A former Hillsborough County football standout has started a non-profit to help students translate their skills on the field to the classroom.
For the student athletes who work with Ricky Sailor, it’s never just a walk in the park. When they work with Sailor, it’s all about hard work and dedication.
When Sailor played football for Leto High School, he had the talent and the passion but it didn’t translate into the classroom.
“I was the student who was sitting in the class that made it very difficult for a teacher to teach,” said Sailor.
But Sailor never gave up. He worked with coaches and mentors and found his way to college. Once he finished college, he had one goal: to help students just like him. He started the non-profit Unsigned Preps.
“Once I got an understanding of being a student and how to compete in the classroom the same way I competed on the football field, it made me a very dangerous student,” said Sailor. “I would almost rather die than lose.”
And Sailor passed that passion on to the students he’s been helping.
"Anybody can beat the odds," said student Andrew Fakolade. "It doesn't matter what your situation is when you're younger and it's never too late to change. It's all about wanting to get it. It's the determination within yourself and that really motivated me."
He trains them and teaches them how to use their skills on the field to excel in the classroom. The only thing he requires in return is that the students give back to their community.
“He always kept striving for the better of success and not letting his lifestyle that he came from impact him, and he always wants to help others do better,” said student-athlete Mark McCoy.
The students donated toys and smiles to children in the community during Unsigned Preps’ Annual Christmas Chip-In.
“What we're trying to instill in them is to be young givers so eventually they'll be old givers,” said Sailor. "To see these guys go through high school, go to college and then graduate, it's very fulfilling."