tk13
05-01-2005, 01:27 AM
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/11533979.htm
Greg Hill is giving back to the game
JASON WHITLOCK
Saturday afternoon, as Derrick Johnson took another baby step toward becoming an NFL player, Greg Hill and Carl Peterson shared a long embrace along the sideline of the practice field Johnson was patrolling.
“Young man, you still look like you can play,” Peterson said to Hill.
“Young man, you still look good,” Hill said to Peterson.
Peterson and Hill then broke into an extended catch-up chat, asking about each other's families, careers and mutual friends. And then the conversation turned to Derrick Johnson, the Chiefs' No. 1 draft pick, the linebacker from the University of Texas. Working for Fox Sports, Hill covered many of Johnson's Longhorns games as a color analyst.
“He could be another Derrick Thomas,” Hill told Peterson. “He's a good kid, articulate and a good person.”
“We think he can maybe be a little bit of Derrick Thomas and little bit of Donnie Edwards,” Peterson said.
Forget what you've heard from Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil, the Chiefs justifiably have astronomical expectations for the player they snagged with the 15th pick in the draft. Obviously the Chiefs don't want Johnson swallowed by those expectations. That's one of the reasons the Chiefs contracted with Troupe21, a consulting firm that specializes in counseling young professional athletes on transitioning into the athletic and real work forces.
Hill and the president of Troupe21, Guy Troupe, were here Friday and Saturday to put on a two-day, no-holds-barred seminar for the players participating in the Chiefs' three-day rookie camp. Troupe, former senior director of NFL player and employee development, is the visionary behind Troupe21. He believes the leadership model and principles that drive diverse sports teams can be implemented in all workplaces. Troupe partners with former players such as Hill to get the Troupe21 message out.
The message to athletes basically is: A career in professional sports is very brief, and it's best that players maximize every networking and business opportunity that is presented.
“We can say things that maybe the organization is uncomfortable saying,” Troupe explained, standing on the sideline looking out at the 40 or so KC rookie tryouts. “Look, 95 percent of these guys will never make it. So now it becomes, ‘What are they going to do from here?' We can talk with them about that. And then, because of my experience with the league and the players' experience, we can tell a guy like D.J. (Derrick Johnson) what to expect and how to deal with it.”
Hill, now 33, knows exactly what Johnson is about to experience. The 25th overall pick of the 1994 draft, Hill was supposed to be the running-back savior for the Chiefs. At the time Hill was plucked out of Texas A&M, the Chiefs had a terrific defense and were looking for an offensive spark.
Hill, as you know, never quite got on the right side of then-Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer. Hill played here four years and then played a year each with the Rams and Lions. He was never a regular starter in the NFL.
“You know, Jason says you're one of my many draft busts,” Peterson inappropriately joked with Hill along the sideline Saturday.
Hill is certainly an off-the-field success. He's vice president of accounts for Reef Securities out of Richardson, Texas; he does color commentary for Fox Sports during the college football season; and he speaks to players for Troupe21. He talked with the Chiefs' rookies for two hours Friday and was scheduled to meet with them again Saturday.
“I heard you wowed 'em (Friday night),” Dick Vermeil said as he hugged Hill.
“By the end of the night, I felt like I was at a nightclub, I had so many phone numbers passed to me,” Hill said, referring the players' reactions.
Hill later told me, “We spent a lot of time talking about learning how to say no. That's the No. 1 thing D.J. will have to learn. Every time you say no, you're really saying yes to yourself. It's hard to say no to your family and your close friends. But you have to do it. There's so much pressure and so many responsibilities.”
Hill said it wasn't until his fifth year in the league that he realized he needed to take control of his career. After failing with the Chiefs, Hill began preparing for life after football.
Was it hard on his ego to come back here and speak to the Chiefs?
“It's a total non-issue,” Hill said. “I would've loved to have played here 13 or 14 years. But I'm glad I was forced to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. You can't play football forever. I'm fortunate, I'm making as much now as I did when I was playing football, and I can do this for the rest of my life. I'm glad I can come back here and give back to the players.”
