PJ Labarbera played Football and Baseball throughout his time as a Warrior before graduating in 2016. On the football team, PJ was a force to be reckoned with in the defensive secondary. When opposing quarterbacks threw the ball his direction, PJ only allowed 7 completed receptions for a total of 67 yards his entire senior year, and year in which he played every defensive snap.
PJ was then recruited to play both football and baseball at Pomona College, where he is currently virtually pursuing an Economics Major and Mathematics Minor in his final semester as a Sagehen. PJ hopes to pursue a career in sports-driven venture capitalism.
PJ has certainly seen his fair share of adversity, as he was decided to hang up his baseball glove after his second labrum surgery during his sophomore year. He was hindered by injury throughout his football career as well, but eventually earned a starting role at the safety spot his junior and senior year, that is, until his senior year was cut short by an ankle injury that required tightrope surgery.
However PJ refused to be defined by his struggles, and instead used them as motivation to create a blog and now a podcast platform he calls “Speak.” Instead of taking on wide receivers, PJ is now tackling issues related to athletes’ mental health, including depression, grief, performance-based acceptance, and anxiety.
Thanks for tuning in to the Warrior Rewind, where we take time to visit with members of the Valley Christian Athletics community---past and present. Once a Warrior, always a Warrior.
Warrior Rewind is hosted by Rob Fair '09, who also serves VC as a football coach, lacrosse coach, and Assistant Athletic Director. Connect with Rob on Twitter (@robfair3) to nominate a new guest for the show!
Music: https://www.bensound.com
