Foundation Board of Directors
Warrick Dunn, FounderWarrick Dunn was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on January 5, 1975. He played cornerback, running back and quarterback at Catholic (Baton Rouge, LA) High School and was heavily recruited as a high school senior before committing to Florida State University (FSU).
At FSU, Dunn was a three-time first-team All-ACC performer where he became the first back in the school's history to record three 1,000-yard rushing seasons. He finished as the Seminoles' career leader in rushing yards, gaining 3,959 to surpass Greg Allen's 3,769 (1981-84). He averaged 6.9 yards per carry as a collegian, setting a Seminole record and the top mark by a NCAA Division 1-A player (minimum 300 carries) in 50 years (Army's Glenn Davis, 8.3 average, 1943 – 46). He was also considered one of the nation's top pass-catching backs, snaring 132 career receptions for 1,314 yards and scored 47 touchdowns in four FSU seasons, 37 rushing and 10 receiving, to break Allen's previous school record of 46.
He had 21 100-yard rushing games, the most in Seminole history and as a senior earned second-team All-America accolades from Associated Press and was a first-team choice of the Football News. He was selected to the All-ACC first team for three consecutive years and was presented with the conference's Commissioner's Award.
His freshman year, he led the team with 10 touchdowns (four rushing, six receiving), a rare feat by any standard. Warrick graduated in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in Information Studies.
Warrick Dunn was originally drafted in the first round (12th pick overall) of the 1997 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 1997 he was named NFL Rookie of the Year by Football News, Pro Football Weekly and Sports Illustrated, and designated Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press, Football Digest and College and Pro Football Newsweekly.
After playing five years with the Buccaneers he signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an unrestricted free agent on March 15, 2002. During his first season in Atlanta (2002) he produced four 100-yard rushing games after playing through a painful toe injury and hamstring problems in 2001. Dunn rushed for 5,979 yards with the Falcons, ranking third in the team's history.
In 2007, Dunn became the 22nd player in NFL history to reach 10,000 rushing yards and 4,000 yards receiving. He ranks seventh all-time in the category.
After six seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, Dunn returned to Tampa, Florida and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on March 10, 2008 as an unrestricted free agent.
Warrick is a three-time Pro Bowl selection, having played in the 1997, 2000 and 2005 Pro Bowls.
Over the years Warrick has received numerous honors in recognition of his work on and off the field. Those honors include:
- 2011 Jefferson Awards Outstanding Athlete in Service & Philanthropy
- 009 Bart Starr Award
- 2008 World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame
- 2008 42nd annual Byron "Whizzer" White Award recipient
- 2008 JB Award through the NFL Player's Association
- 2007 Inaugural The Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP Award
- 2007 Florida State University Alumni Association's Circle of Gold
- 2007 American Youth Football's Giving Back Pro of the Year Award
- 2004 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year
- 2004 Jessie Tuggle Humanitarian Award
- 2002 Inducted into Florida State University's Hall of Fame
- 1997 NFL Rookie of Year
- 1997, 2000 and 2005 NFL Pro Bowl
- 2003 Atlanta Falcons' Man of the Year
- 2003 The Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete Award
- 2003 The National Center on Black Philanthropy
- 2003 The Frank Ski Kids Foundation Athlete of the Year
- May 5, 2003 issue Sports Illustrated's 101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports
- 2003 The Boy Scouts of America; Atlanta's Peach of an Athlete Award
- 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004 Sporting News' 75 Good Guys in Sports
- Sporting News' Top 100 Most Powerful Sports Personalities
The program is a tribute to his mother, Betty Smothers, a Baton Rouge police officer, who as a single-mother of six, worked tirelessly to achieve the American dream of owning her own home. While working a second job as a security guard, she was killed in the line of duty and was never able to realize that dream.
Through Homes for the Holidays, Warrick has been able to honor her memory. In 2007 Homes for the Holidays expanded to include single-fathers. To date, the program has assisted 91 single parents and 246 children and dependents to achieve first-time homeownership in Tampa and Tallahassee, Florida, Atlanta, Georgia, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
For his outstanding role as a community leader, Dunn was invited in April 2005, along with Patriots LB Larry Izzo, to visit U.S. troops in Kuwait, Qatar and Iraq, and to dedicate a new USO building — The Pat Tillman Center — in Afghanistan. In 2004, he was selected by the NFL, along with Falcons LB Keith Brooking and Ravens TE Todd Heap, to travel with former-NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue to visit U.S. military troops stationed in Germany. He captured the "No. 1 Good Guy" Award from Sporting News' annual list of Good Guys in Pro Sports in June, 2005.
In 2007, Dunn, along with Andre Agassi, Muhammad Ali, Lance Armstrong, Jeff Gordon, Mia Hamm, Tony Hawk, Andrea Jaeger, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Mario Lemieux, Alonzo Mourning and Cal Ripken, Jr., founded Athletes for Hope, a non-profit organization which helps professional athletes and the community develop their passion for philanthropy.
In December, 2009, Dunn realized his long-time goal of expanding his knowledge and experience in the area of NFL team management, branding and operations by being unanimously approved by NFL owners to become a limited partner of the Atlanta Falcons. The purchase of his minority ownership position in the club was completed in March 2010.
Buy Warrick's autobiography, Running for My Life, here.
Visit Warrick Dunn's official website
