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It's a PURDY Good Underdog Story... š
FLIGHT #049
Steven Harris
February 22, 2024 ā¢ Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes
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āSuccess is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.ā
Iām a sports nut. š„
I grew up playing competitive sportsā¦ baseball, football, and basketball.
I have ran five half marathons and like to get out for a round of 18. šļøāāļø
My wife excelled in softball, basketball, and cross country, while also getting involved on the golf course as well.
She also is a ONE PERCENTER in the US to complete a FULL marathon. š²
Our kids are getting into competitive sports with our son playing basketball, golf, and 11u Club Baseball.
Our 9 year old daughter is picking up steam in softball, volleyball, and loves skateboarding.
I have found itās much easier to ensure your kids are active when youāre active yourself. šŖ
We also like to watch and read about all kinds of athletic performances as well.
P.S. My 11 year old son writes a weekly-ish newsletter when heās not busy with baseball sharing quick hitter sports facts. If youād like the Saturday read, click here: Jackās Sports Facts
Needless to say, weāre a SPORTS FAMILY.
There are so many parallels, references, and stories we can take away from sports and athletics in generalā¦
Winning as a team.
Learning from your losses.
Battling back after setbacks.
Mental fortitude to keep going.
Being coachable to achieve goals.
An underdog is not a bad place to be.
Putting in the work behind close doors.
Discipline and consistency to reach your potential.
ā¦ And so many more!
We can learn a lot from these stories in pursuit of our own success and happiness, as we strive to become BUSINESS ATHLETES. šŖ
This FLIGHT is involves a triumphant UNDERDOG story about an Arizona kid who had NO BUSINESS being one of the starting QBs in this yearās Super Bowlā¦
ā¦at least to those who didnāt know him.
The last pick of every NFL draft is called, MR. IRRELEVANTā¦
And in 2022, that man wasā¦
Now I know my 49er fans out there will probably love this FLIGHT more than the rest, but if youāre not a fan and before you get all worked up about it, Iām NOT a 49er fan either.
I am a Vikings fan. SKOL! š
However, I am ALWAYS a fan of cool underdog stories that I can learn from, develop analogies, and share these inspiring stories with others.
So keep readingā¦ š
I was chatting with a few of the dads from my sonās baseball team this past weekend, and they are both 49er fans.
Purdy inevitably came upā¦
Soā¦ I thought it would be fun to do a deeper dive š¤æ into this baby faced š¶kidās football š story and share my takeaway with you all. š
Brock Purdy was born December 27th, 1999.
This made him the third youngest QB to start in the Super Bowl at the ripe old age of 24 years youngā¦
ā¦AND he was the FIRST Arizona native šµ to play quarterback AND start in any Super Bowl EVER. š±
AZ has produced some incredible athletes, so that was pretty surprising to meā¦
But, letās back up a little bit hereā¦
He started on varsity as a sophomore at Perry High School in Gilbert, AZ.
The hometown kid to us Arizona peeps, tore it up in 2017 during his senior seasonā¦
Throwing for 4,410 yards
57 touchdowns
9 interceptions
Rushed for 1,106 yards with another 10 scores
They ended up losing back to back AZ State Championships, but he set the 6A state record in passing TDs and was named Arizonaās Gatorade Player of the Year.
College coaches came calling, and he chose to play for the Iowa State Cyclones. š
But it wasnāt all roses and rainbows out the gate.
As a freshman he started in unfamiliar territory, as the 3rd string QB on the depth chart.
Imagine DOMINATING in high school only to have the wake up call of being a bench warmer in collegeā¦
Even with all the accolades, he was a NOBODY to start his college career.
Some would have simply chilled out and skated by in practice, never expecting their chance to playā¦
..but not this DUDE. š
He prepared as if he was the starter and worked harder than anyone, all without knowing if/when he would get his shot.
