Being Different--Josh Johnson's Smart Guy Story

Growing up in West Oakland, CA presents a lot of opportunity for young African American males. Opportunities such as--attachment to gangs and the violence associated with it, pimping and pandering, involvement with drugs, or meeting and building a relationship with law officials.  We are not talking about a buddy/buddy type relationship; it is more like the Duke Boys vs. Boss Hog and Roscoe P. Coltrane relationship.  So what can you do if you don’t want to continue in this cycle? Well for Smart Guy Josh Johnson, he made the conscious decision to devote and focuse his time and energy to other avenues. He did not let the pressure from his peers or his environments deter what he wanted to do with his life. He acted on some of the less known opportunities that Oakland had to offer but rarely gets recognition for providing. Josh  concentrated heavily on his family, school and sports to escape the negativity that surrounded him. As Johnson grew up he knew that he did not want to be like everyone else, he wanted to be different. He not only wanted to be a success on the football field, basketball court or track but he also wanted to succeed in the classroom and in life.

“I have always wanted to be a well-rounded person, to be a successful athlete as well as a successful student; I wanted to create different avenues for myself.” Johnson said. “As I was growing up, I would rather go to practice instead of hanging out. I would rather do my school work or stay in the house. Most of that stuff that was out there in the streets really didn’t mean anything. It was just something there for everybody to do but I didn’t want to do that.”  Johnson admits that growing up in the inner city can present a lot of barriers and challenges, simply because in that environment bad things that happens on a somewhat daily basis. But Josh also recognized that there were positive things that can come out of those situations as well.  “You can learn a lot of good values,” Johnson continued. “When you come from humble beginning you have many struggles. But when you struggle you get to find out more about the character of the people around you and also about yourself. You develop the will to fight, a trait that will carry you through a lot of other challenges on the road to becoming an adult.”

Many people have struggled with separation, the ability to be able to separate themselves from what they are used to and friends that they are used to being with who may not be on a positive path. Those things can truly affect your life in a negative way. Josh advises youth that may be struggling with this separation to have courage. If the people who you call your friends see the change in you then, it could help them to make a change in themselves as well. Don’t be afraid to be a leader; don’t be afraid to be the first one to break out of the norm. “One of the biggest challenges that you will face is being able to separate yourself from the negative things.” Johnson said. “The negative things are out there and they are easy to do. That is why everyone is doing it, because it is so easy. Not everyone wants to get involved with the harder things, due to all the work that has to be put in to becoming successful at it. That is just the world that we live in. I encourage young people to stay on the right path, that Smart Guy path. It is the right thing to do although it may be more difficult than the negative things. Look beyond the little things that you can get with the fast money because that will not last long. From my experiences the harder that I worked at something, the more I was able to benefit from it. You have to create that mentality for yourself because that winning/ hard working mentality will get you a long way.”

Josh’s mom Rosemary was a very big influence on his life and the decisions that he made. Rosemary was a single mother with four children who worked hard to provide for her family and limit some of the struggles that families had. “My mother did a great job with us,” Johnson said. “As a single parent with four children, she did everything she could to make sure we didn’t have to struggle. That let me know that there was no excuse for me not to do the right thing.”As for the much needed male guidance that young males search for, Johnson found it in his uncles and coaches he had while playing youth and in high school sports.  “My uncles were like a father figures for me,” Johnson recalled. “He showed me a lot of things from a male’s perspective. My high school coach did the same for me in the athletic realm. He did a lot for my teammates and I. I was able to learn a lot from him.”

Johnson views himself as a Smart Guy for overcoming the temptations that the streets of Oakland presented him. Josh is a graduate of Oakland Tech High School where he earned first team All City honors at quarterback and led his team to the Oakland Athletic League Championship. He is two classes away from graduating from the University of San Diego with a Bachelor degree in Mass Communications and where he was a four time All Conference (Pioneer Football League) (2004-07), twice earning PFL Offensive Player of the Year (2005-06), he was a four time I-AA All American (2004-07), and was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award-given to the best player in division I-AA football (2007). Johnson is currently the backup quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a co-founder of Fam 1^st Family Foundation with cousin Marshawn Lynch.

