Nov. 27--When Marcus Green was asked by a friend in 2007 to share his knowledge of football with kids from poor neighborhoods, his first reaction was no.
"I thought they would be too bad and I didn't want to deal with it," Green said.
But as he thought back on growing up in Lake Village, Ark., a small town of about 3,200 people, Green said he changed his mind.
"I told myself ... You have to give them a chance," Green said. "People gave me second chances, so why not give these kids a chance."
And that's how Green came to be the coach of the Calumet City Thunderbolts, a Pop Warner football team for 12- to 14-year-olds.
Green was right about the challenges. Several of his players come from single-parent families living in public housing. Others have had to learn to navigate crime-ridden neighborhoods. A few have struggled with getting and keeping good grades.
Next month, the Thunderbolts will have to face yet another challenge. For the third time in three years, the team is scheduled to play in the national championship at ESPN's Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Fla., after securing the 2015 Pop Warner Football title in the Midwest regional championship.
But they must raise about $30,000 for their stay in Orlando, Green said, money that is not easy to come by given the background of many of his players.
The players are from the Altgeld Gardens Homes and the Roseland neighborhood on the South Side, and south suburban Dolton, Calumet City, Richton Park, University Park and Harvey.
The 20-plus kids have done everything required of them to play, including maintaining at least a 2.0 GPA, Green said. Some have gone well beyond that mark.
Sebastian Barrett, 14, started playing with Green about four years ago and has a 3.0 GPA at Urban Prep High School, where he's a freshman.
"I just want to make it out of the projects," said Barrett, who lives in Altgeld Gardens Homes with his mother. "Coach Green has showed me how to be a gentleman. I have grown in the years he has been my mentor. He has showed me there's more to life than running the streets."
Barrett said he is excited about the opportunity to showcase the team's football skills in Orlando. But most of all, "I just want to get away from the projects," he said.
Green said he tried to show his players that "there is something else out there besides gang-banging and dealing drugs. Football is just the tool I have chosen to connect with these boys. I let them know you can achieve other things as well."
Green said he promotes a student-athlete model and makes it clear there is no football without good grades.
Barrett said Green helps players with their homework and even takes them on outings such as movies and picnics to occupy idle time.
"A lot of our fathers walked out on us," he said. "But Coach Green is always there when we need him."
Thomas Tankersley Jr., 14, who plays left tackle and left guard for the Thunderbolts, said Green "is the best."
"He's like a dad," he said. "There's almost nothing positive in my neighborhood to do and look forward to, and he has changed that."
Green has raised funds in the past to get his team to Orlando, but this year has been difficult, he said. So far, the teams' GoFundMe account has raised only about $2,000 toward the $27,000 goal.
"We just want to represent Chicago at the nationals in December," Barrett said. "We just want the opportunity."
The Calumet City Thunderbolts will be raising funds toward their stay in Orlando until Thursday. The Pop Warner championship will run Dec. 5 through 12.
dawilliams@chicagotribune.com
