In this issue I’m going to go with a theme: athletes! This article is dedicated to senior Kaila Hardaway. When I asked her who her Man Crush Monday is, she immediately blurted out Colin Kaepernick! Colin Kaepernick is a star quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers.
Kaepernick was born on November 3,1987, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Heidi Russo who put him up for adoption. Rick and Teresa Kaepernick, who had two kids already, later adopted him. Colin is multiracial. When Colin was in 4th grade, he wrote himself a letter that now became mostly true; he predicted that he would grow to be 6 feet 4 inches, 140 pounds, and would “then go to the pros and play on the Niners or Packers even if they aren’t that good in seven years”. He was being a little generous with his prediction of his weight, because he weighs 230 pounds now.
The 25-year-old football star played college ball for the University of Nevada Wolf Pack. There, he received three awards: he was twice named the Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, and also Most Valuable Player of the 2008 Humanitarian Bowl. He was drafted to the San Francisco 49ers in 2011; Kaepernick was selected in the second round with the 36th overall pick. In the NFL, he set the record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a game during his first playoff game with a whopping 181 yards! In 2012, he led the 49ers to their first Super Bowl since 1994.
Although Kaepernick is known for his stupendous passing abilities, surprisingly enough, he wasn’t always known as the star football player. Colin was diverse in almost all areas of sports, as he was a three-sport star in high school. He was a star football quarterback (of course), star pitcher in baseball, and even first-team basketball player! He was listed as a draftable prospect on MLB’s website in 2006. Kaepernick was reported to throw a 92 MPH fastball as a senior in high school. In the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft, the Chicago Cubs drafted Kaepernick in the 43rd round, however, he decided to continue with his football career at the University of Nevada. It was said that he had a very promising career in baseball as a pitcher that he passed up to be the football star he is today.
Many people, especially 49ers fans, are more than satisfied with Kaepernick’s decision to play football and leave baseball behind. Some say it was destiny, while others say hard work paid off for a dreamer. Colin Kaepernick’s inspiring story goes to show that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
Kaepernick was born on November 3,1987, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Heidi Russo who put him up for adoption. Rick and Teresa Kaepernick, who had two kids already, later adopted him. Colin is multiracial. When Colin was in 4th grade, he wrote himself a letter that now became mostly true; he predicted that he would grow to be 6 feet 4 inches, 140 pounds, and would “then go to the pros and play on the Niners or Packers even if they aren’t that good in seven years”. He was being a little generous with his prediction of his weight, because he weighs 230 pounds now.
The 25-year-old football star played college ball for the University of Nevada Wolf Pack. There, he received three awards: he was twice named the Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, and also Most Valuable Player of the 2008 Humanitarian Bowl. He was drafted to the San Francisco 49ers in 2011; Kaepernick was selected in the second round with the 36th overall pick. In the NFL, he set the record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a game during his first playoff game with a whopping 181 yards! In 2012, he led the 49ers to their first Super Bowl since 1994.
Although Kaepernick is known for his stupendous passing abilities, surprisingly enough, he wasn’t always known as the star football player. Colin was diverse in almost all areas of sports, as he was a three-sport star in high school. He was a star football quarterback (of course), star pitcher in baseball, and even first-team basketball player! He was listed as a draftable prospect on MLB’s website in 2006. Kaepernick was reported to throw a 92 MPH fastball as a senior in high school. In the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft, the Chicago Cubs drafted Kaepernick in the 43rd round, however, he decided to continue with his football career at the University of Nevada. It was said that he had a very promising career in baseball as a pitcher that he passed up to be the football star he is today.
Many people, especially 49ers fans, are more than satisfied with Kaepernick’s decision to play football and leave baseball behind. Some say it was destiny, while others say hard work paid off for a dreamer. Colin Kaepernick’s inspiring story goes to show that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.