Basic Info:
- Full name: Michael Frogg
- Current role/title: Special Agent in Charge
- Department: Police
- Work location: Atlanta, GA
- Years with NS: 15 years
What sport did you play? (Include position/event specialty)
Football
Center and Guard on the Offensive Line
Where did you play (college/university), and during what years?
University of Tennessee (Knoxville, TN)
2003 to 2007
How did you first get into your sport — and what kept you in it?
I started playing football at 4 years old, as I was always bigger than most of my peers. I played on teams of older kids that were my size. I loved playing a sport that didn’t care where you were from, how much money you had, or who you knew. Within the game, it was all about how much work you put in prior to the game, and it was you against your peer, with the outcome based on your ability to exert your will on your opponent.
Which skills from athletics show up most in your job today (discipline, teamwork, communication, preparation, resilience, etc.)?
The top three are most prevalent in success for my team, and I are communication, resiliency, and teamwork. Working for NS responsible for police operations protecting our employees and securing our freight requires our best every time. Meeting this expectation begins with communicating across diverse backgrounds in various locations with ever changing dynamics in the multitude of communities we operate through. The second portion of this is the resiliency to make sure we are handling adversity and not only meeting that challenge but continuing to learn from it to be better next time it presents itself. The third without a doubt is Teamwork. No one person, no matter how great, could win a football game at any level, and in order to be successful on the railroad, we have to embrace the need to form teamwork well beyond our local team, department, and throughout the division.
How does your sports background influence how you collaborate across teams?
My background from playing football in Tennessee greatly improved my ability to communicate and garner influence in the team made up of people from across the country. I have used this experience to direct my team to accomplish our mission in various challenging environments. Successful teams are made up of a bunch of leaders that aren’t focused on who gets the credit but want to do what it takes to accomplish the mission it has been tasked with. The team first mentality is the full integration of collaboration.
What’s a piece of feedback you received as an athlete that still guides you?
I have two quotes that I hear repeatedly in my head from the coach’s past. The first one is, “winners never quit, and quitters never win”. This is simple; life will undoubtedly knock you down, but you only lose if you quit trying. The second quote is, “you are either getting better or getting worse, you are never staying the same”. I apply this quote at work, acknowledging that if I don’t attack the day to become a better railroad police officer, I missed an opportunity therefore I got worse. In that same aspect at home, I acknowledge that my relationships with my wife and kids are dependent upon me, striving each day to be a better husband and father because if not I get worse. As each day passes the world and people around you grow, we must choose to grow positively to meet the challenges of tomorrow.
