The Miss-Lou was filled with lots of fatherly pride on Sunday afternoon. Hundreds of residents sat glued to their television sets and former Alcorn State University standout, Steve &uot;Air II&uot; McNair, danced into the Super Bowl along with the rest of the Tennessee Titans.

McNair led the Titans to the American Football Conference Championship against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Now this Sunday Tennessee will face the St. Louis Cardinals in the Super Bowl.

For many of us watching on Sunday, it seemed like only yesterday that McNair was juking and weaving through defenders at Jack Spinx Stadium in Lorman. In fact it was in 1994 when the senior Alcorn quarterback rushed up the middle and became the total offensive leader in Division I-AA.

At the time, many folks around the country said McNair deserved the Heisman Trophy. And although he didn’t win the coveted prize, he did finished third.

After he was drafted by the Houston Oilers, who later became the Tennessee Titans, several football experts doubted McNair’s ability. One said he was an undisciplined player.

Despite his critics, McNair didn’t get discouraged. He simply practiced each day and slowly became more skilled and polished. And eventually his work paid off — he became the team’s starting quarterback.

At that point, he achieved something that thousands of young men can only dream about each year.

But aside from all of his glory on the field, perhaps the most valuable lesson to be gleaned from McNair’s success is that hard work will get you to your goals, whether your talents lie on the football field or somewhere else in life. What matters is that you believe in yourself and work hard to better yourself.

Good luck Steve.