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Dez Bryant isn't the only Dallas Cowboys wide receiver who had a tough childhood.
Undrafted rookie Tim Benford said his mother has spent the past 10 years in a Florida prison, a fact that's never far from his mind.
“I talk to her almost every other day when I can,” said Benford, who declined to say why his mother is incarcerated.
Like Bryant, whose mother served 18 months in prison for selling crack cocaine, Benford seeks refuge from his troubles on the field.
“I love football,” he said at training camp in Oxnard, Calif. “I'm passionate about it. I love competing. I come to play every day. Some days you don't want to, but you've still got to bring that hard hat every day.”
Benford hasn't always had such a positive attitude. Living with his grandmother and his aunt while attending Red Bank High School in Chattanooga, Tenn., he often walked around campus with a chip on his shoulder, his former coaches said.
“When you come up the way he came up, it's mainly about survival,” said Cory Simpson, the former receivers coach at Red Bank. “Nothing has been given to you, so you have to go out and take it, but you need to learn to do it the right way.
“He was very upset at times. There were times when you told him he couldn't do something, and he would absolutely flip out and be ready to prove you wrong. I had to teach him to use that competitiveness in a good way.”
Tim Daniels, Red Bank's former football coach, said tough love helped Benford get his act together.
“I told him, ‘You are going to get rid of that chip, or you are gone,'” Daniels said.
Aided by his coaches, Benford became a star, setting school records as a senior with 62 catches, 1,143 yards and 17 touchdowns.
“He didn't have the greatest of home lives,” Daniels said. “Both of his parents (had problems), and he didn't have a whole lot. But he never let that beat him down.
“He had some hard lessons to learn, but they were quick and short. The changes he's made are really cool. He's like a different person.”
As a senior last year at Tennessee Tech, the 5-foot-11, 200-pound Benford had team highs in catches (65), yards (923) and touchdown receptions (five). As a junior, he tied a school record with 10 TD catches.
“I really like Tim,” Cowboys receivers coach Jimmy Robinson said. “He's an extremely competitive guy who has good football instincts. He's got a knack for getting away from people, is aggressive to the ball and has a lot of toughness.”
Benford has struggled to make his mark in the preseason, catching only one pass for 9 yards. But all he wants is a chance, even if it's on the practice squad.
“I'm a playmaker,” he said. “That's how I've always been. I want the ball in my hands, and I want to make the plays that help my team win.”
A lifelong Cowboys fan, Simpson is rooting hard for Benford.
“It's been kind of rough for him, but he's managed to get on the right path,” Simpson said. “He's done an amazing job of staying focused. There have been bumps in the road, but he's managed to stay on the straight and narrow.”
No matter what happens with the Cowboys, Benford said he's determined to keep striving for a better life, one that will bring joy to his mother.
“My mom always pushed me to be the best,” Benford said. “She helped me become the person I am today.
“(Seeing her in trouble was) tough when I was younger. But that was years ago. I've grown into a better man. I'm trying to be a better person, a man of God.”
And forgiving his parents is part of that.
“Everybody makes mistakes,” Benford said. “You just live and learn.”
torsborn@express-news.net
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/...hare-of-hard-knocks-3808705.php#ixzz24TChOav0
Undrafted rookie Tim Benford said his mother has spent the past 10 years in a Florida prison, a fact that's never far from his mind.
“I talk to her almost every other day when I can,” said Benford, who declined to say why his mother is incarcerated.
Like Bryant, whose mother served 18 months in prison for selling crack cocaine, Benford seeks refuge from his troubles on the field.
“I love football,” he said at training camp in Oxnard, Calif. “I'm passionate about it. I love competing. I come to play every day. Some days you don't want to, but you've still got to bring that hard hat every day.”
Benford hasn't always had such a positive attitude. Living with his grandmother and his aunt while attending Red Bank High School in Chattanooga, Tenn., he often walked around campus with a chip on his shoulder, his former coaches said.
“When you come up the way he came up, it's mainly about survival,” said Cory Simpson, the former receivers coach at Red Bank. “Nothing has been given to you, so you have to go out and take it, but you need to learn to do it the right way.
“He was very upset at times. There were times when you told him he couldn't do something, and he would absolutely flip out and be ready to prove you wrong. I had to teach him to use that competitiveness in a good way.”
Tim Daniels, Red Bank's former football coach, said tough love helped Benford get his act together.
“I told him, ‘You are going to get rid of that chip, or you are gone,'” Daniels said.
Aided by his coaches, Benford became a star, setting school records as a senior with 62 catches, 1,143 yards and 17 touchdowns.
“He didn't have the greatest of home lives,” Daniels said. “Both of his parents (had problems), and he didn't have a whole lot. But he never let that beat him down.
“He had some hard lessons to learn, but they were quick and short. The changes he's made are really cool. He's like a different person.”
As a senior last year at Tennessee Tech, the 5-foot-11, 200-pound Benford had team highs in catches (65), yards (923) and touchdown receptions (five). As a junior, he tied a school record with 10 TD catches.
“I really like Tim,” Cowboys receivers coach Jimmy Robinson said. “He's an extremely competitive guy who has good football instincts. He's got a knack for getting away from people, is aggressive to the ball and has a lot of toughness.”
Benford has struggled to make his mark in the preseason, catching only one pass for 9 yards. But all he wants is a chance, even if it's on the practice squad.
“I'm a playmaker,” he said. “That's how I've always been. I want the ball in my hands, and I want to make the plays that help my team win.”
A lifelong Cowboys fan, Simpson is rooting hard for Benford.
“It's been kind of rough for him, but he's managed to get on the right path,” Simpson said. “He's done an amazing job of staying focused. There have been bumps in the road, but he's managed to stay on the straight and narrow.”
No matter what happens with the Cowboys, Benford said he's determined to keep striving for a better life, one that will bring joy to his mother.
“My mom always pushed me to be the best,” Benford said. “She helped me become the person I am today.
“(Seeing her in trouble was) tough when I was younger. But that was years ago. I've grown into a better man. I'm trying to be a better person, a man of God.”
And forgiving his parents is part of that.
“Everybody makes mistakes,” Benford said. “You just live and learn.”
torsborn@express-news.net
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/...hare-of-hard-knocks-3808705.php#ixzz24TChOav0
