Gian Paul Gonzalez

Gian Paul Gonzalez is widely recognized for inspiring the New York Giants to their 2012 Super Bowl victory with the phrase “All In.”

Gonzalez, a high school teacher in Union City, N.J., was asked to lead a chapel service for members of the New York Giants team the night before the team’s Christmas Eve 2011 game against the New York Jets. To illustrate the concept of commitment, Gonzalez handed each football player a poker chip. Instructing the players to write their number on one side of the chip and write what they wanted to be committed to on the other side. He then shared with the team the meaning behind the poker phrase “All In." Gonzalez inspired them to be committed and put all their “chips” on the table. He went on to urge players to fully commit to anything they take on, whether as a father, husband, son or even, a football player. The team went on to win every game, up to and including Super Bowl XLVI, where they beat the New England Patriots 21-17.

Gonzalez was a former NCAA First Team All-American forward from Montclair State University scoring nearly 1,400 points in his 3-year career. He played in the NBA Summer League in 2007 and was offered a few professional basketball contracts, yet he turned them down in order to continue his work with at-risk youth. He is a gifted motivational speaker and is the founder of Hope + Future, an organization dedicated to using athletics & physical fitness to share a message of hope and striving for excellence in inner-city public schools and juvenile jails. Hope + Future provides opportunities for youth to proactively become empowered members of their community through extracurricular activities, events, and programming that promote health and wellness education.

Gonzalez emphasizes themes such as achievement, Hispanic perspectives, overcoming adversity, and teamwork in his speaking engagements, and his achievements have earned him features on ESPN, Fox News, and CNN. His dedication to fostering a positive impact is encapsulated in his mantra: “ALL IN’ is not a slogan, it’s a LIFEstyle." He continues to be a beacon of motivation and change, particularly for youth facing adversity.