Who is Gary Burley?
Former American football player Gary Steven Burley was a Defensive End and a part of the first American Football Conference (AFC) Championship in Cincinnati Bengals history who went through incredible trials and tribulations. He played nine seasons for the Bengals before playing the final season of his career for the Atlanta Falcons in the National Football League
“G.B.” as he was known, was a member of the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance during the 1981-82 season. In his career, G.B. played in 105 games for the Bengals. The 6 foot 3-inch tall imposing player accrued four fumble returns, two sacks, and a safety. Gary Steven Burley is an alumnus of The University of Pittsburgh, Grove City High School, and Brookpark Middle School, Grove City, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus.
After his NFL career had ended, the football veteran founded a nonprofit organization where he resides in Birmingham, Alabama. Called Pro Start Academy, P.S.A. is an organization of retired NFL Players which mentors young athletes.
The former defensive lineman’s love of football is clear but his love of giving back is what motivates him. The father of four children and grandfather to 12 grandchildren is passionate about helping young people achieve their dreams of making it in the Pros.
Gary fought off life-threatening ailments including cancer, a bone marrow transplant, and a bout of salmonella poisoning that put him in a wheelchair for six months.
Humbled and grateful to be alive, Gary delights in aiding young people in their journey to the NFL. Gary hopes to give the next generation assistance and guidance. He says he wants to return the favor given to him long ago when two men believed in him. He feels that is why his life was spared.
Who is Co-Author Ralph Brooks?
Ralph V. Brooks is a sports and children’s book author and advocate for advancing childhood literacy. He is from Eufaula, Alabama. He is the son of hard-working and determined parents, Mary and Ralph Brooks, Sr. His parents had a limited education. His father didn’t get past the third grade. His mother graduated after eighth grade. Ralph, Jr. was the first in his family to go to college. Ralph desired to achieve more than his parents by furthering his education
In 2006, Brooks took pen to paper again when he wrote “89 – the Road to Number One” a memoir about how Brooks played high school sports and participated in the 1981 Football State Championship team his junior year in Eufaula, Alabama. Between 2018-2019 Ralph Brooks wrote and published four children’s books, two of them written in both English and Spanish. He was inspired after reading the book, “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne. He loved the book so much that he read it nine times. One of his children’s books titled, “Three Words” was dedicated to the Philippines to show appreciation for the abundance of love given to him and his best friend, Darrell Ingram, Vice President of “BrooksandBooks”, during their travels that started in 2009 and continues today.
Meet Co-Author, Editor, and Former CBS Journalist (Donna Francavilla)
Lured by the noisy pandemonium of the newsroom, the nail-biting contest of sporting events, the excitement of breaking news, and the desire to describe history as it unfolds, I fell in love with story-telling.
As the daughter of Italian immigrants, I recall witnessing discrimination against non-whites. During the 1960s, Italians were called the “N” word because some were born with dark skin and curly hair. Since I personally saw racial injustice growing up, I welcomed the idea of writing about the brave men who faced discrimination head-on and overcame it.
My career in journalism began innocently enough. During a Rutgers University public speaking class where we demonstrated the use of props, I pointed my toes, illustrating ballet moves before Professor Frank Hall. The former KYW-TV anchor and personality summoned me to him. Mr. Hall said, “Young lady, have you ever thought about a career in media?” Frank Hall introduced me to the news director at KYW Newsradio in Philadelphia, who hired me.
Meet Dr. Valencia Bell
Contributor Dr. Valencia Belle is the Founder of two programs, S.C.H.O.O.L.S. for scholars and C.L.E.A.R.E.D for scholar-athletes.
S.C.H.O.O.L.S., or Success Can Happen Out Of Low Scores, affords high-quality, cost-effective standardized test prep to scholars and scholarathletes, occasioning 5-10 point ACT and SAT 100 -200 point average composite score increases with as little as five weeks of test prep. These composite score gains have been shown statistically to eradicate intergenerational poverty for up to 3 generations occasioned by college-loan debt by enabling the attainment of presidential full-ride scholarships with refunds, especially for demographics stemming from marginalized communities.
Dr. Belle is one of six inaugural recipients worldwide of the prestigious 2021 Wharton Knowledge For Impact Awards from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, as well as a 2019 Scholarship Recipient from Harvard University’s Institute of Urban School Leaders.