{"id":74678,"date":"2019-01-22T17:15:46","date_gmt":"2019-01-22T23:15:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=74678"},"modified":"2019-01-22T19:48:33","modified_gmt":"2019-01-23T01:48:33","slug":"more-than-coaches-chicago-west-side-high-school-puts-scholar-athletes-into-nfl-and-college-despite-violence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/more-than-coaches-chicago-west-side-high-school-puts-scholar-athletes-into-nfl-and-college-despite-violence\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;More than coaches&#8221; &#8211; A Chicago West Side high school is turning players into men"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By Chris Cadeau<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Medill Reports<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"dropcap\">He knows violent gangs offer his West Side players a pass as they trek through bullet-riddled cityscape hauling their football pads to and from practice, while they dream of a life outside of Chicago.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Chicago West Side public high school develops scholar collegiate athletes and NFL talent despite violence\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/312754358?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>D\u2019Angelo Dereef and his coaching staff at Al Raby high school on the city\u2019s West Side are more than coaches. Their players say their leadership means everything to their chances of educational and life success. The program&#8217;s impact has resulted in scholar athletes going to college and top talent drafted into the NFL.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_74918\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-74918\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-74918\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/01\/IMG_9344-300x200.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/01\/IMG_9344-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/01\/IMG_9344-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/01\/IMG_9344.png 916w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-74918\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Senior, NIU commit, Romel Goston lining up on offense. (Chris Cadeau \/ Medill Reports)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cSome kids don\u2019t even have a choice,\u201d said senior cornerback Romel Goston. \u201cFor most, we\u2019re the man of the house at 16 [years old]. We don\u2019t have a father figure or role model at home. So, we come here for three to four hours [a day], and this is the only time we get grown men telling us, \u2018Do this right. Do that right. No backtalk.\u2019 Teaching us respect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dereef, coach at Al Raby since 2004, believes if his program builds successful young men first, the product on the field will take care of itself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want them to see that they can be different,\u201d Dereef said. \u201cThey don\u2019t have to [stay in Chicago]. They don\u2019t have to be on the block. They can get a degree.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_74917\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-74917\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-74917\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/01\/IMG_9302-250x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/01\/IMG_9302-250x300.png 250w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/01\/IMG_9302-768x921.png 768w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/01\/IMG_9302.png 788w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-74917\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Al Raby wide receiver goes deep. (Chris Cadeau \/ Medill Reports)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In 2018, Al Raby\u2019s staff watched proudly as one of their own not only played for and graduated from the University of Indiana, but also was selected in the 6th round of the 2018 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s where it all started for me, and I don\u2019t know where I\u2019d be without Al Raby,\u201d said Dallas Cowboys linebacker, Chris Covington. \u201cThey were like brothers \u2013 fathers &#8211; everything they could be to me \u2013 and I appreciate every man that\u2019s at Al Raby because they\u2019ve impacted me in such a positive way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 2017, Dereef marched his program to a 12-2 record and to its first state semi-final appearance. More impressive though, 68 college recruiters came to visit Al Raby players that year, the coach said, and seven out of 11 seniors signed college intent letters to play football.<\/p>\n<p>As many as 11 of 17 of Al Raby seniors this past 2018 season will go to college to play football on some level, with two commitments to Division I programs already despite a down year at 5-6, said Dereef.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_74909\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-74909\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-74909\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/01\/IMG_9158-300x200.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/01\/IMG_9158-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/01\/IMG_9158-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/01\/IMG_9158-1024x682.png 1024w, https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/01\/IMG_9158.png 1100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-74909\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Al Raby football &#8216;breaks down&#8217; practice. (Chris Cadeau \/ Medill Reports)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>What makes this even more impressive is that less than 400 students are enrolled at Al Raby, and the team only fields an average of 24 to 30 players each season. The average Chicago Public Schools high school has an enrollment of almost 900 students, according to the CPS website.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know where I\u2019d be if it wasn\u2019t for Al Raby,\u201d Covington said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_74925\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-74925\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-74925\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/01\/IMG_9337-300x200.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/01\/IMG_9337-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/01\/IMG_9337-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/01\/IMG_9337.png 1008w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-74925\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Al Raby players doing pushups because they failed to execute a play correctly. (Chris Cadeau \/ Medill Reports)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This scholastic and athletic feat is accomplished with \u201cunwavering discipline,\u201d players explained. Not just the hard stuff, either, but discipline coupled with love, acceptance and consistency according to Dereef.<\/p>\n<p>Each player is expected to achieve a point total derived from off-season program participation like weights, team meetings and academic requirements. Failure to do so means a player does not dress in the fall.<\/p>\n<p>The team also can\u2019t afford to go to spring and summer camps, so the coaches bring the experience to them. Every training camp starts with the \u201clock in.\u201d The team spends a week sealed inside the school, living in the gymnasium, bonding together and earning the final points needed to make the team.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The lock in is where we become family,&#8221; Goston said. &#8220;It&#8217;s here we share all our life struggles and bond, become brothers.