“OJ” Robey Jr. Named National Play It Smart Student-Athlete of the Month.

DALLAS, April 22, 2009 - The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced today that Orlando “OJ” Robey Jr., a senior football player from E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg, Virginia, has been named the Play It Smart National Student-Athlete of the Month for March.

Robey, a three-year starter and the senior team captain, earned All-District honors twice at linebacker while also carrying the ball as a running back on offense. With plans to earn a college degree, he aspires to a career in physical education and sports management, goals he did not have prior to E.C. Glass implementing Play It Smart this past fall.

“We applaud Orlando for taking responsibility for his future. He is a compelling example of how Play It Smart can quickly impact a young football player to set new goals and achieve them,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. “We take great pride in his new determination and focus on self improvement and community service.”

Early in his high school career, Robey lacked the desire to enroll in college, thinking that a higher education fell beyond his reach as an unattainable goal. His grades suffered, and his future plans remained unclear. Everything changed for him with the introduction of Play It Smart, which helped him develop a plan for achieving new goals. In the classroom, he became focused on his academics, and he utilized the program’s life skills component as a bridge to community service work. Currently, he volunteers with the Lynchburg Salvation Army, washing dishes and preparing meals.

“Personally, I think if Play It Smart were here when I first started high school, then maybe I would have taken class, grades, and school in general more seriously. Hopefully I can be an example for my teammates, and they will learn from my mistakes,” said Robey. “I know this program and Coach Gavin has made me into who I am now. A person who will do whatever it takes to go to college, accomplish all of my goals, live out my dreams and make myself proud.”

E.C. Glass Academic Coach Gavin Davis nominated Robey for his willingness to accept responsibility for his past school performance; his desire to create a better academic and athletic future for himself; and his drive to improve his character.

“When he saw all of his teammates filling out college applications and researching schools, he began to ask questions about his ability to go to college,” said Davis. “I knew at that moment that Orlando was going to turn his life around.”

Davis reviewed Robey’s transcript, explaining to him that his current GPA and academic status failed the threshold for most colleges. Robey quickly realized that the options opened to his teammates would be closed to him because of his poor grades. He became aware that if he worked diligently for the remainder of the year, he too could go to college, and maybe even play football.

“Now that I’m a part of Play It Smart I do my homework and study for tests, meet with my teachers if I need help, and I made the honor roll for the first time ever,” Robey said. “Coach Davis helped me understand that after my senior year I will be a young man, and I need to take care of my responsibilities. The first step is making the decision to better myself and go to college.”

“OJ has so much natural athletic ability it is amazing. He was a major contributor to the team, and made important plays when we needed him,” said Head Coach Richard Trent. “Now I’m amazed at his school performance. This is the first year OJ has shown any concern for his academics; he’s made a complete turnaround; and I’m so proud of him. I know that OJ is preparing himself to do some great things academically and athletically at the next level”.

“The support and dedication our Academic Coaches is the reason why Play It Smart has been so successful. Orlando Robey serves as a testament to the hard work of Gavin Davis and the concept of providing caring adult mentors who can help student-athletes set and achieve their goals ,” said Steven Hatchell NFF President and CEO. “We applaud Orlando and wish him the best of luck on his journey to college.”

Each month the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame honors one student-athlete as the Play It Smart Student-Athlete of the Month. Winners are selected from nominations received by academic coaches from 160 schools in 33 states. At the end of the school year the “Student-Athlete of the Year” will be selected from the monthly winners to be honored at the annual Play It Smart National Conference.

Play It Smart would like to recognize each of the student-athletes nominated for the March 2009 National Student-Athlete of the Month Award.

