ABOUT ME
Hello… My name is George Radachowsky, Jr., the founder of and a true believer in Prepare 2 Win.
As a kid growing up in Danbury, Connecticut, I played baseball in the city’s Little League program. At home I’d play catch, toss the football, and shoot baskets in my backyard with other boys in the neighborhood or with my father. I wanted to be good in each of those sports. No, I retract that, I wanted to be great in each of those sports. I wanted to succeed in everything. I hated losing (which I deemed a sign of mental and physical weakness and a sign of being unprepared). If an opportunity to practice or to play presented itself, I was prepared and able to take advantage of that opportunity. It was my way of PREPARING at a young age, despite having no thought of playing any type of ball in college or thereafter.
My father, George Sr., was a stand-out high school football and basketball player at Danbury High School. Sports were in my genes. I was blessed with natural talent and a true interest in excelling in whatever sport I chose to play. But natural talent doesn’t get anyone far. I knew I needed to PREPARE myself for the challenges on the baseball field, on the football field, on the basketball court and in the classroom.
Now parents, take the following as constructive criticism, please. Every sports-minded child is not automatically destined for the pros. They need motivation, education and preparation, and you can be instrumental in his/her success if you believe in Prepare 2 Win, too. Early on, I knew I needed to work out, to prepare myself mentally and physically in order to be the best that I could be, to stand out and be selected for first string. My parents encouraged me, supported me, drove me to work outs and practices, washed my practice pants every night so I looked game ready for practice the next day. I never once felt that I was entitled to a starting position; nor did I ever feel I was wronged, cheated, or short-sided by a coach or that I was better than any other kid on the field or court. I knew I had to work hard for that starting position; that I had to earn the respect of each and every coach or manager I’d come in contact with and that I could only excel further than any teammate if I was prepared; that I had to push myself and be accountable for my own mental and physical growth, preparedness and performance.
When high school came around (10th-12th in Danbury), I was asked to play for the Danbury High School football team one week before the season was to start. Mind you, I had no plans on playing high school football at all. And so I played one junior varsity gameand then was given opportunity to play varsity when two players were injured. Before I knew it, I’m starting varsity the second game of the year at cornerback and then became a running back for another injured player. I found out during that season, a 150lb. weakling, who fumbled three consecutive times in that one game was not prepared to play at this level. That weakling was me. Embarrassed and self-defeated, I began going to the school’s weight room every morning at 6 a.m., rain or shine. I needed to prepare. I HAD to prepare so my self-proclaimed weakling status would disappear and so I would never fumble a ball again. I concentrated on working out, eating right, studying the plays, and doing my homework. I prepared my body and my mind.
Meanwhile, 30 miles away at rival Greenwich (CT) High School, a quarterback by the name of Steve Young was making his own name, setting school and conference records and earning awards and recognitions at GHS and throughout the state. I knew he was a quality competitor but I had no clue how he prepared for his games. And not knowing how he was preparing motivated me to work harder and to prepare harder for game day against him. Our sophomore through senior years, Steve and I knocked heads in football, basketball and baseball, culminating in our senior year when we were both Captains of all three sports at our respective schools and pinnacling when we were both drafted into the NFL. (*Steve Young is best known for his time with the NFL's San Francisco 49ers. He also played for the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Los Angeles Express of the United States Football League. Young was named the Most Valuable Player of the NFL in 1992 and 1994, the MVP of Super Bowl XXIX, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005 – the first left-handed quarterback to be so honored. He holds the NFL record for highest career passer rating and won six NFL passing titles.)
In short, my steadfast, bust-my-butt daily workouts coupled with grueling afternoon team practices prepared me to excel on the football field, on the basketball court and on the baseball field. I’m not bragging about my accomplishments but rather I am bragging about the necessity of and the results of what being prepared did for me!
During my senior year and after high-school graduation and being scouted by colleges across the country for my football skills, I accepted a scholarship to Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts because they allowed me to play baseball as well (the sport I thought I was best at).
