Transcript
0:00 coach Tomlin is a family man a man of God and we are proud to say our commencement speaker today ladies and gentlemen graduates as I induct him as an honorary Bearcat please welcome Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin
0:37 oh boy you guys are too much with the with the terrible towels it is an honor and a privilege um that I don't take very lightly I'd like to thank you I'd like to TK thank president Tui Arch Abbott the wiki uh all distinguished honores up here today I'd like to thank the whole St Vincent College Community I'd like to thank you the
1:07 162nd graduating class St Vincent's College I'd like to thank your families your friends your loved ones that are gathered here today to allow my family and I to be a part of what is a special day I mean that when I was told about this opportunity I was at a loss really this is a little out of my comfort zone
1:38 believe it or not I thought long and hard about what I could say to this group of people here today thought long and hard in the midst of draft preparation I thought about what I would say to this group uh in layovers in airports as I treed across the United States to workout perspective Steelers I thought
2:10 about what I would say to this group in the last two months I've conducted 89 interviews with draft eligible prospects some of which had college degrees and I asked them what their commencement speaker said to them they had no idea so I thought
2:42 back 13 years ago this weekend I sat where you sit 13 years ago this weekend I sat where you sit I too cannot remember a thing that my commencement me speaker said that made me extremely comfortable because regardless of what I say to you here today there's a strong possibility that the vast majority of
3:14 you will not remember a word that I say and I know why because the more I thought about it I recognized that this is a distracted group today distracted by a lot of things distracted by the reflection of what you've gone through to sit here today distracted by the uncertainty that
3:45 that life has waiting for you on the other side of those doors distracted by the excitement or the potential of plans of things that you've always talked about doing after this day and I mean that it is a comfort zone for me to talk to a group of people that are distracted this is what I do I gathered a steel Steelers around in
4:17 a room not like this but let's say for the purposes of this discussion very similar to this and on the other side of the doors awaits a distraction tremendous distraction and what Waits For You on the other side of those doors are very very similar to what Waits on the other side of those doors for us on game day but even bigger of course it's the game of life and when I pondered that and I
4:49 thought about what I would talk to you about today it immediately put me back in my comfort zone this is a pregame speech if you will I'm pretty good at those pretty good at those at least I've been told and i' like to frame our discussion today along those lines and when I do that I understand that some of the group maybe even the majority of the group are somewhat distracted and they're going to see my
5:19 mouth move and they're not going to hear what I have to say it's okay I framed this discussion today and my goal is simple uh to give those who need that something what they need so they can go play the game of Life to his fullest much like game day this pregame talk we're going to have today it must be clear can be no misinterpretations no
5:51 misunderstandings about our game plan that we have here today if there is we lose in a loud and grotesque manner people get hurt and I say that with a smile it must be concise because like on game day if I talk too long this group will run me over to get out of here to play the game of life it must be meaty it must have
6:24 substance to sustain you through the ups and downs uh that occur when you play the game hopefully it inspires to produce play that culminates in a desired outcome a steal of Victory oh excuse me victory in life it's with that a few things I want to talk to you about to help you play the game of Life first and
6:55 foremost I want to compliment you on your preparation I do not take it for granted as you sit here today poised to become the 162nd graduating class of St Vincent's College I tell you it's an honor that's well deserved I tell you that it too was not without his ups and downs you are to be congratulated for your
7:28 preparation as you begin to play the game of Life today you don't prepare alone you don't as in football we have coaches and trainers doctors equipment Personnel video Personnel that's our team there are 53 guys that get to run out of that locker room with a helmet on but we have a much bigger team and the men that play for us will tell you if they were here that they play a big part
7:59 of us being able to do what it is that we do I'd like to honor your team and I'd like you to join me today uh by giving a round of Round of Applause to your parents and loved ones and friends that have supported you in your [Applause] preparation secondly I would like to encourage you
8:30 to trust your preparation you see sometimes you burst out of those locker room doors and as soon as we kick the ball of Life off you get hit extremely hard and you temporarily forget some of the lessons that you've learned and you search for answers that aren't right in front of you I encourage you today as you face the
9:02 trials that may lie on the outside of that locker room door for you to trust what it is you've done here to trust the lessons that you've learned here both formally and informally I tell you you are prepared to play the game of life I reassure you like I reassure my football team of this fact it happens in the game of football it happens in the game of
9:36 life i' like to reassure you that the first five minutes of the game does not decide the outcome it never does it never does what I mean is team we might burst out of these doors today and have great success great success we can't wear our hands out patting ourselves on the
10:07 back the first five minutes never decides the outcome of the game we might burst out of this door today team and we may trip over some cords and fall flat on our face in the tunnel the first five minutes never decides the outcome of the game I like to reassure this group that as you move forward in the
10:38 shortterm you may have great success you may have what you perceive to be failure press on with the same spirit and determination that's allowed you to assemble here today because like in football those initial moments will not decide the outcome I like to challenge this group like I challenge our
11:11 team I like to challenge this group to attack like to challenge this group to play the win and there are many ways that winning is measured there's always the ever looming scoreboard that's easy but it's also how you play the game it's the same in The Game of Life you'll be measured in many ways
11:43 your level of success Fame Fortune what have you you will quickly find that true success is measured in how you play the game life that you honor those that have come before you by playing the game with great integrity with honor and class you see I believe that there's an
12:15 obligation that we all have we're very blessed we go through cycles of Life what we learn what we get out and do you you must give back you must give back to your communities you must be great members of communities you must make this a greater place to live for all of us that is your obligation it may not register on the
12:47 scoreboard of life but it is an obligation that we all have to make this place better for our children for our children's children and on and on this group is capable of that we can not only play the win but we can play in such a manner that it exhibits what we are
13:17 about as people lastly I mandate this I mandate it that you continue to dream the wild dreams that you dreamed when you were young when you walk out of those doors today the reality of adulthood and workplaces and workforces that await for you if nothing
13:51 else it inhibits your ability to dream and I'm blessed because what I do for a living I run AC Ross extraordinary people that are doing extraordinary things really in just about every field of human endeavor one of the ties That Bind those people is they dream wild Limitless unimaginable dreams that they dreamed when they were young I'm a
14:23 dreamer I'm a dreamer always have been and the funny thing the only difference between the dreams that you dream prior to the day and the dreams that you dream after the day is as you walk out of that door if you're serious about your dreams you have to make the Daily Commitment to take action to make the dreams a reality regardless of the realities that
14:57 await dream Dre and dream big dream and dream big don't listen to the naysayers because they'll outnumber support 100 to one it's elevated music like I tell my football team you hear it but you don't hold on to your dreams make the Daily Commitment to make those dreams reality
15:29 play the game to win play the game the way it's supposed to be played and you'll live successful happy lives lives that honor those who've supported you it's been my pleasure team to share this day with you I thank you for that I root for you like a fan I mean that may God bless you and keep you
16:00 thank you wonder wonder