WORDS: Bre Jones Mulock
A clock ticks just shy of 4:30 p.m., and a dozen round, hopeful young faces pressed against a glass window smudged with handprints and reflecting an army of sparkling gold trophies standing guard across the room. Squirmy anticipation rolls through the roster of six to 12-year-olds like a case of contagious wiggles. The children, sporting gym shorts and T-shirts and a few crumbs from an after-school snack, peer out to watch for a grey Jeep turning into the 13th Avenue Dream Center parking lot.
They are waiting for Ace Sanders – their football coach extraordinaire who flashes generous smiles, oozes positivity, and co-owns printing and clothing line companies. He also happens to be a former Jacksonville Jaguars NFL pro-player, University of South Carolina Gamecocks standout kick returner, and Manatee High School hometown football hero.
But the kids- many at-risk and underprivileged- look past the star-studded resume and see a man who passionately cares about them. They see a mentor – a searchlight illuminating an escape route.
“With these kids, many from rough backgrounds and hard family lives, you have to give them support and an outlet,” said Sanders, nodding his head with conviction. “If they are not engaged in something like sports, it’s just a ticking time bomb. We have to get them early.”
Sanders, a Palmetto native and former Dream Center team player himself, has collected up his life-changing college and NFL experiences and voyaged back to his roots in an effort to lift up the community he cherishes. Bursting with heart and creative energy, the 2012 SEC Special Teams Player of the Year tackled a new position two years ago: Director of strength/conditioning and life skills at the center. Hitting the ground running, Sanders has carved out programs such as Friday Night Lights – an activity that entices at-risk youth to swap out roaming the streets for constructive, safe fun.
“Ace has a contagious spirit that is so vibrant – the kids just go to him,” said Dream Center CEO Derrick Randall, who shared their football program rises as a staple in the community to inspire at-risk youth with positive mentors and coaches. “He lights it up for these kids and is a phenomenal asset to the community center because he is exceptionally driven and unmatched.”
Across the dusty Dream Center, practice field dotted with a tire and agility ladder; you can find Sanders running, tackling, and passing footballs every single day of the week with kids eager to learn and grow. A natural athlete excelling in sports ranging from tennis and golf to basketball and track, Sanders knows he’s in a race against time to capture these adolescents. Two years ago, he hatched Friday Night Lights so kids could focus on practicing through the week and then compete against a night-sky backdrop and under the exciting glow of stadium lights on Friday evenings.
“It’s really important for these kids to train,” said Sanders, who attended USC on an athletic scholarship and played for Coach Steve Spurrier. “But it is just as important to compete and reinforce good habits. More importantly, what happened is we were keeping the kids off the streets because they wanted to play under the lights and feel the cheers and make the touchdowns. We were showing them that doing what’s right and working hard feels just as good.”
In the initial week of the program, 20 kids hustled out on the field to practice. Excited chatter drew in 45 players during week two and a whopping 65 the following week, prompting Sanders to cap enrollment and seek volunteers because he stood as the sole coach. With three weeks of practice in the books, Sanders felt pumped for the first Friday night game.
But when 6 p.m. kick-off rolled around, only seven kids huddled at the sidelines.
“I thought, well, this isn’t working, but we were going to still play,” said Sanders, pausing to reveal a surprise. “But then I looked up and just saw all the cars filing in. They kept coming. Every 15 minutes, more and more kids showed. I looked around and saw all these kids here choosing to be on the field and not on the streets.”
Sanders joins a long line of community civil rights activists and educators at the Center, which was established in 1937 with former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s help. Creating an environment so at-risk youth could maximize their potential, the center flourishes as a haven for cultural, recreational, social, and educational activities.
Serving about 1,500 students ages four to 18 per year, the center reaches families with an average annual income of $18,500. They represent a region with the highest number of referrals to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Manatee County. Resourcing about $3,000 per year/per child, the not-for-profit organization strives to build dreams, change lives, and strengthen families through a myriad list of academic, sports, and after-school programs.
“We have a very diverse program,” said Randall. “We have turned out pro athletes, doctors, lawyers, politicians. Our goal continues to be to grow and develop these kids. Ace plays a big part in reaching them.”
