New York Giants Chaplain Gian Paul Gonzalez visited Newtown Middle School (NMS) on Friday, September 5, encouraging students to go “all in” on whatever they set their minds to.

Students crowded into the school’s auditorium for the assembly. Several students and staff members wore jerseys for the special occasion, either representing the Giants or their own favorite sports team.

A giant inflatable of a New York Giants quarterback stood in the middle school’s lobby to welcome Gonzalez.

The visit is a larger part of the school’s campaign with Jostens, an American manufacturer known for selling yearbooks and graduation regalia, as well as personalized class jewelry and championship rings.

The company leads a campaign called Jostens SchoolMark, which helps schools create an identity that students, teachers, and the school community can rally around.

NMS surveyed teachers, staff, and stakeholders to create a stronger culture and let their school spirit shine. It is through this initiative that NMS staff reached out to Gonzalez.

This has been far from the first time Gonzalez has come to a school and talked to students. His background is actually not as a motivational speaker, but rather a ninth grade world history teacher.

“That’s what I got certified for,” Gonzalez explained. “I was teaching for quite a while at private and public schools, but then when they brought me in to speak with the New York Giants … one thing led to another.”

Teaching Giants

His journey with the New York Giants was highlighted on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown in 2012. The piece, which aired on Super Bowl Sunday, showed how two words turned a New York Giants season “going nowhere” into a trip to the Super Bowl.

By the day before Christmas Eve 2011, the team was 7-7 and lost five of their last six games. That night, at a player’s chapel meeting, in walked Gonzalez. A New York Giants representative previously called him in the middle of his seventh period class and asked him to speak to the team.

They knew he was a history teacher nearby at Union City, New Jersey, but wanted him to motivate their players and help turn their season around. Despite thinking it was all one big prank, Gonzalez went to a hotel near MetLife Stadium to see the New York Giants.

“I started to get nervous but I said, ‘You know what, I’m a teacher. I’ll treat this like my classroom, no big deal,’” Gonzalez said.

He spoke to the New York Giants about being “all in,” a turn of phrase that means being to committed to what someone has in front of them. Gonzalez gave each player a poker chip, had them put their initials on it, and encouraged them to keep it.

The team went on to beat the New York Jets on Christmas Eve 29-14, and beat the Dallas Cowboys on January 1 31-14. That last game secured their playoff ticket. The New York Giants later went to Super Bowl XLVI, where they beat the New England Patriots 21-17.

“All In”

The message of being “all in” strongly resonated with the team, encouraging each to give 100 percent to not only football, but other aspects of their lives.

Former New York Giants player Antrel Rolle said in the documentary a chip is a chip, but “it’s our minds that are powerful.”

“I don’t think I was giving it 100 percent,” Rolle continued. “I might have been giving it 90 percent, but now I think for the last five weeks, I’ve been definitely giving it 100 percent.”

Gonzalez still works for the New York Giants, but has gone on to speak to numerous corporations such as Verizon and schools such as Rutgers University. He has also spoken to other sports teams, including the Portland Trail Blazers, Arsenal Football Club, and Las Vegas Raiders.

Gonzalez wore several layers of jerseys to the assembly, each one being a group he has spoken to. For every one he mentioned, Gonzalez would take one jersey off and reveal another beneath, often with the motto “all in” somewhere on it.

Gonzalez told students that being all in and rising up “wouldn’t just be a t-shirt you put on and take off.”

“We can do so many things just to look good in front of other people, but it’s my hope that rising up isn’t just something you do to look good, it’d be something you choose to live by. Even when it’s hard. Whether you win or you lose,” Gonzalez said.

He continued by saying that people might wonder why someone cares so much or stands up for others when they do not have to. However, Gonzalez said rising up means choosing to be kind even when someone is not kind back.

The Power Of Kindness

Gonzalez shared personal anecdotes from his life, specifically on his struggles with his high school basketball team. His team lost 22 games in a row, and the poor performance of the team affected Gonzalez so much to the point he did not want to go to school.

He believed he was only as good as his team was doing and started skipping school. However, Gonzalez had friends who reached out, told him to not worry about basketball, and come back to school. It is that compassion, Gonzalez said, that helped inspire him to keep moving forward.

Gonzalez stopped skipping school and got so good he was invited to the NBA draft.

“I want you to know that, if you’re a real friend, you don’t need to make a funny comment at someone’s expense. Sometimes they just need to know you care,” Gonzalez said. “Rise up by doing that.”

Gonzalez then led everyone in a short exercise where he picked a student from the crowd do the same difficult push-ups he did in the NBA draft. Everyone else in the room cheered on their peers as they did standard push-ups, then knuckle push-ups, and finally diamond push-ups.

He spoke to students one last time, adding that everyone would get a chip of their own to take home with them. Gonzalez said encouraged them to dedicate themselves to whatever they set their minds to, whether that means being a great athlete, friend, or family member.

“I don’t know what it looks like to you personally, but you have an awesome statement to what it looks like,” Gonzalez said. “When you get your chip today, make a mission statement, and dedicate yourself to it.”

Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.