Many people have been watching the CW show “All American” during their time in quarantine. The two season show contains a story with slight modifications of the life of former NFL player, Spencer Paysinger.
Although everybody has been focused on the show, many people fail to comprehend that the show is based on a true story; and the story is truly amazing. I don’t want to spoil anything if there are any people that haven’t watched yet, but it is a must watch.
Spencer Paysinger, as did Spencer James who was the show’s character built to resemble Paysinger, attended Beverly Hills High School in California as a wide receiver and linebacker. As captain of the team, Paysinger put impressive statistics on both sides of the ball.
After his high school career came to a close, he decided to take his talents to the University of Oregon.
Paysinger’s time at Oregon was successful, playing as a linebacker rather than continuing as a wide receiver. In 2008 he was placed at 2nd team All-Pac-10. In 2009 and 2010, he received the awards of All-Pac-10 Honorable Mentions.
Despite his success in his college years, Paysinger was not selected in the 2011 NFL Draft.
He signed with the Giants as an undrafted free agent and lucky for him, they won the Super Bowl his rookie year. He stayed with them for a total of four years with 119 tackles in 59 games.
For the next three years Paysinger would go from team to team as he played with the Dolphins for two years, and split his 2017 season with the Jets and Panthers. After being released by the Panthers mid-season, Paysinger decided to retire from football.
His story was inspiring enough for television to begin a show on his story. If you have not already watched this show, as a true football fan, I truly recommend it. If you don’t believe me, I think you can trust the 96% rating given by Rotten Tomatoes.
Photo: ESPN
