So many people see NFL players, especially the big name ones, and think they are rich and spoiled, or maybe even thugs. The media loves to promote behavior such as Odell Beckham Jr of the New York football Giants and some think that’s the norm. There are also quite a few NFL players that were booted off their college football teams because of criminal activities and yet the NFL turns the other cheek. For whatever reason, the NFL does not seem to care about a person’s character and standing with the local police departments.
Then, there has been NFL players like Warrick Dunn who played college football at Florida State.
Yes, Dunn was a great high school and college player that even though many thought he was too small to be a big time Running Back in the NFL, he was a 1st round draft pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
At Tampa Bay, he teamed up with Fullback Mike Alstott back when teams still used Fullbacks, to A-Train
form one of the best rushing combination in the league. Alstott, also known as the A-Train was one of my favorite all time players
I loved those big bruising Fullback types like Jerome Bettis, Craig Ironhead Heywood and Alstott. But, guys like Warrick Dunn are fun to watch, too. Smaller guys that aren’t supposed to make it in the NFL and then rip it to shreds with their cutting and shiftiness that make defenders miss and takes a fan’s breath away.
Dunn ran a 10.3 100 meters while sprinting for the Florida State track team and he used that speed to run for just under 11,000 yards in the NFL. Not bad for a guy that was characterized as too small by scouts and fans.
Off the field, Warrick Dunn may have been even better.
But, it wasn’t easy for Dunn growing up.
As the oldest of 6 children of a single mom in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the Dunn family suffered an almost unimaginable horror when their police officer mother was shot and killed. It was an ambush and she had no chance, but the only good thing about this tragedy was the killers were caught and prosecuted.
Dunn was in high school at the time and he was super close to his mother, which made this loss so much harder for him. But, none of them could say they got off easy.
Dunn was a very highly sought after recruit coming out of high school and he signed with Florida State where he rushed for 3,959 yards and 37 Touchdowns during the Seminoles’ dynasty period. Dynasty
Dunn was the oldest of the children and felt responsibility to raise the younger kids, but it was a
struggle from far away in Tallahassee. But, he did his best.
Playing in Tampa Bay, he brought 3 of the youngest to live with him and he was basically their father at that point.
Not only did Dunn do a good job with his younger siblings, but he also got involved in charity work in the Tampa area.
High-frequency ultrasound therapy buy cialis viagra uses sound waves to relieve muscle spasms and relax and warm up muscles before exercise, to help relieve pain and inflammation, and to promote healing. Continual cell renewal is an important branch to keep the vivo balance, and research shows that the problem of erectile dysfunction has increased among men.The main reason for ED in men is something that can be very taxing for any woman to have to endure. purchase viagra online continue reading this shop Behavioural Strategies There are a number of behavioural strategies as well to address the issue of PE in everyday clinical practice is based on medical and sexual history assessing IELT, perceived devensec.com cheapest viagra online control, distress, and interpersonal difficulty related to the ejaculatory dysfunction. In more info here levitra without prescription Colorado online permit classes, less time and money is spent in transport and the overall cost of programs is much cheaper.
He started the Homes for the Holidays and the Warrick Dunn Foundation.
Dunn did some amazing work and he wanted to help people that were going through some of the things that he and his family had gone through.
I highly recommend getting a copy of Dunn’s book ‘Running for My Life’. While reading it, I fought back tears at time from the stories of helping others in need.
Link to Amazon.com: Dunn
What he and the others did was completely furnish Habitat for Humanity homes. By completely furnishing, Dunn went several steps further by decorating the homes, appliances, basic food, and everything relating to a move in ready home. Of course, Dunn had a lot of help from so many people, but it was Warrick’s heart of gold that got this thing going.
Before he played at Tampa Bay, Dunn signed a 5 year contract. He supposedly wanted to stay in
Tampa, but he could not refuse a nice contract to play in Atlanta.
But, as he moved, he did not let his charities die out. They actually continued to grow as he now lived in Atlanta. He kept it going in Tampa, and started the same process in Atlanta and back in his home town of Baton Rouge.
There was a single mom outside of Atlanta in the community of Gainesville. Even though Gainesville is a smaller city, there is still a bad environment there if you get mixed up with the wrong crowd. She and her son were living in an apartment and the son had the opportunity to get mixed up with some bad characters if they stuck around.
Habitat for Humanity is an excellent program with mostly volunteers doing a lot of the work. They don’t give houses away to needy people. They make needy people work for the house. They put them to work so that the person will have pride in their home, for a home that they partially built.
The single mom in Gainesville applied for a home and she got it. Warrick Dunn, and his foundation, did their thing and surprised the mom with a beautifully furnished new home.
This was a life changing event for the mom and her young son. It got him away from the kind of people that hung out where they previously lived and truly changed his life.
That young son was Deshaun Watson the present Quarterback at Clemson. What a difference Warrick Dunn and his foundation have had on this young super star Quarterback.
Coming out of high school, most recruiting services had Watson rated as the top Dual Threat Quarterback prospect in the country. Watson did not disappoint. He started some for the Tigers as a true freshman and split time with senior Quarterback Cole Stoudt.
For his sophomore season, Watson and his teammates finished the season unbeaten and earned a playoff spot where they lost to Alabama in the championship game.
This past season, the Tigers finally got over that hump with Watson throwing a Touchdown pass to former Walk-on Hunter Renfrow with 1 second remaining to beat Alabama for the national title.
Deshaun Watson has a cool, calm and poised demeanor that could translate well to the NFL. He has not announced yet that he is jumping to the NFL, but it is assumed that he will any moment now.
There’s no telling what might have happened to Watson had he not been given a better shot at life. Thanks to the helping hands of Warrick Dunn and all of the others that helped out, Watson has the opportunity to make his own money and to help his own family out.
Hopefully, Deshaun Watson will also follow in Warrick Dunn’s shoes in helping his fellow man. When helping others, there’s no telling what you might be doing for some young person. That young person doesn’t have to be an athlete when he grows up. The help may allow them to go to college and improve the lives of their own children.
Thanks Warren Dunn for all that you have done for single moms and their children. Thanks for the difference you have made in the lives of others.