Fran Brown was born to a 13-year-old mother and an absent father and later spent two seasons in the NFL, but the most pivotal moment of his life came when his career was over.
It was 2008 and Brown's 4-year-old son, Frannie, asked his dad to take me to McDonald's. Fran had to say no. He couldn't afford it.
That moment of shame was also Brown's moment of enlightenment. Depressed at the time after his NFL dream had died, Brown used that moment to spur into action, to renew his purpose in life.
Three years after that, Brown was Temple's director of player development. Eight years after that, Brown is now Temple's co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach.
Returning to his hometown of Camden, NJ, Brown shared his story with the Camden Courier-Post, and you can't help but come away rooting for him.
As he says above, football is a means to an end for Brown, a tool to feed his true passion: transforming young mens' lives.
“I’m trying to do this for every kid that thinks they got no way out,” Brown told the paper. "If I have a chance to give them that ticket to get ’em in, come get it with me; and if they can’t get it with me, I’m going to show them how to go get it.
"I want to see everybody happy, I want to see everybody eat. I truly want to see everyone shine.”