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Charity work earns Dunn 'Man of Year'

By RICK STROUD
Published February 9, 2005

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JACKSONVILLE -- Warrick Dunn was only 8 when he was discovered running track in Baton Rouge, La., against a youngster who was bigger and older.

"I told him I thought he would make an excellent football player," said Maelen "Choo-choo" Brooks, a youth football coach whom Dunn calls "Pops." "And some of the other kids said, "Yeah, coach, he can run. He's got a big heart."'

Dunn's heart is what drove him to begin his Home for the Holidays program, which helps single mothers become first-time homeowners.

On Friday, the Falcons running back was named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.

Dunn launched the program during his rookie season with the Bucs in 1999. To date, he has helped 52 single mothers become homeowners by making the down payment on fully furnished homes, affecting the lives of 135 children and dependents in Tampa, Baton Rouge and Atlanta.

The motivation for Dunn's program stems from the death of his mother, Betty Smothers, a single parent and Baton Rouge police officer killed in the line of duty in 1993. At 18, Dunn was left to care for his five brothers and sisters.

The award is named after the legendary Chicago Bears running back who died in 1999. It is the NFL's only award that recognizes a player's community service as well as his playing excellence.

Dunn said he admired Payton's tenacity as a player and spoke to him several times as a guest on his radio show in Chicago before his death at age 45.

Dunn joins a prestigious list of winners that includes 12 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Among them is Bucs linebacker Derrick Brooks, who won in 2001.

"I think that award sticks out more than any performance award that I have because you've affected so many more lives by doing it," Brooks said. "To see Warrick start his program from a baby and watch the seed growing and get better every year, I can stand back and appreciate the work he is doing. He's a very humble man. I feel like my little brother followed in the footsteps you've made. He not only stepped in the footsteps, but he made his own footprints."

Dunn thanked many of his family members and friends, some of whom attended the news conference Friday. He credited former Bucs coach Tony Dungy for inspiring him to become active in community service.

"I don't think I would be here without coach Dungy," Dunn said. "He challenges players to give back to the community.

[Last modified February 8, 2005, 09:19:08]

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