As the Ravens line up to take on the Steelers this week, the back stories behind any of the 22 out there between the white lines on any given snap represent long odds, countless hours of sacrifice and much more. Also present is the chance that this very next snap will be their very last in the NFL. This game is a true spectacle to behold but it is just a game.
In my 10 years of college coaching experience I had the opportunity to teach, mentor, influence and lead several young men. It was a both a privilege and responsibility. I was also fortunate to earn the opportunity to coach at the United State Military Academy at West Point.
I humbly share one with you a back story of one participant from my perspective. These series of article were written back in week 7 of the 2015 season.
Alejandro Villanueva, My View – Part One: USMA
When the 4-2 Steelers take the field on Sunday, something special is going to happen. A young man with an already rich history will start for the first time in his professional football career. And as much fanfare may – or may not – be made of this news, I assure you the story behind Alejandro Villanueva’s journey to this moment is like few others.
I had the pleasure of being his coach at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and I’d like to share the story of a man – a friend – I know as ‘Ali.’
Our Meeting at West Point
The story begins more than six years ago when I found myself as a position coach at the United States Military Academy at West Point in January 2009. So much of the successes and failures of football have to do with the fit of a head coach – in the culture and in the fabric of an institution. But on a smaller scale, this is also true for a position coach.
As a staff, our first season was off to a fast start and I quickly found myself with the opportunity to coach Ali – a 6-foot 9-inch 290-pound giant. He’d had three other coaches and played three different positions before our staff arrived. It was now his senior year, and I was tasked with turning him into a Wide Receiver.
Ali had never played wide receiver at any level and just came off a season as an offensive lineman. Remember – this is his final collegiate season. And – he is 6-foot 9-inches tall… The clock was ticking and – I will admit – we were not sure we could make this happen.
No matter how you sliced it, Ali and I were in uncharted territory. He instantly became the tallest Wide Receiver in the history of college football. Not surprisingly, he was elected captain of the Army team. And there was the no-small-matter that he needed an eligible number – jerseys numbers in the 80s don’t come in his size…
When I think back at what we asked of this young man – this cadet – I am still astounded. It was one thing to ask a guy to move from guard to tackle. It was something completely different to move from tackle to Wide Receiver.
Imagine asking a very good player to change positions for what was going to be the last year of his football career. There is just one word that describes his attitude and character: selfless.
As it turned out, I was the right fit to guide Ali through this transition. We both had engineering and analytical backgrounds, so we approached problems and created solutions in a very similar fashion.
So how did we attack the monumental endeavor? We went to practice 45 minutes early every day, and I would throw him ball after ball after ball.
Catch, tuck, get up-field. Over and over again. Day after day. Rep after rep.
Ali would learn a skill, extend and refine it. We’d then come back to it again the next day while trying to add more in other areas. Make no mistake: it was a lot of work to get him ready to play Wide Receiver. We started with the basics and worked from there. No looking back – no regrets.
“Whatever you need coach” was Ali’s mantra.
To say this was a long shot was probably an understatement. I knew there was a Plan-B but neither Ali nor I was going to let that happen. Besides, coaching him was a new adventure – a new challenge – for me. Yes, some of the techniques he used were different – but just look at him – he is different.
So, even if we made it through spring ball – which we did – the road to fall camp loomed… And then there was the no-small-matter of actually having him play in a Division I football game.
Alejandro Villanueva – Part Two: Wide Receiver
Obviously, there were many challenges we faced each week on the practice field. Refinement, technique, time… But instead of taking you down that path, I want to highlight four events of that 2009 season.
Early in Fall Camp 2009
As we always do at the end of practice, the team gets into its Army versus Army drill. As seasoned Wide Receivers know, they are dependent upon everyone else doing their job so they can get a chance to contribute statistically. That realization was starting to sink in with Ali.
As a very talented, selfless football player, Ali’s focus was always to help his teammates. But standing out there at Wide Receiver, the game feels a lot different than it does in relative obscurity as an offensive lineman. Ali was starting to experience this change.
And then it happens, Quarterback Trent Steelman finally connects with Ali for a touchdown in practice. Exhale. Life is pumped back into this experiment.
Emotions were high – very high. This whole experiment was not some happy-go-lucky affair – there was pressure – but I don’t think we would have had it any other way. This was hard, and the margin for error was very small.
Army Versus Ball State: It’s the third game of the 2009 season, and we’re stalling a little bit on offense. Our opponent, Ball State, was a pretty good team that year. We needed a spark. Sometime late in the second quarter, our offense is facing fourth and long with the ball around our 40 yard line. Offensive Coordinator Ian Shields calls a pass play…
Steelman threw into double coverage and the safety tried to intercept the ball when all he had to do was knock it down. The ball bounced off his chest and Ali found his way out of the two defenders – catching it one-handed. It was an amazing play.
