Beaver Falls, PA- Golden Tornadoes Kahlil Character freshman running back is apparently familiar with scoring touchdowns like the famous one he made at the Homecoming game against Thiel.
“I’ve done that plenty of times before,” he says nonchalantly.
Less than ten yards from the end zone, the ball was handed off to Character and he ran towards the end zone with only one goal in mind: to make his first collegiate touchdown.
“I wasn’t really thinking of anything else, but when I jumped I was just hoping I wouldn’t injure myself because I had torn both of my ACL’s in the past,” he says.
As he neared the line, however, there was an obstacle in his way; Thiel Tomcat was thinking he’d make the tackle and deny the freshman from reaching the goal line. He thought wrong. Character did not hesitate as he sprung off the ground and over the defender, hitting the ground gracefully and superman-diving into the end zone for the six points.
Back on the sidelines, Character’s teammates were in shock at his athleticism and congratulated him enthusiastically, and the coach gave him a warning to be sure to be more careful next time, because of the risk of injury a move like that has.
The play received so much publicity that Geico chose it as a contender for their annual Play of the Year.
“I didn’t think it was going to get that big at all, especially since there is so much football being played,” he said in response.
Were it not for the athletic touchdown, the team might not have won their Homecoming game against Thiel that day. But football isn’t Kahlil’s only passion.
His major is Human Services. He comes from a background of poverty, and he wants to play his part in helping people escape the grips of monetary debt.
“I just really want to help people out,” he explains. “ I know, at least in my family, a lot of people struggle with things like poverty. They really do try to get out of it but in certain situations it’s hard. So I want to reach out to the kids and encourage them to keep trying as hard as they can, because even I had to go through junior college and everything just because how my life was.”
Even though Character faced difficulties in his life, he redirected it in a positive way in his life, developing a passion for helping other people escape situations like that so they can reach their full potential. Not only is Kahlil an up-and-coming athlete, but he also desires to make a positive impact on the world, and when asked about inspiration another kid to reach their potential, he will be able to say, “I’ve done that plenty of times before.”
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