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Dereef also has a special eye on academics to help ensure his team is achieving his expectations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Players] know I\u2019m also the dean of students, so they can\u2019t get away with trouble,\u201d Dereef said. \u201cI push grades and attendance. I check every Sunday. So if [they] follow that little blue print and [they\u2019re] a halfway decent athlete, [they\u2019re] going to school.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_74912\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-74912\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-74912\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/01\/IMG_9162-300x200.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/01\/IMG_9162-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/01\/IMG_9162.png 733w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-74912\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Defensive coordinator Jordan Dornbush (left) and Head Coach D&#8217;Angelo Dereef (right) look on as team practices. (Chris Cadeau \/ Medill Reports)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Part of the success is also attributed to the partnership and consistent presence of its coaching staff, especially from one former Wheaton College football player who adds experience coupled with ministry, said Dereef.<\/p>\n<p>Jordan Dornbush, defensive coordinator and the West Side\u2019s representative for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, is in his fourth season volunteering at Al Raby. His dedication is enormous for a student population who expect men to come and go in their lives, according to Dereef.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs you start to get close to these kids, you start hearing what they go through on a daily basis,\u201d said Dornbush. \u201cMost of them don\u2019t have any male figure in their life that\u2019s doing right. So, we\u2019re coaches, teachers and mentors to them in school, and then like father figures after [school] to teach them things like how to cook and change a tire. Things they\u2019d never learn from anybody else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The consistent presence of male role models inside the football program, to include some of its players, can be unusual for the area in which it operates, according to Dereef.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI try to talk to them about stuff they don\u2019t see everyday&#8211; happily married, not cheating on the wife, fearing God and putting people of different races into their lives,\u201d Dereef said.<\/p>\n<p>Students described their community as less fortunate and overlooked, but assure their situation gives them hope.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_74916\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-74916\" style=\"width: 246px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-74916\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/01\/IMG_9279-246x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"246\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/01\/IMG_9279-246x300.png 246w, https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/01\/IMG_9279.png 734w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 246px) 100vw, 246px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-74916\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Senior, scholar athlete, Dontay Givens (4.6 GPA) talks strategy with Coach Dereef during fall practice. (Chris Cadeau \/ Medill Reports)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not just this narrative, it\u2019s the truth,\u201d said senior defensive back Dontay Givens. \u201cWhen you put a bunch of people in a community with lack of education, lack of economics and no jobs, what do you expect to happen? You\u2019re going to create the \u2018have\u2019 and \u2018have-not\u2019s\u2019 You\u2019re either going to use drugs, sell drugs or [make] music to ease the pain &#8211; and us that turn to sports, we get this gateway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dereef and his staff are proud to be paving that road to success and breaking down misconceptions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey said it couldn\u2019t be done on the West Side,\u201d Dereef said. \u201cYou just have to make them believe. My number one goal is that these kids have an opportunity to get out of Chicago and see something different.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"featurecaption\">Photo at top: Al Raby football helmet (Chris Cadeau\/MEDILL)<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Chris Cadeau Medill Reports He knows violent gangs offer his West Side players a pass as they trek through bullet-riddled cityscape hauling their football pads to and from practice, while they dream of a life outside of Chicago. D\u2019Angelo Dereef and his coaching staff at Al Raby high school on the city\u2019s West Side [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":524,"featured_media":74904,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,4559],"tags":[4578,1243,4575,4577,4576,61,4581,4573,4582,4574,4571,1112,4570,4580,4583,1113,4579,192,4572,784],"class_list":["post-74678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","category-winter-2019","tag-african-american-culture","tag-african-american","tag-al-raby","tag-al-raby-football","tag-al-raby-raiders","tag-chicago","tag-chris-covington","tag-cowboys","tag-dangelo-dereef","tag-dallas-cowboys","tag-dontay-givens","tag-football","tag-high-school-football","tag-jordan-dornbush","tag-michelle-harrell","tag-nfl","tag-niu-football","tag-promo","tag-romel-goston","tag-west-side"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>&quot;More than coaches&quot; - A Chicago West Side high school is turning players into men - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/more-than-coaches-chicago-west-side-high-school-puts-scholar-athletes-into-nfl-and-college-despite-violence\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"&quot;More than coaches&quot; - A Chicago West Side high school is turning players into men - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Chris Cadeau Medill Reports He knows violent gangs offer his West Side players a pass as they trek through bullet-riddled cityscape hauling their football pads to and from practice, while they dream of a life outside of Chicago. D\u2019Angelo Dereef and his coaching staff at Al Raby high school on the city\u2019s West Side [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/more-than-coaches-chicago-west-side-high-school-puts-scholar-athletes-into-nfl-and-college-despite-violence\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-01-22T23:15:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-01-23T01:48:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/01\/IMG_9127.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1100\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"733\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"christophercadeau2019\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"christophercadeau2019\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/more-than-coaches-chicago-west-side-high-school-puts-scholar-athletes-into-nfl-and-college-despite-violence\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/more-than-coaches-chicago-west-side-high-school-puts-scholar-athletes-into-nfl-and-college-despite-violence\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"christophercadeau2019\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/edbb8077d90570229ff062b072e338a5\"},\"headline\":\"&#8220;More than coaches&#8221; 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