I
By THOMAS GEORGE
CHICAGo-Five blocks w t
of th 94 yon the South
Side at 60th and Green Streets
sits a tired old building with
barred doors, broken windows
and shattered dreams. It is the
old Englewood Hospital, built in
1905. For the last 10 years, it
has sat and wilted. It represents
much of the ewoocl nigh­
borhood, one of the roughest and
toughest and poorest in this city.
Few outsiders cross the line
into this bleak neighborhood.
Richard Dent remembers in
the last year how its residents­
outraged over the senseless
gang and drug wars and mur­
ders - held a protest in their
streets, carrying small whi
caskets to symbolize youth being
lost.
Dent has decided to cross the
line. This is his llth pro season
as the Chicago Bears' star defen­
sive right end, but he began
crossing seemingly impenetra­
ble lines well before joining the
Bears.
" Atlanta is my hometown and
I grew up the sixth of nine chil­
dren, eight boys and one girl,"
Dent said, "My mom, Mary
Frances, she was my role model
and best friend. She died four
years ago, but everything she
taught lives on.
"THERE WERE friends of
mine kicked out of their homes
and others who were imply
homeless. They always had a
place at my mom's home. Some­
times I even had to sleep on the
couch so that they could have my
bed. People see homel n to­
day as someone out there with a
cup and a sign beggin . People
wonder why they just don't work
and do better. I want to redefine
everyone's definition of home­
I sn , Being homel can
mean you're one paycheck away
for some families. How can you
dream dreams when your roof is
th rs?"
With the help of othe , Dent
purchased Englewood H .
pital and surrounding land and
buildings and plans to build a
40-unit home for homeless fami­
lies and an adjacent educational
center to assist them in counsel­
ing, career opportunities and
day care. The project is ambi­
tious, the cost is nearly 7 mil­
lion, and the target date for
completion is within the next
two years.
The 32-year-old Dent i a
threetime All-Pro and was the
most valuable player of Super
Bowl XX but has never been a
'player who has opened himself
to the news media or to fans.
That is changing now, as are the
Bears. The Bears have a new
head coach in Dave Wannstedt
and a new direction. Dent does,
too.
"For the last couple 'of years,
. I've begun to speak out more,
and now I'm ready to go further,"
he said. "The Bears in 'the past
year have sort of had a cleansing
of themselves. I've got a lot of
feelin€;3 I've kept to myself. Now
it's time for me to have my own
cleansing. "
WE HAVE HEARD plenty,
n xampl fort
1 on how th can ca­
r r to be much mor th n
thl . H 00 full cirel .
H ha cro d many line
wh r b rrie mad i ur-
moun bl.
In the late 1980' , he uffered
through bu in deal that
went awry and a tions that
he sold and dru. There
w hi n gging perception that
the B ' b ldom appreci-
a ted hi talent nd treated
play rs differently in oontract
negotiations and in ring off­
field, money-making opportuni­
ti players' ways on their
perceptions.
For most of his ca r, Dent
admits that he withdre into a
shell.
"It all started with being an
eighthround draft pick from a
Black school, Tenn State,"
Dent said, "You wanted to blend
in, but you're insecure about
your status and the person you
are. I was taught well at Tennes­
see State about d ling with the
press, but in my f1l'8t few years
in the league I was always won­
dering when I talked if.! was
doing or saying the right thing.
And there was the racist factor
and people demeaning your tal­
ents and intelligence because
you came from a small Black
school. Nobody thought I would
last.
I tch
y ·thin
intent on
lying
on what bro ght me to th ble.
r always I from people.
I orking h I in
the fifth gr de, cooting and
hing and being a busboy,
hat r w available. My fa­
th r had second job buffing
floors and I'd do that t night
with him. My mother orked in
th church and I'd go long and
wor there, too. I only got a eou­
pl of dollars an hour. But the
people I met and the things I
listened to and learned haped
my life."
Young National Football
League players can look at Dent
and learn plenty. Not only does
he devote his off-field time to the
pursuit ofth� educational center
for the homel , but he has also
tarted a busin called TAFT
International Inc. It stands for
Today's Athletes for Tomorrow.
The busin is based in At-
lanta and, along with the agent
Brian Ransom, th two head a
company that represents ath­
let in contract negotiations
and in personal business man­
agement. Among their clients
are the 1998 draft picks Ryan
McNeil from the Detroit Lions
and Lester Holm of the Phila­
delphia Eagl .
Dent has only this season left
under oontract with the Bears,
and maybe he will become a free
"LATER I'D LIKE to do this
type of project 10 Atlanta, but
right now I'm concentrating on
Chicago because lowe this city
something," Dent id "I feel re­
juvenated, more healthy than
I've been in years and more open
to everyone. This can be a pe­
cial year for the Bears and for
me. I think about the Hall of
Fame, and I want to finish my
career in such a fashion that I'm
strong and we're on top. But I'm
not done yet. I have always had
my own style, of being on the
edge and never being afraid to
cross that line. I still do. "
This article is reprinted from
the New York Times
especially in recent years, about
the role of athletes in their com­
munities. Are they required to
be role models? Certainly, they
are not parents to every child.
There is no question, however,
that using their status, they can
build bridges for others.' Their
impact can be enormous. Dent is
"SO, I DID WHAT I had all
Ric rd Dent out Ide the dil.pidat d hoep .1 th t pi ns to re tor •• r Id nc for t
hcmel ••.
ETRO TENNIS TOURNAMENT - Ronald E. Smiley (r), corporate
aff Ir central region manager for Anheu er-Busch CO,mpanle •
pr nts a second-place trophy to Lou Gr ves (I), a winner In the
15 and old r category of the recent tournament. Emerald Cro by,
pr Ident of the Metropolitan Racquet Club look on. .