WATCH: Rams DL Coach Eric Henderson Gives Passionate Speech to South Carolina Football
If nothing else, Los Angeles Rams defensive line coach Eric Henderson is a motivator.
And during a recent visit to the University of South Carolina, Henderson displayed exactly that, giving an impassioned speech to a rebuilding football team this week.
Henderson began his speech by impressing the value of teamwork and humility.
“We talk to our guys all the time about (how) we compete with our schemes, but we win with our people,” he told the Gamecocks. “The star of the team is the team. Period. Got a lot of individual stars, but the star of the team is the team. If you can take that concept and apply it to your situation that you have here, something special, I truly believe that South Carolina is going to be the team this year.”
Henderson did not stop there, however.
He would also discuss his difficult upbringing. Particularly the death of his mother due, his lack of a father figure, and how he helped to raise his sisters following the death of his grandmother and aunt.
It was a journey that Henderson had to overcome, all while trying to navigate his college curriculum and football responsibilities at Georgia Tech.
“Lost my mom when I was 9 years old. She had cancer,” he said. “Never met my daddy a day in my life. Lived with my grandmother. I’m the oldest, got a younger brother and younger sister. My grandmother passed away my senior year of high school right before I went to Georgia Tech. So my Aunt Tida was living in the house with us. She was the household, whatever. Go to Georgia Tech, freshman year, Aunt T passed away. I’m in school at Georgia Tech felt like with nobody. I’m the oldest, younger brother, younger sister. They were important to me because if I sank, there’s no hope for them in my mind.”
Suffice it to say, for South Carolina coach Shane Beamer, who is trying to establish a consistently positive culture in Columbia, Henderson was a no-brainer guest to speak to his program.
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