Even a decade later, the moment remains poignant for James Ihedigbo.
Don Brown was in his second season as head coach at Massachusetts in 2005, and his team was flailing near the end of the season.
The Minutemen lost a game in the late moments and went into the locker room expecting the worst. But Brown went for motivation, not degradation.
"He told us a story about Johnny Averageman, and Averageman had an average life, had an average job, married Mary Mediocre and was content with his average life," said Detroit Lions safety James Ihedigbo, who played on that team.