NFL player Stevenson Sylvester delivers powerful message to players at Valley

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Saturday, March 12, 2016 | 2 a.m.

With each of Stevenson Sylvester’s answers, the room of Valley High football players became more focused and silent. His story of reaching the NFL despite long odds surely resonated with some.

Sylvester was an undersized linebacker at Valley who had little interest from college recruiters. But he never stopped fighting, becoming a star in college at the University of Utah and earning a spot with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he played in the 2011 Super Bowl.

The NFL sent high school programs a golden-colored commemorative football for each of its graduates who played in the Super Bowl on its 50th anniversary, giving the struggling Valley program a reason to invite back one of its greats.

“It’s hard now. It’s easy later,” he told them Friday. “Take care of what you need to now and the rest is easy. Don’t look to make it up later. Take advantage of the weight room. Take advantage of school.”

That’s what Sylvester did.

When he left Valley in 2006, Utah was the only college to offer him a scholarship — and only because his high school coach urged Utah assistants to scout him while they were in town playing UNLV. And before he attended Valley, he spent his freshman season at White Pine High in Ely, a town of just about 4,000 residents.

Valley hasn’t won a game since 2013 and was outscored 471-70 last year. But second-year coach George Baker has been aggressive in recruiting the hallways for players and has 70 in his offseason conditioning program. Many attended the ceremony with Sylvester.

Hearing his story makes Baker’s job easier.

“When I came here to Valley High School I knew it had a lot of tradition,” Baker said. “A lot of that tradition has gone to the wayside over the years with coaching changes and poor records. One of the things we are trying to bring back to the boys is what Valley High School was in the past.”

Iyen Medlock, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound quarterback and linebacker, will be a four-year varsity starter next season and arguably Valley’s top player. But, like Sylvester a decade earlier, he’ll be lightly recruited. Needless to say, Medlock left the meeting motivated to improve.

“I have to work harder. I can do more,” Medlock said.

During Sylvester’s final season at Utah, when he helped the Utes to an undefeated season and Sugar Bowl victory against Alabama, he was taking 18 credits so he could graduate. Around the same time as graduation, he was selected in the fifth round by the Steelers to start his professional career.

“I can’t even explain it. That time of my life everything was working out,” he said. “I had nothing to worry about.”

Sylvester, 27, injured his knee in the 2014 season with the Buffalo Bills while chasing Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. He hasn’t played since, but trains daily for one more opportunity.

One of the Valley players asked if he wanted to again play for Pittsburgh when Sylvester joked, “Right now, I will play for anybody. I am looking for a job.”

The Valley players returned to the field and weight room to continue their offseason training. Sylvester will quickly get back into the gym with hopes he can get into an NFL camp.

Yes, the Valley Vikings have something to prove.

“It really resonates with these kids,” Baker said. “Some kids have never played football before. This is the first time they have experienced organized athletics. To have someone come that was in their shoes at one time, sitting in these seats that they are sitting in, and seeing the success he has had over time, not only bolsters the ideas of one day making the NFL, but getting a high school diploma and going onto college.”

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21