Johnny Quinn Helps Teens Transition To College

MCKINNEY (CBSDFW.COM) - He made waves at McKinney High School as a star football player. He still holds the title of all-time leading receiver at the University of North Texas. But athlete Johnny Quinn went from local football legend to the United States bobsled team, and then became a worldwide sensation after punching his way out of a locked bathroom door in Sochi, Russia.

Quinn is now helping other high school athletes transition to college as founder of The Athlete Watch.

During his time in high school, Quinn thought that his performance on the field would help him pay for college. He and his family expected that scholarships would come. He remembered, "We were told from all the experts that if you score touchdowns, if you make all the plays and win all the awards, you're going to get scholarships."

But that did not happen.

Quinn went to a recruiting service to get some feedback. And, to his dismay, they ranked him as a Division II player. "That's when the light bulb went on for our family, and really where the foundation of The Athlete Watch began," Quinn recalled. "We realized, wait a second, their opinion does not matter."

Quinn started The Athlete Watch three years ago. It is a way to help student athletes and their families navigate the path to college and to those scholarships. "It opens tons of doors," said 16-year-old golfer Sean Wilcox, who is already thinking about his future beyond high school. "Even if you're a calibur player that's really good and you think, 'Oh, no, I'm not going to need this,' or 'I don't need the recognition' or anything, it always helps to get your name out."

Coaches can go to The Athlete Watch's website to see Wilcox's swing, read his statistics and verify his grades. The site does more than promote a student's athletic skills though. Parents said that it also teaches teenagers how to network. David Wilcox said, "The coaches really appreciate the young athlete to reach out and do this on their own. It shows initiative."

"I wanted to help other high school student athletes in the college recruiting process," Quinn stated simply, "because there's a lot of opportunity out there."

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