Loretto, Pa. - The NFL Draft was held this past weekend and hundreds of deserving players were selected by NFL teams trying to bolster their rosters. Each year thousands of collegiate players declare for the draft seeking a career in the NFL. Back in his playing career, Saint Francis head coach Chris Villarrial was one of those fortunate few to beat the odds and become a draft pick.

After a stellar, All-American career at IUP, Villarrial entered the draft. He shattered the old NFL Combine Bench Press Record, finishing 38 successful reps at 225 pounds. The Bears, under the direction of Dave Wannstedt, selected him in the fifth round (152^nd overall). His professional career was rich and fulfilling. He spent eight years with the Bears, twice earning All-Pro for his work in the interior of the offensive line. In 2001, he was a member of the Bears team that advanced to the NFC Divisional Round. He finished his career with the Buffalo Bills, serving three seasons in Western New York.

Coach V vividly remembers snapshots from his NFL career and four large lessons from those memories:

1. Be Accountable and Be on Time

I experienced this lesson early in my NFL career. In my first NFL training camp with the Bears, we were boarding the bus to the airport.  A high round draft pick was running late and we left for the airport without him.  A coach on the bus said we give you an itinerary for a reason, and at this level, the bus waits for no one. The situation made me paranoid. I had never seen a player left behind before in my football career. I never forgot the lesson of that day and was always on time during my playing career.  The late player never touched the starting line up again and was cut during the first round of roster shredding.  Always be on time. Always remember that individuals don't win games. Teams win games and to win games takes preparation.

2. How to Prepare for the Game

Until I entered the NFL, I never realized the hours and the sacrifices you must make to prepare for a game.  In the NFL, you learn how to study film - find your opponents' weaknesses and attack them at the price of hours of film study. The factor most fans never realize is that to be successful in the NFL, you must take the film home with you to perfect your trade. This requires sacrificing time with family and friends. During my career, I saw many talented athletes that were physically blessed, but they did not put the time into preparing for the game and thus did not last long in the NFL.  One of the greatest players I ever played against was John Randle of the Minnesota Vikings.  He played defensive tackle and he was a master of preparation.  During games, John would yell things about your family.  John would study his opponent on the field along with the opponent's family history he gleamed from media guides. His competitive tactics were on a different level.   

3.  I Learned How to Compete

Early in my career, I realized there is a difference with competing against yourself and competing against your opponent.  Competing against yourself requires you to put in hard work: in the weight room when you feel like you are too sore to lift, pushing your body when it wants to shut down and working and obtaining those skills that you are lacking. Don't take shortcuts, push yourself and your body to finish everything that you start.  Competing against your opponent is sometimes easier than competing against yourself. 

I had two teammates that helped me with this process: James Williams and Olin Kreutz.  These men were self-motivated and loved to compete. When they felt like their bodies were slowing down, they just pushed harder. They embraced soreness and always used their opponents' motivation to push them harder. I watched and learned from them. I competed against my mind and body every day like they did and pushed myself to the ultimate level. Game days were fun for those guys because they no longer were competing against themselves but against an opponent. They would compete for 60 minutes and leave it all out on the field for all to see.  They became warriors on the field of battle. This skill set is something I use every day as a coach and a parent. I am grateful to have learned and played with these two future Hall of Famers and to call them family.

4. Football is Family

There are many things I have learned from my NFL experience but the most important lesson was family.  As individuals we want to always accomplish something bigger, but to win as a team, we must all have one mindset and put aside our individual desires to be successful. As a family, we are selfless. When a member of our team goes down, someone must be ready to step up.  We must commit to each other, grow through the hard times, and learn what it takes to win together.  As a family, we must love each other and respect each other. This will push us to work harder because we do not want to let our family members down.  A notable example of this principle is after Walter Payton died.

The Bears held a ceremony for Walter Payton at Soldier Field the day we were departing to play the hated Green Bay Packers.  The stadium was packed with family and teammates of Walter. They told stories of how Walter made everyone feel like family, how much he loved the Bears, and his distaste for the Packers.  The stories of how he worked out and the sacrifices he made for his teammates were inspiring. The ceremony concluded and we headed to the airport to fly up to Green Bay. We had not beaten the Packers in two years.  The Packers were heavily favored in the game, but we were an inspired team and we did not want to let a family member down. We played our hearts out for Walter and left it all on the field. We won after the Packers missed a field goal as time expired. It was the day I realized football is family.  We use this maxim as our first value at the football program at Saint Francis University. 

All of these experiences and stories occurred because of Villarrial's selection in the 1996 NFL Draft. The NFL shaped Villarrial into the teacher and mentor he is today, sharpening his life skills along the way.

Saint Francis has had only one draft pick in its football history, (Ed Stofko, a ninth round selection in 1944) but under Villarrial's tutelage, the goal is to turn SFU into a steady pipeline of NFL-ready talent thanks to the lessons he learn along his NFL journey.