One of the 53 coolest people on the planet is in Clark County this week, making speaking engagements to students and athletes at local schools.
T.J. Carrie, who just completed his rookie season with the Oakland Raiders, has been to Seton Catholic High School, Wy’east Middle School, and Prairie High School, sharing his story of perseverance. Carrie had heart surgery in high school, then a series of injuries in college, yet reached his goal of playing in the National Football League.
(Wait a minute? One of the 53 coolest people on the planet? How did you come up with that? Simple: Carrie was on the 53-man roster for the Oakland Raiders last season. That makes him one of the coolest 53 people on the planet. That’s not opinion. It’s fact.)
At Prairie High School, Carrie congratulated the girls basketball team that will be playing in the Class 3A state tournament this week in Tacoma. He spoke to football players, advising them to hold each other accountable, on and off the field. He told the students that the secret to success in any endeavor is really not too complicated.
It just takes commitment.
(As in commitment to excellence.)
“You have to be willing to do things not everyone is willing to do, to be successful,” Carrie said.
It takes a belief system. He always knew he could do it if he had the chance.
In high school, though, that opportunity was not guaranteed. As a freshman, he walked around school attached to a heart monitor. He was told he would not be able to play football again. After surgery repaired his heart, he eventually did get clearance to attempt a comeback. He ended up playing one season of high school football at famed De La Salle in Concord, Calif.
That was enough to earn him a scholarship to Ohio University. There, he had hip surgery and two serious shoulder injuries.
Every setback just gave him another reason to work harder, to overcome any perception that he was injury prone.
He kept his dream alive, while also making sure he had a future with or without a playing career. He completed his master’s degree.
“I encourage you to dream big right now,” Carrie told the students. “Education is something no one can take away from you. Once you have that knowledge, it’s yours.”
Carrie was a seventh-round draft pick for the Raiders and played in all 16 games his rookie season.
“We’re young,” he said of many of his teammates, “but we want to be the future.”
Carrie’s immediate connection to Clark County is his brother Rey, a former Portland State and Arena League football player. Rey, who now lives with his wife in Carson, is opening a business this week in Vancouver. Smart Fitness Pros (5305 NE 121st Ave #114) will hold a grand opening at 5 p.m. Thursday, and T.J. Carrie will be signing autographs.
He concluded his message by reminding the students they are in control of their destinies.
Carrie described them as directors of their own movies. They decide the beginning, middle, and end of their plots. They determine the cast members, the characters they surround themselves with throughout their lives.
“Don’t take the movie and make it something no one wants to see,” he said.
Instead, he said, make your life an inspiration to others, so that they will see what you did, how you did it, and want to succeed, too.
Paul Valencia covers high school sports for The Columbian. As you might have guessed, he also is a die-hard Raiders fan. We allowed him to “cover” this story despite his obvious bias. He can be reached at 360-735-4557 or email at paul.valencia@columbian.com.
