A 4th grader wrote a letter to his teacher about his dream. The NFL star delivered 12 years later.

A good teacher can change a person's life by motivating them from an early age. Successful people are known for remembering their roots as well as the teachers or mentors who played a role in their growth. One such person is NFL player Ennis Rakestraw Jr. who had made his dreams clear in a letter that he had written in fourth grade to one of his teachers, Derek Gammon. Rakestraw had promised at that age that he would become a full-time football player, and he worked hard to keep his word.

It was his last day at the Hastings Elementary School in Duncanville, Texas as per Goalcast and Gammon had been a huge influence on his life at this point. He gave the young man confidence and always had his back. He even took care of Rakestraw when his brother had a seizure. “I hope you miss me like I miss you and I hope you're alive because if I make it to a professional football player, I will talk about you," the letter stated.

In 2024, Rakestraw became one of the few to get a chance to show their skills in the NFL when he was drafted by the Detroit Lions. Life had been hard for him and his mother for a long time as Shamika Jones had her son when she was only 15 years old. The single teenage mother and her son had to face a lot of negativity as people told her that neither of them would get anywhere in life.

But that’s where Gammon came in and did his best to make Rakestraw feel comfortable and happy. "You put it out there at 10 years old and made it happen!!! I have no words for how proud I am of you,” the teacher wrote on X (formerly Twitter) showing his love for the one he used to teach.

While it was an incredible achievement for Rakestraw, his first season in the big league was not one he would like to remember. He missed more games than he played according to the Detroit Free Press and had to spend way too much time in the training room. However, the 22-year-old is a fighter and has a long career ahead of him. His tough first season will only serve as a launching pad for better things to come.

"This just brings me back to my roots of everybody doubting me and not believing that a kid from West Dallas can do this. So I'm just appreciative that they gave me my fireback. I'll use it in the offseason. I'll be better, I promise,” he said. It’s safe to say that his teacher’s role in making him believe in himself is still paying dividends.

“He helped build character. He helped build confidence in a child that, at that time, was unsure," his mother had said when asked about the impact Gammon had on her child. The results of the persistence that Gammon inculcated in Rakestraw as a child can be seen on the field today.