Marquis Daniels barely graduated from high school in Orlando. There he lived almost alone. He was not eligible to play basketball for Auburn until the second semester of a freshman. When …
He graduated from Auburn in three years, led the 2003 team to Sweet 16, played for the NBA for 10 seasons, and is currently a staff member of Auburn as director of player development.
Frank Sanders would have been packing if former wide receiver coach Tommy Bowden had given way. Head coach Terry Bowden disagreed with it. Sanders became the first team’s All-American and played two of the biggest in Auburn’s history. Instead of clashing, he and Tommy Bowden became intimate. He played for the NFL for nine years. He began to concentrate on his faith and on helping others. Nothing has changed to this day and he is a successful businessman.
Defensive end Reggie Torbor said he was uncomfortable and ill-mannered around his white teammates when he arrived in Auburn. He became a star, a male leader of all races, and played for eight seasons in the NFL. Today he is a motivational speaker.
Offensive lineman Chad Slade and wide receiver Sammie Coates devoted their time and heart to children suffering from cancer.
Cam Newton has spent enormous amounts of money and time helping children.
Bo Jackson had a phone call about a terminally ill boy when he was in Auburn. The little boy’s dream was to meet his Auburn hero. What did Jackson do? He got into the car, went to see the little boy, spent time with him, and gave him Auburn’s hat. The boy was buried wearing the Auburn hat.
Shet Williams was once on the verge of being kicked off by Auburn’s football team. He has spent his adult life helping young men overcome the challenges he understands well.
They are just a few examples. We can provide more examples of college athletes in Auburn, Alabama, and schools that got in the way to help others to make permanent use of celebrities. Regardless of what the major is, whether or not they play in the NFL, players will greatly benefit from playing college athletics. And many of them return very many.
This is one of the many reasons I have enjoyed covering college athletics over the last few years.
In the NIL era, it has become more popular than ever to question player motives, question their commitments, and accuse them of not being “real students.” Still, when an athlete got his first college degree in his family, I saw as much pride and happiness as I had seen after a big victory. I’ve seen players arrive in a sour manner and leave as a transformed human being.
The value of being a college athlete is more than money.
Playing college sports and becoming a student is a challenge that many of us have never faced. The work is hard and there is almost no end. Former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville once said he was like doing two full-time jobs, but he was right. Most people don’t hit it richly in the NFL.
For some, it’s too much and they fall to the side of the road. Know this: Lazy and reluctant to work, it is literally impossible to succeed or maintain a qualification as a college athlete.
It’s difficult to succeed. It’s very difficult. Almost all of the many ex-university students I’ve talked to (many of them are now my friends) talk about lifelong relationships, learn about diligence, and learn life lessons. They value that experience.
