NFL and Nursing

Here is a cool article discussing NFL players' work after their careers in the National Football League.  I was a big D'Brickashaw Ferguson fan and thought it was great to read about him.   

A Super Bowl champion and literacy advocate

 Malcom Mitchell is an unsung hero using his stardom to encourage children to read. 

Unsung heroes are all over. You just have to look for them. 

Mamie Johnson

 Mamie Johnson played baseball for the Indianapolis Clowns in the Negro Leagues.   In 1953, at the age of 18, she was scouted by the Clowns.  She was one of only three women to play professional men's baseball. The integration of the Negro Leagues and the Major leagues shortened her career to three years.  Her inspirational story is written in a novel entitled A Strong Right Arm by Michelle Y. Green.  In 2008, Major League Baseball arranged a Negro League Draft in which all surviving Negro Leagues players were drafted by Major league teams.  Johnson was drafted to the Washington Nationals.  

Rose Robinson

CNN recently published an article on Eroseana “Rose” Robinson.  Her story is rarely discussed in classrooms and has been overlooked for years.  She was a great athlete and a track and field star.  In 1958, Robinson was invited to compete against the Soviet Union, when the Cold War was in full swing.  She didn’t want her athletic skills to represent the government that supported segregation and the war against Communism.  As a result, she declined the offer.  A half a year later she was brought up on tax evasion charges.  Rather than paying the $380 fine and leaving prison, she decided to stay in jail and begin a hunger strike. When newspapers began reporting on her hunger strike she was immediately released. Long before Colin Kaepernick there was Rose Robinson. She never returned to sports following the hunger strike in jail from which she never fully recovered.

Interview with an Unsung Hero

Listen to an interview with Willie O'Ree on WGBH on a local Boston station.  He discuss his career as the first African-American hockey player and how he succeeded.  He turned pro in 1956 with the Boston Bruins.  O'Ree continued his career after shattering his retina and losing his vision in one eye.  His story is inspiring and an asset to any classroom.  I especially agree with O'Ree when he says "education is the key."   

Interview with an Unsung Hero

Jerry LeVias was the first black athlete to play for the Southern Methodist football team in Texas.  He played in the late sixties when the Civil Rights movement was struggling.  In this interview, he talks about his experience as the first black athlete on the football field and how he overcame hate. He highlights how important it is to control your emotions when confronted by hate.  In addition, LeVias discusses how important it is for educators and families to discuss discrimination and injustice.