OPELOUSAS — Sam George’s kids didn’t believe his stories.
They couldn’t buy in to the stories that their dad was once one of the most dynamic football players in all of St. Landry Parish, a dual-threat quarterback that helped lead his high school team to an undefeated regular season and an iconic playoff upset of a national powerhouse.
They couldn’t wrap their head around that their dad would then go on to becoming a starting quarterback in college and earn MVP honors in the biggest game of his career.
So the patriarch of the George household pulled out the old highlight film — on VHS tape nonetheless — and showed them what he used to do on the football field. On grainy old video from 30 years ago, they saw that the stories of their dad were in fact true.
“When I came back home from work one night, we were having some conversations about how good I was,” Sam said. “I put on highlight films from 1992. I think they opened all my kids’ eyes. They were clapping on all types of stuff.”
“I liked to watch it,” Stephen said. “It was pretty cool watching all the stuff he did back in the day. I didn’t know he was that speedy, but every little bad thing he did on the tape I would get on him about just like he gets on me with now.”
Football is a big part of the George household. Stephen is wrapping his fourth year as a starting quarterback at Westminster Christian Academy, where his father serves as a volunteer coach. The son has the opportunity to accomplish something that his father never did — play for and win a state championship.
“The most gratifying thing for me is that he has the chance to finish the job,” Sam said. “We didn’t have the chance to finish the job. To see them finish the job would be the icing on the cake for me.”
“He would always talk about how he went 10-0 and then we went 10-0, but I am trying to go further,” Stephen said. “I am trying to help our team get to the Dome.”
Yet, the bond of the Sam and Stephen goes beyond watching old highlight tapes and talk of winning a state championship; it is one rooted in the importance of family and faith.
FOOTBALL TO FATHERHOOD
Sam was a three-year starter at Opelousas High, including leading the Tigers to a 10-0 regular season as a junior and defeating powerhouse John Curtis in the second round of the playoffs before falling to Salmen in the quarterfinals. He led the Tigers to another playoff win as a senior in 1993 before falling to Crowley in the second round but was named the LSWA Class 4A Offensive MVP.
Sam played at Southern University for Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame coach Pete Richardson. He became the starting quarterback for the final two seasons, led the Jaguars to back-to-back SWAC championships and was named the 1998 Bayou Classic MVP after throwing three second-half touchdowns in the rivalry game.
“I never lost a Bayou Classic,” Sam proudly stated.
A few days after that crowning achievement of his collegiate career, George was provided with an unexpected but life-changing opportunity.
Producers for a new football film “Any Given Sunday” were searching for a stunt double for lead actor Jamie Foxx. They reached out to former Grambling State and Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams, who was now coaching at Grambling State. He suggested they call Southern about the QB he saw beat him in the Bayou Classic.
There was one problem. George believed it was a prank.
“I thought it was a fake call or prank call,” Sam said. “I thought a teammate was pranking me. It was Jamie Foxx’s assistant that called me. I hung up on once, and then he called me back. I realized it wasn’t a fake call.”
George flew down to Miami and auditioned on the spot by showing his ability to throw and run the football. Foxx’s character in the movie was known as a running quarterback. His audition was a success, and he was offered the job. With filming scheduled to take four months, George would miss the NFL Draft Combine and the chance to work out for NFL franchises, which meant that his dreams of playing in the NFL would likely come to an end.
It was a difficult decision, but George recalls how his mama reminded him of how much of a blessing he was given.
“I remember my mama saying that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Sam said. “She thought it was God rewarding me.”
He spent the first four months of 1999 putting on pads and cleats every day, running bootlegs and throwing slants and fade routes and sitting at tables breaking bread with actors, celebrities and former football legends in between takes.
The whole experience was life changing for the Opelousas native.
“When you go from being a college student athlete, and then you are on a movie set eating lunch and dinner with Lawrence Taylor, Bill Bellamy, and Matthew Modine, it just gave me a different perspective on life,” Sam said. “It forced me to deal with the realities back home much more easily. It had me focus.”
Part of that focus was becoming a father, as he and his wife welcomed their first child — a daughter named Haley.
“We had our first kid when I got back from filming,” Sam said. “I didn’t try out with the NFL or pro football. So what was my next plan? My plan B.”
George’s backup plan included coaching and teaching stints at Acadiana Preparatory School and St. Landry Charter School. He also worked in code enforcement for former Opelousas Mayor Anna Simmons. He then found his way of getting a job as a full-time driver for UPS, who he has been with since 2012.
“It was a blessing to get the job,” Sam said.
But there would soon be more blessings for the Georges.
CHRIST CENTERED LIFE
Sam and Kim were raising their children with love and respect, but then the family made a shift. It was no longer about their own wants and needs but what God wanted from them. The family, including daughters Haley, Karley, and Kenzi, and son Stephen, joined Our Savior’s Church in Opelousas and committed to raising their children in a Christ-centered environment.
“We always had a strong faith background,” Sam said. “We knew church and God, but things started getting more serious for us, and we were becoming more grounded in our faith. We found Our Saviors, and that refocused us. That was a game changer for us, as a couple in our marriage and with our family.”
Even though their oldest Haley was entering her freshman year at Opelousas High. Her parents were at peace with her attending there, but the age difference between their oldest and their next two children was seven and eight years. The Georges saw an opportunity to place their younger children Karley and Stephen in a different environment.
