From the premature end of his college football career, Michael Sam’s faith led him to a higher calling and a new home in Houston’s Third Ward.
By: By Chuck Pool (cpool@rice.edu)
Poised to take the next step in his athletic career when he when he made his college football debut against UCLA in 2012, Michael Sam's night would prove to be formative in ways he would not have anticipated.
Ticketed to be part of significant infusion of young talent on the Owls' defense debuting that night, Sam's first collegiate appearance would see him collect three tackles in one of only two games in a career derailed by a knee injury. Out of that disappointment was born the pursuit of a higher calling in Christian ministry work, one that led him to Houston's Third Ward providing mentorship to local youth and comfort and support to a community deeply impacted by the death of George Floyd.
Restoration Community Church was planted in Houston's Third Ward in 2010 by Pastor David Hill as an alternative option for individuals he was mentoring who were looking to rebuild their lives at a center of community worship free from the judgement they felt from others. Many members knew Floyd or members of his family. Hill's wife had attended Yates High School with George and Pastor Hill coached his younger brother in youth basketball.
"The murder of George Floyd really brought a lot of people to a place that was beyond anger, a place of great sadness and hopelessness," Sam said. "It left me speechless. My wife (April)-who is white--asked me why when these things happen I tend to not talk about them. I asked her what was I supposed to say? It seems like no matter how I feel, what I say or even the work I have given my life to cannot prevent the next senseless murder from happening. I was really in a place of deep grief."
"After this happened, I reach out to several of my friends who are cops and I told them how much I respected them and know the cost they pay to work in their profession. One of them was Troy Finner, whose son (Jaylon) I played with at Rice. I have the utmost respect for anyone who wears the badge. But it can't be denied that policing in an African-American community is much different. That's hard for us to live with," Sam said.
"We hosted a prayer vigil at the church following the murder of George Floyd. Over 250 people of all backgrounds and ethnicities showed up to unite in this fight for justice. A lot of tears were shed and I feel that at the end of the night people left with hope. Attendees were challenged to be committed both to love and justice as individuals and those who are part of systems that perpetuate injustices. That was a moment that will impact a lot of people going forward."
Sam's journey from the football field to Restoration Community Church was nurtured through a series of internships and ministry trips, each one amplifying the call he heard to dedicate himself to serve those in the greatest need, but the seeds of service were first instilled in him by his parents, Michael Sr. and Yolanda Sam.
Sam was credited with three tackles vs. UCLA at Rice
Stadium in his debut on August 30, 2012
His ascent from youth and middle school football to Strake Jesuit and then to Rice had been shepherded by his parents, who tirelessly put all their efforts into providing the best opportunity for him and his two sisters to find success.
"My dad worked a lot of hours, but whenever he wasn't at work he was volunteering at our school encouraging other young men to make the most out of their educational opportunities. Many of the young men he mentored were challenges for their teacher and distractions for their classmates, but my father played a key role in changing how they view education and encouraging them to be a leader within the school environment," Sam recalled. "Most of my friends didn't have fathers in their homes and my dad became that kind of influence for them. My mom was very involved with the school PTO and both were active in our church.
"If my dad wasn't working, he was showing up to our extracurricular activities, mentoring other youths or serving at the church. My mom was doing the same. They were models for the type of life they taught us to live."
He might have just as easily faced UCLA as a member of the Stanford Cardinal instead of Rice in 2012, but it was a desire to play in front of his parents that led him to sign with Rice in 2011.
"I was sitting in the airport with my father on the trip home (from Stanford) and I kept asking myself if I really wanted to be this far away from home. I knew my parents didn't have the resources in order to come see me play on the west coast regularly. I knew my journey to play collegiate football was much bigger than myself. I had a huge support system with my family and friends and I wanted them to be a part of my experience once I reached that next level. That was the huge value add that Rice had, being in my back yard. "
On this night at least, his support system could savor his taking the field against the Bruins and his three tackles in the game. While many of his young teammates would go on to build from their first playing experience, eventually leading Rice to three bowl games and a conference title, Sam would play in only one more game as an injury deprived him the chance to join his teammates in their pursuit of glory.
"Older players always tell you that you don't want to get hurt in the spring, but that's what happened to me (in the spring of 2012)," Sam recalled. "I tore my meniscus, had surgery and was going through rehab and therapy heading into fall camp. I had a chance to play against UCLA, but I never felt 100%. I felt like something wasn't right and that turned out to be the case."
Faced with the sudden end of his playing days, Sam took heart in head coach David Bailiff's message that he was still an integral part of the team by helping the video staff shoot games and practices.
"You try to do what you can and contribute what you can. I was grateful to do what I could and play the role of teammate even though I no longer could play. That speaks to life. Oftentimes, you have no control of your circumstances and have to make the most of where you find yourself," he added.
At the same time, Sam began to broaden his experiences as a student, including involvement with student ministry work.
He interned with the Positive Coaching Alliance, which is a nonprofit committed to equipping coaches and parents to see sport as an opportunity for character development. While interning with PCA, Sam contributed their mission of influencing how parents and coaches relate to their student-athletes.
