From Pizza Hut delivery boy to future Hall of Famer: Tracing J.J. Watt's fairytale NFL run
For J.J. Watt, his NFL journey is unlike any other as it starts back in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Watt delivered pizzas for Pizza Hut back in 2007. He played tight end for Central Michigan and took a sabbatical from playing football. Watt was going to a community college in Waukesha when a wake-up call came from a boy in the neighborhood who remembered him playing football.
The boy turned that pizza delivery into a wake-up call when he asked Watt why he wasn't playing football anymore. Watt noted how significant that day was in his life. It re-ignited his love for the game.
Watt said this at the time:
"That was a powerful day in my life, a humbling moment that reiterated my drive to be great and get to the top as a football player."
J.J. Watt then got his body back into football shape and later contacted then-University of Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema. He sat out the 2008 - 2009 season before playing the next season for the school. Watt changed positions, going from tight end to defensive end. Watt had 32 tackles, 15.5 tackles, and four-and-a-half sacks in 13 games for the Badgers in the 2009 - 2010 season.
The defensive end stood out the following season, finishing second in the Big Ten with seven sacks. He also tied for seventh in college football with 21 tackles for loss. That season, Watt won the Ronnie Lott award for college football's Defensive Impact Player of the Year. Not bad for a guy who was a walk-on player.
It was now time for the Pewaukee, Wisconsin-native to take his game to the next level.
J.J. Watt and his time with the Houston Texans
The Houston Texans drafted Watt with the 10th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, Watt had five-and-a-half sacks, 13 tackles for loss, and 56 tackles. He was fourth on the team in sacks and led the Texans in tackles for loss that season. Watt had something in store for his sophomore season in the NFL, putting other teams on notice.
J.J. Watt led the league in sacks with 20.5 and tackles for loss with 39, winning his first AP Defensive Player of the Year award. He also made his first career Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro. The 20.5 sacks are tied for the fourth-most in a season in NFL history.
Two seasons later, the defensive end found himself winning his second Defensive Player of the Year award. In that 2014 - 2015 season, he finished second in the NFL MVP race behind Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers. Once again, J.J. Watt put up 20.5 sacks, which was the second-most that season.
J.J. Watt named 2014 Defensive Player of the Year. First time ever a unanimous vote. http://t.co/LaHgEpuHVE
The Wisconsin Badgers star won the Defensive Player of the Year award for the third time in his career the following season. J.J. Watt led the league in sacks for the second time in his career with 17.5. The star defensive end would only put up one more season with double-digit sacks with the Texans after that.
He would endure various injuries in his final seasons with the team. These included injuries to his back, hand, knee, chest, and leg. Ultimately, he asked to be released by the team and was released on Feb. 12, 2021.
J.J. Watt is the Texans' all-time leader in sacks (101) and tackles for loss (172). After 10 seasons, it was time for Watt to find a new team for the first time.
The former Texans star heads further west to finish his career
A month after his release by the Texans, Watt signed a two-year, $31 million-dollar deal to join the Arizona Cardinals. At his press conference, Watt noted that he chose the Cardinals because of the recruitment pitch and the warm weather.
Watt said at the press conference:
"The recruiting pitch was strong and heavy (for the Cardinals), but at the end of the day, I told my wife, all signs just kept pointing back here to Arizona. I'm not going to lie to you, it doesn't hurt when it is 65 degrees and sunny when I woke up this morning."
In his first season with the Arizona Cardinals, he played in seven games and had 16 tackles and a sack. Now in his second season with the team, Watt has 33 tackles and nine-and-a-half sacks. With three more games left, Watt could have another season with double-digit sacks. It will be his sixth such season if he gets, at least, half a sack.
As he readies for life after football, the former University of Wisconsin walk-on remembered where the journey began all those years ago.
Watt never forgot his roots
No matter how high J.J. Watt has gotten in his NFL career, he has stayed true to his roots. He'd make occasional returns to where it all began almost 15 years ago, the Pizza Hut.
Watt said:
"I've been back to that Pizza Hut a couple of times, and every time I drive by, I get that feeling, 'I used to work here, delivering pizzas, mopping floors, and now I work in the NFL."
J.J. Watt's story is that of resilience, toughness, and overcoming the odds. His story will one day be told in Canton at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He has 115.5 career sacks and counting plus three Defensive Player of the Year awards, something only two other players in NFL history can say.
Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams and Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor are the others. J.J. Watt went from delivering pizzas to delivering one of the best careers of any defensive player in NFL history. Not bad at all, J.J., not bad at all.
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