Zach Thornton's: The Power of Service Learning-- Tony Sanneh's Story

Since 2003 Tony Sanneh has been running the Tony Sanneh Foundation whose mission is to assemble a supportive network within the community that provides positive environments for urban youth to become positive and productive adults. When we caught up with Tony, he had just finished the foundation’s Gala 4 Goals event with Bob Bradley, coach of the US Men’s National Team as their special guest and honoree. Tony and his staff and volunteers, without the support of any large corporate sponsors, pulled off an incredible event that included over 600 guests, and raised over $50,000 to support young people in the Twin Cities community. Tony was excited about the success of the event, but is not resting on his laurels. “I grew up with my communities constantly helping and supporting me. There was never any doubt in my mind that I would come back to Minnesota and offer that same support to others.”

When asked about his records and accomplishments in soccer, Tony is very modest. Tony mentions that he thinks he held some records for goals and assists in high school and/or college, but that he was sure that they had all been broken by now. They have not—those records are still standing. Tony was a two time all-state high school soccer player. Tony was a collegiate All-American at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where he was, and continues to be, the school’s all-time leading scorer with 53 goals and 32 assists, a record that has held firm since 1994. Tony played 43 times for the US National Team and was one of three players to play every minute of all five games for the US in the 2002 World Cup.

But perhaps Tony’s modesty comes from the fact that he firmly believes that his success is not his alone. “I grew up with my communities help and support. My dad is from West Africa and I went there for a visit when I was six years old and learned and fell in love with the game of soccer. Back in Minnesota, I received support in many different forms, in order to grow and learn as a soccer player, a student, a leader.” Despite the support, Tony faced many challenges on his way to success. “It was tough to get national visibility. Soccer has not historically been an inner city sport and there certainly haven’t historically been a lot of soccer players from Minnesota. Yet the amazing support from the community made it possible for my teammates and I to learn and grow to such a level that we won the US Soccer U19 Championship in 1990, and almost a dozen of us from my high school went on to become professional soccer players. And I’m even more proud to say that we all learned from our experience and give back to our communities in order to help the next generation of young people growing up.”

After going to Wisconsin-Milwaukee on a soccer scholarship with his best friend, Tony joined the MLS DC United in 1996 where he helped his team win two consecutive championships. Tony played professionally from 1994-2009 but is thrilled to be back in Minnesota providing young people with service learning youth development opportunities. His foundation offers soccer camps for children ages 6-12 and over 30 free camps around the Twin Cities that help navigate the college scholarship process for promising student athletes. The Tony Sanneh Foundation surrounds the young people with positive role models and coaches to help them grow. We asked Tony what he thinks makes someone a ‘Smart Guy’ or a ‘Smart Girl’? “Definitely leadership. Knowing what your values are and doing things that align with those values. Doing the right thing when it’s not the easiest thing to do,” said Tony. “I think I have always worked hard to gain people’s respect. I went one step at a time at each level. I did what I needed to do to get on the team, and then focused on what I needed to do to stay on the team. Smart Guys’ show people that they are competent and a team player and people will want you on their team.”

When asked who he looked up to while growing up, Tony cited a variety of individuals. “What all the individuals, athletes, groups that I looked up to had in common was excellence. I was always impressed and engaged by people who had ‘something special’, people who exemplified excellence.” Now, Tony says that the Twin Cities communities are who inspires him. The diversity of the Twin Cities, the ongoing philanthropic spirit, gives him inspiration for his work at the Tony Sanneh Foundation.

In addition to his work in Minnesota, Tony is often called upon to advocate for social equality and youth development internationally and he gladly lends a hand to his international family. Tony believes in the power of service and will continue to be a powerful catalyst for change and growth for the youth in his communities, both locally and internationally—what a smart guy.