

He let Barry J., as the running back likes to be called, talk to professors and coaches.īob Whitfield likes to make himself invisible at practices, if that’s possible for such an immense figure. When Barry Sanders joined his son on a recruiting trip to Stanford, the former Detroit Lions great stood in the background. “It’s not too big for them because they’ve been around it their whole lives.”īecause of an intimate knowledge of the game, many of the fathers keep a distance when it comes to coaches handling their kids. “They’re not in awe of it,” Shaw said of the offspring. He said such experiences gave him insight into what it would take to forge his own path. The younger Whitfield’s first memories of the NFL are from the 1999 Super Bowl when his father played for the Atlanta Falcons. Bob was a 6-5, 318-pound left tackle who played at Stanford with current coach David Shaw. In the case of the Whitfields, father and son share a passion but not a position. It’s not something he is born with and he is done.” “It becomes an achievable, natural, common-sensical thing to imagine yourself to be,” Coyle said. Combine motivation with access to NFL locker rooms, and it is easy to see why these sons have joined the family business. The players’ dads support the thesis, saying their sons had an internal drive to play major college football - and beyond. “Michael Jordan’s son would be a lot better at basketball than he is if it was all about genes,” he said. Such determination might be more important than DNA, according to Daniel Coyle, author of “The Talent Code” and “The Little Book of Talent.” When I finally got the chance, I was not going to give it up.”
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“I’ve been around the game since I was born,” the 2012 All-Pac-12 free safety said. At least in the case of Ed Reynolds, the restriction fueled his passion. Louis and Phoenix Cardinals and the Los Angeles Raiders.Īnother theme among NFL families: Parents discouraged their sons from tackle football too early in life. “When I decided to come here, it was a 40-year decision, not a four-year decision,” said Peat, a 6-foot-7 offensive tackle whose father played for the St.
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Sanford said the parents know how fleeting a professional football career can be. Ultimately, the NFL parents sent their kids to Stanford because of the school’s scholarly bona fides. “If Barry Sanders goes to Oklahoma State, it is more of a big deal,” recruiting coordinator Mike Sanford said.