He also interned with Center for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership at the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies. "I began to feel that I wanted my influence in the sports world to be bigger than just a game. I wanted to influence communities. It gave me an understanding of how non-profits worked," Sam explained.
He also became active in campus ministry work through CRU, an interdenominational Christian evangelical and discipleship ministry (originally called Campus Crusade for Christ). He might not have realized it, but he was setting the stage for his life's work.
"During my junior year, I was being discipled by Kurt Ritz, who was on staff with CRU. He asked me if there was anyone in the football locker room that could benefit from the same discipleship and mentorship. I knew there were guys who said they were Christians, but their identity was as a football player. I was the same way. It defined the decisions I made and how other people related to me.
"I told him I could introduce him to some of them, but he took me to a bible verse (2 Timothy 2:2 'The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.') and challenged me to take what I have learned from my discipleship relationship with him to reach my teammates. I began to develop relationships with a number of student-athletes--not just football players, but all over the athletic department--who were interested in growing spiritually," Sam recalled.
During the winter break in the fall of 2012 and after joining his football teammates for the Armed Forces Bowl, Sam drove to a CRU winter conference with Rice baseball player Blake Fox.
"We talked about our faith and how that was often overshadowed by our identity as college athletes. We asked ourselves if that was the life we really wanted to live. There was a point in the conference where it was like a line was drawn in the sand. I felt God saying to me that I say I am a Christian, but my life looks nothing like Him. Either I would receive the gift of the abundant life Christ offers and live for His glory or I would continue to search for satisfaction in what I could do as a limited being. I asked myself if my identity will be based on what I do or will it be based on what God has already done for me. That was the moment of transition for me."
During his senior year, Sam attended an Athletes in Action conference on the recommendation of Houston Texans' Chaplain Greg Tyler, who was mentoring Sam.
"It was men and women from all walks of life who were influencing athletes with the Gospel through the platform of sports. They genuinely cared for college and professional athletes. I wanted to a part of that group. I thought that even though I was no longer a college athlete, my experience in sports and in an athletic department, gave me credibility."
Sam worked for Athletes in Action for two years in Raleigh, North Carolina.
"We were on two campuses, NC State and Shaw University, which was a small historically Black university. I felt that God put it in my heart that the men and women at this small HBCU needed Jesus and the spiritual leadership just as much as the student-athletes at the Power 5 schools. There were probably six or seven missionaries between Athletes in Action and FCA that were working with student-athletes at NC State but I was one of two at Shaw. I looked around and it seemed that there were not many sport ministers who were willing to serve students athletes at HBCUs.
"During this time I wondered what would it look like to reach the student athletes like those I was working with at Shaw University before they stepped foot on a university campus. I also was thinking about Houston and about coming home. I began to realize that many of these students-athletes come from communities similar to the Third Ward. I told God I would love to have a chance to return home and offer this type of ministry to young men in the low-income communities in Houston," Sam explained.
His hopes were soon realized when a job came open at West University Baptist Church, directing their afterschool programs. While here, he learned of a mission partner in the Third Ward (Hill) who was looking for someone to work alongside him.
The challenges were obvious, including the on-going need to generate financial support for his position, but it also answered the call that Sam felt as he moved into the ministry.
"We work with young men who had been in gangs, guys who were coming from all kinds brokenness and hardships in their lives and single mothers who were trying to raise their children while working multiple jobs. (Hill) said he'd love to have me, but he couldn't pay me. God provided resources to get started and I decided to join him in the mission to help love and support people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ in this community in November of 2018."
Eight years removed from the end of his brief football career, some of his former teammates have found fame and fortune playing professional football and others great success in the business world around the country.
Less than two miles from where he and his teammates once trained, Sam's professional pursuits incorporate the lessons learned from athletic competition into a larger mission for his new community.
"We moved into the Third Ward only a couple blocks from where we serve. My wife is the Children's Ministry Director for a non-profit called Agape Development and I serve as the church's Associate Minister. Our mission is to rebuild the lives of the individuals, families and communities through the love of Jesus Christ. We intentionally develop relationships with people in the community from children to adults to try and help them grow spiritually, grow in their character, help them in their career and even in their family.
"We believe in holistic growth. We can't say we care about your soul if we don't care also about the physical needs that you might have. We have a weekly food distribution, serve regularly in the local school and are involved in assisting returning offenders get acclimated to life outside of prison. This summer, I started a sports camp called Emerge for middle and high school boys. The idea is that none of the young men have arrived, but we want to help them grow into the man God created them to be. We do sports-specific training that rotates between football and basketball and every session has a life talk during our break time," he said.
He calls upon his connections at Rice to help his efforts.
"We had William Edmond from Rice come talk about education and the importance of that for young men and women from the community we are in. I was grateful that coach (Seth) Houston and coach (Tina) Langley for showing up at our vigil for George Floyd, representing Rice and showing me they care," he stated.
Recent events may have magnified the challenges faced by his new community--challenges not easily rectified as those on a football field--but such moments only further strengthen Sam and his wife's certainty that they are exactly where they need to be.
"As a church, we plan to dig in and continue investing in the lives of the young men and women in our community… to challenge them to seek hope and purpose and to persevere in spite of everything that is going on in the world."
