EAST WHEELING native and Dallas Cowboys cornerback C.J. Goodwin talks to 5th-6th graders at Leona Middle School in Shadyside on Friday afternoon. The former Linsly basketball standout told the students that if you believe in yourself and have confidence in yourself, you can go a long way in life. He is a prime example.

SHADYSIDE — If you believe in yourself you can go a long way in whatever path you choose in life. East Wheeling native C.J. Goodwin is a prime example.

The Dallas Cowboys cornerback stressed that to students at Leona Middle School on Friday.

“You have to believe in yourself more than anyone else believes in you. That’s my story and it’s been a true blessing,” the 31-year-old said. “Believing in yourself is important.”

Goodwin was a basketball standout at Linsly, eventually playing two seasons at Bethany College before transferring to Fairmont State. Upon the urging of several influential people in his life, including his late father Perry Galloway, he joined the football team.

As they say, the rest is history.

He followed head coach Mike Lopez, who was fired at Fairmont State, to California, Pa., where Lopez had accepted an assistant’s position.

After finishing his collegiate career, the 6-3, 198-pounder entered the 2014 NFL Draft. Although he went undrafted and received little attention from pro scouts, former Pittsburgh Steeler Hall of Fame defensive back Mel Blount urged the Steelers to give Goodwin a look. Goodwin played at Linsly with Blount’s son and had worked for Blount for seven years.

That’s all it took.

“Life can throw you lemons, but you can turn them into lemonade to be successful. That’s been the story of my life, honestly,” Goodwin added. “You have to take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to you. You need to surround yourself with good people that will influence you. There are people that will tell you ‘no’ and there are people out there that are willing to help you achieve your goals.”

On June 4, 2014, Goodwin signed a 3-year, $1.53 million dollar contract as a wide receiver with the Steelers. He was released in August before being added to Pittsburgh’s practice squad five days later. He was waived on Aug. 31, 2015 and was signed by the Atlanta Falcons to their practice squad four days later. He signed a futures/reserve contract in early 2016 and converted to a defensive back during training camp.

“It was a blessing. Just when you get thrown a curve in your career, it turns out to be a blessing to keep you in the league,” he added of the conversion from offense to defense. “Longevity is a key and I’ve been fortunate to hang around for a while now. I’ve had a lot of people help me along the way, especially some people from the Ohio Valley.”

He played in 14 games for the Falcons in 2016 when they reached Super Bowl LI against the New England Patriots. He recorded two tackles in extended action as the Falcons let a huge halftime lead slip away before falling 34-28 in overtime.

“I played a lot. You guys love to remind me of that game,” he said with a laugh. “Just to say you played in the NFL and that you played in the Super Bowl — win, lose or draw — it doesn’t matter. It’s a huge accomplishment,” he continued. “Of course you want to win the game, but just to be able to say I’ve been there … I’ve seen it.”

After being placed on waivers by Atlanta at the end of 2017, Goodwin has been a member of the Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals before latching on with Dallas on Oct. 8, 2018.

Goodwin led the Cowboys with 10 special team tackles in 2019, but was released during final roster cuts on Sept. 5, 2020. He was re-signed two days later and recently received a 2-year, $3.5 million contract, with $2 million of that guaranteed money.

He can’t wait to start earning that money.

“We’ve got our leader back. We’ve got our leader happy,” he stressed about having Prescott under contract. “They’re going to put the right pieces around him, and around us. They gave me a couple of dollars, so they are serious about their football team.

“We’ll see what happens, but as long as everyone is healthy, I don’t see why we can’t make a run.”