Andrew Hawkins played for the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals over the last six years, but what you may not have known is that he got his master’s degree from Columbia while playing. Graduating in 2017, Hawkins has other plans to pursue as he retired at 31 from the NFL in July.
Roughly 98% of collegiate athletes do not go pro, and for the 2% who do, their career length may not be as long as they had hoped for. Hawkins, a 6-year player, exceeded the average NFL career lifespan of 3.3 years. However, he still prepared himself for life after sport, knowing he could leverage his past experiences.
Hawkins is a great example of one who created a planfor himself and followed it. His preparation for what is next in his life will suit him well as he begins his life journey off the field. Most importantly, he had a plan A for himself no matter how long his professional career was going to last.
In our weekly series of “What are Your Secrets to Success…?”, we will draw upon recent and current news stories to demonstrate the importance of student-athlete success and transitions.
Coaches and Administrators can help their student-athletes prepare their plan and put it into action. 20 Secrets to Success for NCAA Student-Athletes Who Won’t Go Pro is guide and resource to help student-athletes succeed during their journey, and transition successfully out of sport and into life. The resource helps provide perspectives and unique content that will help prepare student-athletes for their transition out of sport and into life. There is no easy way to address this issue of no longer being an athlete, and everyone will go through this transition at some point, but how prepared one is for it will determine how difficult it is.
Success is different for everyone, but success isn’t just handed to you, success is created.
To find out more about how to help your student-athletes be successful off the field, you can find our “20 Secrets to Success for NCAA Student-Athletes Who Won’t Go Pro” book on Amazon!