Two plays later, we hit Ali on a play action ball for his second collegiate touchdown. We went on to beat Ball State 24-17.
The play sequence never should have occurred except for the fact that Ali made a spectacular play on fourth down where there was no play – even for the best Wide Receiver in the game.
Alejandro Villanueva Stretches Like No Other Wide Receiver Can
Later that year – in a play that fools everyone, Ali catches a ball on the sideline against VMI. No one is used to seeing length out of bounds like this. Notice: the back judge was quick to call it out but was overturned on replay.
You know why he caught that ball? Yes, we did sideline drills and technique does exist for catching those types of balls. But Ali was often one to throw the ball around with his teammates – it was a bit of a “Thursday-practice-sort-of-thing.”
I remember watching the guys messing around and thinking it was not the best use of their time. They were trying to throw it out of bounds and see how far Ali could reach to catch it. I held my tongue and that play against VMI resulted. I like to think that was good coaching by just letting it happen…
Finally, it was Army-Navy. It was my first experience in this classic rivalry. A game that is larger than life. But for me, this day went beyond football.
The game ended with Navy possessing the football in a 17-3 Army loss. With seconds left, I started to walk onto the field to shake hands. I turned to my left and Ali was beside me – he was the first person I shook hands with. He thanked me for what I had done over the past 10 months. It had been quite a journey.
His football life was over. What he was about to do next was a known. He had branched infantry. He was ready to go and be with his classmates in a time of war. He was ready to go do his part. It was as if in an instant, it changed from “Whatever you need coach” to “Whatever you need America.”
Months later I learned that our exchange at the end of the Army-Navy game had been caught in the periphery of the TV cameras. A family friend had brought it up to me, describing it as very cool. Even then, I did not truly understand the depth of the man whose hand I was shaking. He had just sacrificed his senior year for a chance at contributing as a Wide Receiver and it had worked – he led the team in catches, yards and touchdowns. He did it because our coaching staff asked this of him. Because he is in a word: selfless.
Ali was then and continues to be now, larger than life itself.
Alejandro Villanueva, My View – Part Three: Service
You might be wondering how Ali ended up at West Point in the first place. It’s the same reason he branched infantry and later became a Ranger – his desire for selfless service. Not by talk but by action.
Ali chose to serve three tours in Afghanistan – a life that is about as far as you can get from the hotels he’ll now stay in on read games, and the attention the NFL has in America.
Ali returned to West Point for a visit Easter 2012, coming down from Fort Drum, New York where he was posted. We spent two straight days throwing the football and running routes, getting ready to film him. Basically a football “mini-camp” just for Ali. Proudly, my arm never quite bounced back from that experience.
From a physical perspective, Ali was very intriguing to NFL teams. He had played in the Shrine Game after the 2009 season and spent some time with the Bengals in a mini-camp. Creating a workout tape was a way to gauge interest. It was a smart thing to do. One on a long list for Ali.
It was a time to get to know him in a different way – as more than just a coach-player relationship. My family welcomed his stay with us that Easter weekend and to thank us, he brought us a beautiful Fort Drum throw and gave our young daughter a Fort Drum bear that she still snuggles. He attended services and had dinner with my family as well.
This was Ali’s first time back at West Point after graduating, and he said he felt like he was a toy visiting the toy factory from which he was made.
All told, Ali has worn a Bengals jersey, a Bears jersey, an Eagles jersey and now a Steelers jersey (images below – multiple internet sources). But it is the jersey he chose to put on for the US Army that is most impressive and reveals who he is. It has been a most improbable path to where he will be this Sunday, week 7 of this 2015 season.
I came across a video of this preseason’s Hall of Fame Game with the Steelers and Vikings. The announcers spent some time on Ali, talking about his Bronze Star and his military service. But I also heard the slight chuckles and flippant remarks about how the Taliban had not been able to hit the huge 6-foot 9-inch tall guy. It was just for a moment but the frustration struck me hard. Ali is a leader of men, not a punch line. Military service, in any form, is not funny.
“Leave no man behind” means something different to Ali. True valor is no joke. And it will it never be a laughing matter for for all the millions of service men and women who sacrifice daily. All I could think was that too many people really have no idea about all of this.
My hope is that Ali’s presence in the NFL will put a new spotlight on the sacrifices and contributions of our military. That the media will come to know Ali as I do, as his fellow Army Rangers do, and now how his Steelers’ teammates know him.
If you want to know why the United States of America is the best country in the world, travel to West Point. Sit quietly in the bleachers at the edge of the Plain in front of the barracks at 4:55pm. Take a moment to sit and watch what happens in the next five minutes. These are young men and women who bring honor to our great nation. And Ali Villanueva is a great representation of this. It will be exciting to watch such an honorable young man take the field this Sunday.
