Being a leader might look easy for Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome, but he has spent a lifetime learning how to become one.
Speaking to a group of executives at the Y of Central Maryland’s annual meeting, Newsome talked about his upbringing in Leighton, Ala., through the 1960s and ’70s, his storied time at the University of Alabama under revered coach Paul “Bear” Bryant and his Hall of Fame NFL career.
Each set Newsome up for success to lead the Ravens’ personnel initiatives and become one of the most respected executives in the league.
“If you become a good teammate and work your butt off, that will carry you a long, long way,” said Newsome, who mentioned a portrait of Bryant featured prominently on his office wall. “On that picture, it says, ‘If you believe in yourself, have dedication and pride, and never quit, you will be a winner.
‘”The price of victory is high, but so are the rewards. Winners come in all shapes and colors, but they all have one basic quality: a deep burning desire to succeed.’”
Growing up in Alabama in the 1960s and ’70s when the Civil Rights Movement dominated the state and nation could have been an obstacle, but Newsome never let that hinder him.
“Never let color become an obstacle,” Newsome told the group inside the Towson Sheraton. “People can respect you for what you do even though they might have preconceived ideas of what they think you are.”
A baseball and basketball star at Colbert County High School, Newsome played just one year of prep football before stepping on campus in Tuscaloosa.
From there, Newsome started – and was a leader – at receiver and tight end all four years, eventually becoming one of the best, if not the best at his position in school history.
He said what he learned from Bryant about respecting the team and individual drive directly impacted his impressive rise.
“First, the team is the most important thing,” said Newsome. “[Bryant] never allowed anyone to put themselves above the team. The other thing coach Bryant taught us is that you have to be a self starter. If you want to become as good as you can be, then it has to come from the inside. There are great motivational speakers and great teachers, but in the end, it has to come from inside.
“Those are the things that carried me through the University of Alabama and into the NFL, playing with the best of the best.”
Newsome, who was a first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 1978, referenced two other critical characteristics of good leaders that aided his incredible 13-year run in the professional ranks – respect and accountability.
“It’s not what you say, it’s what you do,” said Newsome. “You hear Tom Brady talk very little. You hear Peyton Manning talk very little. But on Sundays, you get a chance to see what they can do.”
“If we were going into the game and I’ve got the No. 1 matchup, my teammates are counting on me, and I’ve got to deliver, to make the plays that have to be made,” Newsome said.
After hanging up his cleats in 1990, Newsome began at the bottom of coaching and scouting and eventually ascended to the top of the Ravens highly-regarded personnel department.
He was voted the league’s best personnel executive by The Sporting News in 2010, a testament to the way his philosophy on leadership is not just limited to the gridiron.
