Shared Suffering: James Ross III and Football Brotherhood

James Ross III's football story is about life. Life and football are so interconnected it is hard to separate the two. Lessons learned in life applied to football, and lessons learned in football applied to life. His football story is still being written as Ross was recently announced as the new Outside Linebackers Coach for the Cincinnati Bearcats. A superstar coach on the rise, Ross is not here by accident. His story is about hard work, passion for the game, and a rainy day full of coincidences that changed his entire path.

James Ross III was a 4-star recruit out of Orchard Lake, MI. One of the top 15 linebackers in the country and one of the top three players in the state. Ross' offer list was filled with the powerhouses of the Midwest, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn State, and, of course, Michigan to name a few. For Ross, the pursuit of recruiting was never something he enjoyed. He wasn't a player who took visits just for the sake of taking visits. For him, the best part was when it was over.

"The memory for me was being over it, as far as committing," Ross said. "I really wanted to hone in and get that out of the way so I could focus on my high school time. There were a lot of guys that wanted to go to every possible school they can. I wasn't into that. I knew what I wanted."

Ross was more than just an elite football player. He played basketball and hockey year-round along with football. His time commitment to multiple sports, including baseball when he was younger, kept Ross busy.

With how busy he was throughout his younger years, Ross didn't really pay a lot of attention to college football. His eventual pledge to play at Michigan was not always a foregone conclusion.

"My dad was a huge Michigan fan, and I remember we would watch some of the Michigan games (such as) the Ohio State rivalry," Ross said. "I really had no true investment in those games. It was never really like, it's Michigan. I made my decision based on where I felt most comfortable."

Ross was deliberate in his commitment process and went in knowing exactly what he wanted from the program he chose. There was no persuasion from his father who allowed him to make his decision and no obvious enchantment with the Wolverines, but once Ross took Michigan seriously, he knew his decision was made.

"Once I got into Michigan football and the history of it and all of that, I knew there was no program I would ever choose over Michigan," he said. "When I committed that was the best memory that I had. Knowing I was going somewhere that had kind of been a part of my whole life. Close to home, everything."

His commitment to Michigan freed him up to get back to "the task at hand" as he put it. Ross accumulated 151 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery in his senior year. He led Saint Mary's Prep to a State Championship, something he cherishes to this day. Locally, Ross was named to the Detroit Free Press Dream Team and the Detroit News Blue Chip List. On a national level, Ross was named to the Rivals High All-American team in 2011 and named a US Army All-American. Ross' focus on his senior season was rewarded with success, and he would head to Ann Arbor a Detroit high school legend.

Ross arrived in Ann Arbor in 2012, part of Brady Hoke's first full recruiting class at Michigan. He entered a crowded linebacker room that included Jake Ryan, Kenny Demens, Desmond Morgan, Joe Bolden, and others. He was aware that he was now surrounded by guys who achieved a lot of the same things he did in high school. Nothing would be given to him, he was going to have to work for his goals. Lots of freshmen come to campus with the goal of seeing the field right away, but Ross was able to do it.

"For me, it was completely my mindset. I think that is honestly what separates me from the next guy. I don’t think I'm the fastest or strongest, but my mentality is just a little bit different. The way I look at it, I am going to control every possible thing I can control to be on the field. Being super fast, being super strong, I was blessed where I'm at, I can kind of develop that a little bit, but for the most part, I've got what I've got. What I'm not going to be judged off is my lack of knowledge of the game."

The same mentality that helped Ross succeed in high school, earn the scholarship offers, and eventually land him at Michigan was going to get him on the field as a freshman. Being on a big campus like Michigan is a different experience of course, with plenty of fun distractions that every college student enjoys. Ross drew a line in the sand early.

"That was the sacrifice that I made. I didn’t really have too much of a social life my freshman year in college. I was just looking at the opportunity of playing. What I wanted was, I wanted to play. So I didn’t do some of the same things all the freshmen did. I was at home making sure I knew my playbook. If a coach told me you're a third-string guy, you aren’t going to play. I wasn’t going to look at that and say, OK, I want to leave. I was going to look at that and say, OK, I'm going to prove you wrong. It’s a mentality of wanting to fight and overcome versus jumping to the next best thing."

By Michigan's third game of the season, Ross had earned his first start for the Wolverines, making three tackles against UMass. Ross would play in all 13 games in 2012 and would be named to ESPN and BTN's All-Big Freshman teams. Ross was a contributor and starter throughout his time in Ann Arbor. He would appear in 50 games in his time with the Wolverines and finished second in tackles in 2013.

When asked about his best memories, it was never a single play or a single game. Ross never talks about football that simply. Yes, the game is about X's and O's, the practices and the games, but he always talks about the journey. Specifically, the journey with his teammates.

"Bonding with the guys, the team element," he said. "Overcoming adversity with your boys. Every one of my groomsmen outside my brother was my teammate. We're close. Football for me was completely about respect. Earning somebody’s respect. When you earn somebody’s respect enough that you start to become close to them. There's no better feeling than that. All the struggles, the shared suffering as I call it. It’s the best feeling I could ever have."

Ross had battled injuries and overcame adversity heading into his senior season. Change was coming to Ann Arbor and Ross never considered chasing greener grass. The uncertainty of Michigan's coaching staff was exciting, and a spark was coming. That spark was Jim Harbaugh, and he would change Ross' life forever.

Jim Harbaugh was drawn to Ross' mentality and work ethic right away. Harbaugh brought Ross along for his first B1G media days, something that means a lot to Ross to this day. Harbaugh was the spark Michigan needed according to Ross.

