Dallas
Cowboys Linebacker Dat Nguyen
 Dat
sends his greetings -click
here
Twenty-three year old Dat Nguyen is that all too rare success
among Asian athletes-- a big, tough guy -- someone capable of playing
with the pros, of moving men built like mountains. He's a linebacker
for "America's Team", the Dallas Cowboys.
Each week, Dat is called upon to hit with the force of a
mac truck, charging in to plug gaps in the line. Then perhaps with
just the next play, he'll need the quickness and speed of a sprinter
to move left or right against sweeps or to run blitzes on the quarterback.
The tough guy seems rare among Asian American athletes. According
to Dat, when you "think football", no Asian has succeeded
at this level. The general public's impression of Asian American
athletes is most likely to be of tennis players or golfers, maybe
Michael Chang or Tiger Woods. Dat's success in this sport is "kind
of weird", he says.
But that success is not something Dat's let go to his head.
In fact, Dat may have zeroed in on the key to real success. He says
you've got to "see the big picture." In other words, you're
never going to hear Dat join the legion of athletes that brag "without
me, they can do nothing".
"I never take anything for granted," says Dat.
"I never take anything for myself. It's a team sport. I'm out
there, doing what I do best, with support from my teammates and
my coach."
Moving through a life story that, day by day and year by
year, reads more and more like a Hollywood screenplay, Dat's positive
attitude and dedication to hard work have served him well. Dat's
family escaped to the United States from Vietnam. Dat was born not
long after in an Arkansas refugee camp.
It's widely reported that as a teen, Dat fell in for a brief
time with the "wrong crowd". Dat himself thinks the press
"overdid that" angle. "I got out of it immediately,"
he says. His dedication to football, in fact, helped Dat mature.
He played for all-state teams in high school and was named the All-South
Texas Defensive Player of the Year. He became something of a role
model for teens in his hometown community of Rockport, Texas, and
now, nationwide, particularly aspiring athletes of Asian descent.
Dat's success in football led him through four great years
with Texas A&M, and a string of impressive awards including
the 1998 Lombardi Award for the nation's top interior lineman and
the 1998 Bednarik Award for the nation's top defensive player. He
was also a member of Aggies Athletes Involved.
Dat is humble about his accomplishments, and, once again,
places them in the context a broader spectrum. "I enjoy the
game. I love the game. I want to be the best when I play. But it's
not just how fast you run, or how much you lift (in the weight room).
It takes lots of knowledge and preparation to be successful. Also,
hard work and discipline. Little stuff here and there that people
take for granted."
"What I enjoy most, I think, is the people, the guys
that I play with. It is not an individual game. It's a team sport.
The people you meet, the ones you get to meet. I spend 20 to 24
hours a day with these guys. You are out there, you have one goal--
to win the game. It's a great challenge for a group of guys. Nothing
more enjoyable than when you get the victory."
Yet Dat foresees that time some day in the future when football
will be behind him. "I'm not going to play when I'm 40 years
old," Dat concedes. Already graduated with a bachelor of science
degree in agricultural development, Dat plans on continuing courses
or going back to graduate school after football. He might also help
out with his fathers business, a marine shop in Texas. Whatever
he does, Dat recognizes there's lots of opportunity out there.
Which leads to his advice for the young people that may see
him as a role model-- "Never listen to anybody that says that
you can't do it. Whatever you dream of doing, whatever you want
to accomplish, just reach for it, and go for it. Never let anyone
say that you can't do it! Because the door is wide open. Don't let
anybody say you can't do it and stop you from doing it."
And unstoppable linebacker that he is, Dat charges in and
onward, ensuring a life that is whole and rewarding. -CC/SK
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