    

Johnson and Lynch created this 501c3 non-profit foundation to give back to the young kids of Oakland. For the past four years the guys has hosted a free football camp for kids ages 6-18, at their alma mater Oakland Tech. To expand the Fam 1^st Family Foundation they incorporated the first annual Family 1^st bowling night last fall and have a family oriented weekend planned from July 8-9, 2011. The festivities will start Friday night July 8 from 6-9:00pm with the 1^st Family bowling and continue Saturday, July 9, with their annual football camp. The foundation also sponsors turkey drives during Thanksgiving and toy drives during Christmas. One of the major goals for the foundation is developing a youth center for the kids, a project that is in the planning stages now.

“We are excited to get this underway for the youths of Oakland.” Johnson said. “We are all about helping the inner city kids and showing them that there is more to life than what they see in the streets that they are growing up in. The opportunity is there for everybody, you just have to work hard for it, but trust me you will appreciate all that hard work you put into yourself and your future when you get older, because you will learn so much about the world."

A Family Smart Guy,

Josh

To find out more about Josh Johnson go to http://www.joshjohnson11.com/ . For more information regarding the  Fam 1^st Family Foundations contact Joanna Lopez at jvlopez13@gmail.com.

Embracing Second Chances--Davone Bess' Story

Everything that you do presents an opportunity to learn.  Take a moment to reflect back on your life and think to yourself; How did I get to the point to where I am today? Was there a defining moment that occurred in your life that you can remember and could that moment be the reason you're in this position today? For Davone Bess, age 25, his life experiences, particularly the harsh and painful ones, have given him opportunities to learn and grow into the man he is today. Bess is a prime example of perseverance, focus and optimism, and getting back up after you fall down. 

“I am one of the starting wide receivers in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins,” said Davone Bess. and it's something that I always wanted to do. I grew up playing football, baseball and basketball, and my goal, my dream was to always become a professional athlete.”  That dream of becoming a professional athlete became a reality when Bess was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Miami Dolphins in 2008, after a stellar college career at the University of Hawaii.  

During his three years in Hawaii, Bess put together excellent receiving numbers and quickly became quarterback Colt Brennan’s 'go to' receiver. As a freshman he caught 89 passes for 1,124 yards and 14 touchdowns and was named First team All Conference along with Conference Freshman of the Year. He improved on those numbers his sophomore year by catching 94 passes for 1,220 yards and 15 touchdowns earning First Team All Conference honors. In his final season in Hawaii Bess caught 108 passes for 1,266 yards and 12 touchdowns while gaining National attention the Associated Press named him to the All American Team along with his third consecutive First Team All conference honors.  

These stats and accolades gained by Bess are impressive. They become even more impressive if you go back into his life just a few years prior to his arrival to the Aloha State. Bess is a native of Oakland, CA and grew up with his mother and brother not very far from the Oakland Coliseum, home of the Oakland Raiders. This part of Oakland is known for its negative reputation, and its ‘mean streets’. And like many other young men growing up in these communities, Bess’ living environment presented him with negative opportunities and obstacles.

“There were a whole lot of obstacles that I had to overcome. The first one was that my mom gave birth to me when she was 15 years old. She was a kid having a kid.” Bess explains. “She then had my brother at the age of 17. So here is this young African American woman with two kids by the age of 18. The odds of being successful were against us-- my mom not having an education, not really having the opportunity to go to college, living off of governmental assistance-- it was a set up for failure.” Bess was forced to meet these obstacles face to face on a daily basis as a child growing up. Instead of using those obstacles as a crutch or an excuse to fail, he decided to look in different ways to overcome the potential trap that many black males get caught in.