"It was a unique experience. There was a craving for change, not getting rid of coach Hoke, it just wasn’t exciting anymore. It was a rough year. Once the Harbaugh rumors started, Jim Hackett made us involved in the process. He would update us, we would have conference calls with the team just to update. It was an exciting time for Michigan football. It was that burst of energy that we needed. That’s kind of what got us rolling that year."

The season for Ross was another of overcoming adversity but that was nothing new. The Wolverines had a successful 10-3 season capped off by a Citrus Bowl win over Florida. Although he only played under Harbaugh for that one season, they forged a relationship that would continue to pay dividends in the future. Ross' career at Michigan was over and he was headed to his next step.

For Ross that next step was the NFL. It had been his focus for as long as he could remember. Ross would get his shot in camp with the Chargers. He would make the first couple of cuts but an MCL injury would end his time abruptly in the league.

"What am I about to? This NFL thing didn’t work out so I'm kind of realizing now, what's next? I didn’t know."

Ross would go on to do mentorship programs and social work, before speaking with his mentor William Tandy. Tandy had just been hired as the head coach for Detroit Loyola and he wanted Ross to coach the defense while he figured things out.

"I completely lost myself in it. Most fun I've ever had. I felt so connected to the game. I felt like when I used to play, the only difference was I wasn’t sore after the game."

It was a lightbulb moment for Ross. He was now around the game he loved, the shared suffering, and was able to have an impact on the lives of young people in his community.

James Ross III was going to be a coach and a new path had begun.

Ross had arranged for Loyola to take part in a 7-on-7 tournament in Toledo. Buses were ready to take the team when word came a rainstorm would cancel the event. Ross was desperate to not let the day go to waste, they had ordered the buses, so he decided a trip to Ann Arbor was in order.

"I know there's a really nice bowling alley in Ann Arbor, Revel and Roll. It's ridiculous, super nice with flat screens all over the wall, I love it, I'm like alright let's do that."

On the way, Ross realizes there is a camp happening at Michigan, so he decides to make a phone call and is able to arrange a tour for his players. A row of coincidences was now lining up that would change Ross' life.

"Harbaugh is never there in the offseason, but he was there that day. I'm like I'll see if he'll talk to the guys. I end up talking to him and tell him my whole situation."

It was then that Harbaugh told Ross, “You're going to come back here next year and be a GA."

Ross didn't hesitate.

"I'm like, OK, let's do it. It just kind of happened like that. It wasn’t from me chasing it, it just kind of happened. I was so vested into those guys' lives and wanted to give them the best experience that thing just kind of blossomed out of nowhere."

What Ross won't acknowledge was he deserved this.

It was as simple as good things happening to good people. Ross caring about his players and wanting to give them everything he could was why they were in Ann Arbor that day. Jim Harbaugh recognizing that his mentality and work ethic would be valuable to his program insisted that Ross return.

It took a rainstorm and a chance encounter for Ross to be rewarded for his hard work and who he was.

Ross would spend the next few seasons working in the Michigan Football program. He worked alongside his former teammate, Roy Roundtree. Both would eventually land jobs coaching in West Michigan, Roundtree at Grand Valley State and Ross at Hope College, something Harbaugh made sure Ross knew he was proud of.

Moving into coaching Ross knew his life's passions had collided and he could effect social change by being a football coach. His own rise and achievement alone can impact others like him.

"There should be more people that look like me in higher roles," he said. "For my guys, it gives them some sense of hope. We can do these things, we can overcome. Where I'm from, minorities think all they can do is go play football. There are other avenues. The mental health piece is humongous. There are so many jobs in social work. It's not the stereotypical social work. You're not just stamping papers. You can make a difference.”

Football is life and life is football. Ross sees a lot of the adversity we face in society and believes what happens in a football locker room can be impressed on campus, on a community, and only good can come from that.

"If you look into any locker room across the country, if we can get that to be the standard of how we are as people, we would be in a great place. At the end of the day, they are all aiming for a goal, to win championships. That shared suffering, going through those things together, with our different experiences, opinions, political views, all those things are out the window. When you start to get closer to someone you start to understand why they might feel that way."

For Ross, it is that simple.

It is about getting closer to people, by communicating. Shared suffering, again, a mantra that can bring people together in unique ways.

"Diversity is getting a bunch of people together with different backgrounds, creating the normalcy of the communication. People being comfortable telling their stories, other people understand their stories. You don’t have to agree, but try to understand their experiences and what they face. It's about the dialogue, that conversation and understanding. That’s what it's all about being able to grow."

James Ross III now begins the next chapter in his football story as the outside linebackers coach for the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Ross left a mark at Hope College and Hope College left a mark on him and his family. Ross tends to do that. Whether it was at St. Mary's in Detroit, or at The University of Michigan and Ann Arbor. With his relationships with mentors, his relationships as a mentor, and being a big brother, Ross is making an impact. He is a football coach but he has recognized he is also a life coach.

In our last conversation, I thanked James for all the time he had given me and for having a dialogue where at times each of us may have been uncomfortable, but both left with a better understanding of each other and our life experiences.

I wanted to finish by simply asking what his goals were. While he obviously wouldn't rule out a return to his alma matter someday, he said he is always focused on the task at hand, not what could be.

The same thing he told me about his life as a high school athlete being pursued by college programs. His goal as a coach summed up our entire conversation, a reminder of the blurred separation of football and life for James Ross III.

"Being active and wanting to create change. My goal is to have the campus operate like our football locker room. If we do that, we’re in a good place."

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