Alejandro Villanueva earns MBA from Carnegie Mellon

[RuthlessBurgher]

Alejandro Villanueva earns MBA from Carnegie Mellon
By Charean Williams | Jun 7, 2019, 6:35 PM EDT

Alejandro Villanueva thought he was in the Not For Long league. He was about to turn 27, had never played a regular-season game and had moved to the offensive line from defensive tackle.

So Villanueva, a former Army Ranger with three tours of duty in Afghanistan, enrolled in the Tepper School of Business’ part-time, on-campus MBA program in the fall of 2015.

“I never thought I was going to make it in the NFL. The odds in the NFL to make it aren’t very good,” Villanueva said, via Mark Kaboly of TheAthletic.com. “I felt that the reason why I was here was so I could afford to go to business school.”

He attended three hours of evening classes at Carnegie Mellon’s Pittsburgh campus twice a week. It took him four years to earn his degree, one more year than most students need, but Villanueva graduated last week with his Master’s.

In between, he earned the Steelers’ starting left tackle job, made over $15 million, went to two Pro Bowls and started a family.

“It was a little crazy, but it all becomes normalized,” Villanueva said. “One of the biggest things I learned at West Point was time management. They are always going to put more on your plate than what you can handle.”

Now that he doesn’t need a fallback plan, Villanueva has one. He now is considering going to technical school to learn how to build engines.

[Oviedo]

This is why I have zero sympathy for athletes who complain. AV had it tougher in college, AV had it tougher in the Army/Afghanistan and AV took on a life challenge while playing in the NFL. He succeeded at all the above and didn't complain or play the victim.

AV took charge of his life and committed to succeeding. One of my all time favorite Steelers not because of the football player he is, but because of the man he is who happens to play football.

[Disco1981]

This is why I have zero sympathy for athletes who complain. AV had it tougher in college, AV had it tougher in the Army/Afghanistan and AV took on a life challenge while playing in the NFL. He succeeded at all the above and didn't complain or play the victim.

AV took charge of his life and committed to succeeding. One of my all time favorite Steelers not because of the football player he is, but because of the man he is who happens to play football.

Amen...Hard NOT to cheer for a guy like that.....

[The Man of Steel]

AV seems to be the one Steeler player that fans of other teams hold in high regard which is a testament to the man himself.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

I'm so tired about these entitled, thug athletes who are always running around getting into trouble.

I didn't actually read the article but I just assumed...... ;)

[Disco1981]

AV seems to be the one Steeler player that fans of other teams hold in high regard which is a testament to the man himself.

Doubt the kneelers could give a ****.....

[Buzz]

Great man. Which is much more important than how good he might be at football.

[NorthCoast]

MBA from CMU... my alma mater.
It's a tough school.

Talk about doing it the hard way..when he could have gotten an online degree.

Huge respect for AV.

[SidSmythe]

MBA from CMU... my alma mater.
It's a tough school.

Talk about doing it the hard way..when he could have gotten an online degree.

Huge respect for AV.

Not sure I could ever do an online degree and feel like I got a quality education.
Prove me Wrong??

[RuthlessBurgher]

Gain 20 pounds by Week 1: Inside Al Villanueva's race to 335

1:13 AM ET

Jeremy Fowler
ESPN Staff Writer

LATROBE, Pa. -- When Alejandro Villanueva isn't in his blocking stance, he might be holding a tray full of food or standing on a weight scale.

The magic number is 335, and the Pittsburgh Steelers' Pro Bowl tackle is five pounds away. Getting there by Week 1 will leave him in a constant state of discomfort.

"It’s terrible," the 6-foot-9 Villanueva said about his weight-gain process. "I would say it’s harder than losing weight because you feel gross."

But here's the problem: He simply doesn't feel right if he's not at 335, and the stresses of the season suppress his eating. Villanueva estimates he's played at as low as 295 pounds in the past due to long hours of game prep and the all-consuming desire to perform better next week.

Hitting a high number in August helps offset the inevitable dip, and Villanueva has learned to manage the in-season process better, finishing last season somewhere in the 315-320 range. Regardless, he'll keep reaching for plates that might not actually aid production.

"I’m self-conscious about my weight, so I feel I need to be at 335," Villanueva said. "If I feel I’m too light, I feel I’ll get lifted off the ground. With a solid 335, I can take on bull-rushes. But in reality, everything I just told you is not scientifically proven whatsoever and might have absolutely no effect on the game. It’s just a matter of confidence."

Every morning, Villanueva pounds five to six waters -- former Eagles coach Chip Kelly taught him body cells need water to grow -- then eats massive breakfasts and lunches, weighing himself in between each session.

He doesn't count calories or even pick his food. He just downs what's in front of him, and the Steelers' cafeteria makes that easy, providing an assortment of grass-fed beef, fish, carb sources and vegetables.

"In the military, you go down the line and just take what they have. There’s no negotiation," said Villanueva, a former Army Ranger before turning his attention to the NFL. "If I’m stable at a weight and need to add more pounds, I will go back for more until I feel I’m stuffing myself."

That process gets crazy at times. Villanueva and guard David DeCastro once had an eat-off, testing who could consume the most baked ziti during a one-hour dinner setting. They weighed themselves after, DeCastro said, and Villanueva had gained nine pounds. DeCastro wasn't far behind.

Though DeCastro, a seven-year veteran, confidently maintains a 320-pound playing weight, he understands the big-man struggle.

"As an offensive lineman, you always have a little bit of a body dysmorphia like a bodybuilder would," DeCastro said. "You can look strong and big but you’re always trying to get to a certain point, and if you’re not at that you start questioning yourself. It’s just part of the routine."

What makes Villanueva a good player isn't weight, DeCastro says. It's smarts. He picks up football concepts quickly. And even Villanueva admits a 275-pound tackle with good technique can thrive in today's quickness-above-all game.

But that won't protect him from the "stressful cycle" of 17 NFL weeks as Villanueva predicts he'll drop a pound following each game.

The new maintenance goal: Don't drop below 320 pounds during the season. Sometimes that means eating so much that "I'll stay up all night and my stomach gets shut," knowing he won't be right until Maurkice Pouncey's Thursday night linemen parties offering ribs, steaks and potatoes.

If the late-week eating doesn't help, Villanueva's got a hairy backup plan.

"I shave my beard, and since food gets stuck in my beard, that (extra) usually gives me a boost around the December timeframe," he said.

https://www.espn.com/blog/pittsburgh-steelers/post/_/id/31098/gain-20-pounds-by-week-1-inside-al-villanuevas-race-to-335

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

Gain 20 pounds by Week 1: Inside Al Villanueva's race to 335

All I can picture is Homer Simpson gorging so that he could gain weight to go on disability and work from home. My son shows me the clip on his phone all the time where Dr. Nick is consulting how he can help "dangerously underweight individuals such as yourself".