MOTHER’S TEARS PROVIDE MOTIVATION, NFL PROVIDES OPPORTUNITY Shaun Smith haun Smith stood As a freshman, he Why create in the counsel- helped Butler win a na- a foundation Sor’s office at tional championship, and “I wanted to give back to the Millwood (NY) High he was the No.2 JUCO community. I got tired of helping School dismayed by defensive tackle in the everybody else’s organizations. The the tears rapidly rolling nation as a sophomore teams I played on, we were always down his mother’s after getting 128 tack- making the organization look good, but cheeks. les and 20 sacks, and they didn’t do a lot with the players’ He was embar- he committed to South foundations, so I decided to start my rassed. And disappoint- Carolina. own organization.” ed. And mad at himself That’s where Smith because he had let first started think- How do you get down the person who ing about creating a kids to read loved him most in the foundation devoted to “The first thing is this: find world. fighting literacy. As a something they like. Maybe it’s fiction It’s a moment student-athlete at South or a mystery, but you have to find something that interests them. Smith, then a high Carolina, he’d go to “Once you find something that school freshman, has schools and read to they like, start out by giving them small never forgotten. It’s a youngsters. books on the subject. You don’t give moment that motivated He always found it them a 500-word book at the beginning him to change his life. rewarding. because they might get discouraged And by changing his It reminded Smith of because they can’t handle it. life, Smith has changed the days when his mom “But they start building their con- hundreds of lives encouraged him to read fidence up with the small book, then through the Shaun by finding him books she they start reading books with longer Smith 91 Ways Foun- thought he might like. chapters. And the next thing you know dation, which focuses Nothing interested him they’re asking you for books to read. on reading and literacy until the day she brought “You start small and set goals for for elementary school home a book on Dave them. When you lose weight, you don’t children. Winfield, who was draft- say I need to lose 100 pounds. You say, “I was hanging at ed in the NFL, NBA and I need to lose five pounds. Then five my girlfriend’s house MLB and wound up with more. It’s the same way with reading. instead of going to a Hall of Fame baseball “I just try to be a support system for kids.” school or I’d be in the career. lunch room playing “When I was in col- A historic game dominoes with some lege I would say when I Smith is one of only a few players of the older kids – I get older – if I do make to ever record a sack and a touchdown always hung out with it – I wanna start my own in the same game. older people – and I organization to promote He did it in 2010 in a 42-24 win over got behind,” Smith reading ‘cause I used Seattle. said. “I’ll never forget, to like to go on Fridays Smith scored on a one-yard run in when they called my with my jersey on and the second quarter, giving the Chiefs mom and told her that read to the kids. a 14-7 lead. I was gonna be ineli- “I loved how the kids “(Assistant coach) Mo Carthon gible, if I didn’t pass flocked to me. I’m a big told me in practice that if we get down certain classes and my teddy bear. It’s just cool there I’m gonna give it to you,” Smith mom cried. and I always thought said, “They gave it to me, and I kept my “I’ll never forget my that it would be cool to feet pumping and ran over somebody mom crying in front of always go back when I in the hole.” those white people. I made it.” The sack occurred in the third was just like I gotta get Smith arrived in the quarter with Kansas City leading, 21-17. my shit together – and NFL as an undrafted Playing in the NFL I did.” free agent and joined the “I’d give my NFL career a B overall Smith moved to ’ practice because I had to prove myself. I worked Wichita, Kansas after squad. The Cowboys hard and grinded it out over 10 years. A his sophomore year released Smith after a lot of guys don't know what it was like because his step-father year, but he forged out a playing for a Hall of Fame coach like found a better job and 10-year career with five or playing for Hall of Fame his mother had retired different teams. owner like Jerry Jones or practicing from the police depart- He started 43 of 102 against a guy like Flozell Adams every ment. The move turned games and finished with day and .” out to be the best thing 245 tackles, four sacks, for him, athletically two fumble recoveries and academically. and a touchdown. New York is known for its legendary NBA players such as But that’s no comparison to the lives he’s impacted through Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; It’s not known for producing NFL stars. the reading programs his foundation has established during and So Smith, who played basketball well enough to earn a after his career. Division II offer, started as a high school running back and “One out of four kids by the time they reach the third grade defensive end. can’t read, so I’m big on that,” he said, “I started my own He committed to Oklahoma State, but couldn’t overcome organization because I had a big heart on literacy especially his poor freshman year in New York and didn’t have the grades child literacy.” to enroll. Instead, he enrolled at Butler Community College Not bad for man, who once made his mom cry because he and became a star. didn’t take his education seriously.

*prepared by JJTMediaGroup.com