“I have always believed in a higher power and that God puts everybody in certain situations for a reason.” Bess said. “I have had a lot of people that were influential in my life. People that helped me overcome because I definitely could not have done it by myself. I reached out to people when I needed them and those people never failed me.”  To dodge some of the pressures of the streets, Bess focused his attention to sports and athletics. He attended and graduated from Skyline High School, where he was a star athlete in football, baseball and basketball. During his senior year he earned his first scholarship to Oregon State. However, his dreams of becoming an Oregon Beaver were soon shattered. Bess he lost his scholarship after allowing a 'friend' to put stolen items in his car. His bad choice earned him over a year and a half of incarceration at the  Byron Boys Ranch Juvenile Facility in Byron, California.

  

During his time in the juvenile facility, Bess played on a seven man flag football team created by the facility. He devoted his time to focusing on his future, listening to advice from his counselors, and trying to be a positive role model for his peers at Byron. Bess often sought advice from and share his dreams with probation counselor Glenn Woods. Woods reflects back on the time when Bess initially entered the facility.  “The first time I met Davone, I saw a very mature person,” Woods recalled. “He was down about his situation but after talking with him, he understood that he had to do the time and focus on getting out. He talked about wanting to get into a university and make better choices, when he was released from the facility. He got into a workout regime and he would go out there daily and give it his all. I used to tell him to slow down but he kept telling me that this was something that he had to do. He would get up early to go and workout for two to three hours a day--he was extremely focused.”
 

During his incarceration, Bess would also realize his desire to help others. The younger kids preferred to come to him for advice before going to their counselors. He was viewed by all as a positive influence on the younger guys.  “A lot of the Wards would go outside when they saw Davone and wanted to do what he was doing. He was a very good leader and would always offer positive advice to other kids.” Woods said. “At times, when the kids doing inappropriate things, I would go to Davone and have him talk to them. He talked to the kids when they were upset and knew how to calm them down. He was very positive, focused and routinely displayed great leadership qualities. It was amazing to see some of the stuff that he would do and how advanced he was. I always told him that he was going to make it and to keep his head up. It was no surprise when he got released when I seen that he going to Hawaii. He was a sharp kid.”

 This advice that he gave to these young kids still remains in the heart and mind of Bess. He continues to impact the lives of young people and people who may be in a bad place. His background and experiences allows for him to relate to many people on many different levels. He advises everyone to stick to their dreams and have faith in God.  “When you are a teenager peer pressure is really big,” Bess explained. “Making that transition from middle to high school is really hard as far as picking and choosing your friends.”  “Stick to your dreams and surround yourself around positive people that want to be productive in society, friends who want to go to college that want to do positive things with their life even if society has told them that they can’t do it.” Bess continues. “I believe in having a vision. When I was incarcerated and spent all that time in a juvenile detention facility away from my family, away from my friends, that gave me an opportunity to better myself not only as an athlete but as a human being. That was God sitting me down and asking me ‘young man what do want to do with yourself, what you want to do with your life?’ He had given me these talents and tools and I was wasting them."

Reaching out to mentors is something that is now very important to Bess. But not only reaching out, but listening to what they have to say. Smart guys are the ones that know how to take advice as well as give it.  “I think what makes me a 'smart guy' is with all the knowledge and game that I have soaked up in all the situations that I have been dealing with, I learned how to take those experiences and knowledge and run with it.” said Bess. “There are a lot of guys that experience a lot of things but don’t learn from their mistakes. I am a guy that not only learned from my mistakes but I learned from other people’s mistakes as well. I feel like a sponge, anytime I get a chance to listen to my elders, OGs, professors, people that have been in marriages over 50 plus years, I pay attention because they have nothing but game, nothing but knowledge that they want to give and I just continue to soak it up. I know that God put me in those situations and so that I could affect the lives of other people, so that is what I am all about now.”

