Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Beyond the Gridiron: A Look into the Academic Preparation of Urban High School Football Players
    Beyond the Gridiron: A Look into the Academic Preparation of Urban High School Football Players
    Beyond the Gridiron: A Look into the Academic Preparation of Urban High School Football Players
    Ebook103 pages1 hour

    Beyond the Gridiron: A Look into the Academic Preparation of Urban High School Football Players

    By Dr. Marco Walder

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    There was a need to more thoroughly evaluate the academic preparation of urban high school football recruits prior to the senior year and before entering college. Dr. Marco Walder presents to the world valuable information and research with the intent to provide understanding and insight into strategies that are needed and currently being used to increase the college academic preparation of urban high school student athletes. As a former NCAA student athlete Dr. Marco Walder shares his experiences, research, passion, and purpose in this phenomenal book as he strives to be a voice for the change needed to ensure student athletes all over are being prepared on all educational levels to be successful academically and athletically.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDr. Marco Walder
    Release dateDec 27, 2018
    ISBN9780463677933
    Beyond the Gridiron: A Look into the Academic Preparation of Urban High School Football Players
    Author

    Dr. Marco Walder

    Dr. Marco Walder is an educator, author, mentor, and inspirational speaker. A native of Dallas, Texas, Dr. Walder earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and a Masters of Education in Secondary Education from Alcorn State University. He also earned his Doctorate of Education in Sport and Athletic Management from Northcentral University. Dr. Walder is an advocate for improving the academic performance and higher education graduation rates of student-athletes. During his undergraduate matriculation, he was a four year letter winning football player.​Dr. Walder is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated and is an active member in his local community. Dr. Walder is a strong Christian and roots his message in a biblical foundation. He attends Concord Church under the leadership of Pastor Bryan Carter. When he is not delivering motivational messages and speeches, he volunteers his efforts and energy to the Heads Up Foundation of Dallas which serves the youth leagues of Texas. Dr. Walder expresses real life and real hope for today’s society.In addition to his latest children’s math book, “The Math Tales of Mathias”, Dr. Walder has authored several titles and numerous articles. A noted speaker, Dr. Walder has presented for Dallas Independent School District, the El Centro Community College TRIO program, the Brookhaven Community College Black History Month Expo, and at local schools including Maynard Jackson Middle School and Oliver Wendell Holmes. He has also ventured outside the state to various cities such as Lake Charles, LA and Gulfport, MS to share his positive and uplifting messages.

    Read more from Dr. Marco Walder

    Related to Beyond the Gridiron

    Related ebooks

    Study Aids & Test Prep For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      GAME Chnagers

      Sep 1, 2022

      GAME Chnagers
      7 min read

    • Article

      Do Sports Matter?

      Oct 17, 2022

      Do Sports Matter?
      15 min read

    • Article

      Cowboys & College

      Sep 17, 2021

      Cowboys & College
      7 min read

    • Article

      Tenacious Kim

      Nov 26, 2020

      Tenacious Kim
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Next Chapter

      Oct 3, 2022

      The Next Chapter
      7 min read

    • Article

      Naomi Osaka + Mikey Williams

      Aug 21, 2020

      Naomi Osaka + Mikey Williams
      3 min read

    • Article

      MOVE IT OR Lose it

      Nov 20, 2023

      MOVE IT OR Lose it
      6 min read

    • Article

      Support Your Child Athlete

      May 1, 2020

      Support Your Child Athlete
      2 min read

    • Article

      3 Personal Stories

      Aug 15, 2018

      3 Personal Stories
      5 min read

    • Article

      Q&A With Candace Parker On Her Title IX Documentary, Media Future And Being An Icon: ‘If I Had Come A Generation Before, My Life Could Look A Lot Different’

      Jul 22, 2022

      Q&A With Candace Parker On Her Title IX Documentary, Media Future And Being An Icon: ‘If I Had Come A Generation Before, My Life Could Look A Lot Different’
      7 min read

    • Article

      Genevieve Lentz Olympic Referee & Born-Again Believer

      Oct 22, 2021

      Born and raised in Bonteheuwel, a former coloured township in Cape Town, Genevieve Lentz’s testimony is one of determination, passion, and an innate desire to bring glory to the Father in all that she does. Genevieve achieved the notorious title of b

      4 min read

    • Article

      Mojo Rising

      Sep 16, 2020

      Mojo Rising
      4 min read

    • Article

      ‘Sports Is One Way to Teach So Much About Life’

      Jun 24, 2022

      LISA FERNANDEZ, 51, HAS OFTEN BEEN CALLED women’s softball’s greatest-of-all-time. An overpowering pitcher and a great hitter, in the 1990s she led the UCLA Bruins to two national titles and the U.S. Olympic team to three gold medals, helping to spar

      2 min read

    • Article

      Girl Power

      Sep 24, 2022

      Girl Power
      4 min read

    • Article

      How To Be A Champion

      Feb 1, 2024

      How To Be A Champion
      6 min read

    • Article

      Chasing Athletic Scholarship Dreams Can Be a Costly Mistake

      Jul 17, 2022

      At 6’2” and 230 pounds, Dylan is a football coach’s dream. An offensive lineman, Dylan has fantastic footwork and excellent field awareness. Currently, a sophomore in high school, Dylan dreams of playing Division 1 football on a full ride. Emma is an

      6 min read

    • Article

      Can Failure Lead To Success?

