They put it all on the line every Sunday. You may see them as Pro Bowlers, former first-rounders, million-dollar men. But there’s more to life than a game for these elite NFL athletes. And Nike Sportswear is sharing their unique stories as part of its Maverick campaign.
He plays big and makes huge plays. DeSean Jackson is living proof that being great isn’t about size. It’s about determination.
Maverick Attitude: “I had a lot of dreams growing up as a kid, and I didn’t let [anyone] tell me that I couldn’t make it, because I knew I was going to put everything into it. A lot of people told me I was too small. It was just a challenge in life, and I used it to motivate me and prove everybody wrong. “
Defining Moment: Jackson made his mark during the 2005 California Interscholastic Federation state football championship. “Our starting corner got hurt, so coach called my number,” he says. “I had to go out there and play shutdown corner. The quarterback made a mistake and threw it up, I can remember going up in the air and taking it away from the receiver. That was my first interception.
“For my second interception of the game, the receiver ran a Go Route on me. We were battling for the football and all I can remember was coming down with it. It put us up a touchdown.”
Statement of Purpose: “I sacrifice my body for the ball at any given time. I’m a wide receiver, and that’s my job.”
Read more about Jackson’s maverick style in “How Larry Fitzgerald and DeSean Jackson Blazed Paths to Greatness,” featured in the Fall 2010 issue of STACK magazine.
Larry Fitzgerald: More Than Sure Hands
Johnny Knox: More Than Pure Speed
Darrelle Revis: More Than the Island
Ray Rice: More Than A Dual Threat
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They put it all on the line every Sunday. You may see them as Pro Bowlers, former first-rounders, million-dollar men. But there’s more to life than a game for these elite NFL athletes. And Nike Sportswear is sharing their unique stories as part of its Maverick campaign.
He plays big and makes huge plays. DeSean Jackson is living proof that being great isn’t about size. It’s about determination.
Maverick Attitude: “I had a lot of dreams growing up as a kid, and I didn’t let [anyone] tell me that I couldn’t make it, because I knew I was going to put everything into it. A lot of people told me I was too small. It was just a challenge in life, and I used it to motivate me and prove everybody wrong. “
Defining Moment: Jackson made his mark during the 2005 California Interscholastic Federation state football championship. “Our starting corner got hurt, so coach called my number,” he says. “I had to go out there and play shutdown corner. The quarterback made a mistake and threw it up, I can remember going up in the air and taking it away from the receiver. That was my first interception.
“For my second interception of the game, the receiver ran a Go Route on me. We were battling for the football and all I can remember was coming down with it. It put us up a touchdown.”
Statement of Purpose: “I sacrifice my body for the ball at any given time. I’m a wide receiver, and that’s my job.”
Read more about Jackson’s maverick style in “How Larry Fitzgerald and DeSean Jackson Blazed Paths to Greatness,” featured in the Fall 2010 issue of STACK magazine.
Larry Fitzgerald: More Than Sure Hands
Johnny Knox: More Than Pure Speed
Darrelle Revis: More Than the Island
Ray Rice: More Than A Dual Threat