Quincy Carter was the rare athlete to play both professional baseball (minor leagues) and football, most prominently for the Dallas Cowboys. Recently, he launched The Quincy Carter Foundation.
Here, he discusses how working through his own life challenges informs the meaning and message of his foundation’s work to develop youth on and off the field.
Highlights include:
:40 The mission of The Quincy Carter Foundation: “Get out in the neighborhoods and promote and advocate for substance free communities by hosting camps and clinics, public speaking, and mentoring. We want kids exposed to how to lead a healthy life. We talk to these young men and women about deep issues, such as mental health.”
2:58 On a childhood built around getting dropped off the school bus at Gresham Park in Atlanta for physical activities ranging from football, baseball, and basketball to bumper pool and table tennis: “I was reserved, and sport brought my personality out,” including self-knowledge, self-esteem, and confidence.
5:57 What Quin cy learned from an influential coach, the late Napoleon Cobb
7:55 Impacting kids from a wide variety of racial and socio-economic backgrounds
9:46 Quincy is frank and honest with youth about everything from the danger of too much time on their devices to the disaster of fentanyl-laced candy
14:00 On the ways that sports and fitness fit into his message about healthy lifestyles: “Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.”
17:21 Advice for parents: Support your kids’ dreams, and realize that they have another parent — “that device in their hands, which is not necessarily preaching your same message.” If kids are going to spend so much time on their phones, they can look up yoga routines or other material to keep them physically and mentally healthy.
