In his senior year at Arizona State University, Omar Bolden was a promising young cornerback who showed tremendous potential as one of the top NFL prospects. But in April 2011, the year before he was set to hit the draft, he suffered a torn ACL in practice that sidelined him for the remainder of the year.
When he learned of his injury and the recovery process that he would have to endure, he could see his professional football career flashing before his eyes. Rather than letting his injury consume him though, he focused intensely on “Positive Living”, which he calls a lifestyle and a way to live. And because of his contagious positive attitude, Bolden went on to become one of the team’s leaders that year and was named team captain, even though he wasn’t able to get onto the field.
The next year, he was drafted in the fourth round by the Denver Broncos at number 101 overall, demonstrating the power and influence that Positive Living had on him and his teammates.
Now in his fourth year and playing the best football in his career for the NFL’s best defense, he owes it all to the injury that changed his approach to life. However, for Bolden, Positive Living isn’t merely just a lifestyle anymore.
Beginning just this season, Bolden has been honoring those in the Denver Broncos community who are making “a difference in the world through their attitude, their work and outreach to others” with his Positive Living Award.
The award is two tickets to a Broncos home game, and a meet and greet with Bolden as well as other members of the Broncos.
Bolden chooses recipients of the award by nominations made through his website, and doesn’t have a specific criteria for someone to win.
“It’s really just on however I feel. Like if I read something and I’m like, “Yeah, I like that” — whichever one I feel touches me the most. It could be a woman next week. It could be a little kid,” said Bolden in an interview with the Denver Post.
Whoever Bolden chooses for the award is someone who exemplifies the Positive Living lifestyle and acts as a role model for others who have faced extraordinary adversity in life.
Positive Living “isn’t a little prayer you say before eating a meal,” Bolden says. “It’s a way to live.”
