Ray Webber
Leaving The Game Behind
Ray grew up as the youngest of ten children in the historic Hyde Park neighborhood of north St. Louis. Although the area has seen some redevelopment over the past decades, it is pocked with blighted and vacant homes, Ray’s parents knew they had to keep him, and his sisters focused and disciplined.
Ray’s dad, Baby Ray, served as a city firefighter and is now retired. “He was so big, and I was this tiny dude looking up to this big 6-foot 1-inch man—I never wanted to be in trouble. Even though my father didn’t live in the home with us, he still provided for us. He taught me a lot about being a man, and that if certain circumstances don’t work out, then you still have to do what you have to do to adjust.”
Ray’s mother worked at a nearby YMCA where she got to know lots of kids and their parents. She was active at his school and in the neighborhood. “We grew up hearing our mom tell us the primary responsibility for any child’s success is up to their parents.” Ray was the youngest of Baby Ray’s ten children. His parents never married, and Ray and his two older sisters are all college graduates.
Ray grew up wanting to be a football player. “My mom knew it was important for me to stay busy, so she got me into Pee Wee football when I was five. In high school, I played for the community’s football team, City Rec, and joined the Cleveland JROTC and Career Academy. I also took a job at the White Castle down the street, but my mom told me my education always came first, and if my grades started to suffer, she would take football away.”
In high school he was a quarterback and cornerback; as a senior, he was a wide receiver. After being scouted by college football teams during his high school career, Ray enrolled at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. He made a name for himself there, breaking records for the most receptions and the most yards in a game and season. He joined Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, and he graduated with a degree in Business Marketing.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2011. A hamstring injury in training camp forced him to the sidelines. In 2012, he joined the Jets and later got a tryout with the Miami Dolphins. Then it was on to the Canadian Football League, but it didn’t stick. In 2013 he had an MCL injury, and in 2014 he broke a finger and had lung failure due to exercise-induced asthma. “I had never used an inhaler when I was younger, but a doctor later told me my lungs were like an 84-year-olds.” After playing professional football for four years, he retired due to his injuries. “Because I didn’t play long enough to be vested, I didn’t get medical benefits or a pension.” After being tackled so many times and the numerous concussions, he now suffers from ADHD, Manic Depressive Disorder and has a hard time sitting still. “Since leaving the game, I don’t watch football on TV and I’m not a football fan anymore. I’m a big fan of The Game of Thrones.”
He now lives in Augusta, Georgia, with his wife and three daughters. He tried working in corporate America, wearing a suit and tie every day but I didn’t like it. “I had special talents and abilities and a plethora of knowledge to help get people healthier. He opened a small gym with donated equipment and a $4,000 loan and ran it for three years. Recently he opened a new, 22,000 ft. gym. He also started a non-profit called ‘More Than the Game’ that helps feed the homeless and teaches young men, ages 11-18, how to become a ‘gentleman,’ wear a suit, learn how to conduct themselves at a 4-course meal and learn interviewing skills.
“I was a part of the process of getting the Atlanta MVP Chapter started in the beginning. John Sterling, now the Atlanta Chapter Coordinator, put together a pilot program in May of 2018 to see if an Atlanta Chapter would be viable. It started with 10-12 people; now, the chapter has 100 active members and is growing.” Ray drives 2 hours into Atlanta for the MVP Atlanta weekly session.