Inside the Simonsen Ninth Grade Center, Sylvester Williams, a nose tackle for the Denver Broncos, reflected on the life events leading up to his 2016 Super Bowl championship win, including struggling throughout high school.
Those four years were some of the hardest stages of his life, he told several classes of freshmen Tuesday.
His grades were low - so low he was once excused from the Jefferson City High School basketball team. He spent a lot of time in the principal's office, he said. During his sophomore year, Williams was kicked out of school, and he returned his junior year. Outside of school, he worked and took care of his younger brother as their father traveled to and from St. Louis, where Williams grew up until the summer before his freshman year.
"I've met a lot of road blocks in life, and I was able to go around all of them just through having people on my team, people supporting me and really believing in me because there were times I didn't believe in myself," Williams, 27, said to Simonsen students Tuesday. "I had people pushing me to do the right thing."
Simonsen Principal Ben Meldrum, one of Williams' former teachers, and Andre Salmon, former JCHS assistant basketball coach, were two of his supporters, questioning Williams when he missed class and showing concern for his wellbeing.
Holding back tears, Salmon called Williams' Super Bowl success "inspiring."
"He's taken the word character and took it to a different level. ... He instilled some things in himself, like his hard work and drive," he said. "Going from ground zero to getting to the levels in life that you dream about is pretty special."
In his senior year, Williams made the football and basketball teams. It was his first time playing football, and his first time playing basketball for a full season. He started one game as a Jay football player.
"I think just being able to play football for the first time and seeing the bond I had with my teammates ... I think that was one of my greatest experiences - being able to go to war with my brothers," he said.
Williams, who graduated in 2008, went to work at the Modine Manufacturing plant after high school but knew that wasn't the path for him.
"When I got the job at the factory, I realized this is not what I want to do for the rest of my life," he said. "My dad did this his whole life, this isn't what I want to do. I just wanted to go back to school and get an education, and football was one of the things I was blessed with."
He attended Coffeyville Community College in Kansas. There, he was an out-of-state, walk-on football player. Initially, football was a way to help pay for his education.
After two successful seasons at Coffeyville, Williams said he was offered opportunities at universities across the country. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was Williams' final choice. At both schools, he started all 45 games and went on to earn his degree in communications.
"Out of everything I've accomplished - being a first-round draft pick, being a Super Bowl champion and being in two Super Bowls - I think the thing that means the most to me is my degree from the University of North Carolina," Williams said. "I say that because struggling with education in all four years of high school, I barely made it out. I never thought I had the opportunity to go to college, so when I got the opportunity to go to school is when I decided to give my all to school."
The Denver Broncos selected Williams in the National Football League's 2013 first-round draft. He received the news in a call from John Elway, two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback with the Broncos and the organization's current executive vice president of football operations/general manager.
"I just remember breaking down in tears, I was just so excited," Williams said. "I felt like I had made it, and everything I ever worked for was finally here, hearing him say, "We're going to take you,' in the first round was exciting. I didn't even get to hear them say my name on TV because as soon as they said, "Syl-,' my whole family started screaming."
Williams made his first Super Bowl appearance in 2014. The Broncos lost to the Seattle Seahawks, 43-8. Last month, the Broncos returned to the championship, competing against the Carolina Panthers. Williams' family watched the game at his father's home in Jefferson City.
"It was a very proud moment to see him in the Super Bowl," Melvin Crayton, William's uncle who lives in Jefferson City, said. "Just to see him play (in the NFL) but to be in the Super Bowl was a very proud moment."
The Broncos defeated the Panthers 24-10. Watching the confetti fall, Williams said, was an unbelievable feeling.
"I think the greatest thing about that was that I was able to experience it with my family," he said. "I tell people all the time that at the end (of the Super Bowl), I saw Coach Salmon crying and that made it real to me because I knew, at that moment, I had made him proud. That's one of the things I said I would do is make the people who supported me proud."
Williams said he wants to play in more Super Bowls, stay healthy and play football for as long as possible. He plans to return to Jefferson City whenever he can, continuing to share his story and stay-in-school message with young people - some who maybe facing similar obstacles Williams overcame.
"I think it's important to see people who are going through some of the same things you're going through, walked some of the same hallways and had success in life," he said. "I think it's big to see that because it gives you hope, and you know that you can accomplish the same goals or whatever goals you have in life."