| He traded in his football for a blackboard and erasers - and never looked back. But his alma mater in Minnesota never forgot Dr. Eric Eversley's heroics on the gridiron. Eversley, now Freeport's superintendent of schools, was recently inducted into the University of Minnesota at Duluth's Athletic Hall of Fame. "When you begin an athletic career, you don't think about making a hall of fame," said Eversley, who was surprised when he first learned of the honor. "You really just think about making the team." But Eversley, 59, went above and beyond merely making the squad. He was the team's starting running back and safety for three years, eventually earning MVP honors as a senior. Eversley flew to his home state of Minnesota Oct. 14 for the induction ceremony, where he delivered a speech about teamwork and appreciation. "I just wanted to share with the people how humbled I was," he said, adding that he credited his teammates and coaches for helping him gain access to the hall. Nowadays, Eversley's greatest challenges fill the halls of Freeport schools every weekday morning. The former student-athlete said the district has made significant progress since he took the helm in 2001. But there is always more work to be done, he said. "It's all about seeing that our children are developed well intellectually," he said. "That they develop into responsible citizens positioned to make a significant contribution to their community, and the world." No small task, but Eversley has the experience. The college and high school football star began his career teaching history and economics in a Minneapolis classroom before earning his master's degree at the University of Colorado and his doctorate from Harvard. Eversley then served as a middle school principal, high school principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent at various districts in the Midwest, eventually heading Eastern Suffolk BOCES. "I've worked in inner-city districts, suburban and pretty wealthy districts," he said. "It has been very valuable because I've learned things in each of these settings that have been helpful here." Though Eversley was raised in Minneapolis, he spent several years living in Harlem as a youngster. But he had never visited Long Island before a recruiter at BOCES contacted him and drew him to Suffolk County. As an adult, Eversley credits his mom for his success. "I grew up in a single-parent household, but there was always, with my mother, a very high value on education."
Courtesy NY Daily News |
