Eastern was very lucky to have Gio Gonzalez here on campus on September 13th to speak to our athletes. Gonzalez is famous for coining the phrase “all in,” which inspired the NFL’s New York Giants to win the 2012 Super Bowl. He introduced the phrase at a team chapel, when the Giants were 7-8 and their chances of making the playoffs seemed slim.
However, they applied the “all in” philosophy, adding six straight wins to become Super Bowl Champions.
Gonzalez spoke about what it means to be “all in,” and how to give 100% in every aspect of life. He told stories of incredible determination throughout history, referencing Abraham Lincoln, Ray Lewis and Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus Christ, whose story he used to inspire the Giants.
Gonzalez brought up that in our society nobody desires to be “all in,” because they’re afraid of trying and failing. In his speech, he made it clear how irrational this attitude is for living, and how our fear of failure should not hinder us from trying to achieve our goals.
Gonzalez closed by having every athlete take a poker chip and sign it as a reminder that they were “all in.” This is the same action he required of the Giants. It is easy to see how this man inspired a team to win the Super Bowl.