Karlos Dansby's Dad has Always Kept Him on Track

BY Dennis Lin
Birmingham News
25 April 2012


Karlos Dansby wanted to quit football.

He came home one day before his senior year at Woodlawn High School and told his father of his desire to focus on basketball. On the hardwood, the Colonels had a chance to win a state championship. The football team, meanwhile, was coming off its second straight 2-8 season.

"He said, 'Anything you need I can provide,' " Karlos said, remembering his father's response. " 'Anything you want, there's going to come a time when you're not going to want for anything.'"

The Rev. Samuel Dansby made the promise on the condition that Karlos stick with football.

Karlos earned all-state honors that senior season. He went on to play at Auburn, where he collected All-SEC and All-America accolades before being selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft.

In March 2010, Karlos signed a five-year, $43 million contract with the Miami Dolphins -- then the richest deal for an inside linebacker in league history. His father had been on to something, after all.

"He was right on point," Karlos said. "Right now, I don't want for anything.

"I was blessed to have him. He still motivates me to this day, and he always steers me in the right direction."

Karlos plans to impart some of his own wisdom Saturday when he serves as the keynote speaker at the inaugural "U Can Make A Difference" banquet and fundraiser. The 6 p.m. event will take place inside the Sheraton Birmingham ballroom. Proceeds will go toward Samuel's community outreach program, Appointed Time Ministries.

Since 1989, Samuel has run an annual faith-based summer basketball camp for boys and girls ages 7 to 18. Karlos grew up attending the weeklong "Bibles and Balls" camp, where his father teaches athletics, leadership and Christian faith. Many campers live in housing projects, with limited access to sports skills instruction.

"It's part of me," Karlos said. "It gave me the opportunity to not only learn the game -- basketball and football -- it taught me how to put God first in everything I do."

Samuel, the pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church, said his son will speak to athletes from around Birmingham "about living in the inner city and coming out of the inner city" at Saturday's banquet.

"He has a real heart for the kids in the inner city," said Samuel, a retired Woodlawn High teacher and former baseball and basketball coach at Wenonah. "He understands a lot of these kids didn't have a real father growing up, and he understands the dynamics of the inner city."

In Miami, Karlos has made his own efforts to reach the local youth. During the 2011 NFL season, his "Difference Makers" organization allowed him to host about 20 high-school student-athletes at each Dolphins home game. The students, with grade-point averages of 2.5 or higher, were treated to a free ticket, T-shirt, hot dog, popcorn and soft drink.

Karlos said he started the organization after recalling the experience of attending his first NFL game in 2003. He hopes "Difference Makers" will give other youngsters similar inspiration.

"It was game-changing for me to see 300-pound men move around like that," Karlos said. "Even though I'd played in the SEC, I'd never seen something like that."

The NFL offseason has allowed Karlos to concentrate his community work closer to home. In 2009 and 2010, he hosted the "Karlos Dansby All-Star Football Camp" at Oak Mountain High School. The camp, held free of charge, drew approximately 400 campers both years, Karlos said, and provided children ages 8 to 18 with instructional drills and football fundamentals.

After a one-year hiatus, the camp will return to Oak Mountain on June 9, Karlos said.

Karlos credits his father for inspiring his off-the-field efforts. In addition to running his outreach program, Samuel has visited each of Karlos' recent football teams -- Auburn, Arizona and Miami -- as a guest speaker.

"He has the ability to relate sports and the Bible," Karlos said. "That's his gift. I love when he comes speak to guys and speak to teams, because it's so motivating and so powerful. It puts things in perspective."

On the field, Karlos has turned his attention toward the upcoming NFL season. The eight-year veteran sets specific goals for himself, such as reaching his first Pro Bowl and returning to the Super Bowl (he played in Super Bowl XLIII in 2008 with Arizona). He wants to join the NFL's exclusive "20/20 club," currently a group of 10 players in league history with 20 career interceptions and 20 career sacks. Karlos currently has 11 interceptions and 30.5 sacks.

Saturday, he'll take a break from his training to re-join his father, this time as a fellow mentor. "It's excellent what my dad is doing right now," Karlos said. "I'm glad he's continuing to work in the community with these kids and just showing them they can make it, giving them hope, telling them that if you believe, you can achieve it."