GROUND
ZERO PLUS 1239 DAY--New York, NY, Wednesday,
February 2, 2005--There's
a grand national Mother of SuperBowl Vigilance that is unbeatable
when it comes to guarding her flock of thick-necked, muscle-busting
"boys."
Wilma McNabb,
Mother of SuperBowl Vigilance guarding her flock
Her name is Wilma McNabb,
Mother of Philadelphia Eagles' Donovan McNabb, 29-year-old starting
quarterback for the Eagles. When he was drafted by the NFL Eagles
team in 1999, fans booed and jeered him because they wanted
running back Ricky Williams. Conservative talk show radio host
Rush Limbaugh attacked McNabb, inferring the only reason he
was picked as starting quarterback was because he was African
American and imputing his skill as great athlete.
Radio talkshow
host Rush Limbaugh has "eaten his words"
But the 6-foot, 2-inch,
240-pound McNabb had a secret weapon bolstering him through
it all: his father and mother.
McNabb's father, an electrical
engineer, and his mother, Wilma, a nurse, instilled strong Principles
of Vigilance in their son, enough to help him weather the storms
of prejudice and bigotry, as well as inspiring him to achieve
far beyond the grips of Terrorism's Fear, Intimidation and Complacency
that shackle so many children and hobble their evolution as
adults.
At
every pre-game introduction, McNabb points to the sky
as a salute to his grandparents
In addition, McNabb also
enjoyed Grandparents of Vigilance. At every pre-game introduction
and following each touchdown, Donovan McNabb taps his chest
twice and points to the sky. He's offering a salute to his "greatest
fans," his late grandmother and grandfather, Maude and
Charles Jenkins.
"I started doing it
in my sophomore year in college at Syracuse and I've been doing
it 4ever since," he says. "My grandparents were involved
in everything I did. They were my great fans."
His grandmother passed away
of diabetes in McNabb's senior year in high school, and his
grandfather died in his sophomore year of college. McNabb is
the spokesman for the American Diabetes Association and operates
a private foundation that his mother, Wilma, heads: the Donovan
McNabb Foundation.
Secret
weapons bolstering McNabb are his mother, Wilma (here
leading a cheer) ...........
While Donovan Jamal McNabb
enjoys the largest contract ever awarded in the history of professional
football, a 12-year $115 million package that puts him in economic
history, he's now focused on chalking up a SuperBowl XXXIX victory
in San Diego this coming Sunday. Only one other black quarterback,
Doug Williams of the 1987 Washington Redskins has won the big
game.
But all his accolades and
achievements are guarded by his primary Sentinel of Maternal
Vigilance, his mother, Wilma.
She's been thrust into national
view as the spokeswoman for Campbell's Chunky Soup. Anyone flicking
the television channels around is bound to see her beaming face
in the locker room or riding on the Eagles' team bus, reminding
the players about "eating right," and, of course,
that includes Campbell's.
...and
his dad, Sam,
on the right (married 32 years)
She's also become a media
star in her own right, appearing on major television shows as
a guest and a symbol of a concerned mother.
"Our goal was to raise
two responsible sons," she said, boasting about her 32-year
marriage that produced a football superstar and top mortgage
broker in New Jersey. "We sent both boys to Catholic school
to insure they got discipline both at home and at school,"
she added.
Her fame as "Campbell
Soup Mother" didn't come by accident. Originally, the commercials
were shot with an actress. After watching them for a year, Wilma
McNabb spoke up and said, "I can do that." Campbell
executives gave her a try.
In the world of high-paid professional sports,
the image of the players has been ravaged by accusations of
their "immoral" conduct, including sexual assaults
to drugs and illegal betting. Wilma McNabb is a refreshing reminder
that the vast majority of athletes come from strong, solid,
supportive homes with fundamental values and great belief in
the quality of human nature.
McNabb's
mother, Wilma, is a spokesman for Campbell's Chunky Soup
More importantly, athletes have always been the
role models for young people. Looking up at the top players
in sports has been, for some youth, their single source of idolatry.
Wilma McNabb puts some grounding into the idea that a top professional
athlete can make up his or her own moral guidelines and live
a life of abandon, free from the responsibility of mundane life.
Her son's tribute to his grandparents before and
during each game symbolizes the idea that a great athlete owes
his or her enthusiasm and dedication to a group of loving, caring
people who root for and stand behind them as they move up the
challenging ladder of competition. The relationship between
Donovan McNabb and his mother on camera, plus the idea of a"family
team" where Mrs. McNabb is the "team mother"
provides another rich layer of earthiness to becoming champions.
"It's all about being a team," she said.
"Mothers, fathers, children, grandparents, loved ones,
brothers, relatives...all rooting and working together...that's
what it's all about."
And that's what Vigilance is all about. It's about
the unification of people as family, working toward the proliferation
of sound values such as Courage that trumps Fear, Conviction
that overshadows Intimidation, and Right Actions that benefit
future generations versus Complacency that suggests a child
"can't do what others have done."
Win or lose
the SuperBowl, Donovan McNabb and his mother and the entire
team (family of vigilance) will be National Champions
No matter what happens in the SuperBowl, Donovan
McNabb and his mother, Wilma, and the entire team will be National
Champions.
Millions of young men and women, boys and girls,
who aspire to achieve wonderful things in life will see a mother
and her son and a team working together in one of the most watched
sports events in the world.
They will be a "Family of Vigilance"
playing ball on Super Sunday.
Perhaps the message of being a Family of Vigilance
will rub off on their parents and bind their family closer.
And even if it doesn't for some reason, the child
will know that in relation to Donovan McNabb, his success is
not singular. Everyone will know that behind every superstar
is a Mother of Vigilance holding a can of Campbell Chunky Soup.
Your contributions
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help by investing in a local ad in your community paper promoting the
Principles of Vigilance and how to overcome
Emotional Terrorism.
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