I grew up an athlete. Track and field and dance. In track, I actually went to the Junior Olympics. I've always been very athletic.
I got interested in decathlon because a coach that I had was a big fan of Bruce Jenner, and he just saw the ability in me - but when it came down to it, I knew my best chance at a college scholarship would be in track and field.
I knew there was no money in track and field unless you were unbelievable. So I stopped it when I was 13. I just really wanted to focus on soccer and with soccer training and high school, it would have been too much if I did track and field as well.
You have to have that dog-eat-dog kind of mentality. I think me playing football all my life and having that chip on my shoulder, not really getting the opportunities that I wanted, really carried over to track and field. It allowed me to use all that energy and put it in the direction of being the best track athlete that I could be.
I always wanted to be an actress, but I was embarrassed to say so, and somehow I found myself in the dance track. I'm very competitive, and I wanted to be the best in that field, too, although it didn't really speak to me.
I always dreamed of doing this, being able to do track and field and the NFL at the same time.
Track and field is a sport that's about 'What have you done for me lately?'
Competing in both track and field and basketball for the Bruins I have a lot of great memories to choose from. But my all-time favorite moment in collegiate sports has to be in 1982 when we won UCLA's first NCAA title in track.
"Competing in both track and field and basketball for the Bruins I have a lot of great memories to choose from. But my all-time favorite moment in collegiate sports has to be in 1982 when we won UCLA's first NCAA title in track."
Everybody used to always give me a hard time, 'You never really lift weights like that.' I would lift enough, but instead of lifting weights, I'm standing on a track field.
What I do in long jump and track and field, it definitely correlates with what I do as a receiver. With being fast and being explosive and putting my foot down. It's the same mechanics that I use in football and track.
Track and field is the best way to reach out for kids. It doesn't matter how fast you are. You always want to beat someone.
Track and field, because it was something I could do by myself, one-on-one, me against everybody else.
The farm is one field to the east of the railroad track that used to connect New Orleans with Chicago. The track runs beside Highway 45, an old U.S. route that unites Chicago with Mobile, Alabama.
I grew up on basketball, volleyball, that sort of thing. For me, track and field was a whole 'nother beast.
I don't really focus on these things - on what tags are given to me or what people think of me off the field - stuff like that. My main focus is always to do well on the field for the Indian cricket team. When people say good things about me off the field, I am more than happy to accept them.