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University of Minnesota Athletics
Black History Month: Tommy Watson
2/15/2018 12:00:00 AM | Football
In honor of Black History Month, Gopher Athletics is celebrating those who made us great. Throughout February, GopherSports.com will share short interviews with African-American alumni from almost every Gopher program. In these interviews, former student-athletes reflect on their time at the U of M, provide advice to current Gophers and share what Black History Month means to them personally.
Name: Tommy Watson
Sport(s): Football
Years: 1992-97
Hometown: Denver, Colo.
Occupation: Speaker & Author
Twitter Handle: @Drinspiration1
What is it you honestly miss most about the University?
The support. I came to U of M needing lots of support beyond football. I arrived on campus to play football while homeless, with my mother and father in prison, my grandmother (who was my last legal guardian) in a nursing home suffering from Alzheimer's, my younger brother in prison, my older brother involved with gangs, my oldest sister a crack addict, my second-oldest sister in foster care in Iowa, my youngest sister living with my aunt. Between my junior and senior year of high school, I lived in five different locations and spent the last six months of my senior year of high school homeless. The University of Minnesota did a fantastic job of providing me with the resources that I needed to survive and thrive as a student-athlete. The university played a vital role in helping me become Dr. Tommy Watson!
If you could give the current student-athletes any piece of advice, what would it be?
Get that degree! Maximize your time and build solid relationships. Everywhere I travel today, I run into my former teammates and alumni. It was one of my teammates who recruited me to live in Charlotte, N.C., where we have five other teammates also living. We get together on a regular basis, hang out and support each other's families and activities. These relationships all started at the University of Minnesota 20-plus years ago.
Please share your favorite university or athletic event you've attended since you graduated and what made it so special to you?
I have been back to speak to athletes and serve as a mentor. However, one of the most memorable moments occurred when I returned for the opening of TCF Bank Stadium. It was amazing sharing the experience with my former teammates and legends that played and coached at the University many years earlier.
What are you grateful for?
I am forever grateful for being a graduate of the University of Minnesota and maintaining a relationship with the school. When I was a principal in the Twin Cities, I established a partnership with the University to have student-athletes come to my school monthly to mentor my students. My students loved it and loved the University of Minnesota. In fact, our school song was a modified version of the University of Minnesota's fight song. I have a number of my former students attending the University of Minnesota today.
What does Black History Month mean to you?
Resilience! It's the honoring of a group of people that has had nearly every obstacle imaginable placed on us and before us to keep us down and hold us back. Despite the obstacles and odds, we have been able to bounce back and thrive â€" here we still stand today!
What occupies your time now?
Today, I travel the nation inspiring individuals and organizations to turn transitions into success as a speaker, author, executive coach and a consultant. The essential part of my message to audiences is sharing how the University of Minnesota helped me go from homeless to doctor.