(No this is not some sick photoshop, this is real)

Everyone raise your hand.  DO IT NOW!  Keep you hand raised if you have had class with a Super Bowl MVP.  Well, mine is still up, is yours?

Once upon a time, The University of Mississippi, Ole Most, was graced with my presence.  I spent enough GI Bill cash there to support an addition to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and a ill-fated attempt to find a politically correct mascot.  It was always fun, with me looking for trouble in all the right places in Oxford.

During Spring semester of 2003 I was going thru what could be considered a rebuilding year as far as my GPA was concerned.  I had to take summer school to get my GPA up where I could still stay in school.  So the next semester, Fall of 2003, I decided to take it easy when it came to my scheduling and load up on a bunch of Joe Willie Namath approved classes to keep the GPA up during that multi-tasking, heavy drinking time known as football season in SEC land.   

I don’t remember a lot of my schedule from that semester, but I do remember all my classes had to meet one of the following requirements: 

a) did not have an attendance policy, or

b) I knew the instructor and I could get away without going to the class. 

Class attendance isn’t necessary for me to pwn all. 

One of the classes that met my low-expectations requirement for that semester was Military Science 103 – Foundations of Leadership.  I had already taken 200 level Military Science classes and had no ambitions at becoming an officer so this class was strictly a GPA floater. 

First day:  It was a 10AM class and I was running late for it and still not fully recovered from the night before, the norm during my career at Ole Miss.  I noticed a lot of elementary ed majors and student-athlete looking types when I walk into the class, along with the normal ROTC-Nazis I expected.  I show up just in time, but not early, and the instructor, who I had previously, is already going into his spill about being a good leader in life not just the military, etc… He then asks for examples from the class on what it takes to be considered a good leader. 

Major Williams:  Thomas, you’re Vice President of your fraternity.  What do you do to be a good leader? 

Fraternity guy:  Well, I try to keep the fraternity’s interests above my own personal interests and try to always do the right thing for my organization.

MAJ Williams:  All good attributes of a leader, Thomas.  Alison, you’re an officer in your sorority.  What do you do to show the traits of a leader? 

Sorority girl:  I try to keep everyone’s goal in mind and disregard what I want and try to serve as a moderator on difficult decisions that have to be made in my sorority. 

MAJ Williams:  Very good examples, Alison.  The ability to oversee compromises is necessary for a good leader.  H-Back, you’re an NCO in the National Guard, why do you do to be a good leader to your soldiers?

Me:  I always try to keep our duties and responsibilities first while still being considerate of the individual needs of everyone in my section.  I try to place my soldiers in positions where their strengths are shown and their weaknesses are concealed. 

MAJ Williams:  Good point, H-Back.  A leader is not a leader if there is no one following him.  And Eli, you’re quarterback and team captain for our football team.  What do you do to try to be a good leader on and off the field? 

Eli Manning:  Uh… well, um, I throw the ball when Coach Cutt calls passes. 

Yeah, that’s all he said.  I throw the ball when Coach tells me to.   

An awkward silence then takes over the room.  I never again show up to the class, not even the final.  I emailed my “final” to the instructor, who was so pissed I missed all of the semester he made me write a paper on Operation Just Cause for his Masters that he was working on.  And people at Ole Miss are still wondering why Jerrell Powe can’t qualify to play. 

One day in class, one PowerPoint presentation, one 6 page paper on Op Just Cause, and not having to hear more deep thoughts from Eli Manning, Super Bowl XLII MVP, for a B in that class?  You can bet your ass I’ll take that trade again. 

Congrats, Eli.  I grantee you are making more cash than anyone else in that class that semester.

High 5 Eli!