Positively affecting lives drives Bess to continue on this path. Bess is currently putting together an All Star Basketball Jam to be held at Laney College in Oakland, CA on April 9, 2011 starting at 1:00 pm. This is the first Annual D. Bess All Star Basketball Jam. It is being put on to help raise money for the Oakland Athletic School League which is in the process of forfeiting all of its sports and after school programs due to lack of resources. “It’s looking really bad, obviously because of the recession and the economy the school district can’t afford to pay the teachers and the coaches the extra money to stay after hours with these kids.” Bess states. “As I think back to my high school experience,  if this would have happened when I was in high school and I couldn’t play sports  because of the economy, I wouldn’t be in the NFL today." 

Some of the All Stars that will be participating in the game on April 9th are Ronnie Brown, Brandon Marshall, Brian Hartline, Greg Camarillo and Paul Soliai of the Miami Dolphins, Ted Gin of the San Francisco 49ers, Dennis Dixon of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks, Josh Johnson of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,Gerris Wilkerson of the New York Giants, Frank Summers of the San Diego Chargers and others, including his manager Christopher Kidawski.

“This is my way of showing my appreciation for what I did have in high school. You never realize how good something was until it is gone. It would be so unfortunate if these kids lose their sports programs, everyone knows how rough it is in the streets of Oakland with the drugs, gangs and violence. Imagine how much the crime rate would go up if there were kids not being active in sports."

Bess plans on making a difference at home and worldwide. Bess is currently scheduled to go to Costa Rica to help kids to get adequate facilities for their schools and sports programs.  Bess surprised Fennville High School in Michigan earlier this month by sending his autographed game jersey as a token of his appreciation to the school for a raffle item to raise money for Wes Leonard, who collapsed and died on the basketball court after hitting the game winning shot due to an enlarged heart.
 

Bess often reflects on his life and about how he got to where he is, and who he has become. He has become a genuine Smart Guy, despite a bumpy road to get there.  “I think if it wasn’t for me going through all that I did, if it wasn’t for me going through those hard times and overcoming those obstacles and failures, I wouldn’t be the man that I am today.”  Bess is looking forward to sharing the 'Smart Guy' philosophy with other young people in order to help them avoid some of the pitfalls that he has encountered in his life and will continue to use his life lessons to make a difference.

A Determined 'Smart Guy',

Davone

For more information about Davone Bess and D.Bess Route Foundation please friend him on facebook at www.facebook.com/dbessroute  or follow him on twitter at officialdb15. 

Clearing the Way--Moran Norris' Story

Some people were born to make an impact on the lives of others. It is not necessarily known to those people how or what their impact will be, they just know that there is something inside of them driving them to help others. Moran Norris is blessed to be one of those people. Norris is the starting fullback for the San Francisco 49ers. In his role as fullback he helped clear the way for running back Frank Gore to amass over 1,000 rushing yards on a yearly basis. But Moran has not settled for just being a pro athlete. In order to fulfill his destiny, Norris has created The Moran Norris Foundation whose goal is to positively impact the lives of the at-risk urban youth.

As a Houston, Texas native, Moran attended Madison High School and then went on to the University of Kansas.  While at Kansas he earned two degrees, one in Mass Communications and the other in Special Major Crime and Delinquency, graduating in 2001. In addition to working hard in college, Norris also started at fullback for the University of Kansas Jayhawks and was drafted in the 4^th round of the NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints in 2001. Norris then went on to play for his hometown Houston Texans from 2002-2005 before signing with the San Francisco 49ers in 2006 where he teamed up with Pro Bowl running back Frank Gore and helped make the way for Gore to rush for nearly 1,700 yards.

Norris continues to put himself in a place where he is able to make the way for others to flourish. Norris is a strong advocate of giving back to his community and being an NFL player has allowed for him to be able to do such. Norris and wife Tamara created The Moran Norris Foundation to provide opportunities for at-risk students to embrace their potential and achieve their goals.  “My wife and I started this foundation back in 2005,” Moran Norris said. “We coordinate football camps for young student athletes every June. We put together dinners in partnership with Board members, buying out the restaurant for a day to host fundraising events. We also have a program called Shopping For Good Character. With this program model, teachers from selected schools nominate approximately 25 students in each school whom have showcased good character faithfully. A total of 150 students receive a $100 shopping spree at Targets in the Houston and San Francisco areas, as a reward for consistent, good character. We are active within our church and communities as well.”

