While coaching varsity football at Sacramento’s Encina High School, college quarterback and punter Greg Roeszler, discovered a disturbing fact – that one of his student athletes was sleeping in his car to avoid returning to a troubled home.

Digging deeper with his team revealed that the majority of his players faced daily struggles to survive and were surrounded by crime, gangs, violence, drugs and alcohol. Believing that coaches hold a key to building skills beyond the field, Roeszler founded The Playmakers – a non-profit organization designed to build leadership and character through sports and academics.

Founded in 2009, The Playmakers began as a summer football camp integrating football skills and character lessons. Playmakers then evolved to provide after school and summer reading programs for at-risk youth, and an annual Summer Football Academy for regional high schools.

The Playmakers touched the lives of more than 2,000 students and athletes. Now, our vision for the future is to expand and affect even more kids on a national level. By partnering with community leaders and agencies, we can spread The Playmakers curriculum on a national scale. We can reduce bullying and give youth tools to overcome their challenges.