Alejandro Villanueva, My View – Part Four: NFL
Two week ago I saw Ali in San Diego when he was in town for the Monday night game. It’s the first time we’d met since he made the travel squad, and what did the now-starting left tackle for the Steelers and I talk about? His statistics class… Ali is not only playing full-time, but he’s also in the MBA program at Carnegie Melon University. Sprinkle in some football analytics and playbook technology innovations and it was a big night in the lobby!
With that story, I’d like to ask that we all take a moment and try to put ourselves in Ali’s shoes. Reflect on his background, reflect on his choices, reflect on his path.
We’d quickly know that the loud crowd we hear at Arrowhead, the edge rusher we are about to block on the first third-and-eight in the game, the gap we are responsible for on the game winning field goal – all of it has its place. But for people like Ali, this opportunity takes a different meaning.
I don’t know how Ali will play on Sunday, but I know exactly how he’ll react to the situation he is going to face. The choices made up to this point in his life are undeniable. What Ali represents is worthy of your respect. As he texted to me Sunday evening after playing three quarters against the Cardinals – “what an opportunity coach!”
This is a great story for a great person – no doubt. Ali is a leader, a leader the likes of which most of us will never have the opportunity to meet.
To Ali, it means choosing to fight for your country and taking all responsibility for your men – no matter what the risk. Most of us would never choose to follow his path. Most of us couldn’t handle it. But Ali is not most of us…
Ali will handle Sunday with complete focus and effort – just read the scouting report on him. Still, I am certain pro coaches have never scouted a man like this before. He’ll be the only one with this type of journey – ever. So enjoy him Steelers’ fans.
On Monday, a tweet came across my feed: “Let the Alejandro Villanueva era begin!”
Way late on that one, folks. Way late.
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Added Later:
Alejandro Villanueva, My View – Part Five: National Anthem
So much dialogue and diatribe has accomplanied Colin Kapernick’s recent self-expression during the National Anthem. America is a land of the free and home of the brave.
I think the best we can do is ask ourselves: “Do we cherish our country-given freedoms and do we show bravery each day standing up to defend those freedoms?” If America is truly the land of the free and the home of the brave, this question should be one we ponder each day.
The best part of this question is that each and every American citizen can arrive at the answer “yes” and have a completely different reason.
In my opinion, if we get mad at someone for not standing for the national we show an extreme short sightedness. I liken it to the person who yells at others for not speaking English on American soil. “This is America, speak English!” : Ignorance DEFINED.
American pole vaulter and 2LT Kendricks in the Olympics during his approach to a vault in Rio heard the American National Anthem start playing and IMMEDIATELY aborted his approach to begin what could be seen as a desperate attempt to locate the flag and stand at attention facing the flag. For an outsider observing him, his actions were very hard NOT to understand – almost impossible. His intentions very clear – all through his self-expression.
http://www.foxsports.com/olympics/story/usa-olympics-sam-kendricks-pole-vault-national-anthem-082116
Kapernick’s self-expression is defended and protected. His intentions however are clearly unclear to many. He can do whatever he wants in regards to bringing attention to an injustice he feels strongly about. He seems to be dealing with people who are unclear as to what the intentions of his actions are due to where and when he is choosing to act.
I submit that Ali understands this more than most. As a teenager he chose to attend the United States Military Academy. He chose to branch infantry, become a Ranger and serve three tours of duty in Afghanistan. He did not chose to receive a Bronze Star for valor, someone else decided to give that to him.
http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=17415674
As Ali approached graduation from the USMA back in 2010, there were voices out there that knew he had the goods to play professional football. He chose to not pursue that path. You want to know why? I’ve heard him say it:
“I just want to do my part”
He knew what he was called to do. It was purely his choice and self-expression as to exactly how he wanted to do his part.
I still encourage anyone who has not experienced it in person to sit quietly in the bleachers at the edge of the Plain at West Point in front of the barracks at 4:55pm. Take a moment and absorb what happens in the next five minutes. You will see some pretty powerful self-expression. Actions will not be confusing.
Selflessness DEFINED.
God Bless America.
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I spoke with Al by phone just last week – I can report that he is still exactly the same guy I met on that football field in West Point, NY. Has a wife and a few kids now – so maybe something changed.
Thank you for reading. Feel free to post a note to this veteran or any of our veterans on the message board.
Dr. Guyader is the Owner / Founder of The Q5.com, which specializes in Football Visualizations and Drive Analytics. Additionally, Guyader has 10 years of Division I football experience coaching top-tier and historic programs. From guiding third round NFL draft pick Ramses Barden for four seasons at Cal Poly to converting 6-foot 10-inch lineman Ali Villanueva to wide receiver at the United States Military Academy at West Point, Andy knows how to coach on the field and how to game-plan in a meeting.