      Mar 7, 2024

      Can Failure Lead To Success?
      3 min read

    • Article

      Mojo Rising

      Sep 16, 2020

      Mojo Rising
      4 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Beyond the Gridiron

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Beyond the Gridiron - Dr. Marco Walder

      INTRODUCTION

      I remember it as if it was yesterday, the game clock is ticking down, and my college football career is vastly coming to an end. Like the previous season’s we ended our year being defeated by the Jackson State Tigers at the annual Capitol City Classic. As the horn sounded on the Memorial Stadium scoreboard I looked up one more time only to see a score of 52-28. However, the difference this year from the prior years is this is the final score that I will ever see as a college football player. Walking back into the locker-room I began to be greeted with more hugs, good byes, and tears than I could embrace. Finally, it hit me like a sledge hammer, for the last five years Alcorn State Football was my life and now that was over.

      Playing football for Alcorn State University became who I was. This experience served as my purpose in life and was also my reason for going to college. Playing college football at Alcorn State University was another step towards reaching a dream that I desired since the age of five. The dream was simply to become an NFL (National Football League) football player, easy right, so I thought. Growing up in Dallas, Texas in the Oak Cliff area I began my football journey as many of my peers by playing pee-wee league football. Playing pee-wee league football was common in my neighborhood for many of us.

      One afternoon my god parents convinced my mom to allow me to go with them to register my god brothers for the upcoming football season. My god brothers played for the local pee-wee league team the Red Bird Raiders. The Red Bird Raiders is an organization rich in tradition and is widely known as one of the best pee wee league football organizations in the southern metro-plex. On that day my football life began. Over the next seven years I enjoyed the highs of winning, becoming a champion, being mentored by great coaches, and learning how the play the game of football with other great young men. However, this experience would come to an end.

      As I entered the eighth-grade like many of my teammates we went on to play for the local middle school, W.H. Atwell. Once again, I became a member of a great football program which was rich in tradition.

      W.H. Atwell was coached by Mr. Charles Walton who is known around the city as one of the best coaches to coach in the Dallas Independent School District. Coach Walton was a winner of numerous district and city championships and produced winning teams each year. Coach Walton was also known as being a molder and cultivator of young men. During my eighth-grade year I went out for the team and became the starting wide receiver. During the season I excelled and ended the regular season with a great game against our district rival D.A. Hulcy. We went on to represent our district in the city championship and defeated Pearl C. Anderson to bring home the title with a final record of 10-0. Nevertheless, this experience would also come to an end.

      Now it was time to move on to high school football. I grew up admiring one of the best high schools in Texas. If you grew up in the Oak Cliff area and had a desire to play high school football your dream was to one day play under the Friday Night Lights as a Dallas Carter Cowboy. As a kid I grew up watching my god brother play under those bright lights and it was amazing. When the 1988 team made it to the Texas State 5A Football Championship the entire community filled Texas Stadium. Texas Stadium was the former home of the Dallas Cowboys and the entire community attended the game to show support. Dallas Carter defeated Converse Judson to win the 1988 State Championship, however the championship was forfeited due to an alleged ineligible player, nevertheless the community still recognizes them for their accomplishments. With such tradition the day to be able to suit up in the Red and Columbia Blue was a dream I wanted to come true.

      As a freshman I fractured my left ankle which ended my season after only three games. Entering my sophomore year, I played backup quarterback, however I saw limited action. During my junior year my dream of making the varsity team was finally about to come true, however a plethora of depth and talent at the wide receiver position forced me to return to the junior varsity team for another season. Finally, my senior year arrived and the battle for playing time was at an all-time high. On a team that signed thirty Division I-A and Division I-AA athletes, one can imagine the competition that lingered at each position. I entered the season as the third string wide receiver, however several training camp injuries forced me to move to the starting role as a tight end. I was extremely undersized as a tight end because I only weighed 188 pounds, however I was six foot four inches tall and was the biggest and best option our team had at the time. I had a good season and earned second team all- district honors. In the process I gained recognition from several universities and I decided to accept an athletic- scholarship to attend Alcorn State University.

      The summer of 1997 before enrolling at Alcorn St. University I worked hard with a few former high school teammates who were currently in college playing football and making names for themselves across the nation. I gained twenty-five pounds of muscle and truly learned how to prepare myself physically to be a college football player. From the day I stepped foot on the campus of Alcorn State University my mind was focused on doing whatever I had to do to one day be able to play professional football.

      During training camp also known as two-a-days I stood out from day one making spectacular catch after another. I was having such a good camp I ended up being named the starting wide receiver for the first game of the season as a true freshman. Training camp came to an end and classes were now in session. However, my focus was on football and preparing myself to be ready to start my first college game of the season against Troy, one of the top programs in the nation. I missed several classes daily and school was not at the top of my list. Trying to adjust to the demands of being a college football player were taking a toll on me mentally and physically. Six weeks go by and three football games later we are at the midterm of the academic semester and my commitment to be an athlete was at an all-time high, however my commitment to be a student was at an all-time low. I earned a grade point average of 1.5 which placed me on academic probation and put me in jeopardy of losing my athletic scholarship because I needed a 2.0 grade point average at

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1