Converse President and CEO G. Scott Uzzell delighted a buzzing Florida A&M University (FAMU) Homecoming Convocation 2019 crowd with an ESPN-style countdown of how his alma mater shaped him to succeed.
The 1988 School of Business and Industry (SBI) graduate who has been an executive for Coca-Cola and other major corporations, also paid tribute to his wife, Sunda, a fellow 1988 FAMU graduate, and to the late SBI Dean Sybil Mobley and her administration who “shaped, molded and pushed me.”
Uzzell’s Top 10 Count Down:
10. “The Game” – Bring your “A” game. FAMU has the best and brightest here – smart kids are everywhere.
9. “Dream Big” – I wanted to own a C-Store or video store when I arrived, and I left wanting to star in my movie I wrote called “My wife owns it.” Boundaries are between our “ears.”
8. “Procrastination is not a strategy.” – Coming off a solid freshman year, I discovered classes become increasingly challenging. Cramming for Intermediate Accounting you quickly learn is not a plan. The second time around I got a “C.” Enough said.
7. “The Tribe” – I did not understand how much my college choice would shape my life. My best friends, my family and network are Rattlers – just good people. I may not talk to someone for seven years, but when we see each other “real” ….
6. “You are the Man” – FAMU was a place I learned “I can do: so “Go Do.” For the rest of my life I am in the “Game of Thrones.” No one besides my momma tells me “I can do; go do.” In my dark moments I harken back to my confidence built on the yard.
5. “The Mirage –Optical Illusion, sorta. My parents dropped me off from Columbia, Maryland, at Paddyfote. Three minutes of homesickness, then I see groups of beautiful women. OMG!
4. “I got Me One” – Speaking of beautiful Rattlers. I married a Rattler. It changed my life. I would be lost without her.
3. “Love of the Party” – FAMU taught me how to have fun with people you love and enjoy. I fully took advantage of this learning experience on campus. Problem is, it has not stopped for 30 years.
2. “See Around the Corner” – FAMU professors taught me the art of seeing around the corner. Play the game now, but always be looking ahead/around the corners, adding an element of strategy to life, to anticipate your next opportunities.
1. “Red Zone” – Football fans understand the red zone. The red zone is the most valuable piece of real estate on the field short of the end zone. Teams that spend more time in the red zone achieve greatness. FAMU was my red zone. It was the place that prepared me for life and to achieve my dreams and goals. For that I am eternally grateful.