Dwight Kennedy, a player of the San Quentin Flag Football Team, discusses the team’s approach to the 2011 season and the life skills one could learn through football.
How long have you been in San Quentin?
I’ve been at S.Q. for six years now.
What is your role on the team?
I’m the team captain on the flag football team. I’m also a wide receiver and safety.
Have you played organized football in the outside community?
I played high school and organized football on the streets. I went to Point Loma High School and played for Balboa Raiders. In high school. I played predominantly baseball, football and track. Track was the whole start of it all.
Who introduced you to sports?
My dad and my uncles introduced me to sports. They coached football and baseball. My dad was a coach for a small league called the “San Diego American Little League.”
What was your first football experience?
The coach saw me running track and asked if I could catch and run routes.
How long have you been playing for the S.Q. Football Team?
I’ve been playing for five years.
What are the requirements to be able to play for the team?
The first thing is conduct. The second is team commitment and you have to be disciplinary-free. You cannot have people getting into trouble and coming out to play for us.
What kind of life skills can one learn through playing football?
You can learn to improve your social skills. We made many mistakes and at one point, we failed to follow the rules. This is our chance to regain those social skills and retain them outside the walls just as well as inside these walls.
What should players be expected to do and when do they practice?
Practice is on Friday mornings from 10:00 to 12:30. They should expect to come out, play the game, think the game and be ready to be a teammate.
What new approach is the team taking this year?
This year the approach on the football field will be a little different. We’re going into a defensive set-up, which involves a three –two-monster zone, a three –two-nose zone, and a man on man (defense).
Do you consider yourself a student of the game?
I absolutely consider myself a student of the game. There’s never enough to learn. Just as I said earlier, it’s all about being a teammate. Your strength may be my weakness. My weakness may be your strength. We have to help each other grow.
Do you consider yourself a student athlete?
I’m in college right now. Education is priority. When I was in school, the rules were if you didn’t go to school and get good grades you didn’t play. I’m attending Patten University and I just signed up for English. Education broadens my way of thinking.
What programs are you involved in?
I’m involved in “No More Tears,” “Victim Offender Education Group” and “Non-Violent Communications.”
How has all the San Quentin programs and activities helped you?
Being involved in all these groups and sports has helped me grow. They have created a better character in and for me. Being here at S.Q. is like being at a real college on the outside. You can communicate with different ethnicities. That helps us on all levels. Playing sports and going to school has put me in a position to be successful once I get out. It has equipped me in so many ways to sit across the table and function. It has given me the skills where I can function successfully outside. I think that’s very important if we’re working on ourselves inside these walls, then we can be better inside these walls and outside.
