WINTER HAVEN – Throughout the course of the 2023-24 Academic Year, Polk State Head Basketball Coach Brandon Giles has been welcoming in a slew of guest speakers to provide motivation and guidance. On Sept. 22, former NFL fullback and author Freddie Stevenson was afforded the chance to lend his perspective to players.

One of five children raised by a single mother, Stevenson, 28, grew up in Lakeland in extreme poverty. Stevenson starred at Bartow High School before spending four years at Florida State University. During Stevenson's time in Tallahassee, he helped the Seminoles appear in four major bowl games, win two ACC championships, and claim the 2013 national title.

"Seeing how he overcame what he went through in his life to make it as a college and professional athlete really motivated me," said Rod Timmons, a walk-on guard for Polk State. "It really inspired me to try to separate myself from the pack."

NFL.com's top-rated fullback coming out of college, Stevenson never made a regular season roster, but was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Chicago Bears. In a league where only a handful of teams keep a fullback on the roster, Stevenson was released during the 2017 preseason. After his playing career was over, he returned home where he began working construction.

"I found myself transitioning and trying to find myself in life," he recalled. "My biggest goal was to change the narrative for my family."

While working in construction, Stevenson told his story in a book entitled Trials to Triumph, which later became an independently produced documentary. It was among the top streaming documentaries on several well-known applications, including Tubi.
"I was making a good living in construction," Stevenson explained. "Ultimately, that was not my dream."

Stevenson noted that in construction, personal protective equipment – better known as PPE – such as a helmet and neon vest were necessary to keep workers safe. For the Polk State players to be successful, Stevenson noted, they needed their own PPE – preparation, purpose, and execution. He added that other important traits were sacrifice and believing in oneself.

"In construction, PPE keeps you safe," Stevenson said. "I want to talk to you about the PPE of life."

Preparation

Stevenson noted that doing little things such as eating healthily, getting adequate rest, and taking care of their work in the classroom could go a long way in being successful on the court.

"There are a lot of guys at your level who can do what you can do," Stevenson said. "How you prepare will separate you from the rest of the pack."

Purpose

Stevenson urged the Polk State players to find motivation to be successful. For Stevenson, it was his mother. There were many nights where he and his siblings were unsure of where they were going to sleep.

"Every single one of you has a why," Stevenson noted. "You have people who sacrificed to get you here. Everything you do, do it your best."

Stevenson recalled being hungry one night as a child when his mother had just $1 to her name and took the five children to McDonalds. She ordered a cheeseburger that cost $1.05 with tax. She had to walk around the restaurant to find someone willing to give her the additional five cents. The five siblings then shared the cheeseburger while the mother insisted that she didn't need a bite.

"That's the moment that kept me going my entire life," Stevenson said. "At Florida State, I saw the glitz and the glamor for the first time. I had to stay locked in."

Execution

In the cases or preparation and purpose, Stevenson told the players what propelled him to succeed. When it came to execution, however, he pointed out a time that he failed.

"There wasn't a fullback who could move like I could move," Stevenson reflected. "I knew if I executed, no one could stop me."

As a rookie for the Bears in 2017, Stevenson was in a position battle to be the team's fullback when he fumbled on a third down in a short yardage situation against the Tennessee Titans in a preseason game. Stevenson said his knee was down before he fumbled, but having no decisive angle on the replay review made it impossible for officials to overturn the call on the field. He was released by Chicago days later.

"I knew at that point, it was all they needed to let me go," he said. "The reality is I shouldn't have fumbled. If I would have executed, they'd have no reason to let me go. I gave them a reason."

Carson Beisner, a sophomore forward, said the execution portion was the part of Stevenson's speech that stood out the most.

"I saw his movie last year, but hearing him talk about his fumble in person, you can tell that really hurt him," Beisner said. "With the business aspect of sports, those who sign you see you as a player instead of a person. I really respect the life he has made for himself after sports."

Sacrifice

Compared to others, Stevenson said he wasn't the best athlete, but that motivated him to outwork his competition. During his time at Florida State, however, he would often turn down opportunities to go out to study film or to work out.

"I was never the most talented player on my team – even in high school," he said. "There were guys I played with who should still be playing football but got caught up in the streets."

While primarily a lead blocker during his college career, Stevenson made the most of his opportunities with the football. On just 44 touches for his career, he scored seven career touchdowns.

"Every year, they brought in guys to replace me," Stevenson added. "They had more talent but didn't put in the work I did. I didn't party. I watched extra film. I knew what opportunities this would create for me."

Believing in oneself

To cap his speech to the players, Stevenson urged that they believe in themselves.

"When I said I was going to start speaking and write a book, people told me that I should be playing football," he said. "I had to keep grinding. I sent thousands of emails."

Stevenson published his book and shortly after, produced a documentary independently. Stevenson didn't have the time or money to attend film festivals, but that didn't stop his story from becoming one of the trending documentaries on the popular app Tubi.

"For me to have my story trending five years after I stopped playing, no one else saw that coming," Stevenson noted. "There are people everywhere who have stories just like mine."

After wrapping up his speech, Stevenson urged that players write down three to five goals for the 2023-24 season. Players passed around a pen and paper to write their goals down before taping them to their lockers.

"Don't let anybody else write your story for you," Stevenson concluded. "You control the narrative. You've got to want it. It's your dream. Don't let anyone get in the way of it."