Pro Ball Easier than Speaking: NFL's Sproles Joins Legends Who Stutter

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (April 30, 2008) — Playing professional football is easier than speaking. Just ask Darren Sproles, the San Diego Chargers football player who made history last season by returning a kickoff and a punt for his first two NFL touchdowns in the same game.

The running back, who became aware of his struggle with stuttering at age 4, says the problem became more pronounced when he was a star football player at Kansas State University.

"I had to talk to the media a lot, and once they put a camera in my face, that's when it got bad," Sproles said. "I just had to work on it. I couldn't really stress about it, because that's just me."

Playing the game has always come easy for Sproles. The spoken word is more difficult.

"I remember a long time ago my grandpa told me: 'Don't ever let anybody tell you that you can't do anything because you stutter.' " Sproles said. "I always remembered that and worked hard at improving my speech."

A free mini-poster of Sproles is available to download from the Stuttering Foundation. He joins other sports legends who stutter, such as Bill Walton, Kenyon Martin, Ken Venturi and Bob Love.

"Darren Sproles will be a great source of inspiration to young people who struggle with stuttering," says Jane Fraser, president of the Stuttering Foundation.

The 24-year-old Sproles is always taking steps to control his stuttering and to help others. He bypassed potential NFL riches following his junior season and returned to Kansas State to complete his degree in speech pathology. Darren got advice from basketball great, Bill Walton, who also struggled with stuttering and is now a successful broadcaster.

Sproles said he learned an important lesson – to take his time while answering questions during an interview. "I don't have to be in a hurry to say something," he explained.

Coming out of Kansas State, Sproles was one of the most prolific runners and all-purpose performers in college football history. He set nearly every school record imaginable - 23 in all - and he is regarded by many as the best player in the 110-year history of Kansas State football. As a 5-foot, 6-inch running back and return specialist with the Chargers, he ranks eighth in the NFL in kickoff return average 26.7 yards and 13th in punt return average 10.1.

For a free copy of the mini-poster, visit www.stutteringhelp.org. For additional resources, call 800-992-9392 or e-mail info@stutteringhelp.org.

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Bill Withers

While Bill Withers has long been on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter, many people probably didn’t realize he stuttered. He passed away on March 30, 2020.

Born in 1938 in Slab Fork, W.V., Withers was the youngest of six children. When his father died when Withers was small, he was raised by his mother and grandmother, both of whom worked as domestics.

Bill Walton

From BillWalton.com

Thank you for your interest in my life long problem with my speech and communication skills. I was a very shy and reserved young man who could not speak at all without severely stuttering until I was 28 years old. Always a success in the classroom and on the basketball court, I took refuge in the things that I did well as a youngster. A straight A student, my athletic abilities covered the deficiencies that limited my overall growth and development. The game of basketball was my religion, the gym my church. It was a convenient way of avoiding my responsibilities of developing my human relation skills.

When I was 28, a chance encounter at a social event with Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Glickman completely changed my life in so many ways that things have never been the same since, nor have they ever been better. That day, in a very brief, private conversation (one way, mind you, since I literally could not speak at the time) Marty explained, patiently and concisely, that talking, communicating was a skill not a gift or a birthright and that like any skill, whether it be sports, music, business or whatever, needed to be developed over a lifetime of hard work, discipline, organization and practice. Marty gave me some simple tips that day and then encouraged me to take those keys and apply them to methods of learning that I had received from the special teachers that I had come across in my life, particularly the 6 Hall of Fame basketball coaches that I had played for throughout my career. The beginning of my whole new life was as simple as that. No gimmicks, tricks or shortcuts. Just the realization that with some help, guidance and a lot of hard work that I too could do what seemed so easy, simple and natural to everyone else, yet seemed impossibly out of my reach and comprehension.

Alan Rabinowitz

Alan Rabinowitz, Ph.D., who passed away in 2018, was an explorer, wildlife conservationist, and author. He established the Hukawng Valley Tiger Reserve in northern Myanmar, which is about the size of the state of Vermont.

His love for animals began when he was very young.

Byron Pitts

Byron Pitts has brought much attention to stuttering with his memoir, Step Out on Nothing: How Faith and Family Helped Me Conquer Life’s Challenges, released in September, 2009. The book not only details his speech difficulties, but also his illiteracy until age 12 and his unstable family life. Pitts overcame the odds to become the chief national correspondent with ABC News.

Mel Tillis

Mel Tillis, born Lonnie Melvin Tillis, was an influential figure in country music, both as a songwriter and a performer. His journey to fame was marked by overcoming personal challenges, including a stutter that he turned into a defining part of his public persona.