FROM THE GREAT WHITE NORTH: WARRICK DUNN, ROLE MODEL

by E. Spencer Kyte, Bugs and Cranks

Welcome to the next stage of my continuing exploration of athletes, the choices they make and the unfortunate lack of stories we find in the media about those who actually deserve our attention. Originally, I was going to call this the end of my run in this area, but instead, I am extending a challenge and an invitation.

Instead of packing this up and in a way defeating my own thoughts, I am challenging those of you who cruise through the blogosphere and find this piece to add comments and lobby in a way for more stories like this, as they really are the type of stories that need to be told. Show that instead of wanting to spend hours discussing the latest violent incident or irresponsible athlete, you want to read more about the athletes who are making a difference with the fame and fortune their athletic prowess has afforded them.

The invitation is to The Powers That Be here at Epic Carnival, to give me a platform to continue this segment. Some may call it self-serving, lobbying for another weekly spot to publish my thoughts, but this isn't about my writing; it's about showcasing those athletes who are worthy of our admiration not only for their performances on the field, but off the field as well. This is about giving respect to the athletes who are role models that the youth of today can look up to. Athletes like Warrick Dunn.

Name: Warrick De'Mon Dunn
Born: January 5, 1975 in Baton Rouge, LA
Running Back, Atlanta Falcons

Betty Smothers was a long-time member of the Baton Rouge Police Force, who worked tireless hours including off-duty jobs to provide for her family. Her dream was to own her own house.

On January 7, 1993 while working off-duty escorting a businesswoman to the bank, Betty Smothers was ambushed and killed. Her son Warrick was a high school senior at the time. Two days removed from his 18th birthday he became the head of the house.

After an impressive career at Florida State - Single Season Rushing Record (1,242 yards), Career Rushing Leader (3,959 yards), retired #28 jersey - the skeptics started picking apart Warrick Dunn.

He was too small. He couldn't take the pounding of the NFL on a weekly basis. He wouldn't be a feature back. What they didn't look at was his heart and his motivation. Had they looked there, they would have seen that failure wasn't an option.

Dunn started proving people wrong right off the bat, winning the 1997 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and becoming the "Lightning" to Mike Alstott's "Thunder" in the Tampa Bay backfield. Ten years later, Dunn is still proving people wrong.

Earlier this season he eclipsed the 10,000 yard mark in career rushing yards, making him only the third player 5'9" or under to do so. All those pundits who predicted his body wouldn't stand up have been proven wrong too, as Dunn has missed only 10 games over the course of his career.

Right now, Warrick Dunn is 23rd on the All-Time Rushing List and 25th on the All-Purpose Yards List. But I would wager that those achievements aren't the ones that mean the most to Warrick Dunn.

As soon as he was drafted, Dunn began the Warrick Dunn Foundation and began the Homes for the Holidays program, which honours his mother's unrealized dream of homeownership for single mother families.

To date, Homes for the Holidays has provided 69 single mothers and 181 children with first-time homeownership, which Dunn sees as "the foundation for establishing a stable and productive family environment, an environment in which children can thrive educationally, socially and economically." I couldn't agree more.

For his efforts, Dunn was awarded the 2005 NFL Walter Payton Award, named after the late Bears great and honouring the player who excels both on the field and in their community. But it doesn't stop there with Dunn.

Following Hurricane Katrina, the Baton Rouge native challenged every NFL player, except the members of the New Orleans Saints, to donate $5,000 to help in the relief effort. So far, Dunn has received over $5,000,000 in contributions.

On the field, Warrick Dunn is an inspiration to anyone who has been told they will never make it. He's excelled where many athletes expected to fair far better have failed. Off the field, he is making his mother's dream come true for families in Baton Rouge, Tampa and Atlanta, and using his fame and fortune to affect positive change.

These are the stories we should be telling. These are the athletes we should be discussing. This is just the first of many... hopefully.