Autry Denson article

[tgolden]

from the south bend tribune.

South Bend Tribune: Family is first for Denson

Family is first for Denson

ERIC HANSEN
Tribune Staff Writer

He walked away not because there wasn't opportunity, not because his knee had swollen to the size of the average NFL running back's ego.

Autry Denson pushed away the game he loved for something he loved much more -- his family.

"It was easy, really," said Notre Dame's all-time leading rusher, whose final days as a pro were spent as a Montreal Alouette in 2004. "I have always been family-oriented. I had a daughter my senior year in high school, so I always understood responsibilities. I had a son my senior year at Notre Dame.


"Family life was fine when I was playing in Miami, but when you start to go a few months in Cleveland, a year in Chicago, two years in Detroit, my kids didn't need to be moving around like that. This is their time."

That means 12-year-old Ashley, 9-year-old Autry III, 1-year-old Elijah and wife, Elaine -- not to mention mom Janice Franklin.

"I was blessed with uncles and cousins who gave me great guidance," Denson said. "The smartest thing they told me while I was playing was to put my money in places I couldn't touch it. As a 21-year-old, I didn't understand what to do with it. The fact that I didn't give it all away or blow it all gave me the ability to do something a lot of players don't have -- the ability to move on to life after football on my terms."

Now his work is to help others do the same. Denson, who has settled back in his old South Florida stomping grounds, has partnered with his former financial adviser, Andrew Raffa. And the two, who work with Merrill Lynch, have a client base comprising primarily professional athletes.

"The reason I got into this is there's such a need for it," Denson said. "You get a guy who's 19, 20, 21 years old. You throw a ton of money at them, and there's no training. Athletes have the worst spending habits, and they get a bad rap for it.

"If you're not from a lot of money -- and a lot of athletes are like that -- and you suddenly get money, the first thing you're going to do is go buy all the things you used to not be able to afford. They don't understand the business side of it. Then, because longevity of athletes is so short, by the time you realize it, the money's gone and you're out of the league. And you don't really know what's next."

Denson always had an eye on the next phase of his life. That's why he balked at coming out of Notre Dame after his junior season when all the voices in his peer group were telling him otherwise. And that's why he held a full-time job outside of football during each of his five NFL seasons.

"When I was playing for the Dolphins, I literally left the facility, put on a suit and went into the office," he said. "I've always been all about options. That made it easy when it was time to move on."

Now his biggest challenge is trying to prolong Ashley's interest in boys.

"I'm trying to keep her a tomboy, that's my strategy," he said with a laugh. "It almost backfired on me, but I know that someday a little guy is going to show up at my house, wanting to date my daughter. I'm not looking forward to it."

But he has never pushed away his responsibilities as a father. Not when he was a teen-ager in high school. Not at Notre Dame. Not when he was scratching just to stay a step ahead of the NFL waiver wire.

"I never looked at her as a burden, never," Denson said. "People let me know there were a lot of different ways I could have gone, but I wasn't going to hide from that responsibility. I come from pretty good stock. I grew up in a single-parent household with a person who was my hero and who showed me how to sacrifice. My mom was my everything. She's still my everything.

"But my daughter was more inspiration than anything while I was at Notre Dame. I stayed in school in part because of her. I worked that much harder on the field and in the classroom. I knew who I was and where I came from. And that made me stay focused on what's important."

Following the Irish falls in that category. Now that his own football career is behind him, Denson plans on being a regular at Notre Dame Stadium.

"It's better for me to be there than watch it at home," he said. "When I'm at home, I have this Notre Dame room, and it's just me and my son (Autry). And when the game's on, no one can call me. No one can talk to me. No one is allowed to come into the room.

"I was talking to (former teammate) Ron Powlus a couple of weeks ago. I told him I've turned into the guy we used to make fun of. I'm a Notre Dame fanatic. I can't help myself. I'm hopeless."

[Clausen2Kamara]

Great article, I always loved they way Autry ran. You could just tell that he was a worker and took nothing for granted. Its great to see what kind of person he is. Just another reason why I am so proud to be a Notre Dame fan.