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Former NFL player Clint Bruce, who decided to serve the U.S. by becoming a Navy SEAL after his football career, travels around the country sharing word of wisdom about leadership with athletes.
Bruce graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, where he earned Aloha Bowl MVP honors in 1996. He was inducted into the Navy/Marine Corps Stadium Hall of Fame in 2009.
Bruce went on to have stints in the league with the Baltimore Ravens and New Orleans Saints. He is currently a successful motivational speaker. In an exclusive sit-down with Fox News Digital, Bruce shared what motivates him to help today’s athletes in any way he can.
“I’m always going to go visit with athletes, because athletes … I think always have an extraordinary amount of pressure on them, always trying to prove someone right, prove somebody wrong,” Bruce told Fox News Digital.
“And I just remember what it was like to be an athlete. I remember how meaningful it was for me when I had an opportunity to learn from people who have been from where I said I wanted to go.”
Ohio State coach Ryan Day entered this past season under considerable pressure. The criticism of the coach ramped up after the Buckeyes once again failed to defeat their top rival, the Michigan Wolverines, in late November. Day ultimately sent a strong message to the doubters as he guided Ohio State to the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Bruce said he “could tell” how good the 2024 Buckeyes were going to be early on.
“That team … I think I can tell how good someone’s going to be based on who asked the questions and what the questions are. And one of the things I always say is, if your best and your youngest are curious, [then] you’re going to win, it’s just a question of when,” Bruce said.
“Curiosity is a catalyst. … So what was interesting about this team is who was curious and how curious they were. Their best players were asking the hardest questions, and they weren’t [just] football questions.”
Bruce said having the courage to ask questions was something he learned during his military service days.
“In the special operations community, when your senior enlisted [members] are curious [and they] start asking questions, everybody who is afraid to ask a question now has permission to ask it. On the battlefield, you don’t want to learn out there … you want to learn before we go out there.”
Bruce said he has been repeatedly asked by the players and coaches to return and speak to the team. Next week, he will deliver the keynote speech at the 2025 Ohio State coaches clinic, Day announced on Wednesday.
The clinic will also feature a wide receiver roundtable with Joey Galloway, Brian Hartline, Santonio Holmes and Carnell Tate. The event is scheduled for April 10-12.
During an appearance on the “The Triple Option” podcast last month, Day credited the Navy SEALs for providing the Buckeyes with some added motivation during their run to the national title.
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“He’s been really good for me in the process of understanding what it means to be a leader,” Day said in reference to the mutual respect he shares with Bruce.
“The soldiers are doing all the fighting. It’s your job as a head coach, leader and captain to look along the horizon and figure out what’s coming next. There are so many parallels between the military and coaching. He and I would share a lot of conversations.”
Day credited Bruce for delivering an “unbelievable talk” to the Buckeyes before their playoff semifinal game against the Texas Longhorns in January.
“We played down in Dallas, and just by chance, the fort he is stationed at was like five minutes from our hotel,” Day said. “He just came over and gave our team an unbelievable talk. He talked about how when the SEALs go to a hot spot in Afghanistan or different places, they set up shop, take a few days to get regulated with the area, then they create a storm, wreck and then leave. That was what we were doing. It was really cool. I’m just trying to find as many people who are in the top 1% of the top 1% as possible and put them in my life as possible.”
Last month, Day was rewarded with a contract extension that will tie him to the football program through the 2031 season. Day also became the second-highest-paid coach in college football, trailing only Georgia’s Kirby Smart.
Since leaving the Navy, Bruce remains active with his company, HoldFast. The organization focuses on leadership and showcases transitioning veterans as speakers and professional executive coaches.
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