Patrick Carnegie, former Dreams Center CEO and now serving as CEO of MCR Health, feels his heart swell with pride watching Sanders return to the community and the very same field he practiced day after day in middle school.
“I’m proud of Ace – so proud of him,” said Carnegie, who coached Sander’s Manatee Mustangs team to a National Championship win in the Pop Warner league. “The program strives to instill good character and for kids to come back to their community and empower and inspire new generations. Ace is doing exactly this, and it warms my heart so much.”
From a young age, Sanders shined with possibilities and caught Carnegie’s eye. Sander’s athleticism matched a drive to excel.
“Ace was always a phenomenal asset to the team,” said Carnegie. “It’s because of his heart. He is a great athlete but was always a little undersized. He excelled because of his work ethic, focus, and being an excellent student of the game. He had all of the right ingredients we want to teach these kids.”
Although the Dream Center has moved on from Friday Night Lights, the focus has turned to 7-On-7 flag football – the current hot trend in sports, drawing in many participants who long to travel and compete more.
A self-taught graphic artist who confesses a love for deep conversations, Sanders moves through life like a sponge, always ready to soak up new information and ideas. He’s happy to analyze crown molding and light fixtures with his mom and indulge in fishing off the Green Bridge or boating local waterways. The rhythmic thump of a ball hitting pavement will always coax Sanders into a pickup game of basketball – his first love. Currently, Sanders – along with a cousin and close friend – has launched the fashion line De’Kulture Clothing and printing company The Chief in Print. From Miami to L.A., the trio has crisscrossed the country, testing markets and brainstorming ideas.
“I love to create,” said Sanders, whose father – Tracy Sanders – played for the Florida State Seminoles. “I need the challenge of learning something new, and I think with football, I was on autopilot. I had played it so long. I think I had figured this game out – hit a wall. This is a new adventure.”
Reaching and excelling past the game of football resonates as a poignant life lesson Sanders hopes to share with the kids. Talent and success should thrive long after the fourth quarter ends because Sanders often points out football “is just a game.”
“What many people don’t know about Ace is he is not just all about football,” said Randall. “He’s traveled and seen and experienced a lot. He wants to broaden the kids’ horizons – get these kids to see the bigger picture. Sharing this with them is his biggest asset.”
With the wheels and gears constantly churning in his sharp mind, Sanders has even pitched ways to help the center grow its reading and tech programs. Nutrition classes reign high on his list for offering new lessons for the kids. He pours hope and effort into the children because he sees them as still impressionable.
“It takes a lot of work to reach these kids,” said Sanders. “You have them for a couple of hours a day, and you hope they come back to you. I see so many gifted kids – talented kids – on and off the field. But it’s what you do with this talent that determines success.”
Perhaps Sanders’ well-rounded, humble nature grabs more attention than his career stats.
“We’ve had thousands and thousands of kids – great kids – come through the program,” Carnegie said. “But you won’t find anyone who doesn’t remember Ace. This speaks to his strong character. He has always been a standout.”
Passing through the echoing gym to reach the fields, Sanders pauses to point out the photo banners of smiling Dream Center kids that drape proudly from the ceiling. He rattles off personal stories of the children beaming back from the signs before opening the doors and spilling out onto the sun-drenched field.
When the kids catch sight of him ready to train each day, they burst out onto the sandy and grassy stretch, often too anxious to wait for the official cue to run a warm-up lap. One takes off – face in the wind and shoes kicking up a cloud of dust. The others follow. When they catch a glimpse of Sanders bringing out a football, they dive right into a game.
“Sometimes I’m trying to teach skills, and they just want to play,” said Sanders, who tackled big games in countless stadiums but still views this field as home. “I just let them play because they’re kids, and they want to have fun.”
While Sanders tirelessly stretches to reach all youth at the center, he’s particularly drawn to this group of six to 12-year-olds.
“When they are young, they still have a clean mind,” said Sanders. “You have more of a chance to mold them. Kids wake up each day with a smile on their face. I hope to keep that smile going. Then maybe when they go home, they’ll take that smile with them and help their mom smile.”
