(WXYZ) — Detroit football is a thing. In fact, the City of Detroit has more NFL players on the kickoff weekend roster this past season than any other city in America.
I spoke to the Detroit high school football coach about what the league is doing right to get players to the height of football, a player inspired by the success of players who have traveled the path he hopes to travel.
Broadening the lens I also spoke to the metro Detroiter who heard his name called and played in the league and the mother of a metro Detroit Super Bowl champion about what draft day is like.
At Denby High School Head football coach Zach Carr's team is hitting the weight room. He calls coaching football fulfilling and adds it's no surprise Detroit has more athletes in the NFL than any city in America.
"You'll get these kids that are going away to school and doing phenomenal because of what they learn here in Detroit from a strong culture," Carr said.
Carr says that culture is about teaching the game on and off the field, getting exposure for these student athletes and providing support at a critical time in the lives of these young men.
"Core values, character, accountability, relationships and respect. You put that all together and you got a pro," Carr added.
That's reflected on NFL rosters. Detroit leads the way with 19 players, followed by Bradenton, Florida with 17 and Houston, Texas with 16.
Locally, Cass Tech leads the way with five players on NFL rosters, followed by East English Village Prep with 4. But all of the coaches in the Detroit Public Schools Community District work together to embody Detroit football, speaking three to four times a week.
"It's good to actually see the work that we put in on a national scale," Carr said.
Amire Harris hopes to take that next step. He'll play for Wayne State in the fall and says it's great seeing the success Detroit athletes are having in college and the pros.
"It actually motivates me, actually shows me that I am capable of making it, and it just motivates me even more every day to work harder every day I come into practice," Harris said.
With hopes of hearing his name called from the draft stage, just like Detroit native Mike Martin. We've been watching him since his days at Catholic Central, then on to team captain of Michigan's 2012 Sugar Bowl Championship team.
Martin got the call from the Tennessee Titans in the third round. He remembers the coach's words to this day.
"'Hey, Mike, you know, we'd love to have you in Nashville. We love the way you play. And we're ready to bring you on here.' He's like, 'are you good with that?'" Martin said.
He spent five years in the NFL and it all started with that call.
"It was surreal. And then giving my mom a hug and got a bit emotional," he said.
Kim Murphy is the mother of Super Bowl champ Sean Murphy Bunting, who was part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that won Super Bowl LV.
"One minute I'm nervous, one minute I'm, I'm excited. I'm anxious," Murphy said. "They called his name and it was just an amazing feeling for me," she said.
Watching her son's hard work pay off was the reward for balancing being a student and an athlete.
"Just to see him live his dream is, you know, is the best thing that a mother can ask for," she said.
Murphy's advice to the families of the young men being drafted is to give them the same kind of love and support you gave them from the time they were in Pop Warner and high school to help them stay balanced and connected.
The team at Denby is trying to raise money for a new artificial field, not just for their football team by to expand offering to include soccer and lacrosse and to offer space of community teams to lace them up.
