Life is definitely more than a scoreboard…
Life is more than the scoreboard. It’s how you play. Mike Tomlin (’95)
Mike Tomlin’s inspirational words bellowed through William & Mary Hall last year and rang loudly in the ears of hundreds of fresh graduates from the Class of 2008, eager to put their stamps on their new world. Tomlin probably revisited those same exact thoughts last Sunday after a suspense-filled historical win in the Super Bowl by his Pittsburgh Steelers. No matter what team they were rooting for, most people were probably surprised to see the Arizona Cardinals take the lead at the end of the 4th quarter. A great deal of people, including myself, probably thought the Steelers were on the verge of losing a game that everyone had already assumed would be a piece of cake to win. However, Tomlin stated that he never felt anxious after the unexpected touchdown. He claimed that his team’s wins were never pretty, but they simply just found ways to get the job done.
As a former athlete and coach, and just as a sports nut in general, I never miss an opportunity to metaphorically connect a sports moment with a lesson about life. Tomlin is correct–you must learn to live life for the journey. We can’t just go by the “score” because it’s often in those moments when we’re “losing” that we’re setting ourselves up for an eventual amazing victory.
Okay, I’m done with my philosophical epiphany and going back to reading applications. Congratulations to Mike Tomlin, the youngest NFL coach ever to win a Super Bowl, and more importantly, one of W&M’s most beloved alumni!
Tomlin (’95) youngest head coach to win Super Bowl
– Kia Butts
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