Stepping up to lead: Sam Acho

With the departure of former defensive leaders Brian Orakpo, Roy Miller and Henry Melton, junior DE Sam Acho knew he would be counted on to step up as a leader on the defensive line entering the 2009 season.

After participating in the NCAA summer leadership conference and gaining valuable experience through an internship, Acho gained confidence and insight that has helped him develop his leadership role with the team.

“Both of those experiences really helped me understand what leadership really means,” Acho said. “All the stuff I learned there translates to the football field, as far as being in meetings, taking notes, trying to be the first one out on the field or trying to make sure I’m doing everything right. I’m not saying I do everything right all the time, but you always try to make that effort.”

Acho, a Dallas native, was selected to be Texas’ representative to attend the NCAA leadership conference in May and also participated in an internship with Target, learning different ways to manage and be a leader in the workplace.

“The leadership conference really taught me not to be afraid to be a leader,” Acho said. “In the past, there might have been times when I didn’t speak up because I thought someone might not listen, but that, combined with energy management, are two of the bigger points I took from it.”

At Target, Acho praised how much all of the workers got along and how much of a team they were, doing things such as calling those in charge “team leaders” instead of “managers.” Acho even had one of the improvement ideas he helped develop get taken to the top levels of the company.

“I was just an intern, but it shows that it doesn’t matter what position you’re in, you should be open to listen to others, because everyone has something to contribute,” Acho said.

Despite the valuable experience he gained over the summer, Acho might have learned the most from former lineman Orakpo, Miller and Melton, all of who were chosen in the 2009 NFL Draft.

“If you look at Rak [Orakpo], Roy and Henry, all they did was work hard, day in and day out,” Acho said. “Even if they didn’t feel like practicing, they would come out and give their best effort. It’s just seeing them practice that taught me that I need to be a hard worker if I want to be a leader on this team.”

An Academic All-District selection and first-team Academic All-Big 12 pick in 2008, Acho appeared in all 13 games last season, recording 16 tackles and three sacks to follow up a freshman season in which he appeared in 11 games. Entering this season, he will join a group of players up front looking to make an immediate impact with the loss of the veterans from last season’s team.

“Each year, you obviously have people who graduate, people that move on, people that go in the NFL, so different leaders step up each year, and that’s what the coaches have been emphasizing,” Acho said. “Lamarr [Houston] has done a great job of that, Ben Alexander, Sergio [Kindle], and I’m trying to do my part and take on that leadership role as well. We’re all trying to do our part to help out the team in any way we can.”

While Acho’s improved leadership has already shown up on the field, other players have taken notice off the field as well. Dominique Jones, one of the Longhorns’ young defensive ends had shoulder surgery earlier in the year, and Acho was on of the first there for support.

“Right after surgery, he called me and checked up on me and brought me something to eat and I really appreciated that,” Jones said. “His leadership is really great, and he’s a great guy overall.”

It is just that type of leadership that brings a team together to be as successful as it can be, and Acho is ready to do his part.

Source: MackBrown-TexasFootball.com