Mr. Gonzalez is ‘ALL IN’ for the kids
WEST NEW YORK, N.J. (BVM) — If you were to Google the name Gian Paul Gonzalez, you are guaranteed to find the man credited with the Christmas Eve motivational speech that led the 2011, 7-7 New York Giants, to a victory over the New England patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. The media frenzy that followed the Giants season and the ninth-grade world history teacher from Union City, NJ had coaches, teams, athletes and businesses “ALL IN.”
According to Gonzalez, the idea of “ALL IN” did not begin with the NY Giants, it has always been all about the kids.
Service and Teaching
Gonzalez grew up in Hudson County, N.J. where both of his parents were youth pastors and faith was the family foundation. As a kid, Gonzalez thought, “OK, that’s their thing, when I’m old enough I’ll wake up early.”
Gonzalez felt like he started to see the reality of serving others when his father finished playing for the Los Angeles Raiders and became an ESL (English as second language) teacher in Union City, NJ.
Gonzalez said, “seeing that more kids went up to him and the families were excited to see him as their ESL teacher, than ever being a Raider,” triggered something in him.
“We would go to the ShopRite and they’d be like ‘Oh, Mr. Leonard. Mr. G!’ I was young and I remember thinking man, these kids never cared that he intercepted a pass in the NFL, they cared more that he played wiffle ball with them at recess,” he said, “this was wild.”
Gian Paul Gonzalez held his own, as an NCAA First-Time All-American forward for Montclair State University. In 2007, he played in the NBA Summer League and was offered an NBA contract.
“I remember sitting on Venice Beach, I took some time to pray about the contract and came to the conclusion that, nothing’s wrong with basketball, “Lord knows I love it,” Gonzalez said, “but I really wanted that… the kids running up to me at ShopRite.”
Gonzalez said after spending some time in L.A., he longed for the “purity and genuineness” of being with the kids.
When Gonzalez returned home, he went back to school to get his teaching certificate. Gonzalez also began visiting the Hudson County Juvenile Detention Center in Secaucus, N.J., to play basketball with the kids.
Gonzalez jokingly said that beside occasionally checking his bank account, “he didn’t miss being on this side.”
“I like being on this hard rubberized court at the detention center, rather than being on the court at Madison Square Garden surrounded by 20,000 people, but nobody really knows me,” Gonzalez said. “With these kids, after you make a couple of shots and go up and down the court with them, they open up and start to tell you why they are there.”
The relationships Gonzalez was beginning to form with the kids, “fueled” him more than, as he put it, “the passing opinion of the crowd.”
Gonzalez wants to be remembered, “as a servant, someone who loved Jesus, and just wanted to serve. What good is it if I’m on a billboard and a kid is wearing my jersey, but they have no way to call me if they’re in trouble.”
All In
Growing up, Gonzalez always thought he would follow in his father’s footsteps and play football.
In the late 1990s, after moving just outside of Paterson, N.J., the 6-foot-4 freshman played in a summer basketball camp. The Manchester Regional High School basketball coach saw Gonzalez play and wanted him on the high school team.
Since Gonzalez had been home-schooled his entire life, the coach had to get approval from the guidance department. The state of New Jersey said he had to go to school to play basketball, so Gonzalez decided to go to school for the first time in his life.
Two weeks before starting school, Gonzalez was playing touch football with friends and broke his wrist. Panic set in.
Gonzalez thought, “at least if I came to school, everyone would think, yeah I’m that basketball player, but you walk into school with a broken wrist and they’ll be like you ain’t playing for us, you’re just big for nothing. I remember being emotional.”
Gonzalez felt awkward, uncomfortable, scared and knew that his wrist would take time to heal. He contemplated waiting for the next school year to start.
“This was defining, because it got me used to making hard, uncomfortable decisions,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez accepted the idea that he would have to work really hard and he might be undervalued coming on to the team a year later. This began to fuel Gonzalez and he developed a strong work ethic, mimicking what his grandfather used to say, “like me, maybe, better than me, nobody!”
However, there were some tough times during this process and Gonzalez occasionally felt like dropping out.
It was during this experience that Gonzalez’ mother shared a story with him about commitment.
Gonzalez’ mother had the German Measles when she was pregnant with him and was advised by her doctors to terminate her pregnancy and try again later for another child. Gonzalez recounted, “my mom said, I chose to stick with you, I didn’t give up on you back then and you can’t give up on yourself now.”
“Mom was willing to be committed, no matter what, that’s kind of where ‘ALL IN’ came from,” concluded Gonzalez. “It’s easy to be all in when you win, and things work out. It’s telling though, when you lose, when you give your very best and the outcome is uncertain, there’s a good chance you are gonna fail. “
Gonzalez’ “ALL IN” mentality is what has guided him through life and eventually led him to the New York Giants Organization in December 2011.
The Giants invited Gonzalez to speak to the team after hearing about his involvement with troubled youth, in the detention center.
“I didn’t get to talk to Eli Manning or Victor Cruz because I sent them my resume 20 times,“ Gonzalez explained. “I guess I got to it because I decided to be ‘ALL IN’ for the least and then I got to do it for the greatest.”
Gonzalez stressed the importance of being committed to the ones that no one wants to be committed to.
Gonzalez has been working with the Giants since, and has been traveling the world sharing his message.
Hope and Future
Gonzalez considers himself a guy who just wants to make a difference and says, “It’s about building a relationship.”
Seeing how relationships have impacted his personal life, Gonzalez recalls a statement made by one of his first mentors, “he said the relationship is never on the table.”
Gonzalez said, “just the statement of hey listen, I’m gonna stick with you, and you’re not gonna get it right all the time, but if you’re willing to work at these things, I’m gonna be by your side,” meant a lot to him.
That impacted Gonzalez greatly and he says that he “just wants to be that for the next generation, as a father, as husband, as a teacher, any place where I am put.”
Gonzalez has opened up the Hope and Future Center, in West New York, N.J., giving kids a place to work out, play ball, or just hang out; an alternative to the streets. Growing up he found himself falling into bad habits as a teenager and wants to do as much as he can to help others.
“Working with the Giants now, I’m getting to speak in different areas and that’s kind of my mind set going into every situation.” added Gonzalez, “If I can be that for someone here who’s losing hope or thinking about giving up, I just want to be helpful, I want to serve.”
What’s Next?
Gonzalez is currently interning as a barista with the BlueStone Lane Coffee Co., learning the ins and outs of the business. His ultimate game plan is to open a local coffee shop, where kids can work there, helping to reinforce the financial literacy program they are learning at the high school, while also learning a trait. Gonzalez feels that, “if you’re a barista and you can pull a good espresso shot, man you can get a job all over the world.”
