Rise Above

Acknowledgments...............................................................xi

Foreword............................................................................. xv

Introduction......................................................................xvii

1 | Dress the Part-Borrow a Suit..................................... 1

2 | It Starts at Home............................................................ 9

Roots............................................................................ 11

Value of a Dollar........................................................ 14

3 | Silver Platter.................................................................17

Gut Check................................................................... 17

Fork in the Road......................................................... 24

Farm Worker.............................................................. 29

Broken Bone................................................................ 34

Miraculous Recruitment............................................ 36

Iron Skillet................................................................... 42

Bewilderment in Birmingham................................... 49

4 | Paid to Play...................................................................55

Swapping Suits............................................................ 66

Building Blocks........................................................... 68

5 | Follow the Yellow Brick Road....................................71

Eye on the Prize.......................................................... 71

On and Off the Field................................................... 73

Coach Steve Denman, Tehachapi High School......... 74

Coach/Athletic Director Brent Carder,

Antelope Valley College.............................................. 75

Coach Phil Bennett, Southern Methodist

University.................................................................... 77

Jim Romo, My Dad..................................................... 79

Task to Grow.............................................................. 80

Just One Lunch........................................................... 82

The Value of Mentorship............................................ 89

Epilogue...............................................................................93

Open Doors................................................................. 93

Conquering Fears....................................................... 94

Your Best Life.............................................................. 96

About the Author...............................................................99