While the Florida Gators were playing the Ohio State  Buckeyes for the National Championship, I was reading about another champion - Chad Varga. Varga played basketball at Pitt from 1994-97 and professionally in Spain after getting his college degree, but that’s not what makes him a  champion. It’s his story that he now shares as a motivational speaker in public schools and churches that makes him remarkable.  

As a child, he was abused. He also witnessed things first-hand that many parents shield their children from watching on TV or in movies.“My story used to be abnormal, but today it’s normal,” Varga said. “I hear a lot worse when I talk to these kids. Sometimes, we’re numb to what’s out there. We want to believe these problems are a million miles away. But they’re not. There are a lot of kids hurting. They need hope. They need expectations. They need to realize the impact of the choices they make on the rest of their lives. They’re scared to stand up for what’s right because they’re so worried about what their friends will think. ‘At some point,’ I tell them, ‘you’ve got to get over your fear of what people think.’ ”

Varga was raised in a broken home by his mother, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict. Growing up, he and his sister were beaten by their mother and she took them to Detroit area crack houses. He saw his mother almost die from a cocaine overdose and eventually witnessed her being taken to prison. She forgot his 11th birthday party because she was drunk. He witnessed many fights she had with her boyfriends and once saw a murder.

“I tell the kids, ‘Regardless of what’s happened to you, it doesn’t give you an excuse to give up or quit,’ ” Varga said. “There’s a real connect there because they know I had every reason to fail. “Sure, I contemplated suicide. But what if I had done that? I’d have never known what I have in my life now. I’m not talking about material things. I’m talking about my relationship with God. I’m talking about the love I have for my family. I’m talking about the teenagers I’ve been able to reach. It’s like I tell the kids. ‘You can’t quit. You don’t know what’s ten years ahead.’ ” So what’s ten year ahead for Varga?  He plans to run a youth home in Johnson City, Tennessee on 150 acres of property which was given to him. “I decided there was more to life than dunks,” Varga said. “Everybody thought I was nuts. They still do.”  

I bet there are a lot of kids who don’t think he’s nuts. In fact, they probably think of him as a champion. One that will win again and again. 

You can find more details on his Web site: www.inspirenow.com.

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com