My first freshman football meeting in a Boston College auditorium, Coach Chlebek passes out a Post-It size sheet of paper. He tells each of us to write down our goals for this season. Immediately everyone around me starts writing. I’m thinking they all know something I don’t; what could they be writing?! I think for a second, “interceptions, touchdowns” and then I jot down on the paper what I truly hungered for, “START ASAP” and I turn in the note like the rest of the guys do. I’m thinking none of my teammates would see this, it’s just for the coach, and I figured I hadn’t written down the words Coach was looking for. Coach Chlebek, however, announces only three of the roughly 25 of us had the right answer, the answer he was looking for: START. The majority of the others wrote “MAKE THE TRAVEL TEAM”. Coach thought those words meant that if they made the travel team, they figured they could take the rest of the year off. He assumed with us three (Steve DeOssie, Brian Brennan and myself) that we would practice hard, work hard, prepare hard; and we did. Each of us made it into the NFL… but there’s more to that later on.
At Boston College, I was physically prepared right from the start (via early morning work outs, team practices, at-home weight training and studying the playbook) which in turn gave me an opportunity to play as a freshman on the traveling team. I knew, however, that I had to continue to work out and prepare myself for all the challenges that I could and would face; to continue to work out today to be better tomorrow.
Don’t get me wrong. I was having some fun, too; fun playing Division 1 college football with and against so many great athletes. But it was HARD WORK. I knew if winning is worth achieving, then it is worth preparing for. I was learning how to prepare in practice and working out 7 days a week and then competing in games and seeing how good I really was, seeing how prepared I really was, living, working and feeling the strength and progress I was making week to week. And in my mind, my daily mantra, I’d repeat over and over: I have to be prepared in order to keep my starting position. I have to be prepared.
When I arrived at Boston College, team co-captain Mike Mayock* dubbed me “House”… due to my physical appearance, due to my physical preparedness. I stood just a shade under six feet, but I could dunk a basketball from a flatfooted stance. I was agile and could change direction at high speed… because I continuously and diligently stayed focused, worked out and prepared my mind and my body to be the best I could be. (*Mike Mayock, BC football Captain his senior year, played in the NFL with the New York Giants from 1982 to 1984. His broadcasting career has spanned over ten years with CBS, Fox Sports Network, ESPN,and more; and he now works for NBC as a color commentator for the Notre Dame games and for the NFL Network as a college football analyst and draft analyst. He knows that being prepared can bring you places on the field and off the field!)
I believe all student-athletes should play three sports (those of their own interest). If I didn’t play basketball, I wouldn’t have developed my agility and jumping ability. In baseball, it was the mental part. You had to bounce back after making an out, and you’re going to make an out seven out of ten times!
As a freshman, I cracked the defensive lineup during the 1980 Boston College season. I was the nickel back in pass coverage and the first two quarterbacks the B.C. Eagles faced that year were Dan Marino of Pitt and John Elway of Stanford. “Our defense intercepted Marino and Elway a total of nine times, and George was instrumental in our planning. I maintain that House is one of the best defensive backs ever to play at Boston College,” said Mayock. Thanks, Mike… it was due to my diligent training and my constant mode of preparedness!
Mike went on to say “He didn’t have much to say, but he paid attention to everything and worked his tail off. I looked at this kid and liked him, day one. A lot of times kids who are that physically gifted are cocky jerks. This kid was not.” Instead, I was prepared. After all, I was a freshman on a Big East football team…getting a free education from one of the greatest schools in the northeast; and as long as I was prepared, I could accomplish anything upon graduation.
When Coach Jack Bicknell took over at Boston College, I was moved to corner back. I started every game during the next three years under Coach Bicknell, Red Kelin and Pete Carmichael.
