CHICAGO — As grade schoolers, Charles Brown, Johnny Johnson and Brandon Green made a promise that if they ever became successful, they'd give back to the kids still living in Englewood and elsewhere in Chicago.
Years later, the three Robeson High School graduates all have college degrees after playing Division I football ... and they're making good on their childhood pledge.
Johnson, a defensive back, and Green, a wide receiver, both attended Minnesota. Johnson, who also has a master's degree, is now a financial analyst in Minnesota; Green works with autistic children in Minneapolis public schools and a group home. Brown, a Northwestern alumnus and former Wildcats receiver, is a project manager for a solar panel company in California.
"It’s still so surreal. Coming from Englewood, you don’t believe it can be done because you don’t see it often," Johnson said. "To being a young kid from Englewood not even understanding how college works to having two degrees is amazing."
Later this month, the three players will pay it forward in the form of a football skills camp at Gately Stadium, 810 E. 103rd St. The free camp July 30 is available to all CPS football players and includes several Chicago football coaches from schools like Whitney Young, Hubbard and Robeson.
Other former Division I players involved include ex-Chicago Bears defensive back Sean Cattouse (Cal, Hubbard) and Jordan McCord (Colgate, Whitney Young).
"We felt it was something that was needed," Brown said. "We all understand the circumstances of where we came from and the obstacles that were stacked up against us."
The players credited their families and several coaches, including Robeson's Jeff Bryant, for keeping them in line for most of their teenage and adult lives.
Bryant, who's also Green's stepfather, coached the three players starting in fifth grade with the Chicago Titans, who played and practiced behind Robeson High School. That instruction continued at the high school level and the guidance has never stopped. Bryant attended all three players' graduations and still mentors them today.
"I've seen them grow up from a little boy to a man," Bryant said. "I told them if they ever made it, they needed to let other guys know how they can make it as well. ... They could have been gangbangers, and they could have gotten into drugs. They stuck with it when a whole lot of people said they couldn't. But I had faith in them. I knew in my heart that they wanted to do something with their lives."
The players started working on the camp idea last year and finalized plans a few months ago. It's available to incoming freshman to incoming senior players for all positions, teaching them football skills but also ways to use the game to "achieve their highest aspirations," Johnson said.
"Just to give back to Chicago is a wonderful feeling, just to let kids know from CPS that you can do well with your life," Green said. "Hopefully it's something we can do every year."
For more information on the July 30 camp, email cpslegacycamp@gmail.com or call 773-587-9124. A GoFundMe has been created to pay for basic expenses.
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