Do you keep your promises?
When you give someone your word, do you follow through?
Well I do.
Let me take you to a time when I was eight years old. My mother was arrested and in prison and my father was nowhere to be found. A short, strong, stubborn, Christian lady -- my grandma Delora Terrell -- took in my brothers and me after raising three kids of her own by herself.
The lessons I learned from her have carried me throughout my life. The first lesson she taught me is that no matter what happens to you, God is always with you. The next lesson is to not feel sorry for yourself because no one else will.
As a young boy I saw how hard she worked to provide for my two older brothers and myself. We didn’t have a lot of things, but we were never short on love.
When you give someone your word, do you follow through?
Well I do.
Let me take you to a time when I was eight years old. My mother was arrested and in prison and my father was nowhere to be found. A short, strong, stubborn, Christian lady -- my grandma Delora Terrell -- took in my brothers and me after raising three kids of her own by herself.
The lessons I learned from her have carried me throughout my life. The first lesson she taught me is that no matter what happens to you, God is always with you. The next lesson is to not feel sorry for yourself because no one else will.
As a young boy I saw how hard she worked to provide for my two older brothers and myself. We didn’t have a lot of things, but we were never short on love.
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One day she came home exhausted after working a double shift, and when she sat in her recliner I climbed up next to her and I said, “Grandma, I am going to go to the National Football League and I’m going to buy you a house and you will not have to work anymore.” She said, “Sure baby now let grandma get some sleep.”
She didn’t know it at the time but being able to get my grandma a house became my driving force. I was not going to let anything hold me back from achieving that goal. Buying her house was important for a few reasons: First, we lived next to the railroad track, and when a train would drive by, you would’ve thought it was an earthquake. Second, when it rained, we had to put out pots and pans. Third, when it was cold, sometimes we would sleep with our coats on. |
Curtis and his grandmother Delora at his wedding in 2015.
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Fast forward to high school and I made another promise to Mrs. Jech, a teacher and the mother of one of my best friends, Ryan Jech. Her main job was a teacher, but she was also like a stepmom, motivator and cheerleader. She asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I told her I wanted to play in the NFL. She told me that would be great, but that I should have a backup plan if that does not happen, and education is important. So, I made a promise to her that I would get my degree even if I went to the NFL.
College for me was a grind!
It’s really weird – when you are getting recruited, the red carpet is rolled out, but once you commit, nothing is given to you and you have to earn everything. There were times when I wanted to quit, but I held on to my two promises when things got tough. I’m thankful there were plenty of people who cared for me and helped keep my eyes on the prize.
I think every kid thinks that they are going to start right away, because that’s all they’ve known their entire life. That was me, but I didn’t get to start until my third year.
Plenty of people questioned how good I was because of how long it took me to get on the field, but I was ready to seize that opportunity. So much so, that NFL scouts and teams thought I was good enough to leave college early to play professionally.
College for me was a grind!
It’s really weird – when you are getting recruited, the red carpet is rolled out, but once you commit, nothing is given to you and you have to earn everything. There were times when I wanted to quit, but I held on to my two promises when things got tough. I’m thankful there were plenty of people who cared for me and helped keep my eyes on the prize.
I think every kid thinks that they are going to start right away, because that’s all they’ve known their entire life. That was me, but I didn’t get to start until my third year.
Plenty of people questioned how good I was because of how long it took me to get on the field, but I was ready to seize that opportunity. So much so, that NFL scouts and teams thought I was good enough to leave college early to play professionally.
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I was 21 when I entered the NFL.
I still had a lot to learn, coming from Kingfisher where I had a graduating class of 73 people, to all of a sudden, I’m in the big city of Atlanta.
There is a long list of people who saw something in me and pushed me to put the time in to reach my full potential. To name three people: Mike Peterson, Tony Gonzales, and Tony Gilbert. Their lessons prepared me for the rest of my career.
Football became my job, which is weird to say because it was something that I dreamt of my entire life. The first thing that came to mind is the promise I made to my grandma, that I was going to go to the NFL and buy her a house.
