Warrick Dunn

Warrick Dunn has been a National Champion at Florida State, a first round draft pick, and a Pro Bowler, but nothing is as impressive as what he has done off of the football field. Dunn was honored as the 2004 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, an award named after the legendary Chicago Bears Hall of Fame running back who died in 1999. This is the highest honor bestowed upon an NFL player for his outstanding community service and on-field performance. A big reason for Dunn receiving this reward has been his work helping single mothers through the Warrick Dunn Foundation. In 1997 as a rookie out of Florida State, Dunn made down payments on four homes for single mother. Since then Dunn has helped single mothers become first-time homeowners by making the down payments on new, fully-furnished homes. As of May 2007, Dunn's foundation has assisted 69 single mothers and 139 children and dependents in Atlanta, Tampa and Baton Rouge.
The foundation was inspired by Betty Smothers his own single mother. In 1993 Betty Smothers, a Baton Rouge police officer was shot by Kevan Brumfield during a bank robbery. Smothers passed away before she ever would own her own home. A few weeks ago, Dunn was sitting in a room at the State Prison in Angola, La., staring death-row inmate Kevan Brumfield in the eyes, Dunn was a stiff-arm away from the vigilante justice he must have thought about since his mom was killed. Dunn was asked by an ESPN reporter how he sat in the room with the man who killed his mother. Dunn gave a one-word answer, “God.”