By Lisa Zimmerman | Engagement Insider
New York Giants running back Rashad Jennings has told the story often; that of the overweight, asthmatic kid with glasses sitting on the sideline. But that story, his story, sticks with him and remains motivation for him in all aspects of his life.
With two older brothers (Byron and Butch) who played football, it was natural for Jennings to want to follow in their footsteps. But the combination of him being out of shape and suffering from asthma left him sitting on the bench more than playing on the field. He was in and out of the hospital, at points thinking about death. Until one day when he decided to take matters into his own hands.
“I just started running until the point I couldn’t breathe,” he remembers.” I did that over and over again until I just out-ran it.” His mother thought he was crazy and his doctors still don’t have an explanation, but it worked. Jennings got himself into shape and by his senior year of high school his asthma was a thing of the past.
One step at a time, Jennings created a new reality for himself and he shares his story as a way of motivating and encouraging others, especially children, in their own pursuits in life.
Jennings became a standout running back who earned a scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh. But once again, health issues intervened, this time those of his father.
Jennings’ father, a diabetic, had a leg amputated and Jennings decided that the right thing to do was return home to help his family. Following his freshman year he transferred from Pittsburgh to Liberty University in his hometown of Lynchburg, Virginia. But that didn’t stop him from pursuing his dream of playing in the NFL.
In 2009 he realized that dream when the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted him in the seventh round of the NFL Draft. Jennings is now the Giants starting running back.
Health and fitness has become priority No. 1 for Jennings. He has special meals prepared for him daily, passing on the already healthy fare offered at the Giants facility. He spends time daily in his hyperbaric chamber, which has its plusses and minuses.
“When I come out, I realize how dirty our air is,” he said.
While his intelligence was never in doubt, Jennings always marched to the beat of his own drummer and at one time during his early school years, had a 0.6 grade point average.
“In ninth grade I was doing a research paper and I had to find someone to give me quotes to agree with what I wanted to say. I couldn’t find anybody and I didn’t feel like doing the research so I quoted myself,” he said.
The teacher told him the paper was outstanding, but gave Jennings an F because he wasn’t considered a credible source. He countered by asking why he had to wait 20 years to become a credible source. The F stayed.
He also related another incident when his class was learning about the Civil War and he challenged the teacher as to why the soldiers were referred to as heroes.
“I always thought a hero was someone who saved somebody. The teacher kept reiterating ‘heroes.’ I’m looking at how they lined up in a straight line and then just charged at each other. I said, ‘Who thought it would be a good idea to run in a straight line?’ Wouldn’t it have made more sense if they hid, or ran in a different direction?’” The teacher had no answer.
Ultimately, the school decided that Jennings had a learning disability. His parents transferred him to a new school, Lynchburg Christian Academy. It was there that he began to excel both in the classroom and on the football field.
Early on in his NFL career Jennings, looking back at his own childhood, decided that he wanted to help as many children as he possibly could, working with them to create healthy and productive lifestyles for their futures. He started his foundation, the Rashad Jennings Foundation, as a way to reach out to children and help give them guidance and goals in education, health and fitness.
Among his many programs and events is the Reading Challenge, which is coordinated with schools to set a time frame during which participants read as many books as they can. In addition to writing an essay and book report, they are given a comprehension test about what they’ve read. If their comprehension is sufficient, they receive an entry to a contest where they win prizes supplied by Jennings.
Clay County Florida has instituted the program and has seen test scores of the participating students rise noticeably.
And about that ninth grade paper. Recently as part of his community work, Jennings spoke to a group of students who then interviewed him for papers they were writing. One of the students who used his quotes got an A. Jennings took that paper and showed it to the teacher who had given him the F so many years ago.
Jennings is now a credible source.
For more information about Rashad Jennings and the Rashad Jennings Foundation: www.rashadjennings.com and www.rashadjenningsfoundation.com.