  

“I always wanted to do something like this,” Norris explained. “This is my way of giving back. I always said that if I were to be blessed one day that I would like to head my own foundation helping out the community. We invite the 100+ kids that were winners of the Shopping for Good Character to our yearly football camp on scholarship. I have other guys from my team as well as other NFL teams come down to participate. Player volunteers include Vernon Davis, Frank Gore, Patrick Willis, Takeo Spikes, DaShon Goldson, and the list goes on.”  

  

After the football camp, one of the students from each of the four schools is giving their own Dell laptop computer. The student and their family are invited to the foundation celebration dinner at the end of the week. During this dinner the student is highlighted and celebrated in front of everyone for their strength of character, and they have the opportunity to take pictures and obtain autographs from all of the professional football players and community leaders in attendance.  “It (the dinner) is a very positive and rewarding event to attend.” Norris comments.

Positive is something that Norris has remained throughout life and through his career. Growing up some of his biggest challenges in life were learning how to adjust to the pressure that came from his peers to make some bad choices. Norris has had challenges as an athlete as well. Playing fullback is a giving position, all work and little glory. Yet to be a fullback, one has to be on top of their game, both mentally and physically.  “I remained positive,” Norris explained. “Believing in the lord and having strong support at home from my wife help me to succeed every day. Additionally, my family provided me with a strong foundation as well.”  Norris explained that some of the biggest and best decisions that he had to make actually came really simply for him. He has always thought back to what he learned from his parents--a basic understanding of what is right and what is wrong.  Norris believes that a key element of a 'Smart Guy' is knowing right from wrong. “I try to do the right things in life and throughout my community.” Norris continued. “I try to be the best that I can be as a person, as a man and as a fullback in the NFL. That is what makes me a Smart Guy.”

 Moran wants young people to always understand that you cannot be told NO. People will doubt you, they may not believe in you, but you have to believe in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, then whatever you are trying to do will not happen. “You lose the battle at that point if you don’t believe in yourself.” Norris explained. “You have to know what you can do, always believe and have faith in yourself. There will be teachers or coaches that will tell you that you can’t do something, but if you just to have the belief in yourself, you can do it and that is how you can win half the battle, by just believing in yourself.”

Believing in himself is what has landed Moran Norris in the position to where he is today. An all around 'Smart Guy' that continues to open up passage ways for others; and whether that passageway is for All Pro NFL running back like Frank Gore or any of the 150 students that The Moran Norris Foundation provides assistance to on a yearly basis. 

A Trailblazing 'Smart Guy',

Moran

For more information on Moran Norris and The Moran Norris Foundation please go to www.morannorrisfoundation.org.

Stepping Out of the Comfort Zone: Jason Jenkins' Smart Guy Journey

It is incredible how much young people learn and adopt from their parents, guardians and important adults in their lives, how their values become your values, their beliefs become your beliefs, and how your attitude or life view is a direct reflection of theirs. Some people try hard to avoid becoming like their adult role models, citing the desire to have an identity of their own. Others, like Jason Jenkins, have not only accepted the characteristics, values and beliefs that were instilled in him by his parents, but he has embraced and modeled their teachings with open arms. Jenkins was raised in Houston, TX by his parents Mary Clay and C.L. Whittington. Jason is not shy about giving them credit for helping him to get to where he is today, the Director of Media Relations for the Miami Dolphins and a strong husband and father.

