Football gives you a sense of responsibility in a transparent environment. You take on responsibilities and gain credibility for your actions and decisions. Football brings out leadership, helping people achieve a common goal, and brings the best out of people. There are many positives from football that translate into being successful in politics and business in general.
I didn't think about public life until my last few years in Buffalo (while playing for the Bills, 1962-69). I grew up in Los Angeles. I loved to go to games at the L.A. Coliseum to watch the Rams play as a fan of Bob Waterfield, Norm Van Brocklin, Kenny Washington, and George Taliaferro. I recall back in 1945, I'd go and see the Los Angeles Dons in the old All-America Football Conference. I've always loved football. My older brother played quarterback in high school. The only thing I ever wanted to do was play pro football.
My son Jeff played 11 years in the NFL for the Rams, 49ers, Seahawks, and Eagles, and my son Jimmy played eight years in the Canadian Football League. They weren't pushed into it, but they took to the game naturally. They have the same love for football that I do. People call baseball America's pastime, but football is America's Passion. Today I have 17 grandchildren and now I'm watching them play football. And they're better for it.
It's a great game. It teaches so much about life through discipline and putting aside differences for the good of a team.
Jack Kemp serves as Chairman of USA Football. Kemp played 13 years as a professional football quarterback with the San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills. Following his career in football, he represented the Buffalo area and western New York for 18 years in the United States House of Representatives from 1971-1989. Kemp served from February 1989 to January 1993 as the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and in August of 1996, received the Republican Party's nomination for Vice President. Kemp is Founder and Chairman of Kemp Partners, a government relations and corporate affairs consulting company based in Washington, DC.