“They asked if I could help and I said, ‘No, I can’t do that. I’m too busy. I got football coaching to do. I’m never going to be there. I can’t take him to school, I can’t go get him. He bought some time for a while by going to live with a friend. They had him living on a mattress in a garage.

“Finally, the state of Oregon came in and said you can’t do that, you need to move on. They were going to send him to the state of Washington. They came back and asked me and I said yes.

“I bought him a $1,500 car that later got stolen. Fed him as much as I could with macaroni and cheese and Fruit Loops. I didn’t do a lot, but I was there for him. And that’s all they need.

“If you think you don’t have enough time, you have enough time, because they don’t need all your time. They just need someone who’s there for them; if they’re in trouble, you’re there. If they need advice, you’re there. That’s all these kids need. They need to know somebody cares.

“Later I adopted him, became his official father. It did more for me than it did him. That’s probably the best thing I’ve done. I’m happy to say he graduated from the University of Oregon.”