Russell Sadberry M.Ed., ATC, LAT

Moro Ojomo didn't even try out for the football team in his freshman year of high school. But after the coach convinced him, he decided to give football a shot. “Freshman team backup,” Ojomo said. “Freshman B-team backup. The fourth guy in my position.” The next season, he didn’t even make the JV team. “I was always big for my age, but people didn’t know that because people didn’t realize how young I was,” he said. “I kind of fit in, but I didn’t stand out much.” Determined to change that perception, Moro made a promise to himself. “I knew, if I don’t start this year, I’m quitting football,” he said.  “I’d already made my mind up, if I don’t start junior year, I’m gonna quit football.” The 13-year-old sophomore poured every ounce of free time into his training. He stayed after school for hours, often as late as 6 p.m.  Eventually, his dad started wondering where he was. “I said, ‘Son, what’s going on here?’” his father remembered. “He said, ‘Dad, I have this dream and I want to pursue it.’” The extra hours in the gym paid off, and Moro finally made the varsity team as a junior. “He’s a late-blooming kid, and that’s why you never give up on kids,” coach Gary Joseph said. “You never give up on people like that.” After starting the fall as a third-stringer, he gained confidence with more time on the field. He worked his way into a starting role and ended the season earning all-district honors. Then, in his senior year, he became one of the most dominant defensive linemen in the state. D1 recruiters swarmed. Now he's a 2nd-year NFL defensive tackle & gearing up for the biggest game of his life: Super Bowl LIX. Yet his approach is the same as it was when he was an unknown high schooler fighting to make the varsity squad. “I’m just always excited to go to work…I got one life to live, you know? So why not compete? Why not shoot for the moon?” “When you look at my story, what are the odds? The most random kid from Nigeria…He starts playing football, and now he’s in the NFL. What are the odds? A seventh-round pick makes a deep, talented defensive line like this. Just keep believing in yourself and keep working. Just try. You only get one life, so why not give it 110 percent?”