Samkon Gado: A Real Hero

Now that I know and I’ve seen it with my own eyes, I feel like a sense of obligation, a sense of duty. Somebody can make a change. I think it begins on an individual basis. And that’s how change starts, with one person.
-Samkon Gado, Houston Texans backup running back

I was watching Cold Pizza this morning when Jay Davis interviewed Samkon Gado, a backup running back for the Houston Texans. After watching the interview and reading some more articles about him on the web, I can’t tell you how incredible this guy is. He was on air this morning talking about how seeing poverty and disease when he was in Nigeria inspired him to want to become a doctor.

It’s one thing to say you want to go to medical school and become a doctor so you can fight poverty in Africa, but it’s something totally different to actually carry out this plan when you have a $435,000 contract to play football for the upcoming season. Samkon already finished up his required pre-med courses when he was at Division I-AA Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia (Class of 2005). He also just finished up a prep course for the MCAT. In fact, Texans’ coach Mike Kubiak allowed Samkon to miss a couple of days of training camp so he could finish up his studying for the test, which he is taking on July 13. Samkon has also spent time shadowing doctors. This is what he had to say about his shadowing:

“I help with taking blood, blood pressure, vitals, and essentially anything the nurses need me to do or help them do…It’s a wonderful experience because it actually gets me used to being a health professional. Learning how to deal with patients and learning to know when to leave a patient alone and when to talk to a patient and just the intangibles that a health professional needs to be successful in my field. To be able to help somebody when they’re probably in a very vulnerable spot makes me keep want to do this”

What a great guy. Besides wanting to become a doctor, Samkon was also a huge fantasy force two seasons ago. In his first start for the Packers on November 13, 2005, he scored three touchdowns against the Falcons. That same season he recorded 111- and 171-yard games against the Lions and Eagles before suffering an MCL sprain. He got traded to the Texans that off-season and has made a big impression on his teammates. Fellow Texans’ backup running back Wally Lundi had this to say about Samkon, “If he takes the work ethic that he has on the field and applies it to being a doctor or just applies it in his life…I mean, there isn’t anything he won’t be able to do.”

I’m angry though. I’m angry that the media allowed us to know all the details about Pacman “making it rain” or all the Bengals players getting arrested while they kept us in the dark about Samkon’s goodwill and great character. Sports in general, and especially the NFL, need more guys like the great Samkon Gado.

Everybody who’s reading this article really needs to watch this YouTube clip of Samkon:



Samkon Gado, you are an inspiration to others and my new favorite NFL player.