GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — When you walk into the Western Michigan football center, you are immediately greeted by the all-time Bronco greats. The next name to grace those walls will be Grand Rapids native and Godwin Heights graduate, Marshawn Kneeland.
"It's great to be able to be here and put on for these guys," said Western Michigan defensive end Marshawn Kneeland. "Now I'm about to go to the NFL and have my jersey hang in one of these showcases, it doesn't get any better than that."
Coming out of Godwin Heights, Kneeland only had one division one scholarship offer and he chose to head to Kalamazoo.
"I wasn't heavily recruited coming out of high school, so for these guys to reach out to me and showcase my talent and then to have me come here and develop me."
Kneeland, a projected day two pick in the NFL Draft, proved the naysayers wrong, finishing his Bronco career with 13 sacks. He always works with the goal in mind of showing what's possible for kids from West Michigan.
"A guy that was here and still is here and comes back for the younger generation and helps them know that they can do it too," he said. "If I can do it, you can do it, it just takes hard work and dedication."
But, what should be one of the happiest times of Kneeland's life, has wound up being one of the most difficult.
"A lot of people don't know because I really don't talk about it too much," he said.
In mid-February, two months before the draft, the Kneeland family suffered a massive loss when Marshawn's mother, Wendy, unexpectedly passed away.
"It was tough, it still is, but I know at the end of the day the thing that gets me through it is she spent all her life trying to get me to go here and supported me as much as she could to get me to the NFL," said Marshawn.
Wendy was a football mom through and through, the helping hand that catapulted Marshawn toward his dreams.
"She was the one driving me around, trying to find a place for me to do football when I was younger, I started off with two hand tap football," he said. "She was there for all of my games in high school, as much as she could."
All those years later, Marshawn and his mom's dedication to his craft has led to this moment.
"So, the thing I could do now is just make her proud and go there and be great in the NFL and keep pushing forward with her name," said Marshawn.
When draft night rolls around, Marshawn says his mother will still be by his side to see the dream she sacrificed so much for finally become reality.
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