Former NFL player Reggie Berrry shares with ProPlayerInsiders a story about the impact John Mackey had on him personally and as a leader. Berry played for the San Diego Chargers with Mackey.
“John was my teammate and was a catalyst in me continuing to form Goals for Life. After my short football career, I sat on Jill Siegel’s ‘Overcoming Obstacles’ board with him and his good friend Jack Kemp. He knew I liked to read—in those days I always had a book in my hands. Out of nowhere, he told me that no matter how much you read, people will still see you as a football player, and for me to learn to use that to my advantage with kids.
One day while we were talking about what I was doing, he told me to tell kids the story of the grandfather who took his son to the circus. When the little boy saw all the balloons released and they watched the balloons float to the top of the building, the little kid asked his grandfather if that black balloon could float to the top as well? The grandfather said, ‘It’s not the color of the balloon that makes it reach the top, but it’s what you put in it.’ John was more than a football player.”
–Reggie Berry
