Turning Life’s Hardest Days Into Purpose

EARLY LESSONS 

“Back when I was only seven or eight years old, I told anyone who would listen that I was going to play in the National Football League. They would say, ‘That’s great, kid.’ But I could tell from their tone of voice, they were trying to tell me I’d never do that,” David Pollack clearly recalls, determined to prove them all wrong.  Along the way, there were a number of coaches and mentors who poured themselves and their words of wisdom into the talented young athlete, which helped to make his dream come true one day.  There was Coach Krieger from Shiloh High School, who instilled in David the need to bring his best, every time.  “You have to be the best player on the field every day, not just when you choose to,” he said.  “Every play, every day.”   Another mentor to David was his University of Georgia coach, Mark Richt.  “Coach Richt showed me, through the way he lived his life, that it was more important to be respected than liked.  He showed me that building myself and my identity from the top down, starting with how God felt about me, was much better than worrying about how my teammates, friends, media, or college football fans perceived me,” David says.  Years later, after being drafted as a Cincinnati Bengal, David was taught a perspective that he used the rest of his life from Coach John Fabris.  “He called it the 50-40-10 principle, which is a creed I implemented in every facet of life and still use today.  It’s a mindset that no matter what, you’re going to outwork 50 percent of your competitors.  You’re going to outwork them in the weight room, on the practice field, and in games.  The second part is that you’re going to out-prepare another 40 percent of people, whether it’s studying the playbook, watching film, or paying attention in meetings and practices.  And if you’re outworking and out-preparing 90 percent of the competition, the final 10 percent is about you… it’s mental.  It’s the real difference-maker.”   

LIFE TURNS ON A DIME

David began his second season with the Bengals in a game against the Cleveland Browns.  In the second play of the game, he tackled Browns running back Reuben Droughns as hard has he could, and was hit back even harder.  “I didn’t know it at the time, but I would never take the field as a player again.  Football, the game I had loved for so long, dealt me the greatest challenge of my life.”  David would soon learn that he had fractured his C6 and C7 vertebrae; in other words, he had broken his neck. Though the following months were filled with pain and profound disappointment that his life’s dream was over in just the start of his second season, David’s faith eventually turned his perspective from gloom to great hope.  “I remember somebody asking me why God would take playing football away from me.  I never looked at it like that at all.  Instead, I believed if I was never able to return to the field, it’s because it wasn’t part of my story.  I knew He was in control, so I could be excited about what was next – whatever that might be.”       

… AND TURNS AGAIN

When David’s football career ended, he decided he’d like to try his hand at being a TV sports analyst and was given a chance on a small network.  He poured his all into it, was noticed by one of the analysts at ESPN’s College GameDay, and landed a job at ESPN on a different program.  Once again, David gave the job his all, using the 50-40-10 rule, and after a couple years, was offered a spot on his dream show, College GameDay.  For the next 12 years, David enjoyed travelling to dozens of universities, including many with his family, and the wonderful colleagues, whom he admired greatly.  In June of 2023, he received a phone call from one such colleague, who had an odd tone to his voice.  “Hey, look, man,” he said. “We’re making some cutback decisions, and, unfortunately, you’re one of them.”  David was laid off from the job he loved and separated from the people to whom he’d grown so close.  “I was surprised by how much I missed the College GameDay team.  You miss the meetings, dinners, and all the time you spent with such good friends, with the whole crew.  The show had a football locker-room feel to it.  The most satisfying part of the entire time was the feeling of accomplishing something together,” he says.  Not knowing what might be next for him, he got his answer a couple months later.  “After speaking to a few hundred middle school and high school students a First Baptist Church in Trussville, AL, I was stunned to witness 102 of them accept Jesus Christ as their Savior that very night.”  He knew he would soon become a motivational speaker, sharing the truth of the gospel, along with the many lessons he’d learned.    

LINDSEY  

The hardest trial David would face was yet to occur.  Though they’d known for several years that his beloved wife, Lindsey, had a mass on her brain, it hadn’t grown or caused trouble for her in five years.  Then came October of 2024 when an MRI revealed that it was not only growing, but was cancerous.  “My initial reaction was that I wanted the cancer.  Give it to me.  I wanted to fight it.  She’s my baby doll.

God reminded me: ‘She’s Mine before she’s yours.’  It was a reminder that I’m not in control. I didn’t have the power to make her better, and I had to lean into the One that does, the Great Healer.  I put Post-it notes of my anchor Bible verses all over our house, on mirrors, nightstands, and in the kitchen.  They were constant reminders that God was in charge.”   Lindsey, who also has stalwart faith, had surgery to remove the tumor in March of 2025, and is doing quite well today, as she continues to recover.  

TAKEAWAY 

Along with the message inherent in the title of his book, to make every day of our lives count by living them to their fullest, David adds this thought: “Stop waiting for the ‘perfect’ time for dreams to come true – just GO!  God will guide as you do.  Always.”  

To learn more about David Pollack, or to purchase his newest book, Every Day Counts, click the LINK!  

CREDITS

Author, Every Day Counts (B&H Publishing, 2026) / Founder, The Pollack Family Foundation, focusing on their values of faith, family, and community to serve those in need in the Athens, GA and greater Atlanta area / motivational speaker / Host, See Ball Get Ball and Family Goals podcasts / ESPN analyst, College GameDay 2011-2023, 6X Emmy Award winner / linebacker, Cincinnati Bengals, 2005-2006 / College Football Hall of Fame, 2020 / three-time All-American at the University of Georgia / married to Lindsey, proud father to Nicholas and Leah