Darrin Davis knows what it's like to be a really talented football player who was sought after by colleges across the country. But he also knows something far more important: that if one doesn't have the grades, all those skills mean nothing. When Darrin was graduating from high school, his low SAT scores denied him entry from one college after another. He now drills that lesson into his student players at KIPP High School In Newark, New Jersey.

Darrin says he tells his students that not having good grades can definitely change their life path. His path would take him to Southern Connecticut, where his more than 300 carries in a season is still the record. He was good enough to enter the 2003 NFL Draft but wasn't selected. Had he gone to a major program, things might have turned out differently.

Darrin, 38, became an educator and a coach. He fits right in at this public charter school that emphasizes college prep.

Kamil Vickers is a junior, and a 6-foot-3-inch, 315-pound defensive tackle. Is he serious about his grades? He says his GPA is a 3.98. Kamil wants to go to Brown University. And we can't imagine anything—or anyone—standing in his way.

Coach Davis's emphasis on grades means that no matter how you are, if your grades are below the mark you sit.

Akie Nance, a 6-foot-3-inch junior and defensive tackle, says he knows his performance off the field is just as important as on the field. He says grades and character come first.


The lessons instilled by Coach Davis have prompted his students to credit him with going above and beyond his job description.

He takes his students to visit colleges—even during his vacation. Davis says being selfless wasn't a lesson that was always in him. He learned it over time from his role model: his dad, who was a coach and a mentor to a lot of kids in Irvington.

As much as Coach Davis puts in, his players are motivated by their love of family as well.

For Coach Davis, the most important thing is off the field. He lets his students know if they ever want to talk, his door is open to them. He says he makes sure his kids know they have a voice and will be heard.

The exceptional devotion to giving oneself so others may reach for greater heights.