Former NFL linebacker Ian Gold (standing, center) poses for a group picture Friday afternoon with students involved in Communities in Schools from Gaffney, Granard and Blacksburg middle schools. Gold spent the weekend speaking to youngsters in schools and churches in and around Cherokee and Spartanburg counties. Ian Gold once made a living in the NFL and helped the Denver Broncos advance within a game of the Super Bowl.

Now the former linebacker is more concerned with encouraging young kids to take their education seriously and plan for the future. He spoke about these issues Friday during visits with Gaffney High football players and middle school students involved in the Communities in School afterschool program.

Gold said education was his own ticket to a better life growing up in a single-parent family.

“My childhood was challenging. My mom raised four boys by herself,” Gold said. “My mother made a decision when I was 12 to go back to college. She was the oldest of 11 children. She was the first in her family to go to college and graduate. Her example really lit a fire in me.”

Gold discovered he was good at playing football when he was in high school. He earned a scholarship to the University of Michigan and graduated with a political science degree.

“I didn’t go to college to play football. I went to college to get my degree,” Gold said. “I’m so thankful I learned about the importance of education early in my life.”

Gold never envisioned he would play in the NFL after finishing his playing career at Michigan. He was preparing to attend law school when a call from the Denver Broncos altered his plan.

He played eight years in the NFL with Denver and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was selected to the Pro Bowl as a Bronco.

“The NFL was not a goal of mine. It was all a shock to me. I had just picked up study materials to take the LSAT law school exam when I got a phone call from the Denver Broncos head coach asking if I wanted to play in the NFL,” Gold said. “It was a great experience playing in the NFL. I learned so much about myself, how to interact with others, the business side and about my own purpose in life.”

After retiring from the NFL in 2008, he joined forces with his cousin Green Bay Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings to launch a Web site called whatkidsaresaying.com. The site is designed for kids ages 7-18 to express themselves through writing. There are weekly contests in the categories of true stories, music, lyrics and poetry.

Gold said he hopes the Web site will provide a positive way for kids to express their feelings and begin searching for own future in life.

“Give yourself a chance by thinking of your purpose and asking the tough question, What is my purpose?” Gold told students involved in Communities in Schools. “The true value is finding out the intent and purpose in your heart for living.”