Here’s another feel-good story. It’s hard for a middle-class white person to grasp how difficult some of these kids had it growing up. I love it when the college works with them and suceeds.
You may remember Robert Smith- he was a superb running back for the Minnesota Vikings and for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and now does TV sports commentary.
Smith was one of those rare guys that parents dream of having. He was BOTH an all-state running back AND a contender for valedictorian. When he was a high school senior, he still had some (realistic) dreams of going to medical school. He was, of course, heavily recruited by ALL the major college football powerhouses. He wanted to play for Ohio State, but told coach John Cooper that he was planning to take a heavy load of math and science courses, and ASKED Cooper, “Tell me the truth- can I take that kind of course load and still play for your team?” Cooper said, “Absolutely! You’re just the kind of student-athlete we want here.”
Once Smith committed to Ohio State, of course, he found that the coaching staff HATED kids who spent too much time studying! He claims that Buckeye coaches told him point blank, “You’re here to play football” and “You take school too seriously.”
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1140635/2/index.htm