Inspired by his dad, who was an 11-year NFL vet, Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II launches foundation to provide educational resources and needs to middle and high schoolers to help them succeed.
Patrick Surtain II is following in the footsteps of his father, on and off the field.
The two shares many similarities. They have the same name, they played the same position in the NFL and they both give back to the community.
Surtain II, who is currently an All-Pro cornerback for the Denver Broncos, started a foundation for underprivileged youth earlier this year. He was inspired to do so by his dad, who also had a foundation during his 11-year NFL career with the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs.
Like father, like son.
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"My dad was a really huge inspiration in my life," Surtain II recently told NBC. "He's always told me that you always want to be a selfless person in life, always be humble, always realize that whatever's going wrong in your life, there's someone that's having the same exact problems or worse."
Now Surtain is hoping to alleviate some of those problems for others.
The mission statement for the Patrick Surtain II Foundation is to "level the playing field for students in financially disadvantaged communities by ensuring that students have the same access as their suburban peers to ensure their success."
NFL
The foundation launched in February with a Punch Bowl Social bowling tournament called “PS2’s Strikes for Tykes Charity Bowling Event.” Fans who entered and won the tournament got to match up against Surtain's bowling team.
In October, Surtain hosted the "Game Plan Pitch Day" event, which gave students from two Colorado high schools the opportunity to discuss plans with judges while competing to win the foundation's first Inspiration Room. The space, which will be installed at the winning school during the summer of 2024, will be designed to nurture science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics education.
"The main thing for me was hearing them out, hearing them present, pitch their ideas, pitch their funds that they need, pitch their necessary needs," Surtain said. "And for me to be able to sort of see, but also have an idea in mind, towards where I could help build their school for the better."
The winning school will be announced on Nov. 28 when Surtain holds his first annual "Inspire The Dream Gala" to raise funds for his community outreach programs benefiting communities across Colorado.
"I believe that providing them with educational opportunities for the future makes it for the better, not only for them, but for the future of our world, because you're talking about kids that could be the next doctor, the next lawyer, you know what I mean? The next president," he said.
"So, I want to provide them with the right resources, the right infrastructure and technology so they'll be able to succeed and shine bright as the years go on."
The 23-year-old Surtain is in his third season in the NFL since being drafted out of Alabama in the first round of the 2021 draft. He established himself as one of the league's best cornerbacks last season when he was named to the All-Pro and Pro Bowl teams.
He said it's important to use the platform he now has to help make changes in the world.
"I've always been a person that's willing to give," he said. "I've been like that my whole life. I've always wanted to strive to see others around me succeed."
Just as his father did.
"It all started by seeing my dad also launch his foundation early on and seeing him and how he treated people," Surtain said. "How he wanted to impact the community in his way. So just looking at that inspired me to the most."
