John Sheffield
High School Honors
2 Football letters. 1st Team All-PIL, 1st TeamAll-State as Senior, leading Receiver in yardsand receptions in Oregon, State ChampionTeam Captain, National Football FoundationScholar Athlete.3 Lacrosse letters, 1st Team All-PIL as Juniorand Senior, 1st Team All-State and All-Americanas Senior.
Post-High School Career
4 years of Football at Yale. All-Ivy and 3rd TeamAll-American in Football. Played ProfessionalFootball in Europe for L’Hospitalet Pioners.Coached Football in Barcelona and at LincolnHigh School. Worked as COO of ESM Prep.Earned MBA from Berkeley Haas. Currently anOperating Partner at SPUR Acquisitions.
Commentary
When I was in eighth grade, football at Lincoln had been mired in perennial mediocrity and many friends and excellent athletes selected the other private school powerhouses because those seemed to be the only options if you cared about football. But the class of 2006, as well as several classes before and after me at Lincoln, set out to change that reputation. My class went something like 43-3 between freshman, JV, and two years on varsity. We lost the 2005 state championship in the final minutes. We didn't expect that, nor did we explicitly set out to reach a state championship. But we believed in ourselves and each other, held ourselves accountable, prioritized the group ahead of individuals, and genuinely enjoyed playing with each other.
Those lessons have become guiding principles in life beyond sports. If a team has talent, holds itself accountable, and enjoys working together, it can deliver transformative results.
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