Jack Dunaway ’15 Inspires at Evening of Excellence

At the 2026 Brother Rice Evening of Excellence, students, families, faculty, and staff gathered to celebrate the achievements of our young men who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to excellence throughout the school year.

As part of the annual celebration, Brother Rice welcomed alumnus Jack Dunaway ’15 as the evening’s keynote speaker. A former Warrior student-athlete and Super Bowl champion with the Seattle Seahawks, Jack has built an impressive career in collegiate and professional football. Following successful roles with the University of Michigan football program, he now serves in player personnel and scouting for the Seahawks, helping evaluate and develop talent at the highest level of the game.

Drawing on his experiences from Brother Rice to the NFL, Jack shared a message centered on character, relationships, and personal responsibility. While acknowledging the importance of hard work, he challenged students to recognize that how they treat others often has the greatest impact on their future success.

Jack emphasized three principles that have guided his own journey: treating everyone with respect, taking responsibility for mistakes, and remaining consistent in both actions and values. He encouraged students to build strong relationships, lead with humility, and develop the character traits that will serve them well in college, careers, and life.

Referencing the Gospel of Matthew’s call to “do to others as you would have them do to you,” Jack reminded students that success is about more than accomplishments. It is also about integrity, accountability, and the way we impact those around us.

His remarks served as a fitting complement to an evening dedicated to celebrating academic achievement and the pursuit of excellence. As students were recognized for their hard work and dedication, Jack’s message reinforced an important truth: lasting success is built not only on talent and effort, but on character and the relationships we cultivate along the way.

Read Jack’s full Evening of Excellence remarks below.

Keynote Address by Jack Dunaway ’15

First, I want to congratulate all of the students being recognized this evening. You should be incredibly proud of what you have achieved over the past year. Parents, you should be proud of your sons as well.

Let’s give everyone another round of applause.

I also want to thank President Tom Reidy and Dan McGrath for giving me the opportunity to be here tonight. It is a tremendous honor to share a few thoughts with you.

As I reflect on what has now been an 11-year journey from my days at Brother Rice to working in the NFL and winning a Super Bowl, I can boil everything down to two things:

Hard work and treating people the right way.

Everyone in this room already understands the value of hard work. Otherwise, you would not be here tonight. So I want to focus on the second part, because I actually believe it is even more important.

Treating people the right way may sound simple or obvious, but it is the most important thing you will do in life. You can even look to the Gospel of Matthew, where Jesus says:

“In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you.”

Think about that for a moment. “In everything.” There is nothing left out.

It was true 2,000 years ago when Jesus said it, it is true today, and it will remain true in the future.

I did not get hired by the Seahawks because I was the smartest candidate, had the most impressive resumé, or possessed the most experience. I got hired because of relationships. People inside the organization vouched for my character and for what it was like to work with me both personally and professionally.

That does not diminish the importance of technical skills. Those things absolutely matter and are necessary for success. But what truly sets people apart are their behavioral skills and character.

All of you are at different stages of life. We have freshmen through seniors here tonight. One day, all of you will have internships, jobs, and careers. If I could leave you with three pieces of advice, they would be these:

1. Treat everyone with respect.

Be kind to everyone. Be the person people enjoy being around, the person they look forward to spending time with and working alongside.

Early in your career, do not be in a rush to prove how much you know. That will come with time. Instead, focus on being someone others want on their team. And when you earn promotions and leadership opportunities, treat the people below you the same way you treat the people above you.

Status should never determine how you treat another person.

2. Handle mistakes with integrity.

There will be times when you fall short. You will make mistakes. When that happens, do not point fingers or shift blame. Take responsibility. Be accountable.

Use those moments as opportunities to learn and grow.

3. Be consistent.

Do these things all the time. Make them habits. Make them part of your character and who you are. If you do that, I promise you will continue to achieve excellence in your personal, professional, and spiritual lives. Thank you.

Go Warriors, and God bless.