It was a moment in time that transformed Fighting Illini football alumnus Walt Mendenhall’s life.
The year was 2007, a season when University of Illinois football would surge from a 2-10 record the year before to a berth in the Rose Bowl. However, despite being a faithful man of God, a lack of playing time had caused Mendenhall to sink into a deep, dark depression.
“One night, I was laying in bed, contemplating taking my life because football was going right,” he said. “I was like ‘God, I need to know if you are really REAL right now because I don’t know if I’m going to live to see tomorrow.’ And, suddenly, I felt a presence and a calmness that I’d never felt before. I felt like a newborn baby being held by his mother, and I had the most peaceful sleep I’ve ever had in my life.”
Even though Mendenhall’s circumstances with the Illini didn’t fully materialize, he recognized that his attitude toward it had changed.
“That was the day that I realized that I was here for a bigger purpose and it was not necessarily to play football,” he said.
Still, Mendenhall yearned to prove himself on the field as his younger brother, Rashard, had done. Though Walt had lettered twice in limited playing time at Illinois (2005 and 2007), he felt he hadn’t yet reached his potential. So he transferred to Illinois State to continue his athletic dream. Mendenhall accomplished his mission with the Redbirds in 2008, rushing for 796 yards and 11 touchdowns, stimulating interest from National Football League teams. But after bouncing around in NFL camps during the fall of 2009 and the spring of 2010—from the Eagles to the Colts to the Bills to the Bengals—he heard that mysterious voice once again.
“It said ‘greater things than this I have for you to do,'” Mendenhall said. “At the time, I just didn’t know what that meant.”
Life challenged Walter Mendenhall IV from the beginning. His parents had divorced when he was a young child. His dad (Walter III) wasn’t present in his life for a while and a variety of other obstacles were constantly jumping in Walt’s path. With his mother (Sibyl) working as an accountant during the day and at a grocery store in the evening to make ends meet, nine-year-old Walt was often responsible for babysitting his younger brother and sister (Vanessa) in their tiny two-bedroom apartment in Skokie.
“I had a lot of responsibility at a very, very early age and had to grow up a lot faster than the average kid,” he said. “I was mature at a very, very young age and saw the world a little bit differently than a lot of my peers.”
Adding to his personal issues, Mendenhall also tested out for a speech impediment in his early childhood.
“I was placed in special education classes and resource classes, but, fortunately, the school I went to didn’t put a big stigma on special education,” Mendenhall said. “They knew I was capable of achieving. In fact, school really serviced my needs and by the time I was in eighth grade, I tested out of special education classes and was able to go to high school and take regular classes.”
When his mother left her accountant job to become a youth minister at a church on the far south side of Chicago, a decision was made that Walt and Rashard would spend the last two years of their Niles West High School career with their coach, Joe Galambos.
“Coach Joe helped us have an environment that was conducive for success,” Mendenhall said. “He had two boys himself and showed us how a family unit is supposed to be. Coach Joe (an electrician by trade) also influenced my business mindset.”
Energized by his mother’s persistent message about education, Mendenhall began to build upon the bachelor’s degree in sociology he had earned at the University of Illinois.
“The classes I took at Illinois exposed me to the way the world works in terms of capitalism, racism and classism,” he said.
He completed his Master’s degree at Chicago’s National Louis University in 2013 and currently is pursuing a Ph.D. in organizational leadership from Concordia University.
Mendenhall serves as the program director at Circle Urban Ministries, a faith-based non-profit organization in Chicago’s Austin Community.
“Statistically, my office is probably in Chicago’s most dangerous neighborhood,” he said. “You hear it’s such a terrible place, that’s it’s violent. However, once you get there, you’re surprised. There’s so much untapped human potential, not just sports wise, but intellectually and business wise as well. These are kids who have to do more with less. They have become creative and attentive and eager to become successful, but they just don’t have the resources to do so. They’re some of the most intelligent and respectful young people that I’ve met anywhere in the city. Yes, there are some bad things that go on, but there’s a lot more good than bad in these communities.”
He says an experience in 2015 at a high school inspired him to establish his not-for-profit Male Mogul Initiative.
“This particular young man was a great student, a star basketball player and well respected within his school,” Mendenhall said. “But he sold drugs in order to get things that he wanted. What I realized was how many young men have the drive, the intelligence and the business savvy to be successful entrepreneurs, but not necessarily have the opportunity or exposure to do so in a positive and legal way.”
With each individual he meets, Mendenhall immediately tackles three questions: Who are you? Why do you matter? What is your purpose?
“It’s the foundation of everything I do,” he explained. “When you don’t know the answers to those three central questions, you’re likely to make decisions that aren’t conducive to your success.”
“I believe that my purpose in life is to inspire the next generation to reach their potential and to make the impossible possible in their lives.”
Mendenhall admits that he has to earn the right to be heard and to become an influencer.
“The way I’ve been able to penetrate the community is to share my story and just be transparent,” he said. “You have to say what you’re going to do, do it, and then keep repeating those things. Then you have to expose them to opportunities. We’ve taken our young men to different companies in different parts of the city and outside the city. We provide incentives for them to do well in school and to start their businesses. Those things have helped me to make an impact in the community.”
This coming spring, Mendenhall will publish a book about how to successfully mentor, train and teach inner-city young men, and build systems for sustainable change in urban communities: Don’t Be the Exception – Change the Rule.
“A lot of people want to mentor and care for young males in the inner city, but don’t necessarily know how to do so,” he says. “My book uses research, my personal stories and other people’s stories to reach this important demographic.”
Last year, Mendenhall achieved “the other best decision I ever made”, marrying his wife, Michelle, a strategic planner for the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University.
“My wife and these young people are my ‘why'”, he said, “… why I get up in the morning, why I go so hard in fundraising and securing sponsorships, why I strive to build capital for their businesses. It’s helped me to become a better business person and leader and overall person.”
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How you can be involved with Walter Mendenhall’s Male Mogul Initiative:
• If you have a company in Chicagoland, you can expose Chicago inner-city teens to different career paths.
•If you live in the Chicago area and want to volunteer your time, MMI welcomes you to assist with a wide variety of out-reach programs.
• Learn more at www.MaleMogulInitiative.com or contact Walter via email at malemogulinitiative@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on FightingIllini.com
Written by Mike Pearson