Jim Unis Discussion

Hello again, we are posting this recent event for our A5 kids.  We had the inspirational speaker, Jim Unis talk with our A5 and ASL kids.  All I can say is WOW!  What an incredible experience for anyone.  Inspiration, yes!  Motivation, yes!  Wanting to do more and better with my life, YES!  Here is a write-up about Jim Unis.  In the next few weeks our A5 kids will be writing what their experience was like, listening to Jim.  Enjoy.

Jim Unis to speak to O’Maley Academy A5 and ASL classes on Wednesday 3/22 at 2:20 in the O’Maley Gym

On Wednesday, 3/22 at 2:20, Jim Unis, former Gloucester star High School football player who graduated in 2001 and was inducted into the Gloucester High School Hall of Fame last year, will talk to the students about preparing for college, and life, while in high school, being recruited by Boston College, and the diagnosis of post-concussion syndrome which completely altered his life path.

We invite any interested parents and teachers to join us to hear Jim Unis speak and answer questions! For More information, please contact Mr. Epple the A5 teacher.

From a 2011 Gloucester Times Article:

Never has Gloucester football seen a physical freak of nature like Jim Unis. The 6-foot-5-inch, 225-pound defensive end and tight end wreaked havoc on Northeastern Conference opponents from his freshman year in 1998 to his senior year in 2001…

"In the Super Bowl his freshman year one of our players got hurt so we had to put him in on defense," Ingram explained. "Within a few plays it was obvious that he was the best defensive player on the field." By the time his career at Gloucester was over, Unis was the Gatorade Massachusetts Player of the Year in 2001, the Northeastern Conference MVP in 2001, a three-time Northeastern Conference All-Star and a two-time All Scholastic. His most impressive accolade came early in 2002 when he played in the US Army All-American game in Texas amongst the best players in the country including Haloti Ngata (now of the Baltimore Ravens) and Vince Young (now of the Philadelphia Eagles).

"Unis' tenacity and hustle shone through," said RIVALS.com about Unis' ability against the Nation's best. "He was the star of all the East practices — everybody was wowed by him throughout the week." From Gloucester he went on to Boston College where he played in eight games at defensive end as a true freshman. His promising career, however, came to an early end when he was forced to stop playing the sport due to concussion problems. Had he stayed healthy it's widely believed that he would be playing in the National Football League to this day.