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                         October 4, 2002

Breaking the walls down

Sprint football linebacker Kwame Boateng takes a stand and delivers

By Chris Macaluso
Athletic Media Relations Assistant

Senior Kwame Boateng lives in a prestigious New Jersey community. He resides among the gated homes of congressional leaders and captains of industry.

Seeing the neighborhood in which he calls home, one may never think that he could identify with the working-class heroes of the world -- but Cadet Boateng is decidedly middle-class.

"I never really fit in with the upper echelon of society," insists Boateng, who grew up in the hills of Summit, N.J., and graduated from Summit High School.

The sprint football team’s defensive captain believes in hard work and charity. While some of his neighbors trotted off to political fund-raising parties, Kwame and his brother Damon assisted at a Newark, N.J., based young leaders club. Working alongside various social groups within the state capital, Kwame and Damon helped deliver food to homeless shelters and serve meals.

American high schools often get resistance from students when administrators try to implement mandatory community service programs. Some students don’t want to be bothered or told what to do by their superiors, but Kwame doesn’t subscribe to that theory. To him community service is an everyday task.

"I credit my mom for instilling this trait in me," says Boateng. "She grew up in Jersey City in a working-class family, and for as long as I can remember, she has always given back to the community."

The lineage of community service in Kwame’s family extends beyond his mother and can be traced to his grandfather, Raymond Payton, who is best remembered for serving as the first African-American ambulance driver in New Jersey.

"My mom was one of the first people in our family to graduate from college, and a lot of that had to do with the way she was brought up by my grandparents. She went through Catholic school, worked hard, and ended up getting a scholarship to Yale University."

On Sunday it will be Kwame’s turn to help send someone off to college. The Pride Bowl is scheduled for that afternoon and will pit Army’s sprint football team against Navy’s.

The focus of the Pride Bowl is to bring in two of the top collegiate sprint football teams in the country, and have the game serve as the chief fund-raiser for Project Pride.

The focus of Kwame Boateng is to beat Navy.

"When you understand the true intent of this game, it becomes more than a game," declares Boateng. "I’ve been involved in two Pride Bowls (1999 and 2000 both against Princeton), but the magnitude of this year’s game is beyond description. It’s Army versus Navy in the Pride Bowl. This is as good as it’s going to get."

Project Pride has served the children of Newark, N.J., for 24 years. It has sent 870 youngsters to college and runs after-school sports and recreation programs for 2,000 more. The volunteer organization boasts an innovative academic program for 500 elementary school students, and has established an SAT program at three high schools. It has no executive director, no paid staff and has never taken federal or state funds.

The Pride Bowl has been around for over two decades, but Newark has yet to host an Army-Navy showdown. Those involved with Project Pride, consider this game to be a dream come true for everyone involved.

"This matchup is incredible," says Project Pride president and veteran sportswriter Jerry Izenberg. "I cannot possibly think of one more deserving of broad based community support. The pageantry and the tradition of Army vs. Navy make this the game we have wanted for a long, long time."

Boateng has also been waiting a long, long time for this confrontation as well. He often reflects on the overtime loss to the Mids during last November’s sprint football title game. The pain lingers.

"Losing to Navy? It’s just unacceptable; that phrase shouldn’t be in any Army team’s vocabulary," believes Boateng. "In every Army-Navy game there’s going to be some hard hits and some feelings hurt. Expect this game to be intense."

The senior linebacker knows the true understanding of the Pride Bowl, and is proud to serve his community. He considers the connection between the cadets and the Newark community ‘a win-win situation.’

"Before that game, I didn’t know much about the Pride Bowl. I was just thrilled to be playing in front of my hometown crowd in New Jersey," recalls Boateng. "It didn’t dawn on me how much of an impact I was having until all the schools started marching into the stadium. That was a great feeling."

Kwame doesn’t care if he’s playing in Newark in the Pride Bowl or in Pottsville, Pa., for the Anthracite Bowl, he’s just happy to make a difference. He considers his time at West Point to be an extension of his level of commitment to each community.

"Once you get to West Point, it no longer matters why you came, it’s about why you stay," says Boateng. "I made a commitment to defend the nation and uphold the constitution, and I plan on keeping that promise for a number of years."

Kwame’s life has been defined by breaking down barriers, whether they’ve been economic, academic or athletic related. Sunday when his Black Knights face off with the Midshipmen in the Pride Bowl, he’ll be breaking down all three walls at once.

As the defensive captain of the sprint football team, he has proved himself to be an athletic force and an outstanding leader. As a member of the Corps of Cadets, he has displayed the intelligence and self-discipline necessary to become a success. And by taking part in the Pride Bowl, he is considered an inspiration by the hundreds of youngsters whom he’s competing for.

Kwame Boateng could have been content to lead a privileged life in Summit, N.J., but the fact that he accepted the challenge of leading a life of military service, makes him an inspiration to everyone.