JJ Birden was rejected by 5 teams in 4 days during his pursuit of a career in the NFL.  Once a track star at the University of Oregon, he had a strong desire to play football.  At 5’10 and 157 pounds, Birden was ridiculously fast and agile however not worthy enough to start on one of the major teams.  Plagued by a torn ACL, he decided that if he wanted it, he was going to commit to getting better and that is exactly what he did.

In this episode, Birden talks about coming from the projects to the self-discipline it requires to succeed when the odds seemed stacked against you.  Birden went on to play for 9  years in the NFL, has 8 children, has been happily married for 27 years, and is a professional speaker and entrepreneur.

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