Ope, here it is, look at that.

[Mike Goolsby] I've lived a pretty full life for being 40 and most of that can be attributed to football.

The relationships that's allowed me to create, the people that I've met, the opportunities that have fell into my lap, (people speaking softly) some of the wisdom that it's given me, some of the toughness that it's given me.

[Coach] The way he said hit.

Good.

Excellent.

(football stadium cheering) [Announcer] Intercepted, picked off by Goolsby, he will score!

(cheering continues) Touchdown Notre Dame!

[Narrator] Mike Goolsby was a high school All-American.

a Notre Dame captain, an inside linebacker.

And he had a brief stint in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys and the St. Louis Rams.

[Mike Goolsby] Your progression from high school to college to the NFL.

And there's some wasted time there because you're trying to get caught up as far as like the football stuff.

Technique, keys, all those things.

So I was like, man, if I could prevent a a kid having to waste that time and ramp up his development, I want to do that.

[Avante Dickerson] My first time training with him I actually didn't know what a cover two or a cover three or any of that football stuff was.

[Jamison Kemp] I'd say the biggest thing that he first helped me was my stance.

Because as a D lineman, your stance and your get off means everything.

And if explosive off the ball that's about like 50% of your game right there.

[Mike Goolsby] It was really born out of, as I like to say, when I was done with football or when football was done with me, it left a huge void.

And frankly I didn't know what else to do.

So I just started training kids.

Kind of a give back and selfishly for me it was really cathartic.

Kind of helped me move on past football as a player.

(piano) [Narrator] Sometimes it takes more to get noticed by a college coach.

So Mike works with his athletes on things like building a highlight reel, preparing for camps, and navigating the recruitment process.

The training is effective and Mike says that's because it's all one-on-one.

(piano music) [Mike Goolsby] So you can really take your time and be very particular in terms of your training.

And then beyond that, you could build a closer relationship with the kid.

And that's really the fun part, is take a kid, we don't know each other, but trust me this is gonna be fun.

And I don't think I could do that if it wasn't done on a one-on-one basis.

[Cheerleaders] B E aggressive [Narrator] Avante Dickerson was the first athlete Mike worked with.

A sophomore at Omaha Westside.

Avante already had a lot of natural ability.

[Announcer] Off the top from Daley in the end zone and picked off by Dickerson.

[Avante Dickerson] Well it goes nervousness for probably, the first couple plays but once you get rolling, I just love the feeling.

I just, I love being out there, that's the thing.

All those fans.

[Mike Goolsby] You could just tell being around the game as long.

I was like this kid's got something.

Came to me as a wide receiver, switched him over to corner and it worked out for him.

[Avante Dickerson] I mean, he played at the next level.

So whatever he says, you can just take it and just learn from him.

And that's really what I did.

[Narrator] Avante had a lot of success on the field, even when things weren't so easy at home.

[Avante Dickerson] I grew up in North Omaha, really rough, rough nights.

Bullets have come through the house.

My house been robbed plenty of times.

[Ken Fox] Man, like great kid.

I see so much of myself in him when it comes to his background and his beginnings.

Not having the options that a lot of other kids have the options to get.

(soft music) [Narrator] Ken Fox has volunteered with youth sports programs in North Omaha for over a decade.

In 2015 he co-founded the Black Police Officers Association.

A non-profit focused on bridging the gap between the community and law enforcement.

[Ken Fox] I tell people all the time, you know, I'm a police officer, I'm here to serve and protect.

But if it wasn't for sports, if I didn't play football, if I didn't go to college to play football, I probably would be robbing you because of the background and the people that raised me and the culture that was around me.

[Narrator] Ken's organization offers free sports to Omaha youth, primarily for kids from places where violence hits hard.

That's how he knows Avante; coaching him in little league baseball.

Their relationship grew from there.

[Avante Dickerson] My father really wasn't in my life how he's supposed to be, but Ken really stepped up and really played that role.

We're pretty much family.

I love him to death.

[Ken Fox] That's my goal and that's what I focus on doing for Avante is just giving him opportunities and giving someone to talk to and hang out with.

[Narrator] Avante's interests evolved to football and when Avante said was working with a trainer Ken was skeptical and he wanted to know more.

But then he got to know Mike and his work.

And after Avante got a scholarship to play football at the University of Oregon, the two began thinking about how they could help other kids.

[Mike Goolsby] Not everybody's gonna end up being the number one player in the state, but my mission for kids is to get their school paid for, to get college paid for in whatever level possible.

[Ken Fox] And that's one of the first things I told him.

I don't care if you make D1 athletes.

If I can take a kid from North or South Omaha, that are disadvantaged and they go to an NAIA school, that's a win for me.

That's the same win as if they go to to Alabama, to me personally.

[Mike Goolsby] It shouldn't be an instance where if a family can't afford training or they can't afford to drive to X, Y, or Z, that shouldn't be a limiting factor behind that kid pursuing a goal.

This kid might have some ability.

This kid's got some promise.

This kid's just a great kid, you know he deserves to have a shot to work with somebody.

You know, Jameson Kemp would've been one of those kids.

[Jamison Kemp] Football's kind of like a therapy for me.

You can really go out on the field and just let it all out.

(piano noise) [Narrator] Jameson Kemp, an Omaha Central defensive tackle wants to become an economist and a CEO of Fortune 500 company.

But after a standout career as a collegiate and professional football player he was another one of Fox's Little Leaguers.

[Ken Fox] Jameson had to work extra hard to get where he's gotten in life and he's been extremely passionate about it.

[Narrator] After working with Mike, Jameson showcased his skills to coaches from all over the country at a summer camp.

He walked away with three division one offers.

[Jamison Kemp] But once we got in the car, family, dad, yelling, screaming, mom crying.

It was just an amazing feeling.

[Mike Goolsby] He was like, coach, I got Great news.

I got these three offers.

And I was just like, praise God man.

I get emotional talking about it.

So that's crazy.

But I was just like, you know, he deserves it.

You're prepping for it.

You're prepping for it.

The moment comes and you knocked it out of the park and like, that's so cool to me.

I mean, it's so fulfilling.

(soft rock music) (soft rock music) The core issue is that there are kids that wouldn't have the ability to pursue higher level of training that shouldn't get lost in the shuffle.

That's gonna be my focus.

Helping kids that are committed that might not have the resources otherwise and they shouldn't get short changed in that process.

[Narrator] Helping young athletes achieve their dreams and creating mentors in the process.

[Coach] So let's try and piece it up, peek and then throw off.

Does that make sense?

[Ken Fox] I have a servant heart and so I believe that, you know, I believe giving back is something that you know, we're put here on this earth to do.

See kids that were like you and then support them, like you got supported.

And so, I absolutely have brought them in and made them mentors to younger kids.

(soft rock music) [Avante Dickerson] For me, I want to have young athletes look at me and see like, oh, he's doing that.

I wanna follow his footsteps.

[Coach] Oh, there, it's good.

Good job, Jamis.

Good job.

[Jamison Kemp] Thankfully I had great parents and great friends who were there for me.

I know there are a lot of kids in bad situations, who might need a positive figure in their life, to really come in to uplift them and keep them on the right track, you know?

So I always feel like volunteering and giving back is just a big important part of what I do.

[Mike Goolsby] Because the next Jameson Kemp, the next Avante Dickerson, they're out there.

[Coach] Stay square.

That looks beautiful.

That's a nice rep. That looks beautiful.