When the starting QB went down with an injury and the backup QB couldnāt take advantage of his opportunity, Purdy was named the starter by the 5th week of the seasonā¦
BOOM! š„
THIS WAS ITā¦ š«”
ā¦AND HE NEVER LOOKED BACK. š
He remained Iowa Stateās starting QB for another three seasons breaking all kinds of school career records.
He was a 3-time All Big 12 quarterback and helped the Cyclones achieve 4 straight winning seasons for the first time since the 1920s.
All he needed was an OPPORTUNITY and HE SEIZED IT.
When it was time to enter the NFL draft, he didnāt come with a lot of promise in the eyes of NFL coaches and GMsā¦
ā¦proven by being the 262nd overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft.
He was a FLYER at best. š¬
The NFL is a much smaller pool of players, who are the best of the best in the world, with only 1.6% of college athletes making the transition to the pros.
When you think about it, simply getting drafted is an incredible feat of it's own.
Purdy could have been happy and content right then and there, especially when there were no real expectations for a guy who barely made it into the draft.
Picked up by the 49ers, Mr. Irrelevant naturally was listed as the 3rd string QB behind Trey Lance (Niners first round pick in 2021) and Jimmy Garoppolo ($24M base salary the year before).
LO AND BEHOLDā¦
Lance got hurt in week 2 of that year, and Jimmy G injured his foot by week 13, so here we go againā¦
Next man upā¦ The 3rd string QBā¦
Hmmā¦ Sound familiar?
The man who always worked his TAIL OFF behind closed doors as if he was the starter all alongā¦
Brock Purdy was thrown in and hasnāt relinquished the starting gig since.
And heās taking the league by storm with these š Eight Mind Blowing Stats.
He led the Niners to the NFC Championship game last year, falling to the Eagles and as we all know led them to the Super Bowl this year, but fell short again to the Chiefs.
Kyle Shanahan the 49ers head coach took notice of 3rd stringerās work ethic, preparation, and skill during his rookie year training camp.
Jed York, the 49ers CEO went on record saying that Shanahan told him he thought Purdy was the best QB they had in the room at that timeā¦
Check the video here at the 1:10 mark š YouTube
He doesnāt have the prototypical traits of an NFL QB, but continues to defy the odds in such a short amount of time.
Heās making history with his success thus far, doing it in just two short yearsā¦
ā¦and Purdyās story is just getting started.
The speed of which he launched into stardom is what truly makes this an unbelievable UNDERDOG story.
Purdyās High School coach, Preston Jones had this to sayā¦
āI always tell people Iām not surprised at his success, but I am surprised how quick it happened. It happened because he was at the right spot at the right time, and all the preparation leading up to that gave him the opportunity.ā
Perry High School even temporarily renamed a street sign after him. š
This is the line that sticks out the most to meā¦
āIt happened because he was at the right spot at the right time, and all the preparation leading up to that gave him the opportunity.ā
You donāt just fall into an opportunity.
Being at the right place at the right time is not luck.
Itās a direct result of the preparation, relationships, work ethic, and knowledge youāve accumulated throughout your life to become aware and ready to jump.
You may be past the point of becoming a starting NFL QB, but youāre not nearly past the point of fulfilling your true potential.
Youāre here to make a DENTā¦ an IMPACTā¦ and be the INSPIRATION for those around you.
You have the OPPORTUNITY to be that PERSON.
Whatever it is that youāre striving for, tap into the Purdy tenacity to prepare more then anyone else and when the opportunity comesā¦
SHOCK THE WORLD. š
Until our next FLIGHT, check out our latest episode of the SuccessFlow Podcast, where we share a few other underdog stories youāre going to love.
Please subscribe on YOUTUBE, comment, and share. š¤
Episode 39: The Underdog Stories
Remember, Opportunity is Everywhere!!
Cheers! Steven
BTW, when youāre ready, hereās a few ways I can help you. šāāļø
1. Did you know I also run a payroll business in PHX?! If youāre a small business owner, or know someone who is, JOURNEY PAYROLL can help.
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