had to do it as a minor. My first class – and I’ll never forget it – was a math class. The professor was foreign and you couldn’t understand a word he said. I ended up with a C in the class – my only C ever in college. After that, I started using academic advisors and making my own schedule. I was used to doing well in school, so it really caught me off guard.

Going into my junior season, I tore my hamstring and missed spring ball and never really recovered until after the season. But we won the Big 10 championship. Academically, I was rolling, doing well and making Academic All Big 10. After my junior year, I was rated as a 2nd to 4th round pick, but I opted not to come out early because I wanted to finish my degree.

[In the end], I graduated in three years and quarter…I took summer school every year and a full load during the school (Plus, I had credits transfer over from my AP courses in high school). Just to give you an idea of how rigorous the academic program was, I remember one time when we had an away game. The professor would not let me reschedule a test or take it early. The plane had to sit and wait for me to finish an exam before we could take off. I bring that up because people think it was easy playing ball. It wasn’t because we actually worked ten times harder. We had to compete just as hard in the classroom and then we had an extracurricular activity that dominated the rest of our time. There were occasions where I actually had to take the exam on the plane (with an academic advisor present) while we were headed to an away game because the professor wanted the exam taken at a certain time. It was insane some of the things we had to do from an academic standpoint.

I was fortunate enough to be drafted by the Cleveland Browns. My family had a draft party back home…Watching the draft, you’re up and down. You’re like, ‘Oh man, I have way better stats than this guy. I’m faster than that guy. Why are they taking them over me?’ The first day goes by – and rounds one through three finish up – and I wasn’t drafted. So I go to bed, obviously tired and disappointed after a huge party. I’m in California, so the [second day of the] draft started three hours ahead of us. I get a call at seven in the morning when I’m still asleep. A guy goes, “Hey, Kevin. How are you doing this morning?” And I’m like, “Who is this?” And he says, “It’s Browns linebackers coach, Keith Butler. I want to let you know that we just drafted you.” And I’m like, “Really? I’ll call you when I get up.” I stick my head out the door and say, “Hey, I got drafted by the Browns” and then I went back to sleep.

I’ll tell you a story, but I won’t mention the coach’s name. Although I finished [my degree] early, the NFL has a rule that you can’t report until your school graduates. I was one of the last ones to report (in mid- to-late June) because [Northwestern] didn’t finish until mid-June. On my first day there, one of the coaches says to me as I’m in the stretch line, “Damn son, it’s about time you got here. Where have you been all this time?” I said, “Coach, I had to graduate. I was getting my degree.” And his exact words were, “What the hell do you need that for?” And I looked him in the face [and said], “So when you decide to cut me, I can go get a job.” You have to realize, I didn’t grow up with this childhood dream of being a professional athlete. Football wasn’t my identity. It was just a part of who I am. I felt comfortable saying that, coming out of a prestigious university, knowing I could a job with no problem. That set the tone and mindset for me coming in.

I played three years for the Browns. I became a starter in my second year and had a pretty good year. I really learned a lot about myself. I realized that, while I love ball, I only wanted to play three to four years. That was my mindset so I started to read a lot of business books just gearing up for grad school. I was fortunate enough to play 10 years, however (with Cleveland, Seattle, Houston, Jacksonville, and Indianapolis). I still don’t know how. I tell people that I was never the biggest, fastest or strongest. I was smart enough to learn multiple positions. It was a huge accomplishment. I loved playing and made some life-long friends. We stay in constant contact with each other and are very active in each others’ lives.

[I knew it was time to move on] around year eight in Houston. I still enjoyed going to work, but it started to become work. The first seven years were really just fun. I loved training, going to practice, and being in meetings. I would’ve done it if they’d paid me zero dollars. My body was still in great shape and I had no serious injuries. But I was starting to wear down mentally. And that’s about the time I started researching business schools and what an MBA would do for me in the business world.

In my last year at Houston (2010), I knew I was done. I had two surgeries in less than six months on my ankle and knee. Mentally, I was already over it. At the end of the season, I was like, ‘That’s it for me.’ Then, the lockout happened. In the new CBA (collective bargaining agreement), they came out with a lot better medical benefits. So I was like, ‘Let me find a way to sneak one more year in so I can get the benefits of this new CBA.’ I didn’t get picked up, but stayed in shape. Eventually, Jacksonville signed me – and then cut me two games later. Indianapolis picked up my contract for my leadership and character and I spent the final five weeks developing their young guys. Then, I retired the day after the season ended. I didn’t want to do it anymore. I knew it was time to move on and go to business school.