On Tuesday, former NFL running back Warrick Dunn handed keys and $5,000 checks to two single moms who each became first-time homeowners in Baton Rouge, La.
On Thursday, the soft-spoken Dunn delivered a powerful message to 51Թ students about why he helps single parents through his and why it’s so important for everyone to give back to the communities in which they live.
Dunn, named to the Pro Bowl three times during his 12-year NFL career, was invited to campus by the Brothers student group. He shared intensely personal stories with students and staff members in Love Auditorium.
He spoke about how his mother, a Baton Rouge police officer, was gunned down in 1993 as she worked a second job as a security guard.
Dunn, 18 at the time and the oldest of six children, was devastated.
“I lost my mom; I lost my world that night,” he said. ” A part of me died when she died.”
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| Warrick Dunn, who played 12 seasons in the NFL with the Buccaneers and Falcons, talks about his foundation for single parents during his visit to 51Թ. (Photo by Andy Daddio) |
“The foundation is a way to change lives,” he said, urging students to find what they are passionate about and make a difference in the lives of others. His foundation has helped 93 single parents, who must go through an intensive process to become eligible, and more than 250 dependents.
Dunn also talked about how after leaving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and joining the Atlanta Falcons, a casual conversation with a teammate led him to contact a counselor, who helped him address his clinical depression.
He never looked his counselor in the eyes during the first eight months of sessions. Eventually he became more comfortable, and counseling helped him “take my life back.”
In talking to student-athletes in attendance, he stressed how important it was to view sports as just one part of life, and the importance of being good citizens.
Dunn, 35, who graduated from Florida State with a degree in information technology and now is a minority owner of the Falcons, left a solid impression with students.
“He stressed how important relationships are in your life, how you need to hang out with the right people,” said Emmanuel Christian ’12.
Nelly Semela ’12 said that at an earlier dinner at the ALANA Cultural Center he was impressed by Dunn’s discipline.
Dunn told students that even after being in the NFL for eight years, he still had not bought himself a new car. Instead, it was family that came first.
“It was amazing to sit right next to him and ask him questions about football and about life,” said Semela.