Remember when I mentioned one of my grandma’s attributes is being stubborn? Well, one of the examples is she wouldn’t let me buy her house for three years. I finally convinced her, and had a house built for her. She still lives in that house today.
I still had a lot to learn, coming from Kingfisher where I had a graduating class of 73 people, to all of a sudden, I’m in the big city of Atlanta.
There is a long list of people who saw something in me and pushed me to put the time in to reach my full potential. To name three people: Mike Peterson, Tony Gonzales, and Tony Gilbert. Their lessons prepared me for the rest of my career.
Football became my job, which is weird to say because it was something that I dreamt of my entire life. The first thing that came to mind is the promise I made to my grandma, that I was going to go to the NFL and buy her a house.
Remember when I mentioned one of my grandma’s attributes is being stubborn? Well, one of the examples is she wouldn’t let me buy her house for three years. I finally convinced her, and had a house built for her. She still lives in that house today.
If someone would have told me I would have spent nine years in the NFL, I would have said they’re crazy.
When I retired, if I’m going to be honest, I was a bit lost. What do you do when you have committed so much of your life to something and now it’s gone?
I know a ton of people can relate, whether you are in the military or a CEO in business and you retire. The question is what is next? Do I coach? Do I scout? Do I do absolutely nothing and get fat? Those are all questions that went through my head.
There’s a quote that says that if you are the smartest person in the room, you need to find another room. If you’re the coolest in your family does that count? Well, not in my family’s case. I have two cousins, Dee Terrell and Dilcie Perez, who both have their PhD, which I used to think stood for player hating degrees. Clearly, I was wrong.
Over the last 13 years since I’ve been out of college, they have nagged and nagged me: are you going to go back and get your degree? I would always say that the point of college is to be able to get a great job, and you won’t find a better job than playing in the NFL. Plus, there are plenty of people who are successful without a degree.
Meeting new people over and over, the first question someone asks is where did you graduate from? I would say, well, I went to the NFL. Playing in the NFL is cool but being the cool one in the room isn’t actually that cool. I wanted to be one of the smarter ones, so I decided to enroll back in school and finish my degree.
Starting college again after being away for so long was crazy. I thought I had some crazy professors and the amount of work sometimes felt overbearing and overwhelming.
I really struggle to put into words what my Aunt Kelly meant to me during this time. She would help look over my papers and always have an open ear to hear my grouching about busy work, or how this or that assignment made no sense. She encouraged me and taught me so much. She was one of the best mentors a guy could have.
When I retired, if I’m going to be honest, I was a bit lost. What do you do when you have committed so much of your life to something and now it’s gone?
I know a ton of people can relate, whether you are in the military or a CEO in business and you retire. The question is what is next? Do I coach? Do I scout? Do I do absolutely nothing and get fat? Those are all questions that went through my head.
There’s a quote that says that if you are the smartest person in the room, you need to find another room. If you’re the coolest in your family does that count? Well, not in my family’s case. I have two cousins, Dee Terrell and Dilcie Perez, who both have their PhD, which I used to think stood for player hating degrees. Clearly, I was wrong.
Over the last 13 years since I’ve been out of college, they have nagged and nagged me: are you going to go back and get your degree? I would always say that the point of college is to be able to get a great job, and you won’t find a better job than playing in the NFL. Plus, there are plenty of people who are successful without a degree.
Meeting new people over and over, the first question someone asks is where did you graduate from? I would say, well, I went to the NFL. Playing in the NFL is cool but being the cool one in the room isn’t actually that cool. I wanted to be one of the smarter ones, so I decided to enroll back in school and finish my degree.
Starting college again after being away for so long was crazy. I thought I had some crazy professors and the amount of work sometimes felt overbearing and overwhelming.
I really struggle to put into words what my Aunt Kelly meant to me during this time. She would help look over my papers and always have an open ear to hear my grouching about busy work, or how this or that assignment made no sense. She encouraged me and taught me so much. She was one of the best mentors a guy could have.
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My family was also a big motivator for me.
