Alan Faneca's Work Ethic Propelled Him to NFL Stardom
Alan Faneca's work ethic propelled him to NFL stardom, but he recognized it was ultimately the Lord that blessed him with his talent.
By Faith on the Field Staff, August 27, 2021
Alan Faneca played 13 seasons in the NFL as a left guard, 10 with the Pittsburgh Steelers, two with the New York Jets, and his final one with the Arizona Cardinals. He made nine Pro bowls was a six-time first-team All-Pro. To top it all off, he was recently inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Those are a lot of accolades for a professional athlete. But Alan told us in our recent episode ‘The Little Things’ that his football inspiration started with just simple comments that were made to him in high school from his football coach.
“We were in high school, and you just got on the 5-man sled and you just push it up and down. It’s just like a death march, right? And that’s what we were doing. And you know, people were kind of hanging out in the back a little bit and I was I just kept jumping up to the line and getting to work, and that’s what (my coach) noticed. He steps up and he says that ‘Alan here is going to be playing on Sundays’”.
Alan’s work ethic is what allowed him to make such an impact on his coaches. Where did that work ethic come from?
Listen to the episode here:
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“I get that from my Mom and Dad. Dad is a welder, a sheet metal worker. And my mother is a teacher. I was raised to be a hard worker and not to accept anything. To just to work for everything I get. That’s how they raised me, and that’s how it stuck. I just took that into everything I’ve done especially into sports.”
Faneca’s work ethic definitely got him into the NFL, but he recognizes it was ultimately the Lord who placed him there and gave him the talent to be a professional athlete. When Faneca was inducted into the Hall of Fame, he reflected on that truth.
“I was looking for a way originally (to) walk-off, how do you end this massive speech? You just kind of summed up your life and career. It really all comes down to the things that I had nothing to do with, what was given to me, and I just wanted to say thank you.”
