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Jaguar center pays a visit to Bradford Middle School
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| By:Cliff Smelley, Telegraph Staff Writer |
May 19, 2005 |
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Jacksonville Jaguars center Brad Meester dropped by Bradford Middle School on May 3 to talk to the seventh- and eighth-grade students about life as a football player and the importance of taking school seriously.
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Meester, who spoke at the Starke Kiwanis Club meeting earlier in the day, told students that a career in professional sports is no sure thing. Meester, who is entering his sixth year in the NFL, has defied the odds since the average NFL career lasts three years.
Of course, many athletes never get the opportunity to play in the NFL or any professional sports league. Meester said he has heard it said that a person is more likely to get struck by lightning twice than make it as a professional athlete.
"It's very, very hard to become a professional athlete," Meester said. "I've seen some of the greatest athletes in high school not make it to the college level. I've seen some of the greatest athletes ever at the college level not make it to the pros."
Meester said he knows that all it's going to take is one significant injury to end his pro career.
"Then I would have to fall back on something else and that is why I think my education's so important," he said.
BMS students may or may not have given serious thought about what they would like to do in the future, but Meester told them whatever they decide upon will depend upon their education.
As for Meester, he graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a GPA of 3.76, earning a degree in business management.
"That's the thing I'm most proud of because it took a lot of hard work," he said.
Meester answered several questions from the students assembled in the gym as well as talking about his path to the NFL-a path Meester probably didn't envision taking when he was growing up.
"Really, I didn't have a passion for football," said Meester, who grew up on a small farm in Iowa. "I was more of a baseball- or basketball-type of guy. I ended up going out for football basically because my friends did."
That was in the seventh grade. Meester would come to love the sport in which he was a first-team district selection as a linebacker during his junior year and a first-team selection as an offensive lineman his senior year. He was also a first-team all-state selection his senior year.
Meester received a scholarship from Northern Iowa. He redshirted his first year, then started every game for four years. He was a second-team selection in his conference his first two years and a first-team selection his last two years. Meester was also a first-team All-American his senior year.
Jacksonville drafted Meester with the 60th pick in 2000.
"I have started every game the past five years," Meester said. "I spent the first three years at left guard and the last two as a center."
Meester said he is away from football for three months. That time away from the team is devoted to his wife, Jamie, who was his high school sweetheart, and two daughters, who are 3 years old and 3 months old.
"That's pretty much my offseason-doing stuff with them," Meester said.
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©Bradford County Telegraph 2009
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