MyT Oklahoma
6/8/2011, 11:01 AM
Glad Mr. Q is a Sooner. Way to go big guy.
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_18227623
Broncos draft choice Carter a big hit off the field too
The minutes and hours are routinely filled with victories, falls, laughter and tears as Wanda Ramirez works each day through the swirl that is a KinderCare in Norman, Okla.
And yet, in all of the skinned knees, dirty hands and big dreams, there is room for a surprise or two — as in, 6 feet and 208 pounds worth of surprise.
"Usually, a football player is a football player to me. I don't know any different, not one from the other," Ramirez said. "But Mr. Q touched my life. I can't tell you how many lives he touched here.
"It was a surprise for a college football player to come see our children each and every week, but the more I know Mr. Q — that's what the children call him — the more nothing would surprise me about what he will do."
Mr. Q is Quinton Carter.
The former Oklahoma safety was a fourth-round draft pick by the Broncos this year.
On the field, Carter has the height, weight, speed and football savvy the Broncos are looking for.
Off the field, Carter has already made a strong impression, having started a nonprofit foundation as a college sophomore; organized a free, three-day football camp for youths in his hometown of Las Vegas; hosted a Father's Day benefit to honor dads in low-income families for their efforts; raised funds for other causes; and made weekly visits to a classroom of 4-year-olds at Ramirez's daycare facility.
He also has plans to start a program that would offer free medical care for low-income families. And he graduated with a degree in criminology and political science with a minor in nonprofit studies.
Asked how a 22-year-old with designs on a career as a professional athlete could have that much on his plate as a college student, Carter said, "I don't play video games."
"He was faithful to these children," Ramirez said. "With all he had here (in Norman) and in Las Vegas, he was here every week. And if he couldn't come because of something in his schedule, he always called to let the children know. He ate pizza with them, planted flowers with them, got his hands dirty with them. He's a role model and wants to be."
Carter created his SOUL Foundation — Serving Others through Unity and Leadership — as an OU sophomore. One of his first activities was to plan and host a free football camp for ages 11 to 14 that would include more than on-field coaching. With the help of an uncle, he organized the first camp on only two weeks' notice. It drew 125 players. He finished his third camp last week, with 225 players having attended.
The camp includes classroom lectures on the importance of eating right and attending college, as well as football instruction from the likes of Marcel Dareus — the No. 3 pick in this year's draft — as well as Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and San Francisco 49ers safety Reggie Smith .
Hunkie Cooper , the football coach at Canyon Springs High School in Las Vegas and a neighbor of the Carter family, has called Quinton "purpose-driven."
"I tell the kids at the camp that a few years ago I was right where they are now," Carter said. "I was in their shoes. So it's important they know that they need to take care of business now, do the right things, because the years go by fast.
"We pound the message and try to show them what's important and what's not (important). My approach has always been to make the most of any situation, on and off the field. And they can do that too."
During the NFL lockout, which has kept Carter out of the Broncos' Dove Valley team headquarters, rookies have no contracts or stipends to set up lodging and travel expenses to work out with the handful of Denver players in the area. So Carter has been working out back home in Las Vegas.
He plans to continue his SOUL Foundation activities in the Denver area once he is settled here and officially has a roster spot with the Broncos.
"But we know he will come back and see us whenever he's in Norman," Ramirez said. "Not all the children quite understand what's happened now or where he is. We've tried to explain that he plays for a different team now, but they won't forget what he did for them, just by who he is and what he does."
Jeff Legwold: 303-954-2359 or [email protected]
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_18227623
Broncos draft choice Carter a big hit off the field too
The minutes and hours are routinely filled with victories, falls, laughter and tears as Wanda Ramirez works each day through the swirl that is a KinderCare in Norman, Okla.
And yet, in all of the skinned knees, dirty hands and big dreams, there is room for a surprise or two — as in, 6 feet and 208 pounds worth of surprise.
"Usually, a football player is a football player to me. I don't know any different, not one from the other," Ramirez said. "But Mr. Q touched my life. I can't tell you how many lives he touched here.
"It was a surprise for a college football player to come see our children each and every week, but the more I know Mr. Q — that's what the children call him — the more nothing would surprise me about what he will do."
Mr. Q is Quinton Carter.
The former Oklahoma safety was a fourth-round draft pick by the Broncos this year.
On the field, Carter has the height, weight, speed and football savvy the Broncos are looking for.
Off the field, Carter has already made a strong impression, having started a nonprofit foundation as a college sophomore; organized a free, three-day football camp for youths in his hometown of Las Vegas; hosted a Father's Day benefit to honor dads in low-income families for their efforts; raised funds for other causes; and made weekly visits to a classroom of 4-year-olds at Ramirez's daycare facility.
He also has plans to start a program that would offer free medical care for low-income families. And he graduated with a degree in criminology and political science with a minor in nonprofit studies.
Asked how a 22-year-old with designs on a career as a professional athlete could have that much on his plate as a college student, Carter said, "I don't play video games."
"He was faithful to these children," Ramirez said. "With all he had here (in Norman) and in Las Vegas, he was here every week. And if he couldn't come because of something in his schedule, he always called to let the children know. He ate pizza with them, planted flowers with them, got his hands dirty with them. He's a role model and wants to be."
Carter created his SOUL Foundation — Serving Others through Unity and Leadership — as an OU sophomore. One of his first activities was to plan and host a free football camp for ages 11 to 14 that would include more than on-field coaching. With the help of an uncle, he organized the first camp on only two weeks' notice. It drew 125 players. He finished his third camp last week, with 225 players having attended.
The camp includes classroom lectures on the importance of eating right and attending college, as well as football instruction from the likes of Marcel Dareus — the No. 3 pick in this year's draft — as well as Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and San Francisco 49ers safety Reggie Smith .
Hunkie Cooper , the football coach at Canyon Springs High School in Las Vegas and a neighbor of the Carter family, has called Quinton "purpose-driven."
"I tell the kids at the camp that a few years ago I was right where they are now," Carter said. "I was in their shoes. So it's important they know that they need to take care of business now, do the right things, because the years go by fast.
"We pound the message and try to show them what's important and what's not (important). My approach has always been to make the most of any situation, on and off the field. And they can do that too."
During the NFL lockout, which has kept Carter out of the Broncos' Dove Valley team headquarters, rookies have no contracts or stipends to set up lodging and travel expenses to work out with the handful of Denver players in the area. So Carter has been working out back home in Las Vegas.
He plans to continue his SOUL Foundation activities in the Denver area once he is settled here and officially has a roster spot with the Broncos.
"But we know he will come back and see us whenever he's in Norman," Ramirez said. "Not all the children quite understand what's happened now or where he is. We've tried to explain that he plays for a different team now, but they won't forget what he did for them, just by who he is and what he does."
Jeff Legwold: 303-954-2359 or [email protected]