Wednesday, August 17, 2005
By Cynthia Hobgood
USA Football
St. Louis Rams rookie tackle Jimmy Kennedy grew up fending for himself on the tough streets of Yonkers, his mom worked two jobs, and he was heading down the wrong path when his football coach turned his life around.
When Kennedy met Coach Tony DeMatteo in 9th grade gym class, Kennedy had been placed in special education classes because he was struggling in school. He was reading at a fifth-grade level. Kennedy had been cut from the 7th grade and 8th grade football teams because he was "too slow and too small," and was in desperate need of a family, not a gang.
Now Kennedy, 23, proudly stands at 6'4", 320 pounds, sporting a college degree in rehabilitation services with minors in African-American studies and sociology from Penn State University, and plans to work with kids who come from exactly the life he did.
Kennedy credits DeMatteo, who he considers a father figure, for sending him down the right path away from the gang life and towards a new focus on education and athletics. From encouraging Kennedy to play football and study hard, to making sure he was eating properly, DeMatteo was ever present.
"He was definitely important. He is the reason I'm here playing in the NFL today," Kennedy said. "My mother worked two jobs and wasn't home a lot. Coach D found out I wasn't eating regular dinners. I'd eat cereal or maybe cook once in a blue moon. So he started taking me to his mother's house up the block, and we'd eat dinner there a couple nights a week."
DeMatteo is proud of his former player mostly because he graduated in four years with a college degree and a 3.2 GPA.
"Jimmy Kennedy is very special to me only because he got his degree," DeMatteo said. "He is a perfect example of someone who wants to teach and a person who wants to learn. You put those two together, and you can do anything."
After working his way out of special education classes and graduating from high school, Kennedy arrived at Penn State. By his own account, he had some catching up to do in terms of academics, but Kennedy was determined to leave Penn State with a college degree. Along comes another mentor; Penn State Coach Joe Paterno's wife.
"In my first year at Penn State, I had to work extra hard because I felt I was behind," Kennedy said. "Mrs. Paterno tutored me that year. I learned time management, how to balance football with school life, and not to wait until the last minute to study for a test."
Given his experience, Kennedy believes very strongly that kids need to focus on getting a college degree, no matter how skilled an athlete they are.
"My motto is football doesn't last forever. God forbid, if something happens and my career is cut short, I...
-08-18-2005, 06:02 AM
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