05/30/2026
Before Warrick Dunn became one of the most respected running backs in Falcons history, he was an 18-year-old kid forced to become the man of the house overnight.
His mother, Betty Smothers, was a Baton Rouge police officer and a single mother raising six children.
She had one dream.
To own a home.
But in January 1993, just two days after Warrick turned 18, his life changed forever.
His mother was taken while working an off-duty security job.
Warrick was still in high school.
Still being recruited to play college football.
Still trying to figure out his own future.
But suddenly, he had five younger siblings looking to him.
So he did what most teenagers could never imagine doing.
He grew up overnight.
Using his motherβs life insurance, Warrick bought a home for his siblings.
Then he went to Florida State, became a star, made it to the NFL, played for the Buccaneers and Falcons, and built a career most players would dream of.
But he never forgot what his mother wanted.
A home.
So during his rookie year in the NFL, Warrick started Homes for the Holidays.
The mission was simple:
Help single parents achieve the dream his mother never got to live.
Not just a house.
A real home.
Furniture.
Food in the pantry.
Down payment help.
A fresh start.
Decades later, Warrick Dunn has helped hundreds of single-parent families walk into homes of their own.
That is legacy.
Not just rushing yards.
Not just touchdowns.
Not just football.
Warrick Dunn turned the deepest pain of his life into keys for families who needed hope.
Falcons fans should never forget what kind of man wore No. 28.
Respect forever. β₯οΈπ€