By Connor Rowland | Contributor
David Neville, already a highly decorated member of Taylor's staff, continues adding accomplishments to his resume. Not every small NAIA school can boast a gold and bronze Olympic recipient head coach. Even fewer can claim that their head track and field coach starred on a FOX original TV show entitled "American Grit."
Social media served a pivotal role in recruiting Taylor's own American hero. A FOX employee direct-messaged Neville on Twitter asking him to be a part of the show in October. Through various interviews and evaluations, Neville was eventually selected to be one of the contestants. FOX saw Neville as a fit for the show due to his involvement in the Olympic games along with his Christian faith and morals.
Filmed in December, the 10-episode competition series starring WWE superstar John Cena features 16 hand-picked contestants that represent every aspect of the fitness world. Bodybuilders, yoga instructors, Olympic athletes and former NFL football players competed for the one million dollar prize money. The individuals are assigned into four groups of four as they take on military-grade, survival-themed challenges.
"All of them have amazing backgrounds," Neville said. "Whose willpower is stronger to hold on and to outlast someone else? That is what it is really about. You go through those challenges, you push yourself through things you've never experienced before."
In order to be crowned the winner of the million dollars of prize money, the entire team must be dedicated to the military ethos, "No man left behind." In an interview conducted by FOX, Cena weighed in on his TV series.
"The U.S. Military is the epitome of resolve and dedication, which is why I am so excited to be a part of 'American Grit,'" Cena said. "This show will not only be a challenging and fierce competition, but it will give viewers a glimpse into the perseverance and training of the men and women of the Armed Forces."
A "Cadre" or mentor leads their group of contenders. The four Cadres include Rorke Denver, Noah Galloway, Tawanda Hanible and Nick Irving, each with extensive backgrounds in the top branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Throughout the show, the real-life heroes extend their first-hand experience to help each individual competitor achieve the level of American Grit while the athletes battle seemingly impossible mental and physical challenges.
"You have to outlast whoever else is up there with you," Neville said. "Who can stand the longest? Who can deal with the most pain? Who can push their body to go further than anybody else? What kind of things are you going to put your body through to make it back to the show. I think it was awesome to experience that, go through that and still be living!"
"American Grit" is produced by Leftfield Pictures, most commonly known for their breakout TV series "Pawn Stars." Despite their success within the world of pawning, Leftfield Pictures delved into a completely different realm of television entertainment with "American Grit."
The gut-wrenching, action-packed series pushes gold medalists and fitness junkies to the limit. Using the ideas of teamwork and individual performance, American Grit pushes professional athletes into rigorous, sometimes hospitalizing activities.
"For me, dealing with military-type training involves a lot of running long distances. I don't do that. I was a sprinter. So that was a whole different aspect for me," Neville said. "But being a professional athlete, I have a certain willpower and mentality that I approach challenges with. I think that having that background helped carry me through challenges that I faced throughout the show."
Neville is making his second public appearance on the world stage, the first being the Olympics. Neville considers all of his opportunities to perform on the global platform as a foothold in order to share the love of his savior. He focused throughout the show on winning the cash prize, but the two-time medalist saw another 15 prizes-the hearts of the other contestants.
"I'm sure at every point (of the show) I got a chance to talk to everyone individually about my faith," Neville said. "It was very important for me to make sure I was using my gifts to share the love of Christ wherever I'm at."
Statistically, there is a 1/4 chance that Neville will bring the grand prize of a million dollars back home to Upland. However, senior track and field athlete Brandan Wilchcombe boldly predicted that his coach's team would be the last one standing.
"Having a coach who won Olympic medals is incredible, but what's better is that he pushes every one of us to work harder because he knows our potential," Wilchcombe said. "I'm calling it from now, his team won! Hashtag focused!"
"American Grit" will premier on FOX on April 14 at 9 p.m.