My wife Jenny (Nichols), a soccer alumnus, graduated from the University of Oklahoma. OU athletes who graduate receive an “O Ring”, and she would wear hers all the time when we would go somewhere. I wanted to wear it, but her fingers are smaller than mine. I wanted that O Ring. Since retiring, my wife and I have had two beautiful girls, Aaliyah Grace and Alani Jordan. I could see the arguments down the road: me telling my girls how important education is, and them responding, but Dad you don’t have a degree. Then I would say, you are right, but your mom does. So, to squash any future arguments, it helped motivate me to finish. Everyone tells you to marry someone smart, which I definitely did. I thought one of the benefits of that is she would “help” me finish my degree to which she kindly replied, “I already got my degree, you get yours.” |
Curtis with his family on graduation day.
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It brings a little weight when you say, “I went to the University of Oklahoma.”
When I was in the NFL, people would ask, where did you go to school? Oh Curtis? He went to OU.
OU is a family. It’s where I met my wife, Jenny. Right there in the training room.
All my roommates from college – Ryan Reynolds, Brody Eldridge, Auston English – we still stay in contact and we go on vacations. There are a lot of guys that, when we see each other it's like we haven't missed a step. I just love being around those guys.
There never would be a Curtis Lofton if I never came to the University of Oklahoma, with everything they provided for me and I am forever grateful to the university.
When I was in the NFL, people would ask, where did you go to school? Oh Curtis? He went to OU.
OU is a family. It’s where I met my wife, Jenny. Right there in the training room.
All my roommates from college – Ryan Reynolds, Brody Eldridge, Auston English – we still stay in contact and we go on vacations. There are a lot of guys that, when we see each other it's like we haven't missed a step. I just love being around those guys.
There never would be a Curtis Lofton if I never came to the University of Oklahoma, with everything they provided for me and I am forever grateful to the university.
Giving back is important to me. I’m a season ticket holder, and one of the things I look forward to seeing is who's wearing that number 40 out there, and he better not be sorry!
It’s rewarding to serve out in the community. I helped raise $1 million for the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research, raised funds to dig wells for people who previously had to walk 10 miles for water, spent time visiting patients at the children’s hospital and assisted with turkey and toy drives.
I think it's always important to give back, especially when you've been given so much.
If anybody recognizes anything about me it’s that I’m a man of God and my road has never been an easy one. I’ve been through a lot, but going through all those tough times makes me appreciate the good ones.
My grandma always told me, “The humble will be exalted and those who exalt themselves will be humbled.” That has stuck with me. It matters more how you treat the people around you when you're on top of the mountain.
That's why I've always just taken care of the janitors and the equipment managers, the training room guys – those guys still call me to this day. To me, that was more important than anything.
It’s rewarding to serve out in the community. I helped raise $1 million for the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research, raised funds to dig wells for people who previously had to walk 10 miles for water, spent time visiting patients at the children’s hospital and assisted with turkey and toy drives.
I think it's always important to give back, especially when you've been given so much.
If anybody recognizes anything about me it’s that I’m a man of God and my road has never been an easy one. I’ve been through a lot, but going through all those tough times makes me appreciate the good ones.
My grandma always told me, “The humble will be exalted and those who exalt themselves will be humbled.” That has stuck with me. It matters more how you treat the people around you when you're on top of the mountain.
That's why I've always just taken care of the janitors and the equipment managers, the training room guys – those guys still call me to this day. To me, that was more important than anything.
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When you've been doing something your entire life, like football, and it's completely gone and that was your purpose, you have to redirect and think, what else am I passionate about? School helped with that.
I've started doing some public and motivational speaking and doing a lot of things with my church. My ultimate thing right now is, while my kids are young, I’m going to be there for them. I grew up without my mother and father, and I really didn't get my mother back in my life until I was about to graduate from high school. I want to see birthdays and I wanted to see first steps, dance recitals and whatever my children decide to play. I've never missed one of my daughters' doctor appointments or my wife's doctor appointments. For me right now, family is everything. Without my extended family or friends who are now family, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I graduated, but none of this would have been possible without all your guys’ help. Thank you. |
Curtis and his wife, fellow OU graduate and Sooner soccer alum, Jenny (Nichols).
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I believe one of the coolest things about being a college graduate is nobody can take it away from you and I got to fulfill all my promises.
