Shulby an inspirational UA All-American

John Shulby is an All-American. Don't mistake that fact.

Shulby isn't a high school student, and he won't play a down of football in the Under Armour All-American game, but that doesn't change his title. Like every player selected for the event, Shulby earned his way into the game. Not by hitting or running or juking or tackling. Instead, he did it by inspiring.

Born with Down syndrome, Shulby found a passion for football in 2010, years before his friend Colin Thompson was selected to the 2012 Under Armour game. Shulby made the trip to serve as a ball boy during practice for that game, and he hasn't wandered far from the game since. He acted as motivational leader and an honorary captain for the Pennsylvania-based Archbishop Wood football team until his high school graduation, after which he was promoted to the role of assistant by head coach Steve Devlin.

But Shulby is more than a figurehead. Far more.

"John is here with us all the time," Devlin said. "Meeting, practice, games. He's here all the time. He does a lot of things for me, but he's also that spiritual leader for the kids. The kids love him. He's a high-energy kid that is always, always upbeat. Every day, he's happy. That rubs off on the players."

Inspiration is worth something to the team he now helps coach. It's worth a lot. Every head coach wants leaders, and Archbishop Wood's comes with infectious enthusiasm and seemingly limitless energy. It's the reason for the thunderous applause that rang out and the tears in his father's eyes when Shulby was presented with his 2014 Under Armour All-American game jersey in a Wednesday ceremony after offensive lineman Ryan Bates, a Rivals250 prospect, was presented with his jersey for the game.

This honor was about the hours Shulby puts in working with Archbishop Wood's quarterbacks and the time he puts in with the kickers. This honor was about his upbeat disposition. This honor was about the inspiration he's provided. This honor was well deserved. So is the smile that so rarely leaves his face.

"It's great," Shulby said upon receiving his game jersey. "I didn't expect it, but it's great. I'm very proud to be an All-American.

Shulby will attend practices, and the game itself on January 2 at Tropicana Field. Like it is for the players and coaches selected, the event will serve as a reward for the work he's put into the sport over the years.

Football is one of the things that matters most to Shulby, and he'll undoubtedly approach this honor with that mind.

"He's a little bit more demanding now that he's an assistant coach," Devlin said. "He's bugging me about being offensive coordinator now. He's on me about that. He always wants to do more."

Click Here to view this Link.