The Chiefs and QB Damon Huard Show "Heart" at Local School

Nov 27, 2007, 12:43:13 AM

There are many characteristics utilized by an individual who toiled in near obscurity before finally becoming more than an afterthought as an NFL quarterback. Without a doubt, heart would be one of the most important. Thanks to that attitude, Kansas City Chiefs QB Damon is well aware of the importance that character has played in both his professional and personal endeavors. That’s why he spoke with some local students at Kansas City’s Center Middle School on behalf of the Heart of a Champion program.

Visiting these local middle schoolers, Huard shared in a discussion focusing on perseverance. Unequivocally another attribute that served Huard well in the pursuit of his football aspirations, the former Washington Husky addressed the students with personal examples. The 11-year NFL veteran told the students that one is not able to reach their goals without the ability to persevere through adversity.

Having entered the League as an undrafted rookie that would get cut from the Cincinnati Bengals at the conclusion of his first training camp, Huard persevered toward his career goals. Making stops in Miami, Frankfurt, with NFL Europe’s Frankfurt Galaxy, and New England prior to coming to Chiefs, Huard had to bide his time before he was looked at as a viable option under center.

The Heart of a Champion curriculum was initially implemented locally in 2003 as a pilot program, funded by the Kansas City Chiefs. This year with the Chiefs continued backing, Heart of a Champion can be found in several Kansas City area districts, including KCKPS, Lee’s Summit School District, Grandview School District, Sedalia School District and Belton Schools among others. The Chiefs involvement in Heart of a Champion is a result of Tavia Hunt’s passion for reaching out to our country’s future leaders. That passion is so important that Hunt currently serves on the board of the Heart of a Champion Foundation.

The Heart of a Champion Foundation developed a national in-school program to foster character development among students. The nine attributes of commitment, leadership, perseverance, teamwork, respect, integrity, responsibility, self control, and compassion are stressed by this educational material. The Heart of a Champion Character Development Program is a comprehensive, nine-month, in-class program that teaches and reinforces positive character traits and virtues, and demonstrates examples of persons with high character to students in a learning environment on a year-round basis.

For more information on Heart of a Champion, visit http://www.heartofachampion.org/

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