Greg Hill is giving back to the game
JASON WHITLOCK
Saturday afternoon, as Derrick Johnson took another baby step toward becoming an NFL player, Greg Hill and Carl Peterson shared a long embrace along the sideline of the practice field Johnson was patrolling.
“Young man, you still look like you can play,” Peterson said to Hill.
“Young man, you still look good,” Hill said to Peterson.
Peterson and Hill then broke into an extended catch-up chat, asking about each other's families, careers and mutual friends. And then the conversation turned to Derrick Johnson, the Chiefs' No. 1 draft pick, the linebacker from the University of Texas. Working for Fox Sports, Hill covered many of Johnson's Longhorns games as a color analyst.
“He could be another Derrick Thomas,” Hill told Peterson. “He's a good kid, articulate and a good person.”
“We think he can maybe be a little bit of Derrick Thomas and little bit of Donnie Edwards,” Peterson said.
Forget what you've heard from Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil, the Chiefs justifiably have astronomical expectations for the player they snagged with the 15th pick in the draft. Obviously the Chiefs don't want Johnson swallowed by those expectations. That's one of the reasons the Chiefs contracted with Troupe21, a consulting firm that specializes in counseling young professional athletes on transitioning into the athletic and real work forces.
Hill and the president of Troupe21, Guy Troupe, were here Friday and Saturday to put on a two-day, no-holds-barred seminar for the players participating in the Chiefs' three-day rookie camp. Troupe, former senior director of NFL player and employee development, is the visionary behind Troupe21. He believes the leadership model and principles that drive diverse sports teams can be implemented in all workplaces. Troupe partners with former players such as Hill to get the Troupe21 message out.
The message to athletes basically is: A career in professional sports is very brief, and it's best that players maximize every networking and business opportunity that is presented.
“We can say things that maybe the organization is uncomfortable saying,” Troupe explained, standing on the sideline looking out at the 40 or so KC rookie tryouts. “Look, 95 percent of these guys will never make it. So now it becomes, ‘What are they going to do from here?' We can talk with them about that. And then, because of my experience with the league and the players' experience, we can tell a guy like D.J. (Derrick Johnson) what to expect and how to deal with it.”
Hill, now 33, knows exactly what Johnson is about to experience. The 25th overall pick of the 1994 draft, Hill was supposed to be the running-back savior for the Chiefs. At the time Hill was plucked out of Texas A&M, the Chiefs had a terrific defense and were looking for an offensive spark.
Hill, as you know, never quite got on the right side of then-Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer. Hill played here four years and then played a year each with the Rams and Lions. He was never a regular starter in the NFL.
“You know, Jason says you're one of my many draft busts,” Peterson inappropriately joked with Hill along the sideline Saturday.
Hill is certainly an off-the-field success. He's vice president of accounts for Reef Securities out of Richardson, Texas; he does color commentary for Fox Sports during the college football season; and he speaks to players for Troupe21. He talked with the Chiefs' rookies for two hours Friday and was scheduled to meet with them again Saturday.
“I heard you wowed 'em (Friday night),” Dick Vermeil said as he hugged Hill.
“By the end of the night, I felt like I was at a nightclub, I had so many phone numbers passed to me,” Hill said, referring the players' reactions.
Hill later told me, “We spent a lot of time talking about learning how to say no. That's the No. 1 thing D.J. will have to learn. Every time you say no, you're really saying yes to yourself. It's hard to say no to your family and your close friends. But you have to do it. There's so much pressure and so many responsibilities.”
Hill said it wasn't until his fifth year in the league that he realized he needed to take control of his career. After failing with the Chiefs, Hill began preparing for life after football.
Was it hard on his ego to come back here and speak to the Chiefs?
“It's a total non-issue,” Hill said. “I would've loved to have played here 13 or 14 years. But I'm glad I was forced to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. You can't play football forever. I'm fortunate, I'm making as much now as I did when I was playing football, and I can do this for the rest of my life. I'm glad I can come back here and give back to the players.”