“Several of the families at the church attended WCA and spoke highly of it,” Kim said. “They were given the opportunity to enroll there. We agreed — though I’ll be honest — we weren’t 100 percent sure it would be the right move at first. Our thinking was that if it didn’t work out, we could always pull the kids out quickly. But almost immediately, we fell in love with the Christian foundation that WCA provides. We also felt a true family — like the atmosphere on campus.”
That eventually led to Kim — with 22 years of teaching experience in St. Landry Parish — joining the staff at WCA herself six years ago and enrolling their youngest Kenzi with them to the school.
“Our kids were busy with school and sports, and we did what we felt would give our family a more balanced rhythm,” Kim said. “We wanted to simplify our days — no more constant running between different schools. The moved helped us to free up more time to be present with our kids’ lives and support their activities. As a teacher at WCA, I now ‘get to’ be a present mom for all events, which is truly important to me. There is a deep sense of peace that lets me know being here is part of God’s plan for the Georges.”
“My wife and I just wanted the kids to have it better than us and be in a Christian environment,” Sam said. “It was perfect timing for us. Our kids went there, and then my wife came here. Westminster was the best opportunity for us.”
“It’s just good support,” Stephen said. “I get to see my family everyday. That’s a blessing. It is comforting.”
FOLLOWING IN HIS FOOTSTEPS
Stephen is the lone boy of the George children, so it is not surprising that he would gravitate towards sports, in particular football. Even though his favorite player growing up was Odell Beckham Jr., the younger George took to playing quarterback. Yes, just like his father.
Did Stephen have any trepidation about playing the same position as his father?
“I knew he played quarterback, but I could play it too,” Stephen said. “I played a little tight end in junior high, but when I got to high school the coaches wanted me to play quarterback. So I just stuck to that role, and I trained with my dad to get better.”
“He started his freshman year, and you could see the progression,” Sam said. “Some of the things that I had introduced to him, some of the drills, some of those he began to master. I really enjoyed seeing those drills come to fruition.”
Despite his background as a gridiron star, Sam stayed away from coaching his son. Instead, he would train him on the weekends or in the offseason, but for the longest time he just wanted to be a dad.
“I just stayed away and was a parent,” Sam said. “I would coach up on the weekends and train him, but that was it.”
“He would also be hard on me when we trained,” Stephen said. “With my three-step drop, stay on a straight line, don’t drift in the pocket and reading defenses, all the little things he would be on me. I would just listen to him and do what he told me.”
That doesn’t mean it was always easy to be trained by his dad.
“I used to always get frustrated, because everything I would do he would be on me,” Stephen said. “The older I got, I understand it was more about him helping me out. It wasn’t about him being hard on me.”
That dynamic between father and son would soon add another layer.
After Stephen’s freshmen year at WCA, the Crusaders hired Byron Porter to take over the football program. Within a few days, Porter reached out to Sam and asked him if he could serve as a volunteer coach. The older George gladly accepted the offer.
“The kids look up to him,” Porter said. “They respect him a heck of a lot. When you have that type of experience and knowledge, they are all ears. They have a lot of questions. Sam is very knowledgeable of the game, but more importantly, he is not an overbearing father. He wants to see everyone be successful. I appreciate that.”
For Sam, it was important for him to be known as a coach to all the players and just not Stephen’s dad.
“I help them all out,” Sam said. “I have been around the game for so long. I give the other kids as much attention as I do Stephen. The backups get as much as attention as the starter. When I am at home or work, he is my son. When I am on the practice field, I treat him just like he is one of he players. I don’t cut him any slack.”
Was it weird to all of a sudden have his father at practices and on the sidelines on game nights?
“Having him there is an asset,” Stephen said. “When I mess up, I can go right to him and ask him what I did wrong, and he will tell me. He will even tell me what coverage the defense was in that maybe I didn’t realize, but he makes sure he there for all of us.”
This special season for the Crusaders is not regulated to just Sam and Stephen. Haley — who joined the school as a teacher last year — has gotten to see her father and brother grow closer.
“It’s really been a blessing to be able to get a first-hand glimpse at him around school,” Haley said. “Seeing how the younger students look up to him from the field warms my heart. Stephen does a great job at setting an example on and off the field. In a recent chapel, he told the elementary students that God is the reason for their success.”
For Kim, watching her son and husband on the sidelines together has been a full circle moment.
“It is a full circle moment for me,” Kim said. “Sam and I went to the eighth grade sweetheart ball together and practically grew up together. I cheered on the sidelines as an OHS cheerleader for Sam and his teammates, we attended Southern University together.
“It’s a surreal feeling watching Sam pour into our son, and now that Stephen is older and more mature, he listens to his coaches and his dad with a more focused mentality,” Kim said. “All the talks, the fighting through playing as a young team, all the behind the scenes, the extra Sunday evening practices — the seeds that were planted are harvesting, and it’s a beautiful thing.”
With WCA playing in the LHSAA Division IV Select quarterfinals, the time on the football field between father and son is coming to an end. Yes, Sam will still be there to help his son train as he prepares to go through the recruiting process, but both George men are appreciative of what this experience has given them.
“When you start seeing things come out of him athletically, it is amazing, but I am more proud of how he has grown spiritually,” Sam said. “He has become a leader in church, church camps, he knows the Lord, and he knows scriptures. He is a spiritual leader in his peer group, especially in young males these days. He has truly grown into a man of God.”
“Ever since I have been here it has brought me closer to the Lord,” Stephen said. “My faith allows me to be better leader. Never get too cocky and stay humble always. I have friends at public school, and I feel like I can help them get closer to God.
“I love this. I can look back at this, and I can tell my kids or my grandkids how I had my dad with me on this. It really has brought us closer together.”