Jim Unis

a few weeks ago Jim Unis came to our school in gloucester massachusets and talked to the a5 afterschool program. Even if i wasn't there i bet a bunch of people were inspired by him to make their dreams come true.

           Jim Unis was just an average Gloucester kid like you and me. He went to O'maley Innovation Middle School and graduated from Gloucester High School and went on to pursue his dream as a football player. Jim Unis went to play on the Boston College football team until one day he got hit too hard on the field. Jim Unis had to make the tough decision to either keep playing football with the risk of more brain damage or to resign from football. Jim Unis is now a motivational speaker you goes around speaking to all different types of people.

On March 22, Jim Unis came to talk to the after school, the purpose of this talk was to inspire the students to achieve by working hard. Jim Unis himself achieved his dream of making the NFL by working hard and putting in the necessary practice that he needed to help achieve his dream. However, he developed brain damage which is why he had to step down from what he loves in order to stay healthy. He proved to us that we should strive to achieve our dreams but still put our safety first and make decisions that will help us in the long run.

Jim Unis

        Jim Unis in my opinion was a great man with lots of advice to offer to a younger crowd, maybe his age. He started off with a goal for his family, that no one has a college degree before him. So he set a goal for him to make it to college (for no money) and strive in life. When he got to high school he realized that he was good at football, so the way to get college for free was for the college to pay for him. Boston college gave him a full scholarship to play football. But shortly after he got into college he suffered a career ending concussion. He ended up taking that for the good by going on to help teens.

Jim Unis

         Jim Unis is a very inspiration man, he talked to us about his life and our future. During his collage years he had gotten many head injuries during football, until finally someone told him that there could be some serious consequences if he kept playing. So he made the right decision and chose his health over his sport, and that's why so many people think he is an inspiration.

Jim Unis Feed Back

The talk that Mr. Unis gave really made me realize something, that I can accomplish anything I want to if I really put my mind to it. For example, Jim really wanted to go to college but knew his grades wouldn't get him enough money. So, he played football and practiced so much becoming an all-star. This took him to Boston College in a full scholarship. When he had gotten too many concussions he decided it was time to stop playing. He then became someone who talks to children to inspire them. This showed me that it really is important to have a back up plan and not just rely on sports.

Jim Unis - Logan Roberts

Though I didn't get to listen to his speech, I did read a short synopsis of it. Well he seems like a pretty cool guy, and even though I didn't understand any of the football speech, I still felt that he had a good career. It takes a lot to drop out of professional football just because of a little concussion. To conclude, I don't really have much to say other than he seems pretty cool.

Jim Unis seemed like a really nice, and fun guy. And i think he made the right decision leaving football behind for the sake of his health. if i was in his situation i would have also quit because the thought of getting extreme damage to my head would make me instantly quit.

Jim Unis - Kyriah Smithson

Jim Unis was so inspiring. He inspired me to follow my dreams no matter what the stereotype is. Jim was really inspiring, he inspired me to put my health before anything else. Jim was the kind of person who didn't follow the stereotype of who an athlete should be, and that's inspiring. To be completely honest, he's one of my idols. He is such an amazing human to be around, and the good vibes he gives off is amazing. The advice he gave us was inspiring, and he gave me the motivation to follow my dreams. It was amazing to meet someone who was basically a pro football player from my town. It was such an honor, and he is very inspiring and motivational.

Jim Unis Talk

Jim Unis was a inspiring man in my opinion. He basically proved that even if you cant do sports anymore you can still do something with your life besides that. I enjoyed him coming to talk to us because he generally seemed like a nice person and was really open. Plus unlike most players he knew when to stop playing when it was risky which i thought was a big and hard decisions. He also kind of broke the stereotype that football players cant sing or act when he loves to. It seems like unlike most football players (not meant to be offensive to other football players) he has personality, one that he isn't afraid to express. I also really liked that he came back to his home town just to talk to us it shows he actually cares about the little things like Gloucester. Jim Unis really showed us that Hard work can pay off

Jim Unis Discussion- Cameron Muniz

Jim Unis is truly an inspiring man. His story inspired me to be a better person. Jim made me realize that my health was more important than doing something else. He inspired me to follow my dreams because there is a chance that I could achieve them through hard work and dedication. Jim did this by working hard and football and the outcome was that he had the potential to go pro. He also taught me to do what makes me happy. Jim loved to sing and act despite the stereotype that boys and football players "Shouldn't sing". He did not listen to these stereotypes and was amazing. He even auditioned for American Idol! Jim Unis was an inspiring person who told his story of following his dreams and hard work.

                                           Jim Unis Talk

               On 3/22, Jim Unis came to talk to our after school club. The main premise of the talk, I feel, was to inspire us to pursue or futures strongly. The speech was very inspiring in the sense that I want to work my hardest and go to collage and be successful. One thing that stood out to me was his career path. He could have became a professional football player in the NFL, but the amount of concussions he had was too great and he would have taken serious brain damage if he got another one. This basically ruined his life. What was he going to do besides football? Well, it all worked out because he became a motivational speaker, and he also works with kids from troubled neighborhoods. Hopefully, life works out for me.

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.