BROOKSVILLE – Jason Licht looked out at the crowd in the Hernando High gym, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager spoke of what his team looks for in a player.
He spoke of attributes such as accountability, dependability and being a good teammate, about how integrity and character trumps ability. The man in charge of the personnel department that drafted Jameis Winston also noted that “a bad decision is not a life sentence.”
Licht even opened the floor to questions, and explained his rationale for the Bucs’ eyebrow-raising pick of Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo in the second round of last month’s NFL Draft.
It was all part of the second annual Night of Champions silent auction Saturday night, a fundraising event for the school’s athletic department that included an awards ceremony.
“With today’s budget, we’re trying to centralize our fundraising efforts. Try to do something different,” Hernando assistant football and head track and field coach Mike Einspahr said. “It gives us a chance to honor some senior athletes from all sports, not just sport-specific.
“It’s not very often my football guys get a handshake and get to sit down with Jason, a big guy like that. And then to raise good money, that’s what bought our (gym) scoreboards last year. We raised almost $9,000 last year, so we’re hoping for more this year. We’ll see what happens.”
So how did Licht end up appearing at the Leopards’ Den? He just happens to be close friends with Einspahr, his former college teammate at Nebraska Wesleyan University.
“He was one of those crazy, throwback defensive linemen, banging his head against a tree to get fired up, and I just immediately gravitated toward him,” Licht said of Einspahr. “Mike asked me about three months ago to see if I would do it. I said, ‘Of course, be happy to.’ It’s a little bit of our downtime now, so it worked out perfectly.
“I haven’t done a whole lot of these types of things, haven’t spoken to any high schools before. But I enjoy it. I came from a very small school, and the importance of athletics and sustaining the athletic culture I think is paramount in young minds. Not just to go on and become professional athletes or college athletes, but just in general. I think it plays a big part in how you’re wired and I think there’s a correlation of successful people that are around athletics in high school and how they turn out later in their adult life.”
Licht handled himself well during his speech. One of the key points he said he wanted to get across was how deep NFL clubs dig into the background of potential players, all the way back to the prep level, saying that the team goes as far as speaking to the school janitor. He also spoke about leadership, competitiveness and work ethic.
“The stuff he looks for in drafting guys is some of the same stuff we’re preaching. Integrity, just character-building stuff, and even though some kids make mistakes, there are second chances. But you look how they grow from some of that stuff,” Einspahr said. “I just think that anytime you can connect guys like this to your program, it helps out.”
Prior to Licht speaking, another NFL representative with hometown roots made a presentation to the school, Maulty Moore, who played with the Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals and Bucs from 1972-76.
The NFL launched the Super Bowl High School Honor Roll initiative in celebration of Super Bowl 50, in which schools receive a commemorative Wilson Golden Football for every graduate who was either a player or head coach on an active Super Bowl roster.
Moore graduated from Moton High in Brooksville in 1964, prior to integration in the county. Moton closed in 1969, and so Moore chose to give the Golden Football to Hernando, which inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2010.
He was a reserve defensive lineman and special teams contributor for the Dolphins back-to-back Super Bowl champions in the 1972-73 seasons. He was also with Miami as a practice squad player when it went to the Super Bowl in the 1971 campaign.
“Coach (Don) Shula is probably among the top five greatest coaches in the NFL. He was the type of guy, if he said it was raining he didn’t want you to look. You got to put in your mind that it’s raining,” Moore said of his time with the Dolphins.
Of course, Moore has the distinction of playing on the only undefeated team in NFL history, as the Dolphins went 17-0 in 1972. Moore blocked a field goal in the AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“It (the perfect season) was something that happened. It was a lot of hard work and we went to the Super Bowl in 1971, where we played the Dallas Cowboys. But we lost that,” Moore said. “So Shula, every game, ‘This is Game 1. We got to win this. Nobody talk about next. We got to win this. Game 2, we got to win this.’ That’s the way it went.
“Each game he would find something to hype you up. Whatever it was, he would find something to get you prepared for games. And then the majority of the guys bought into the fact that, if you believed in Coach Shula and what he was saying, because he always said, ‘Just do your job.’”
The 1972 Dolphins have gained extra notoriety over the years for celebrating the preservation of their unique place in football history, celebrating when the last unbeaten team falls each season.
“It’s an honor. We know it’s hard to do,” Moore said. “A lot of teams, like the (1985) Bears came close to it. Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers came close to it. But the whole thing is can you keep about 50 guys together for a whole season, focused on one goal? Not saying the ‘72 team is better athletes, but can you hold 50-something guys together for a whole season and keep them focused on winning? That’s what Shula kind of stressed. It’s hard to do.”
Moore, who still has family in Brooksville, has returned to Hernando in the past for speaking engagements.
“I always feel anything I can do in support of the school, the people, the students, I’m very happy to do it,” Moore said. “I understand what it means to let the young kids know if you focus on something and work hard at it and got the skills, you can do it.”
Baseball player and golfer Pierce Kimbrough was named Male Athlete of the Year, while tennis and volleyball player Grace Curren earned Female Athlete of the Year. Casey Ellis, who helms the girls golf and weightlifting teams, garnered Coach of the Year.
Follow Chris Bernhardt Jr. on Twitter @cpbernhardtjr.