Eric Dickerson was the nation's top prospect on National Signing Day in 1979, and the future NFL Hall of Fame running back was highly recruited by every major program across the country. Abiding by his mother's wishes, Dickerson chose to remain close to home, attending Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
There were many reasons SMU appealed to Dickerson. First of all, as portrayed in the hit television series of the time period, Dallas was a place where things were happening. Second, SMU played their home games in Texas Stadium, sharing the home locker room with the Dallas Cowboys. Finally, the decal of a galloping pony amid a red, white, and blue uniform gave SMU the "cool" factor Dickerson was looking for.
But things weren't perfect as a Mustang. Recruited alongside Dickerson was Craig James, another running back from the Houston area. For the next four years, Dickerson and James shared the SMU backfield, each receiving a 50/50 split of the offensive running game. Dickerson liked James, but hated splitting carries with him. It wasn't until he got to the NFL that he appreciated how much sharing the workload saved his body physically.
The leadership lesson from this example is simple: we ALL have a role to play within our organization. Listen to Week 14's Motivation Monday to learn more and identify how YOUR role impacts the team's performance.
