Montclair Teen Too Small For Football Rushes For 1,200 Yards – Montclair, NJ Patch

MONTCLAIR, NJ — In Jordan Diggs’ family, football is part of their DNA. So when the Montclair High School student was told he was “too small” to play the sport he loved, he used it as fuel to chase his gridiron dreams.

Recently, Diggs was named as one of the finalists in the 2020 Heart of a Giant Awards.

USA Football’s Heart of a Giant award – presented by the New York Giants and the Hospital for Special Surgery – pays tribute to Tri-State area high school football players who demonstrate “unparalleled work ethic and passion for the game.” Learn more here, and vote for 2020 nominees here.

According to USA Football, here’s why Diggs earned a nod as a finalist:

“Playing football was something Jordan Diggs saw all of the men in his family do. He desperately wanted to be a part of that. To start his football journey, Diggs went to the director of the football program that he wanted to play for in his town. He told Diggs he was too small to play for his program. Diggs completely broke down. ‘After recovering mentally from that experience, I said to myself that they’re going to remember me in this town and that I’m going to use this sport to make it known that size does not matter,’ said Diggs. Fast forward several years, and now Diggs, captain as a junior, is a 5 foot 6 inch, 165 pound tailback who rushed for 1,200 yards.”

The Montclair student-athlete speaks more about what inspires him – on and off the field – on the USA Football website. He writes:

“One of the things I most enjoy about the game of football is that it is about trust. Trusting that your teammates are going to do the right things for one another. Just stepping on the field with the people you’ve grown up with and going to war with one another and for one another is a different feeling and is something I wouldn’t trade for anything in this world and just the feeling of collectively working hard for a common goal and achieving it is something I admire about this sport. Football teaches you so much more than just the game. It taught me character, perseverance, trust, and having the ability to push through adversity when something gets tough. Lastly, the relationships you build through football will go a long way and have the ability to last a lifetime.”

The voting period for nominees is now open until Oct. 18, at 11:59 p.m., with the final vote tally determining who will be named the group’s finalist. Overall, there will be 11 total finalists, and each finalist will receive $1,000 for their high school’s football program, with the grand prize winner’s school getting an additional $4,000. The grand prize winner will be selected based on video submissions stating why they have the Heart of a Giant.

If Diggs emerges on top in this year’s voting, it will be Essex County’s second straight victory.

In 2019, Duane Coleman of Newark, who was diagnosed with autism and battled depression due to being overweight, used his life experiences as fuel for the gridiron. He lost 100 pounds and gained a new self-confidence along the way.

“He’s thriving in school and his community,” his coach said. “Duane’s life is better today because of football.”