ATLANTA – ULM L-Club Hall of Famer and Warhawk football great Joe Profit spoke to the current members of the ULM football team Friday night in Atlanta, delivering a resounding message about football and life.
Profit, who now lives in the Atlanta area, spoke to the team for roughly an hour, and left the team with three A's to remember: Appearance, Approach, and Attitude, and how he has carried those three words with him through life as a collegiate student-athlete, a professional football player and as a businessman.
Profit was also presented with a framed jersey featuring his retired No. 40 by current ULM players Tre Hunter and Jarred Dunn. Hunter, Dunn and Profit are all graduates of Richwood High School in Monroe. He and his family will also be in attendance at tomorrow's ULM-Georgia State game inside the Georgia Dome.
“The fact that his number is retired, he was a first-round draft pick, and all the great things he learned in football, and then that he took all that to have a successful life past football with his education and the lessons he's learned – I wanted our young men to hear that,” ULM head coach Matt Viator stated. “We can't thank him enough for speaking and sharing his story to the players and the coaches. That means a lot.”
“I really do remember and appreciate that when no other college in the Southeast would take a chance on me, ULM did,” said Profit, who continually spoke about how much the University still means to him in his message to the players.
“Coach Viator is a winner. He is here to make a big difference in our university and the city of Monroe. If you come to ULM, whether you are a student-athlete, a member of band, whatever…you are doing something that is really special.”
Inducted into ULM's L-Club Hall of Fame in 1979, Profit is the all-time leading rusher in Gulf States Conference history, amassing 2,818 yards and leaving ULM as its all-time leading rusher. The only first-round NFL Draft pick in Warhawk program history, Profit was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 1971, and also played for the New Orleans Saints in the NFL and the World Football League's Birmigham Americans/Vulcans franchise, scoring the first touchdown in league history in 1975.
A first-team All-American at ULM, Profit rushed for over 100 yards 13 times during his collegiate career. Inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1999, he was the first player in program history to have his number retired, which came at the conclusion of his senior season.
Profit has been recognized as one of the most successful small businessmen in America for life following his football career. He currently serves as President and CEO of Multimedia Digital Broadcast Corporation (MDBC), is a published author, and has served on multiple committees and boards for former United States President Ronald Reagan and President George H. Bush.
