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Questions and Answers with Colts Wide Receiver T.Y. Hilton.
Question: You're in the NFL now, the latest step in a lifelong dream. But when did it begin? When did you first start playing football?
Answer: "I started when I was maybe about 6 or 7. I started at a club my uncle used to coach at. He always wanted me to play. But it really started when I was 5 playing catch with my mom, dad and my uncles."
Q: What do you remember about your first team?
A: "My first team was at the boys and girls club. We went to the championship and we won it all my first year."
Q: To get to this level, it has to be about more than money, or fame – the things a lot of people associate with the NFL. What do you love about the game that has kept you playing?
A: "What keeps me playing football, I would say my kids and my grandma because that's who I do it for. I do it for my kids and my grandma. I just love the game. Football is what I was born and raised with. Now I'm just living my dream."
Q: What was your best sport growing up? It wasn't football for all NFL players . . .
A: "Some people say I played basketball better than football, so I wouldn't know.
Q: When did you move to your position? Were you always a wide receiver?
A: "I started off at running back then wide receiver then defensive back then back to receiver were I'm at now."
Q: Was it a good fit from the start?
A: "Oh yeah, I think it fits me phenomenally with my speed, my quickness, and what I can do after the catch."
Q: What's your best football memory?
A: "My favorite football memory would have to be my junior year at FIU. I scored four touchdowns in one game – homecoming against Louisiana-Monroe."
Q: When did you first think this was real? When did you first think, 'I have a chance to play in the NFL?'
A: "My first year out at FIU I was breaking all the rookie records. I was making the freshman of the year, freshman everything, freshman All-American. I was making a lot of things. Coach kept pushing me and said you have a real chance and just continue to be you because I'm a special kid. So, I just took that and ran with it."
Q: Do you have a pre-game ritual?
A: "I normally talk to my wife. I talk to my mom and then I just talk to God before the game. Just kind of get in my zone, listen to some music and then I just go from there."
Q: Who's the person most responsible for you being in the NFL?
A: "I would have to say my parents and my fiancée, who always helped me and pushed me through everything no matter what. They always talked to me and told me to just keep talking to God."
Q: Do you have a particular high school coach or teacher who means a great deal to you? If so, why?
A: "I would say my college coach. He helped me out a lot. He sat me down, talked to me, helped me understand the game of football more. He told me things that helped get me where I am."
Q: Did you have a favorite player growing up?
A: "Deion Sanders. I watched everything he did, the prime-time moves, the prime-time dance. He's a great guy to look up to."
Q: Favorite team?
A: "I don't really have a favorite team. I just liked Deion Sanders."
Q: What was your first car?
A: "My first car was a green Rodeo."
Q: Do you have a favorite quote that has inspired you in football or life? If so, what is it and why does it mean something to you?
A: "Losers try, winners do."
