One of the reasons the Texans’ defense transformed from a horrible unit into a formidable one last season was the play of rookie defensive end J.J. Watt. Watt, whose season was capped off by an amazing interception that helped secure a first-round playoff win over the Bengals, finished the year with 5.5 sacks and 56 tackles. His future looks very bright, and according to Watt his success is owed in part to the time he spent delivering pizzas for Pizza Hut. Watt worked at Pizza Hut for six months between stints at Wisconsin and Central Michigan.
“When I left Central Michigan I had a plan,” Watt said in an interview with 790 The Zone in Atlanta. “I knew I was going to end up at Wisconsin and I couldn’t enroll until the fall so I needed to have something to fill that transition period and I worked at Pizza Hut for sixth months and went to a local college there in my hometown. Then I walked on with the Badgers and I guess the rest is history from there. It was a humbling experience, it brought me back to earth, and it was a good experience. I wouldn’t be who I am today if I hadn’t done that.”
We have seen people experience their moment of clarity in stranger places than Pizza Hut, that’s for sure. The path Watt took to the NFL speaks volumes to how committed he was to becoming a great football player. Transferring colleges might as well be the death penalty for some athletes’ careers, but Watt obviously had enough drive to not allow that to happen. Anyone who goes from pizza delivery guy to pick-six in the wild card round of the playoffs is alright in my book.
