Deland McCullough's Choices Redefine Destiny Over Adversity
TL;DR
- Deland McCullough's journey from an under-recruited athlete in an economically depressed city to a Super Bowl-winning coach highlights the profound impact of resilience and mentorship in overcoming systemic disadvantages.
- The narrative underscores how early life experiences, including adoption and economic hardship, shape an individual's identity and drive, influencing their pursuit of success and fatherhood.
- McCullough's coaching philosophy, mirroring his own mentor's approach, emphasizes treating players as full human beings, fostering personal growth alongside athletic development, which resonated deeply with his search for paternal connection.
- The story illustrates the complex interplay of fate and choice, demonstrating how individual decisions, particularly in seeking connection and defining oneself, can alter deeply ingrained familial cycles.
- McCullough's eventual reunion with his biological father, Sherman Smith, reveals a surprising twist where a formative mentor becomes a biological parent, highlighting the unexpected ways life's paths can converge.
- The legal barriers to accessing birth records, as experienced by McCullough, underscore the systemic challenges adoptees face in understanding their origins and the significance of legislative changes like Pennsylvania's HB 162.
Deep Dive
Deland McCullough's life story, as detailed in Sarah Spain's book "Runs in the Family," reveals a profound narrative of resilience and self-determination, demonstrating how an individual's choices can actively shape destiny despite challenging circumstances. While McCullough's journey is marked by the complexities of adoption, economic hardship in Youngstown, Ohio, and the persistent search for identity and belonging, the core insight is that his consistent agency--his deliberate choices--allowed him to overcome these obstacles and forge his own path. This narrative transcends a simple tale of overcoming adversity; it illustrates the power of personal choice in constructing one's identity and breaking cycles of disadvantage.
McCullough's life trajectory highlights the cascading effects of his decisions. Born John Kenneth Briggs and given up for adoption, his early life was shaped by an economically devastated Youngstown and a fractured family environment, including an absent adoptive father and an abusive stepfather. His adoptive mother, Adele, provided a stable, albeit financially strained, home, but the mystery surrounding his biological parents loomed. McCullough's choice to channel his early self-doubt and energy into football provided a release and a pathway, demonstrating how a chosen discipline can become a vehicle for personal development. His hard work and talent led to college recruitment, a crucial turning point where his decision to pursue his passion as a running back, even by taking a redshirt year, exemplifies his commitment. This choice to prioritize his desired role over immediate playing time at a different position underscores his long-term strategic thinking.
The narrative further emphasizes McCullough's proactive approach to mentorship and his own development. When his college coach, Sherman Smith, a pivotal father figure and mentor, left Miami of Ohio, McCullough, though disappointed, understood and continued to push forward independently. This pattern repeated as he navigated the challenges of professional football, including a career-ending knee injury, and transitioned into education. His decision to work with at-risk youth and eventually become a principal was a deliberate choice to positively impact others facing similar hardships. Even when football pulled him back into coaching, first at Miami of Ohio and then at Indiana and USC, he consciously emulated the principles of mentorship he had learned, treating players as whole human beings and leaders, a stark contrast to the paternal abandonment he experienced. This conscious application of learned values, rather than passively accepting his circumstances, is a testament to his agency.
The most significant demonstration of McCullough's self-determination is his relentless pursuit of his biological identity. At age 44, after years of wondering, he actively sought out his birth records. Pennsylvania's HB 162, a bill granting adoptees access to their original birth records, became a critical tool, enabling him to obtain information that unlocked the final pieces of his personal puzzle. His discovery that his birth mother, Carol Briggs, was a teen mother from Youngstown, and that his birth father was none other than Sherman Smith, his long-time coach and mentor, is a remarkable twist. McCullough's choice to initiate contact with his birth mother and later with Smith, despite the potential for emotional complexity, highlights his courage and his commitment to understanding his full identity. Furthermore, Smith's initial reaction underscores the profound impact of McCullough's existence on his life, demonstrating how even an unexpected revelation can prompt a re-evaluation of one's own past and identity. The eventual embrace between McCullough and Smith, where Smith calls him "my son," signifies the culmination of McCullough's choices to seek connection and closure, transforming a story of mystery into one of profound personal reconciliation.
