Chicago Mentor Program Helped Steer Lane Tech Grad To NFL Draft
(CBS) – A Lane Tech graduate says he wouldn't be looking at an NFL future without the unselfish act of a man looking to make a difference in the world.
CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker reports.
It's all hugs and smiles as Laken Tomlinson greets the couple he credits with much of his success, on the field and off.
"Growing up, I didn't have a father figure," Tomlinson says. "My mom was a single mom with four kids."
His family moved to Chicago from Jamaica when he was 10 years old. He was in need of a mentor, and Bob Sperling, a successful attorney, was looking to give back.
Tomlinson became a part of the Sperling family, visiting almost every week. They actually introduced him to football.
"I had no idea what football was," he says. "I had pads on and I was hitting other kids. It was a lot of fun."
Tomlinson turned out to be a gifted athlete, becoming a star football player at Lane Tech -- and a top student.
"He gave me the tools I needed to navigate myself through the city, staying away from the gangs," Tomlinson says of Sperling.
Nearly every top college had their eye on the All-American. The Sperlings helped him choose Duke because he wanted to major in pre-med.
"I see him as a son," Sperling says. "People said, 'Aren't you proud of his football accomplishments?' I'm proud, but there are so many things about him that I'm far more proud about -- his decency, his kindness."
Tomlinson and the Sperlings connected through a Chicago mentoring program called Youth Guidance.