Ricky Proehl, Coach for he CarolinaPanthers Preaches the Power of Play.
Ricky Proehl played in four Super Bowls during his NFL professional career as a wide receiver, winning two appearances in “The Greatest Show on Turf” with the St. Louis Rams and Indianapolis Colts. Earlier this year, as a wide receiver coach for the NFC Champion Carolina Panthers, his team went to the Super Bowl again.
Yet even after achieving the highest levels in football, Proehl says his passion remains working with kids through his P.O.W.E.R. of Play Foundation (where P.O.W.E.R. stands for Play, Opportunity, Work, Excellence & Respect) at the sports facility he and his wife, Kelly, built in Greensboro, North Carolina, called Proehlific Park.
“We started the park to give back, to create a place for the youth of our community to thrive, to have a place to go to where they could realize their dreams,” Proehl says. “My upbringing was so positive. You’re a product of your environment.
I had so many positive influences through middle school, high school, in college and in the pros. When you’re around people who want to be successful, who work hard, you become who you’re around. You become inspired, motivated to be successful. I want children to feel that, to understand what that feels like.”The need for such a place in the greater Greensboro area
certainly exists. According to Tyler Wilson, director of the P.O.W.E.R. of Play Foundation, 23% of children in Guilford County, the region served by Proehlific Park, are food-insecure — meaning they are unsure where their next meal is coming from or when. CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE
