'The Rock' surprises his former Lehigh Valley high school football team with video message, gear
After watching the message, the Patriots defeated number one ranked Allentown Central Catholic.
BETHLEHEM TWP., Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson may be a famous star, but he hasn't forgotten his Lehigh Valley roots.
The former student at Freedom High School in Bethlehem Township surprised the school's football team with a hype video and gift earlier this month.
It was all posted Thursday on The Rock's YouTube page.
Not only did he send an encouraging video, he also gifted the Patriots with a ton of brand-new performance gear from Under Armour's Project Rock line.
"I want to tell you how proud I am of you guys...I'm proud of the hard work you put in because that's what it all comes down to. Whether you win or lose, succeed or fail, it all comes down to the effort that you put in and the hard work you commit yourselves to," Johnson said.
The former WWE champion turned actor graduated from the school in 1990.
"As you put in the work, as you think about this season, as you lace up your cleats, put our tape on, put your pads on, put your helmet on, your mouthpiece in, and you're ready to go rock and roll, I want you to think about how you want to be remembered on the field, how you want to be remembered throughout the halls of Freedom High School," Johnson said.
He told the team of a quote he heard when he was a 15-year-old sophomore at Freedom.
"The quote is this - 'it's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice,'" Johnson said.
The team watched the hype video prior to their Oct. 1 game against number one ranked Allentown Central Catholic.
It must have worked. The Freedom Patriots won 42-7.
Johnson sent the team a follow-up video to congratulate them.
"You played like champions. You played like Patriots. I'm very proud of you," Johnson said.
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