During ESPN’s telecast of the 2008 Papajohns.com Bowl on Monday, the pizza chef-turned entrepreneur, Papa John Schattner, joined the announcers in the booth for an interview.
Papa John enlightened viewers on how he took his business from serving pizzas in a bar to opening over 3,000 restaurants worldwide.
During the early years of his business, he faced obstacles and hardships that could have hindered his long-term goals and disrupted his business plans. However, he was able to maintain his composure, perfect his recipe, and grow his business to what it is today.
The same could be said about the 2008 Rutgers Scarlet Knights, who lost five of their first six games before winning their final seven.
Preseason expectations were high for the Scarlet Knights, even after the loss of key players like Ray Rice (Ravens), who finished third in the nation in rushing yards in 2007, starting offensive lineman Jeremy Zuttah (Buccaneers), and starting defensive tackle and team motivator Eric Foster (Colts).
With fifth year senior quarterback Mike Teel and proven wide receivers Kenny Britt, Tiquan Underwood, and Timmy Brown all returning, the 2008 offense figured to be as potent as 2007, with a sharper focus on the passing game.
An experienced offense paired with an aggressive, hard-nosed Greg Schiano defense was expected to position Rutgers as a legitimate contender for a Big East title.
Well, if the Scarlet Knights’ first six games were like a pizza pie, the shape of the pie may still have been round, but the ingredients were expired, rotten, and moldy.
Who would want to eat that?
(That’s not to say Papa John’s pizza isn’t delicious, because I’ve had it and trust me, it is.)
Rather, if you encountered a problem with an order and received some bad customer feedback, would you close up shop? Maybe you would if you were a quitter or if you didn’t believe in the long-term business plan. Papa John and Rutgers alike were not quitters.
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