Ray Anderson (@SunDevilRay23) is Arizona State University’s Vice President for University Athletics and Athletics Director. His prior position (2006-2013) was Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the National Football League. He received both the 2015 Paul J. Tagliabue Award and the John Wooten Lifetime Achievement Award, two of the NFL’s most prestigious honors. His earlier career included practices in law and as a sports agent, capitalizing on his juris doctorate degree from Harvard Law School and his experience lettering in baseball and football at Stanford University, where he earned a political science degree.

In this video, Anderson emphasizes the importance of role players. His youth coaches helped him understand that not everyone can be a star, but if you accept roles and understand how valuable role players are to the success of a team, you can take that learning into other walks of life. Anderson attributes much of his post-playing career success to this character trait learned in youth sports.