Ricky Watters: For His Family, For the Fans, For Football

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Ricky Watters: The Future Hall of Famer

Watters has yet to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but I have little doubt we’ll be seeing him in Canton, OH really soon. Though mostly remembered by some fans for his emotional antics on and off the field, Watters is a man that embodies every aspect of being a pro football athlete:

Setting high expectations for himself as an adopted child with something to prove to the world, Watters’ natural talent and hard work as a running back and wide receiver early on in his career would set him on a path to becoming one of the most consistent pro running backs of all time. Retiring, he would learn what it meant to be a good father to his children, encouraging others to be good parents to their children and advocating for young people who have no parental guidance. Now working as an analyst, Watters returns to the game he loves to share his knowledge with the fans for which he played.

So if you should ever find yourself in a coffee shop with Ricky and ask him for who and for what he played for, the answer should actually be fairly simple:

For his Family, For the Fans, and For his Love of the Game of Football.

Just don’t blame me when you ask him that and he ends up giving you a not-so-simple, hour-long answer as he reflects on his life.

But this I promise you: if you do happen to listen intently to what he says to you, if you take the opportunity to open your mind to his unique perception of the world, chances are you’ll find yourself like I did, learning more about yourself just by listening to his story.

That, or you’ll end up like I did, getting the hot chocolate because you had absolutely no idea how the other drinks on the menu tasted.

Judging from the fact Watters went back to the counter for seconds, maybe next time, I’ll get the chai latte.

Next: Ricky Watters on Stephen Curry, Carlos Hyde, College

Ricky Watters: For His Family, For the Fans, For Football

By Angelo Mendoza | Oct 5, 2015

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