Ultimately, Deland McCullough's story is a powerful illustration of how deliberate choices, even in the face of overwhelming systemic and personal challenges, can redefine one's narrative. His journey from an orphaned child in a struggling city to a successful coach and educator, who actively sought and embraced his identity, underscores the principle that while circumstances may be given, the interpretation and response to those circumstances are a matter of personal choice, leading to a fulfilling and impactful life.
Action Items
- Audit adoption record access: Investigate current state of adoptee access to original birth records in Pennsylvania (ref: HB 162 legislation).
- Create framework for identifying mentorship parallels: Analyze coaching styles of Deland McCullough and Sherman Smith for transferable leadership principles.
- Track personal narrative impact: For 3-5 key life events in Deland McCullough's story, document the choices made and their long-term consequences.
- Measure resilience in transition: For 2-3 career shifts Deland McCullough experienced (player to coach, coach to educator), identify key adaptive strategies.
- Evaluate father-figure impact: Analyze the influence of AC McCullough, adoptive father, and Sherman Smith on Deland McCullough's development.
Key Quotes
"You know one of the things that I have to do at the top is say first thank you for doing this Sarah Spain hello yeah and the other thing is to do a thing that is cruel which is to say there's a twist in this story which we're not going to give away uh because we're trying to be good at telling stories but holy shit yeah that's that was my response when I first heard the story was pretty much holy shit and now that story is a book which is why you are here with us today it is coming out it is called runs in the family"
Pablo Torre introduces the narrative by highlighting its unexpected and impactful nature, emphasizing that the story, which is now a book, contains a significant twist. Torre's reaction of "holy shit" underscores the profound and surprising elements within Deland McCullough's life story.
"So the protagonist and co author his name's Deland McCullough he is currently the Raiders running backs coach no coach Carol and all of the upper management has done a great job of um first of all putting together a great staff I believe a really really really good staff and then getting you know we we got obviously OTAs going on right now and and it's been it's been very encouraging honestly they're like that been very encouraging he was most recently with Notre Dame helping them to the national championship previous to that famously with the Kansas City Chiefs helped them to a Super Bowl"
This quote establishes Deland McCullough's current role as a running backs coach for the Raiders and highlights the positive reception of the coaching staff and recent team activities. It also contextualizes his recent successes, including a national championship with Notre Dame and a Super Bowl win with the Kansas City Chiefs, underscoring his established coaching credentials.
"But this story is about more than that this story is also about a running back a running back whose entire identity was a mystery because thanks to the laws in our country as we will discuss adoption as a concept way too often entails mystery but what we know is that long before Deland McCullough beat the Niners in the Super Bowl and became a successful NFL coach and also recently agreed to talk to Pablo Torre Finds Out for this episode as you will hear throughout he was born and put up for adoption in December 1972 and we also know that Deland's adopted parents lived in a place that would be economically decimated by the collapse of the steel industry by September 1977 when Deland was just four years old and that place was Youngstown Ohio"
Pablo Torre explains that the narrative extends beyond Deland McCullough's coaching career to encompass his personal journey as a running back whose identity was initially obscured by adoption. Torre notes that adoption often involves mystery due to legal frameworks and specifies that McCullough was born in 1972, adopted, and grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, a city impacted by economic decline.
"I didn't want to do that you need to understand that there were so many people struggling in Youngstown trying to pay for heat and electricity trying to put food on the table trying to stay out of jail people around him were struggling with so many big things and so Deland how long has he known that he is adopted at about seven years old he's sitting on the floor at a friend's house his mom is talking with friends and he's playing with a toy and he overhears his mom say Pittsburgh that's where we went to get Deland when we adopted him and he says I'm adopted and she says yep and then goes back to her conversation"
This passage reveals Deland McCullough's early awareness of his adoption, which he overheard at age seven. It also contextualizes his upbringing in Youngstown, Ohio, by describing the widespread economic struggles of the people around him. McCullough's mother confirmed his adoption casually after he overheard the conversation, indicating a lack of in-depth discussion about it at the time.