“My parents did a great job in raising us,” Jenkins explained. “They shielded us from the negativity and barriers of the outside world and eliminated any type of excuses for us not to be successful.”   Before heading to college Jason had to make one of the biggest decisions of his life.  Most people in Houston, particularly native Houstonians, rarely leave due to the great opportunities and rich tradition that the city holds. Houston is a place with many successful people whom are from there and tend to stay to make their city even better. During Jenkins senior year of high school, Jenkins was presented with the opportunity to go to college outside of Houston. “The big decision was not wheither or not to go to college, but wheither or not to leave home to go to college. Ultimately, I decided that leaving would be about stretching out to pursue new opportunities.” Jenkins said. “I was the only person in my high school group to go to Texas Tech. That was a big step for me to be able to leave the area that I was from and go far away to Texas Tech." That decision to branch out allowed Jenkins a time to see, grow, learn and experience new environments, new cultures and new people. These new experiences led Jenkins to pursue different opportunities. 

“I was able to go to college at Texas Tech in Lubbock,” Jenkins continued “Then after Texas Tech I left to go to work for Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. I was then able to come back to Houston to work for Texas Southern. The next stepping stone took me out to California with the San Francisco 49ers and then to Florida to work with the Miami Dolphins. That initial big step, getting out of that comfort zone of the town that I grew up in, allowed me to be able to experience new things, different environments, different cultures, and different weather. All of those things helped me get to where I am right now.”

Jenkins loved sports growing up and was always interested in having a career in the sports/entertainment industry.  He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications/Broadcast Journalism from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX.  “It is something coming out of college that I always wanted to do.” said Jenkins “On the collegiate level, I always wanted to be an Athletic Director, but on the professional level where I am now, I knew I wanted to do something in Media Relations. Communications was my background, and I had a knack for being able to successfully deal with players, coaches, staff, and the media. So this position was a perfect fit for what I wanted to do professionally.”

Jenkins constantly displays professionalism and enthusiasm for what he does. Jenkins continues to work with the passion and dedication of an intern trying to get their first break, making sure to stay humble and grounded.  “I think that I have a passion for what I do which was instilled in me by my parents.” Jenkins said. “There is nothing that I do that I don’t put my all into it. When I am finished other people can deem it as a success or a failure, but I know that I did my best and gave it my all. I always look at things, whether they turn out good or bad, as an opportunity to grow. I am not necessarily satisfied with things that other people might perceive as great.  Nor am I humiliated or nervous when people don’t perceive those things as great. I think there is always something to learn in everything that you do. I think the passion that I have for learning and my thirst for education is what makes me a Smart guy.”

Jenkins advises young people to set a far reaching goal. Set the ultimate goal as high as you can, but create checkmarks and benchmarks so that you can notch off the successes that you have reached on the journey to your ultimate goal. “I think a lot of people see an end result of something and they want to get there,” Jenkins said. “But when things get hard they kind of fall off because they don't connect what they accomplish on a daily basis as part of reaching that ultimate goal two, five or ten years from today.  Also, surround yourself with like-minded individuals and good people that can help you along your path, helping you get to where you want to go.”

  

Surrounding yourself with like minded people is something that Jenkins not only preaches but practices as well. While in college, Jenkins reached out to Dr. Alfonso Scandrett Jr., who ultimately got him into the field of athletic administration. Scandrett Jr. was a big mentor of Jenkins at Texas Tech and seeing what he did at the collegiate level is what inspired Jenkins to get involved in the field. Once Jenkins left the collegiate level and entered the professional ranks, Tony Wyllie (Senior Vice President of Public Relations, Washington Redskins) and Kirk Reynolds (Vice President of Public Affairs, Pac-10) became mentors to him. Jenkins learned a lot from them about the field and the career and they helped him develop into the professional he aspired to be.

Mentors have played such a role in the professional development and personal life of Jenkins that now he has become a mentor to young professionals entering this industry, the mentee has become the mentor. Jenkins has added another mentee to his list of people that he continues to help shape their careers, his daughter Liya. Jenkins is now the proud husband to Elizabeth and father to Liya, and you can count on his beliefs, values, attitude and views that he received while he was younger will be instilled into Liya as she continues to grow and find her place in the world!

A Mentoring Smart Guy,
Jason