Football proves life-saving for young player

Football is known for teaching life skills like teamwork, dedication, and the ability to see the lessons in both wins and losses.

But more than that, 28-year-old Tavante Gammage said, “Football saved my life.”

“A lot of my family members played the game, cousins and uncles, but they kind of fell into the drug game, either doing drugs or selling drugs and then ended up in prison,” Mr. Gammage said. “So I figured to continue my legacy — or to even start my legacy — I have to go further than they did.”

“Coming to Toledo is my stepping stone into what my mighty God has for me,” said the Glass City Tigers quarterback.

Born in central Florida and raised in Atlanta, Mr. Gammage grew up playing football for the Blue Devils at Norcross High School, Patriots of Berkmar High School, and the Knights at Middle Georgia State University, briefly, where he was considered a great talent, humble, and coachable.

“Tavante always had a passion for football. He and his brother played football growing up,” said his mother, Dolmeshia Barr. “My son didn't have a role model, and I'm a single parent doing the best I can, but we are spiritual. He’s got a praying grandma and mama.”

After working hard to maintain the grades to play and persevering through a brief homeless situation, her son has what it takes to play for the NFL, Ms. Barr said she believes.

“I'm praying that God is still going to open that door because he has really pressed his way,” she said.

In search of a career path, Mr. Gammage knew with certainty he wanted his life to somehow influence others. That desire inspired an initial pursuit of a career in nursing, which he studied at MGSU.

“At the time, I thought that was the only way I could have a positive impact on others in their lives,” he said.

After working as a certified nursing assistant, he realized that his true passion was not in the field of medicine, and he could not escape the desire for fitness and football, he said. With a bachelor’s degree in business, he and a friend took a chance and started a fitness company.

“Then things came crashing down. I lost my longtime girlfriend, and I became homeless,” Mr. Gammage said. “I was in a low place mentally, and I really didn't see any hope in my life.”

The very skills that football instilled — resilience and the ability to overcome setbacks and losses — came into play.

“I like Bible stories, so I gave him the Joseph and the Abraham stories to remind him of things happening in our lives,” Ms. Barr said. “I've never seen the blessing come before the enemy, who always wants to talk you out of your blessing and make you think things aren't working behind the scenes — because God is behind the scenes.”

The desire to get back in the game grew even more after seeing a video of a good friend playing football and flourishing in the game, which he found “mind-blowing.”

“I had begun sleeping in my car, and I couldn't shake the thought of playing football,” he said. “I thought football was dead for me but I started back training, and, before I knew it, the whole year had gone by.”

While he didn’t initially feel completely confident to step back on the field, he said, he decided to take a chance.

“I booked a flight from Atlanta, Georgia, to North Dakota,” he said, believing that all the “early mornings, the late nights, the blood, sweat, discipline, and dedication” would pay off.

There he played for two semipro teams, the Minndak Titans and Fargo Invaders, setting records and racking up honors, including multiple MVP, all-star, and All-American awards.

Mr. Gammage joined the Glass City Tigers this year as the team's first out-of-state recruit, said Calvin Murrell, head coach of the team.

“We've been in existence for eight seasons now, and our owner, Robert Henderson, started this team to help the young guys try to stay out of jail and getting shot on the weekends,” he said. “This gives them something to do and puts their aggression out on the field instead on the streets of Toledo.”

“And when a player with the skills that Tavante has calls and says he wants to be a part of your team, you don't try to get rid of him, you try to encourage him,” he said. “His dream ultimately is to get a chance to either go to CFL, NFL, or the UFL.”

Mr. Gammage attributes his determination and faith to the biblical principles instilled in him by his grandmother, his mother, and even his father.

“He was a longtime drug dealer who went to prison for a long stint of time, got out, and really changed his life,” he said. “He just showed me how to be a better man, how to improve your life, and how you can put out positivity.”

Off the field, furthering his passion for fitness, Mr. Gammage works as a personal trainer and aspires to be a mentor to other young men that may be losing their way. He brings his Bible to practice and reads to his teammates, he said.

“I’m just looking to inspire the young men to understand there is a way out of what you're accustomed to or what you've seen on a day-to-day basis,” he said. “There is a way out if you take this game seriously and if you really focus and cut out all the distractions.”

“I want these guys to continue reaching for the stars, setting goals, striving for greatness, and not get complacent with life,” he said. “If God is not in the mix, there is no other way. That's what I live by.”