Kansas City Chiefs running back Kolby Smith has received an honor bestowed upon no more than 12 people a year.
He has been named the August Single Man of the Month by Essence.com. Seriously (No, seriously, I'm talking about this).
In an entry posted on Essence.com, Timeka Williams informs us all about Mr. Smith's non-football side. There's even a Q&A in there. Click here to read the article.
While I can't (or won't) comment on his "oozing charm", I can touch on his community work that is referenced. Smith, like so many of the Chiefs players this offseason, has been visible in the community.
Here's one on his project with a local school:
Earlier this year, St. Regis Middle School implemented a program aimed at helping students improve their reading skills. This accelerated reading initiative wasn’t born from an educational committee or veteran of the teaching sector but was actually the brainchild of Kansas City Chiefs RB Kolby Smith. Looking for a way to reach out to students and incentivize good reading habits, Kolby approached St. Regis with his concept. As a result of that collaboration, the "Running to Read" program was created.
And another visit to a school:
"What you’re all doing here is a foundation," Smith pointed out. "When I was your age, I knew I needed to get a college education. That was only going to happen two ways. Either I would get an athletic scholarship or an academic scholarship. Even though I’m in the NFL now, I wasn’t about to just sit there and bank on an athletic scholarship. So in addition to trying my best on the field of competition, I applied myself in the classroom also. The odds are against any of you becoming a professional athlete. That doesn’t mean you should give up on your goals but it also means that you should apply yourself in school as well."
Now that June 23rd Tweet from Essence about LL Cool K makes more sense.
To somehow relate this back to football, here's a shot of his first career touchdown.
