Former Bulldog defensive tackle John Hilliard is making a name for himself with the Seattle Seahawks both on and off the field. In just his second year with the organization, Hilliard is working to give back to the children and people of Seattle. For him, it is a very rewarding process and one that he is happy to do in his free time. Hilliard talked about his work and said, “We volunteer to go out to different schools and talk to kids about different subjects. More or less it is about drugs, health, or just staying in school and getting good grades.”
Not many children get a chance to meet a professional athlete, so Hilliard knows he has a big impact on the kids that he talks to, and that is what he enjoys. He said, “It feels wonderful to go out and give back to the community. Being athletes we don’t have a lot of time to go out a lot, but the time we do have we consider being our precious time. It is just something that a lot of us feel that we want to do. It’s not everyday that a kid gets to meet a professional athlete.”
His work is not going unappreciated. Hilliard said he often gets thank you notes or calls from people close to the children, as well as the children themselves. He said, “A lot of times we get little thank you cards from the school and letters from the kids thanking us for coming to talk to them. A lot of the parents send thank you cards and call in as well thanking us for coming.”
Of course Hilliard’s career is not just about community service. He is also working hard to gain playing time. In just his second season, he won a starting spot after an injury to a teammate and is enjoying his time with the team. He feels it is getting better with each season.
About his time with the team he said, “It’s been going pretty good, I think I improve each year. My confidence level with me playing that level has gone up. Learning the things I am learning and just getting used to being there will help me in the long run to be a great player.”
Hilliard felt last season was a great time for him, and he talked about one of the main reasons. He said, “I got a chance to play a lot more, started about eight or nine games. It was a real good time for me. I got a lot of flak from the guys about being a starter and everything and stepping up but that comes with the territory. Other than that last year was one of the most wonderful times for me.”
As far as the team goes, the Seahawks made a late year surge and fell just short of the playoffs. Hilliard feels that the team is heading in the right direction, and is confident of their chances next year. He said, “We have a lot of great players on our team and a lot of young talent. Like a lot of teams it will just be up to us to determine whether we are going to make a run for it like we did last season and be there. It is possible that we can make a run to the Super Bowl. We have a lot of great lineman and a good quarterback. I feel like I can contribute a lot of playing time wherever the coaches need me. Once you give me the confidence to know I can get playing time then I will go out there and perform.”
With his work ethic, Hilliard will definitely help to make the rest of the team better. He is positive about the outlook for next season, and hopefully he will get a chance to be a part of it. He feels his studies at State helped to prepare him for what he would face in the NFL. He said, “Being a communication major here, it helped me a lot with talking and making speeches. It has prepared me a lot. It taught me how to deal with the media and other people.”
The last thing Hilliard wanted to add was a message to his teammates back at MSU and also to everyone else at the school. His message was, “When you get out in the real world you find out that everything is professional. You have to carry yourself in a professional manner and learn to deal with people in a professional manner. I would say to start out early. Try to dress and act professionally now, and it will pay off for you in the long run.”
That advice is from a man who knows what it is like to have a lot of pressure put on him. Hilliard is an excellent example of what hard work can get you, and also how your success can benefit other people. He is definitely one of the good guys of the league, and hopefully his success will carry on in the future.