Linebacker and good friend Steve DeOssie* would go on to say “Having George at the corner allowed the rest of the defense to focus on the task at hand. We knew and trusted that he would handle any receiver in the country.” That’s right, Steve, because I was prepared. I worked hard at knowing my position. I prepared hard to be the best corner back I could be. And it paid off. (*Steve DeOssie also played as a Freshman on the BC defense. He went on to play linebacker in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants, and the New England Patriots. DeOssie was on the Giants' Super Bowl XXV championship team. He played 10 years in the NFL and now hosts The Real Post Game Show, along with Fred Smerlas, which airs on WEEI after Patriots' games. In addition, he has been a Patriots studio analyst on WBZ-TV in Boston. His son, Zak, was a standout linebacker for Brown University and was selected by the New York Giants in the 4th Round with the 116th overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft. Zak, who played for the Giants in their Super Bowl XLII championship win, and his father are the first father-son combination to be on a Super Bowl Championship team for the same winning franchise. Being prepared runs in the family!)
Doug Guyer, who began as a B.C. quarterback but switched to defensive end explains “If there ever was a pure corner back, it was GJ. He had instincts, hands, speed, quickness, smarts and the ability to hit as hard as DeOssie. Whenever a stud wide receiver had to be shut down, it was GJ who the coaches called on to do the job!” Because I was prepared. I knew my position because I had worked out, studied the plays and prepared for it.
As a sophomore I picked off seven passes. I returned punts and kickoffs. Opponents worked hard to challenge me, holding me to only two pass interceptions my junior year and four my senior year. My career total of 14 (excludes Bowl interceptions) is still fourth in Boston College history, and I’m proud of that. Being prepared, working hard earned me that distinction, an honor I am proud of.
I had also played two seasons of baseball at BC being the starting center fielder my sophomore and junior year. I had MLB opportunities after BC with the Los Angeles Dodgers but opted to continue with football where there were more physical and mental challenges. Challenges I had prepared for all my life.
I was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams after college where I moved to safety and where the preparation and reads were quite different. I preferred the challenge of the corner, of going one on one with enemy receivers. I was quoted as saying “The biggest challenge in playing corner is being able to change direction, from going backwards to moving forward, without losing a step, You’ve also got to be able to read both the receiver and the quarterback. It’s all about preparation. What you do during the week will determine how well you play on Saturday.”
I played five years in the NFL – two with the Colts and three with the Jets. I had one touchdown with the Jets, a 78-yard return of a blocked field goal against Miami. I retired at age 30 and channel my still-intense competitive instincts onto the golf course and into P2W!
In October, 2010 I was inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Hall of Fame. It is an honor I am very proud of because it reflects my dedication to and my preparedness for football. To be included on the wall in Conte Forum with many other great (and prepared) Boston College athletes is an outstanding award and an achievement I could not have realized without my teammates and coaches. Presuming I was already inducted and realizing I wasn’t, they enthusiastically lobbied and petitioned for my induction. It is that respect and admiration that means more to me than any award. It is that respect and admiration that is the greatest compliment a player can receive; and it is that respect and admiration that makes all the practices and all the preparation worth it.
I continue to support NFL charity functions and remain in contact with many of my Boston College and NFL teammates. But mostly I am about educating ALL student-athletes about the premise of Prepare 2 Win; that being:
- Understanding the importance of being prepared on and off the field; understanding that to be the best, you have to work your hardest; you have to prepare.
- Motivating student-athletes to reach within themselves to work hard… no, correction, to reach within themselves to work harder than ever before, to be disciplined, to be focused and to practice like it was a game; to prepare for competition on the field and off the field.
From that true belief that preparation yields success on and off the field, I founded PREPARE 2 WIN apparel to spread the message to not just student-athletes but to Monday-morning quarterbacks, coaches, professional athletes, and parents around the world.
If you’ve read all this thus far, THANK YOU. Thank you for your interest in PREPARE 2 WIN. Nothing breeds success like being prepared and I am committed to sharing that belief with everyone. I welcome hearing from you about your own PREPARE 2 WIN experiences and accomplishments. Tell me at MyP2Wstory@prepare2win.com.
George J. Radachowsky, Jr.
Prepare 2 Win