"He really wanted to try to make it work as a player but ultimately -- this guy just keeps getting handed a tough deal and finding a way through it finding resilience and he actually wanted to get into education to help kids who had come up in tough times like he did so while he's trying to make it in football he's working his way at residential centers for at-risk youth then he goes into teaching and he's trying to help kids and then he becomes a principal so like all these ways he's trying to learn how to be an impactful male figure in the lives of young people especially those who have tough childhoods and football starts sneaking its way in and everybody hears that he was the big football player so he starts coaching and he realizes he can use football to uplift kids and make it even more compelling for them to want to stay in school and learn these lessons by using this sport that he loves"
The speaker explains Deland McCullough's transition from his playing career, marked by resilience through difficult circumstances like knee injuries, into education. McCullough's desire to support at-risk youth led him through roles in residential centers, teaching, and eventually becoming a principal. The speaker highlights how McCullough recognized the potential of football to engage and uplift young people, motivating them to stay in school and learn valuable lessons.
"And so Deland McCullough resolves to find out and so first he starts looking in Ohio and ultimately is able to get the call back that they found his papers but the woman on the other end says I can't tell you them I can't send them to you and he says what do you mean and he realizes that she's holding papers for a different state you remember I said his mom said Pittsburgh that's where we went to pick up Deland when we adopted him so even though he grew up in Ohio he was actually born and adopted in Pennsylvania and the laws were different in that state"
This quote details Deland McCullough's initial efforts to uncover his birth records, which began in Ohio but led to the realization that he was born and adopted in Pennsylvania. The speaker explains that McCullough encountered legal barriers when attempting to access his papers, as the records were held in a different state with distinct adoption laws. This discovery was crucial in guiding his search for his biological parents.
Resources
External Resources
Books
- "Runs in the Family" by Sarah Spain - Mentioned as the book detailing Deland McCullough's story.
Articles & Papers
- HB 162 (Pennsylvania Legislature) - Referenced as a bill that allows adoptees access to their original birth records.
People
- Deland McCullough - NFL coach whose story is told in Sarah Spain's book.
- Sarah Spain - Author of "Runs in the Family."
- Sir Mix-a-Lot - Mentioned as the original owner of the Mercedes that Sherman Smith used to recruit Dylan McCullough.
- Sherman Smith - Former NFL player and coach who recruited Dylan McCullough and was later revealed to be his biological father.
- Pete Carroll - NFL coach who employed both Sherman Smith and Dylan McCullough.
- Russell Wilson - Executive producer for a planned film about Dylan McCullough's story.
- Ciara - Executive producer for a planned film about Dylan McCullough's story.
Organizations & Institutions
- NFL (National Football League) - Professional American football league.
- Raiders - NFL team where Dylan McCullough is currently coaching.
- Seattle Seahawks - NFL team where Dylan McCullough interned and Sherman Smith coached.
- University of Southern California (USC) - College where Dylan McCullough coached running backs.
- Miami University (of Ohio) - College where Dylan McCullough played and later coached, and where Sherman Smith recruited him.
- University of Illinois - College where Sherman Smith became an assistant coach.
- Indiana University - College where Dylan McCullough coached and had success.
- Cincinnati Bengals - NFL team that offered Dylan McCullough a training camp spot.
- New England Patriots - Mentioned as an example team for performance analysis.
- Pro Football Focus (PFF) - Data source for player grading.
- The Shops at Boardman Park - Mentioned in relation to after-parties at the McCulla household.
- Allegheny County - Location of Dylan McCullough's birth.
- Youngstown, Ohio - City where Dylan McCullough's adoptive parents lived and where he grew up.
- Pennsylvania - State where Dylan McCullough was born and adopted.
- Ohio - State where Dylan McCullough grew up.
Websites & Online Resources
- www.pablo.show - Website for Pablo Torre's newsletter.
- acast.com/privacy - Website for Acast privacy information.
- cargurus.com - Website for car buying and selling.
- gab.com/getgab - Website for Gab safe phones and watches.
- redcross.org - Website for the American Red Cross donations.
- tommyjohn.com - Website for Tommy John pajamas and loungewear.
Other Resources
- PTFO Vault - Collection of favorite episodes from "Pablo Torre Finds Out."
- HB 162 - Legislation providing adoptees access to original birth records.
- House Bill 162 - Legislation providing adoptees access to original birth records.
- 1 900 MIX ALOT - A hotline number associated with Sir Mix-a-Lot.
- PTO tip hotline at 513 85 Pablo - A phone number for tips related to "Pablo Torre Finds Out."