March 2009 National Student-
Athlete of the Month Award Nominees

Student-Athlete	High School/City/State	Year
Tyrick Adamson	C.A. Johnson/Columbia, SC	JR
Tymal Apeds	Abraham Lincoln/Brookyn, NY	FR
Alvin Boutte	T.C. Howe/Indianapolis, IN	SO
Ramon Bragg	John Marshall/Richmond, VA	JR
Adrian Cardona	Scarborough/Houston, TX	SO
Nicholas Carroraro	Sleepy Hollow/Sleepy Hollow, NY	SR
Cory Cassasmas	Central Falls/Central Falls, RI	SR
Corey Cecil	Pearl- Cohn/Nashville, TN	JR
Lemende' Coley	Armstrong/Richmond, VA	JR
Marisela Coyt	Furr/Houston, TX	SO
NaQui Darby	C.A. Johnson/Columbia, SC	SR
Mike Davis	Wheatley/Houston, TX	SR
Joseph DeDomenico	Carteret/Carteret, NJ	SO
Lawrence Easterly	Fulton/Knoxville, TN	SR
Stan Etheridge	C.A. Johnson/Columbia, SC	SR
Alyssa Garcia	Furr/Houston, TX	SO
Ben Garcia	Furr/Houston, TX	JR
Johnathan Goodman	C.A. Johnson/Columbia, SC	SO
Matthew Grant	Boyd Anderson/Ft. Laurderdale, FL	JR
Aggrentrice Grier	South Atlanta/Atlanta, GA	SO
Jerrod Heiser	Troy/Troy, NY	JR
Savanna Holder	Mescalero/Mescalero, NM	SR
Zach Holmes	Lamar/Houston, TX	SR
Portia Howard	Furr/Houston, TX	SO
Kearns Louis Jeans	O'Bryant/Roxbury, MA	SR
Anthony Johnson	Hubbard/Chicago, IL	FR
DeMarcus Johnson	Jones/Houston, TX	SO
Paul Jones	Boys and Girls/Brooklyn, NY	SO
Tyler Keever	Westbury/Houston, TX	SR
Kyle Kubiak	John Adams/South Bend, IN	SR
Tommy Mason-Griffin	Madison/Houston, TX	SR
Rush Maxwell	Clarke Central/Athens, GA	SO
Lawrence McKeithan	Huguenot/Richmond, VA	SO
Ronell McNeal	George Washington/Denver, CO	SO
Paul Morales	Furr/Houston, TX	JR
Antonio Munoz	Sharpstown/Houston, TX	SR
Kyle Padgett	Bethesda/Savannah, GA	FR
Najja Pemberton	Grand Street Campus/Brooklyn, NY	JR
Orlando Robey Jr	E.C Glass/Lynchburg, VA	SR
Tra'von Robinson	Woodlawn/Shevreport, LA	JR
Louie Rodriguez	Furr/Houston, TX	JR
Christiana Rodriguez	Waltrip/Houston, TX	SO
Judith Sanchez	Furr/Houston, TX	SR
Ray Sanders	S.P. Waltrip/Houston, TX	SR
Corey Scott	New Burnswick/New Burnswick, NJ	JR
Ashia Taylor	Woodlawn Magnet/Birmingham, AL	SR
De'Angelo Thomas	Westport/Kansas City, MO	SR
Tyler Thompson	Ben Davis/Indianapolis, IN	SR
Vincent Trezevant	C.A. Johnson/Columbia, SC	JR
Juan Vasquez	Furr/Houston, TX	JR
Darin Ward	C.A. Johnson/Columbia, SC	SR
Racquel Williams	Sterling/Houston, TX	SO
Kendale Wilson	C.A. Johnson/Columbia, SC	JR

With major financial support from a broad-coalition of school districts, corporations, individuals and organizations, including the NFL and the NFL Players Association, the Play It Smart program achieved dramatic results that include:

* 95% of seniors graduating high school, compared to 76% of their peers;

* 80% of seniors enrolling in college compared to 63% of their peers;

* Participants completing more than 55,000 hours of community service annually;

* Participants earning more than $8 million a year in scholarships; and

* 270-plus graduates earning places among the elite collegiate ranks during the 2008 season on Division I rosters.

Launched in 1998 and proven as one of the most comprehensive and effective youth development programs in the nation, Play It Smart currently partners with more than 160 schools in 33 states throughout the country. The program has shown that sports, when coached in the proper environment, can be used as an effective tool for significantly enhancing the academic performance and goal-setting practices of its participants. Play It Smart fulfills its mission by facilitating the hiring and training of “Academic Coaches” who work at high schools in underserved communities during the entire school year.

The year-round Academic Coaches teach participants how to transfer the life skills learned on the playing field and apply them in the classroom and the community for success throughout their lives. Academic Coaches build on the positive peer pressure of the team and a participant’s interest in football by utilizing a set of guiding principles and tactics, which are designed to make academic achievement the norm. Tactics include one-on-one goal setting meetings, career and life skills sessions, mandatory study halls, SAT/ACT prep classes, community service projects and other team building events. The success of the program requires the full support of a team’s head coach, who must lend his full authority with his players to the efforts of the Academic Coach, as well as the support of the school’s administration, especially the principal, the head of guidance, and the athletics director.

ABOUT PLAY IT SMART
Created by The National Football Foundation as an educational program, Play It Smart has changed the lives of more than 25,000 at risk student-athlete since its launch in 1998. The program’s mission is to help student-athletes take responsibility for their futures through lessons learned on the playing field, in the classroom, and in service to others. At the heart of the program is a year-round academic coach, an official member of a team’s staff, who serves as a direct link to the classroom by helping players and the team set and achieve their academic and personal development goals during the entire school year. Learn more at www.PlayItSmart.org

About The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame:
Founded in 1947 with leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl “Red” Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 121 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, Play It Smart, the NFF-FWAA Football Forum, the NFF Gridiron Clubs of New York City, Dallas and Los Angeles, and scholarships of over $1 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. The NFF awards the MacArthur Trophy, the Draddy Trophy, presented by HealthSouth, and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org.

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