Ex-Packers coach ready to lend ear to area's troubled men, boys
Sydney talks about his mentoring program inside his office in Green Bay.
2004 By Thomas Rozwadowski
Inspiring others to find the best within themselves is an inner calling Harry Sydney maintains he's had since Day One.
It's Just too bad that a prolific career in the National Football League got in the way of making it a full-time occupation.
With his days as a fullback with San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers now behind him, Sydney is ready to guide area men with the same intensity he had when directing running backs through holes in the opposing defense.
As lead mentor of My Brothers Keeper's Inc. on Green Bay's west side, Sydeny began individual and group counseling sessions for males ages 11 to 65 last week. The sessions are designed to assist area men with the troubles they've encountered on their "journey through life," he said. "I can relate to young men whether it be talking about sports or life in general," said Sydney, also a co-host on WDUZ-FM (107.5) and a contributor to PackersNews.com.
"I'm the product of a divorce," he said. "My mom was an alcoholic. I had to deal with lots of fighting between my parents and then go play a basketball game the next night. So I've been there. They can't tell me I don't know."
Sydney, who graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in juvenile justice, said the My Brother's Keeper project has been more than 20 years in the making. Even while he was butting heads with the best in the NFL, also the Packers running backs coach from 1995 to 1999, said he's always had a passion for helping others - especially troubled men in need of a role model.
"A lot of these young men have the same problems," he said. "They have abusive fathers, no father or no role model at all. They're forced to be the man of the house and when they get out on the street, they're scared of their own shadows."
Sydney, a native of Fayetville, N.C., said he found an outlet early on to help take him away from the problems he faced at home. Although he was lucky enough to able to pursue his dream as a professional athlete, Sydney said, he had to believe he could get to that point first."
"I used football as my escape," he said. "I know that without football, I wouldn't have gone to college. I'm trying to get people to realize that you don't have to fail just because you've been surrounded by failure your entire life."
Brown County Circuit Court Judge J.D. McKay, who has met with Sydney about his program, said providing more positive outlets to community members is a step in the right direction. McKay said that in his dealings with juvenile males in the court system, sometimes a neutral party can be the best resource.
Program works with schools, judges, police
"It's always important to afford young people opportunities to develop relationships with role-model systems that will permit them to deal with everyday pressures and concerns," McKay said. "The more help we have to give, the better off they're going to be."
Ultimately, that's the goal of the "My Brother's Keeper" program, Sydney said. By working with local judges, police school administrators and businesses, the Green Bay resident is hopeful his success on the gridiron will carry over into his newfound mentorship role.
"I've been very blessed. I've done what I wanted to do, and that's be a pro athlete," Sydney said. "But some kids think they can't move forward because the past is so heavy. I'm here to tell them they can do anything they want to do."
c/o:Green Bay Press Gazette
