Anthony Ball '17 Recruiting Profile

“You have to have no fear, charge me as if you are going to run me over and knock me down to the ground.” My uncle Brian and my biological dad said to me as my mom was standing on the sidewalk watching, but with her hands over her face. My uncle was about 210 lbs. 5’11” and I was just a skinny 8 year old boy. That is my most influential memory I have when I first put football pads on for tackle football. They taught me to always give 110% regardless if I was afraid.  They taught me to learn the correct way of playing no matter how big of a player you were matched up.  Doing things correctly would give you better results and hopefully refrain from possible injury.

My mom always said that I was born a football player. From the time I was a baby till now. I have had the energy and hunger to be a natural athlete.  My mom tells me stories of before I could even walk I was holding a football or kicking a soccer ball. She started me at the young age of 3 and put me in the YMCA soccer program. I don’t remember but she tells me that I was what they called a ball hog! I did not want to pass the ball. I would take the ball right up the field and score every single time. When I was asked to share and pass I would apparently throw a fit on the field and my mother had to take remove me from the game.  I would say that was the start of when I showed the need for a higher level of competition.

My first chance on the football field came when I was in 1^st grade at the age of 6. My dad signed me up for flag football and was the coach. That was the year I also meet my best friend, Jalen. Jalen was our quarterback and I was the running back, fullback, tight end, basically the one person Jalen could trust to take the ball to the end zone. Both of our dads coached along with my uncle and it was the best start any young group of boys could have asked for. We were the dream team! We played flag football for 2 years and then we were allowed to play tackle football. Together, Jalen and I, played 2 years of “junior tackle” together then 2 years of “senior tackle”.

The 2 years that I played “senior tackle”, my 5^th and 6^th grade years, had to be the most emotional turning point in my life.  My dad had been involved with me playing all sports and coaching since kindergarten. It was what we did together. All my friends liked him and all the parents wanted to be on his team. It was then that he decided to choose drugs over his family. My dad left the year I was 10. It was as if he was there one day and just gone the next. I remember my mom telling me to be strong for my 2 younger sisters. I was older and I could understand more of what was going on and needed to be there for them. I was now the man of the house.

During that time I found I had a lot of anger and hate. But deep down it was emotional sadness of how my dad could have left us but most of all he left me alone. My mom and my best friend’s parents taught me to direct my anger, and my emotions to the field.   I learned to not let the anger be destructive to me, but yet make myself a better player. I really wanted to show him that I did not need him. It has now been 8 years since I have seen him. 

A lot of time has passed since then. Having that life experience has only made me a better player. I play football for the love of the game. Football for me is the music to my soul. When I am playing football it is as if football is the life support of my life. The reality and burdens of everyday life is put on hold. 

My mom has been my biggest advocate for college. She has done everything possible to show me the right path and that college was not an option but a requirement. I have joined a club in High School called AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination). This class has given me the resources to inquire about different colleges and find a career path that I want to pursue. I have had the opportunity to tour Washington state college campuses. I have went to San Francisco with my 8th grade class and broadened my horizons with seeing other colleges.

My interests with the classes that I have taken in my high school life have been math and science. I have taken a big interest in pursuing a college degree in engineering. I have realized that I will need to be able to join the work force after my college career and I need to join the work force with a high demanding skill. I have seen my mom work hard her entire life. There has been times that she has worked 2 jobs to support her family. I have seen first hand the struggle of not having a bachelor’s degree from a college and trying to obtain a reasonable sufficient income that can support a family. This is the driving force behind me and getting a college education. Times are constantly changing and it is only becoming harder in the work force to obtain your dream job.  I may not have decided yet what classification of engineering that I want to pursue but I know that I am determined enough that I will select the right one for me when I enter college.

My sophomore year I was selected by my peers and coaches to become a football team captain for my junior year. I feel that I am a natural leader with a caring attitude. If you were to read my press releases throughout my years of playing football you will notice that I am not the athlete that takes the credit for myself. I am always first to recognize that my success not only comes from my determination but the dedication of my team.  I give them credit to the success that I find on the field. I think this is what helps mold me to become a great leader for my peers.

Last but not least, I want to mention the most inflectional man in my life. My mom met a man shortly after my dad left. He came in to my life and my sister’s life knowing the emotional tragedy we were going through. Without hesitation, he showed us love and support through our hardest times. He took me to Seahawk football games. He helped buy my new cleats when mine were ducked taped together. He has shown me what hard work is. He has taught me to become a better person, and to be a respectable adolescent. Kelly has taught me to be a man and that my decisions in life will have an everlasting effect. He is the one that I know harsh consequences come from giving me structure to live by. The one thing I have always look forward to after a football game is sitting down with Kelly discussing the game, things I could of done better and the things I did great at. Having him in my life to support my academic and athletic positives and negatives is another reason I am the person I am, the student I am, and the football player I am and the football player I will become.