– Former NFL player Eric Metcalf is a five-time All American and has been deemed a Cleveland Brown Legend.

Metcalf chats with about his illustrious career and what it means to “live your dreams.”

Thank you for being here on Celebrating Black Excellence. Can you tell us a little bit about your background for those who may not know who you are?

I’m a former NFL player. I was born and raised in Seattle, Washington, and I wanted to be like my dad, Terry Metcalf, who was a NFL player as well. I didn’t finish high school in Seattle. I finished in Virginia. When my dad finished playing with the Redskins so I then went to high school in Virginia. After that, I went to the University of Texas from Virginia and where I competed in football and track.

As you mentioned, your father is All-Pro running back Terry Metcalf. What was it like for you growing up as his son and then for you to transition from playing as a kid and then transitioning to living your dream as an NFL player?

Well, you know, it was tough because there were so many people around the area in Seattle, especially, when I was younger who were wondering, was I going to be like my dad. So that that’s what made it tough, but at the same token, if you’re good, it’s not really that much of a burden. So I was pretty good as a young kid, and so I didn’t really worry about all the outside noise as whether “he’ll be like his dad or not.” I just went out there and played. Fortunately for me, I was blessed with God given ability and genetics that enabled me to move on and get to that highest level, but when you have a dad who’s in the NFL, I think most kids will want to be like their dad, whatever sport it is. A lot of times with fathers and sons, sons want to be like their father no matter what they do. So it just happened to be that my dad was a football player, and so that gave me the route to choose to be a football player. I wanted to be a football player because I wanted to be like my dad, who was very good at it, and so it turned out and worked out okay for me.

As we mentioned, you are a five-time all-American, can you explain exactly what is an All-American and the process of becoming one?

So my all-American status refers to track and field. As a football player, I was only second team all-American. It’s a matter of people around the country… in track and field, it’s easier because all you have to do is score in the top eight, and that makes you an all-American. Fortunately for me, as a long jumper, I was able to win the national championship in long jump a couple of times and also place three more times so that’s why I was all-American in track and field. As a second team all-American in football, it was just what I did throughout the course of the year and against opponents. So there were guys who had better statistics, than me, but in the Southwest conference at the time, I was one of the best players so that’s why I was awarded a second team All-American.

Now, you were drafted in 1989. You had an illustrious career with the Cleveland Browns and was named a Cleveland Browns legend in 2008. What was it like for you to go from being a young child playing football, pursuing your dreams, to actually playing in the NFL?

Yes, it’s a dream come true. I mean, it sounds cliche, but when you’re a kid and you’re playing football, whether it be at the park or in the street just catching the ball, you’re always thinking about being at the highest level. So for me, I always wanted to be in the NFL, and so that was my goal as a football player. When I started a Little League, I was still thinking NFL. I wasn’t thinking, “Oh, I want to get to high school and play football.” I was thinking, “I want to get to the NFL.” Just going from little league to high school is part of the process. So you just keep getting bigger and better and trying to get better each day. So that was my goal. I just wanted that when I stepped on the field at every level, every practice, and every game, my goal was to be the best player on the field. That’s what I strive to be, and it might not always happen, but that was my goal. So that’s what I was working towards, and I felt like if I worked to be the best, then I’m going to have a chance to one day achieve my dream, which is to be in the NFL. So on that day when I got drafted 13th pick in the first round, that’s like a dream come true because everybody talks about wanting to get to the NFL, but at that moment, I knew that I had actually arrived and had that opportunity. Now once I got drafted and everything, it wasn’t about just being there. It was about going out there each and every Sunday and trying to still be one of the best players on the field. So when I’m finished with this game, people feel like I left a mark in it.

Do you have a highlight moment throughout your whole career like a stand-out moment?

Well, you’re making this hard on me, because like I said earlier, when you’re a kid, you think about playing an NFL. So you dream about if you’re playing basketball, taking a last second shot and winning a game. You think about hitting a walk-off home run to win the World Series. You think about scoring a touchdown to win the Super Bowl. So my moment was when I was with the Browns, I got the opportunity to score a touchdown with 2 seconds left on the clock to win a game because that’s one of the things as a kid you always dream about. So that was my moment. However, I returned to punt returns against the Pittsburgh Steelers one Sunday evening, and that moment has become Cleveland Browns fans’ favorite moments. So the more I hear about it and people talk to me about the actual game and what happened with those two punt returns, that has slowly crept in in the front

What words of encouragement can you give someone who wants to become a professional football player like yourself?

Well, I would start with how I started with my father and me. So my dad told me when he was younger, he was always told that he would never make it because he was too small.

As I was coming up, I was a shorter guy, and my dad said, “Never let anyone tell you that you’re too small to play this game because if you have the ability, you can go out there and make it.” So I say that to say, it doesn’t have to be about size. Never let anyone tell you that you’re not able to accomplish something if that’s what you’re willing to do. You have to go out there and work to be the best at whatever it is if that’s what you want to do. So you can’t let everybody else limit you to being your best person. So I think it’s good to be a good person both on and off the field, or in or out of the office, whatever it is. Just be a good person, and that translates into your life and makes everything okay.

Is there anything next that you’re working on that we should be on the lookout for?

Well, I do TV in Cleveland doing pre-game and post-game shows in Cleveland, and I also do consulting with Nike track and field. So those are things that I do throughout the course of the year. I just try to stay busy. I just try to stay involved. I’m still within the sport of football as well as track, and I like being connected with that.

If people want to know more about you, or if they want to continue to follow your journey, how could they do so?

You can reach me @EricMetcalf21 on X and on IG @em21daful and for any business inquiries, you can reach me at @lgrouppr on IG and X.