How are you liking Grant?

The transition has been great with the students and faculty.

What is your favorite part of being a security guard?

Developing a relationship with the students, getting to know people. Somebody might be having a bad day, and (I’m) able to talk to them without feeling like I am crossing a line.

I hear you were a good athlete growing up.

I was born and raised in Galesburg, Illinois, so sports were like: that’s huge! I was the youngest of six kids and if I wanted to keep up, that’s one way I could keep up.

What sports did you play in high school?

I lettered four years in basketball. I lettered three years in baseball. I was All City those years and All State the second year as a sophomore. I lettered three years in football and I was All City my senior year as the quarterback, and it was believed that I was the first African-American quarterback for Benson. And I lettered in track. So I lettered 11 times.

That’s a lot. What’s your favorite?

A lot of people think I am crazy, but my dream would be to buy season tickets to the Chicago Cubs and spend my summers at Wrigley Field.

What’s a memorable high school event?

My first varsity basketball game as a freshman. We were playing Grant at Grant and it was jam-packed. I was sitting down toward the end of the bench and I didn’t think I was going to get into a game of that magnitude. I wasn’t very big as a freshman and there were some big kids out there. And I kept hearing my name and I kept turning around to the stands thinking it was a family member, someone just yelling my name, and a guy on the bench elbowed me. It was the coach telling me to go into the game.

You played pro baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies. How long was your career? 

It didn’t last long enough. I was drafted straight out of high school and they sent me to rookie ball in the Pioneer League in Helena, Montana. I got hurt that year. I was having a great season. I was going to go to winter ball in Puerto Rico and it kept me out the rest of the year.

Was that upsetting for you?

I was in a groove. I was playing well. Things happen for a reason, and what you do, you accept your fate and you move on. Otherwise you become bitter and the last thing you want is going on in life bitter.

How did you start coaching? 

My high school baseball coach, Bill Ranta, got me started coaching freshman baseball. And the following year Don Emry asked me to be one of the assistant coaches for varsity basketball, and the rest is history. Eventually, I became head coach. I enjoyed coaching. I enjoyed teaching the game, helping kids develop, not just on the
court but establishing and maintaining those relationships off the court.

Why did you stop coaching?

Change, man. People thought there was a need for change. I enjoyed coaching, but all great things come to an end. I had the opportunity to touch a lot of lives. I had a good run.

Sports are obviously important to you. Why?

Sports provide the necessary ingredients that you can possess to qualify yourself for life. There’s teamwork, there’s commitment, there’s dedication, there is devotion and there is loyalty. It has a basic connection to life. ♦

Check out the rest of our Time With interviews for more brief snapshots of Grant community members.