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J.C. Watts Offers Strong Message of Hope
J.C. Watts, former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback and U.S. Congressman from Oklahoma, provided a strong message of perseverance to Boys Town youth during a visit to Wegner School May 3.
It doesn't matter where you start, it matters where you finish," said Watts, who was in town as the keynote speaker at the 40th Boys Town Sports Booster Banquet. "It doesn't matter whether you are in athletics, politics, business or in school; there are certain principles you have to follow to get you where you want to be - hard work, sacrifice, commitment. Faith, belief in yourself. and doing just a little bit extra everyday pays tremendous dividends."
After speaking about his football career at Oklahoma and in the Canadian Football League, and his political experiences, Watts answered questions from Wegner students.
"There is one thing for sure in your life and my life and everybody else's life - it doesn't matter who you are, where you are from or what you're doing, you will have challenges," said Watts when a student asked him about the challenges he has overcome. "Perseverance, hard work, never saying 'die,' never giving in; that's what gets you there. We just have to have the determination that we will overcome."
This spirit and commitment to nation's youth brought Watts to the Booster Banquet. Before a crowd of 1,200 at Omaha's Holiday Inn Convention Center, Watts spoke about the support he received from family, teachers and coaches.
The Eufaula, Okla., native said his high school football coach told him he could be just as dominant as some of the Oklahoma Sooners he admired. "That's all I needed to hear," said Watts. "Coaches, you have a tremendous impact on the lives of youth at Boys Town. You never forget the coach."
Tributes throughout the evening focused on Boys Town student athletes. Most Dedicated and Most Outstanding awards were given to athletes in each of Boys Town's 11 sports teams.
"It was always a dream to play soccer in high school," said Missy, a Boys Town High School senior. "Thank you to all the boosters for making all of our dreams possible."
"Athletics allows us to develop life skills," said Stacy, a senior football player and wrestler. "All my coaches have done wondrous things to help develop my future and make me the man I am today."
Boys Town alumni Ed Novotny, '43, and William Maddux, '53, were also honored with induction into the Sports Hall of Fame. Thomas Carodine, '48, and David Nelson, '51, were inducted posthumously. Dave Webber, WOWT Channel 6 Sports Director, was made an Honorary Citizen of Boys Town.
An evening dedicated to Boys Town athletes past and present celebrated the Boys Town spirit - a constant dedication to providing help, healing and hope to abused, abandoned and neglected youth.
