4th September 2018

My All American Update

Film: My All American, Director: Angelo Pizzo

In the film My All American, it shows a young aspiring American Football player, Freddie Steinmark who is working on making a living playing football in the future. Through the film, he is constantly practicing and working on his football skills. His plan is to make his high school football team, then get a scholarship to play for a college football team and finally make the National Football League(NFL). In the film, Freddie is constantly pushing himself to the limit, working hard and not giving up. These characteristics are what get’s him into the football teams and why he was loved by everyone. whilst all this work on his football Freddie was still really academic with a 4.0 GPA. This shows that despite how much he wanted to play football, that if Freddie weren’t to make it or he was held back in his career due to an injury, he would still be able to get a job.

This is a great film for showing how your character and drive is what counts the most. This is because in the film Freddie believes that he already has the willpower and fight to make the all the teams and that his dream will work out. This dream is to make his hometown Colorado college football team then go to the Denver Broncos in the NFL. This dream starts very slow as Freddie has not received any offers from Colorado or even any other school. This has his dad and mom ringing up school and expressing what Freddie has to offer. This has no work and all they get from this is what they don’t like about Freddie. A lot of people telling them he’s to small and to light.

Eventually, after a few years playing for his high school team, the coach sees how much he works for everything and it shows on the field. So his coach has a word to an old friend that gets them looking at Freddie’s game. He is now been invited to play for Texas by coach Darrel Royal. A legendary Texans coach. The work is not over yet for Freddie as there are so many other talented players who have been selected for the squad. However, Freddie would constantly work the hardest in practice and would rise to each task. This meant Freddie would go from the third string safety all the way to first string and he would lead the team’s defense. just like assistant coach said at the start of his Career “that steinmark kid, I can’t make him sweet, The more I push him, the more he answers the call.” Whenever Freddie sees a challenge he rises and pushes harder espically when people say he cant.

Its the 1969 season and Texas are the number one team in the country. They have a few more games until they play Arkansas for the national title and Freddie leg is really starting to bug him. His family and the coaching staff notice but he continues to play. They get to the National Championship game and Freddie feels good enough to play. Freddie struggles in the first half and is exploited by the opposition. Coach royal takes him out for a while and the Texans are now in the lead with just under two minutes remaining in the second half. The Texans need one more stop and they’re the Champs. So Freddie is sent back on to the field. The Texans hold out Arkansas and win the game.  

Freddie is done. After the game, Freddie is in tremendous pain and can not go any longer without seeing a doctor. This is when Freddie finds out he has a tumor in his left Femur. This is found to be a cancers tumor and he will have to amputate his leg from the hip. Coach Royal addressed the team about it and said: “the doctors found a cancerous tumor the size of a baseball on his demur.” “The doctors told me he didn’t know how Freddie could walk on his leg let alone play football, but I bet surprises none of you.” This speaks to how much of a fighter Freddie was and how he did anything for his team. Freddie will no longer be able to play in the cotton bowl against Notre Dame a team had wished to play for. Even after all this, Freddie still continued to defy the odds and when he leads the team out in the cotton bowl when the doctors told him he should have been in the hospital. “That kid had a tonne full of gut’s and courage and defined the doctor’s odds, he lived another year and a half.” Coach Royal in an interview years later speaking on Freddies Sickness.

In the end several years later a Journalist interviews coach Royal about all the players he coached to be All Americans. An All American is a special honour to any player as it shows that the majority of fans and viewer vote you as one of the best Collegiate players for the year. She asks him who had the greatest impact on him and the program, he replies by saying Freddie Steinmark. However, Freddie was never an All American. He suggests that even though he didn’t get the accolade of an All American by the nation he did by Coach, because of his characteristics and how he was as a person. 

Join the conversation! 2 Comments

  1. With quotations added, this piece should meet the mark.

    Reply
  2. Achievement Achievement with Merit Achievement with Excellence
    Form developed personal responses to independently read texts, supported by evidence. Form developed, convincing personal responses to independently read texts, supported by evidence. Form developed, perceptive personal responses to independently read texts, supported by evidence.

    ACHIEVED

    Reply

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