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University of Minnesota Athletics
Leidner's Drive Is Unparalleled
11/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
Mitch Leidner is not the type of person who needs someone yelling in his ear to make him run harder in a sprint drill or get one more rep in the weight room. The Golden Gophers' quarterback has always been self-motivated
Even at a young age, Leidner had an intense drive to work out. He started assembling a home weight room when he was in about fourth or fifth grade. He could barely lift anything at first, but started getting more into it around sixth grade.
"I was always really skinny, and I just wanted to get bigger," Leidner said. "I would eat some crazy things to try and put weight on, and I never would be able to."
Leidner found an old bench press somewhere, and attached stretchy bands to the ceiling. In the summer, he would bring the weights outside and throw them around in the yard of his family's Lakeville, Minn., home.
Younger brother and current teammate Matt remembers watching his older brother do triceps pushdowns with the ceiling bands. Mitch would beg his dad and brothers to lift with him. Eventually Matt started to take him seriously.
"I remember when we were in high school, Mitch would wake me up at 6 a.m. and we'd be running every morning of the week trying to get better," Matt said. "The kid's work ethic is unbelievable. It's been great to have him along the road with me."
Young Mitch Leidner hated to lose in anything, whether it was an organized sport or a game of bean bag toss. Matt remembers playing 2-on-1 basketball in the driveway, the two younger brothers against Mitch.
"We'd just pass around him and score and he would just be freaking out because he couldn't beat us," Matt said. "Mitch loves to win. He's got such a competitive drive, and he'll do anything it takes to win."
The same was true in the weight room. Once when he was lifting with his dad, Leidner was upset when he couldn't move the same amount of weight.
"I probably punched the weight set and stormed up the stairs and was done working out for the day," Leidner said. "That's just how competitive I was. It was nuts."
Leidner's motivation appeared not only in competition and strength training, but in other aspects of his life. In about sixth grade he started mixing concrete and hauling concrete for his dad's side business, working as much as he could to save up for the car he hoped to buy when he earned his driver's license.
When Leidner started to see college football as a real possibility, he took charge of his recruiting process-not his parents or high school coach. Leidner got help from a coach in compiling his Lakeville South video highlights, but he then took the time to burn them onto DVDs, buy mailing supplies and send them out to schools. He persevered despite meager response, and set up visits when he did receive interest from coaches.
Leidner landed at his home state's flagship university, where he is now in his fourth year starting games. The inner drive he displayed as a scrawny kid in a makeshift weight room remains evident in the 6-foor-4 22-year-old working out in Division I facilities.
"As Mitch progressed into a leadership role over the years, you see guys working harder because of him," Matt said. "Mitch puts in a lot of time and makes the guys do it, too. It definitely rubs off. The guys start watching more film, staying longer after practice, things like that."
Leidner has been going through Big Ten-caliber practices, film sessions and early morning strength and conditioning for five years. Yet, even at the most scrutinized position in sports, he still has the same drive to improve and succeed.
"I feel like I've seen a lot of people lose motivation in college," Leidner said. "Even in high school, and that doesn't even touch what you have to do here. For me to somehow, constantly stay motivated every single day and to want to do the maximum amount of work that I can possibly do, I guess I'm pretty fortunate to have that kind of mindset. If I didn't, it would just be a complete burnout."
The work Leidner has done has produced results like the Gophers' program record for quarterback rushing touchdowns, and Minnesota's first appearance in a New Year's Day bowl game in decades.
Leidner has taken his share of big hits and dealt with injuries each year of his career. He has enjoyed victory and received criticism from others, and no one more than himself, in defeat. In the days of his homemade weight room, Leidner dreamed of playing big-time football, especially in his home state. He will miss playing at TCF Bank Stadium, and coming back after a bowl game to get back to work. Despite the bruises, he would not trade an hour.
"It definitely has all been worth it."
