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Vincent Villani March 24, 2015 CREATING THE GREATS

We put the spotlight on the man behind several great players’ trained skills.

The incredible leaves us in awe yet again last Sunday Founder and trainer of against the San Francisco 49ers. With 3 minutes and 13 seconds left in the D1 Sports, Will first half, Manning fires a near-out-of-bounds shot to for Bartholomew, is responsible for training another 7 points. This left the crowd and Denver sideline loud as several players, such ever, as the world recognized the achievement just reached by good ol’ as Peyton Manning Peyton. That pass was his 509th touchdown throw, not only a personal and . record for the great 18 but the record for all of the NFL, beating Brett

Sports Illustrated 1 Vincent Villani Sports Illustrated March 24, 2015

Favre’s previous record of 508.1 But how has the legendary #18 reached this point in his professional career? Well, one thing’s for certain, and it’s that he didn’t get here by just doing well in practices and running in the off- . To play like a pro, you need to train like a pro. Just like a few other great athletes in the NFL, Peyton trained with Will Bartholomew of D1 Sports, who is quickly making a renowned name for himself.

“We started the company 11 years ago to train athletes, and it just so happened that in the first year we had 16 guys training for the NFL draft,” says Will in an interview with Talkapolis. “Been blessed to work with guys like Tim Tebow and Peyton Manning, Phillip Rivers. A lot of the guys you’ve heard about in Fantasy Football. I get to train them so I get a little bit of the inside tips.”2 Will started D1 Sports to change people’s lives, with an original goal of training high school and college players who were hoping to achieve D1 school sports. He did not start the business to train professional athletes at first, but due to Tim Tebow training at the company’s aggressive and consistent training, D1 has had numerous big Will Bartholomew’s D1 names come aboard who have back to Will each year. Sports.

Before this segment in Will’s career, he was a “Been blessed to full back for the University of Tennessee in work with guys college. He was picked up by the as a free agent, but unfortunately like Tim Tebow obtained a knee injury that prohibited further and Peyton playing. “I didn’t have the career I wanted to Manning, Philip have, but I was blessed to play in the , go to the NFL Combine, sign with a Rivers…” team, and go through NFL camp.” These stats -WILL BARTHOLOMEW TO give confidence in Will’s clients that he is an TALKAPOLIS

1All game information provided by NFL. Rosenthal, G. (Oct 19 2014). Peyton Manning Breaks ’s TD Record. Retrieved from http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000413952/article/peyton-manning-breaks-brett-favres-td-record

2Taken directly from interview video. Week 8: Your Weekly Wrap-Up and D1 Owner Will Bartholomew (Oct 29 2012). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koaxcQLL1oE

Sports Illustrated 2 Vincent Villani Sports Illustrated March 24, 2015 experienced and knowledgable coach. “I can at least look at these guys and say, ‘Hey, I’ve been there’”.

Tim Tebow, now part-owner of D1 Sports in Tampa, Florida, trained at the D1 Sports Nashville center 4 months prior to the 2010 NFL Draft. , Chipper Jones, and also were announced as co-owners of the Tampa facility. Derrick Brooks is a former , Chipper Jones is a third baseman of the Atlanta Braves, and Jericho is a professional wrestler.3 The staff of D1 is becoming both reputable and impressive, showcasing the best of the best athletes.

What’s more impressive is that Will started D1 at 21 years old. Yeah, you read that correctly. He has progressed the original athletic training center up to 19 locations that provide both youth and adult training curriculums with coaching and sport therapy. Some of the locations are co- owned by other professional athletes, including Peyton Manning, , and Michael Oher - quite a reliable line-up.4 Three years after the initial launch of D1 when the company was beginning to expand, he got in touch with Manning. Peyton was his former teammate at the University of Tennessee. "Peyton is known for his training, and he wanted to be a part of something that inspires people to take care of their bodies," said Bartholomew. "It was a natural fit.”5 They opened a center in Knoxville together, where Manning co-owns all 3 D1 facilities (Nashville and Chattanooga). All together, the 3 D1 facilities train more than 1000 athletes, where about 200 of them have went on to receive Division One scholarships.

Bartholomew has designed a specific training regime at D1 Sports. Their scholastic training programs create a high-energy, motivating environment. They include a Dynamic Warm-Up, Speed/ Agility and Conditioning, Strength Training, and Core/Flexibility. These workouts almost every part of the body and prepare it for any athletic circumstance. I haven’t tried it, but I’ve seen videos, and it looks remarkable.

3 McLuskey, D. (Jan 18 2012). Tim Tebow to Take Ownership Stake in D1 Sports Center in Tampa. Retrieved from http:// www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-01-18/tim-tebow-to-take-ownership-stake-in-d1-sports-training-center-in- tampa

4 Interview with Will Bartholomew. Executive Profile: Will Bartholomew, D1 Sports Holdings (Jul 12 2013). Retrieved from http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/print-edition/2013/07/12/executive-profile-will-bartholomew.html

5 Pro athletes: Mind your business. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2011/smallbusiness/1108/ gallery.athletes_business/4.html

Sports Illustrated 3 Vincent Villani Sports Illustrated March 24, 2015

Will Bartholomew was asked in an interview with BizJournals about what single thing that makes his organization stand out. He says, “Through partnerships with pro athletes and medical partners, we’ve combined sports training, therapy and medicine to help everyone from age 7 to 70 to achieve results and exceed their personal goals.” He goes on to exclaim that the company plans the “continual pursuit of providing an unbelievable service.”

Sounds promising. I’m sure we’ll see much more of Will Bartholomew and D1 from the great athletes of the future.

!

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