Curtis Lofton: 'I made a promise I would get my degree'

Former Oklahoma linebacker Curtis Lofton penned a poignant essay this week describing promises he made — one to his grandmother and one to a teacher at Kingfisher High School — that he would play in the NFL (and buy his grandma a house) and that he would get his college degree.

Lofton fulfilled both promises, playing eight seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and Oakland Raiders, and in 2016 returning to OU to get his college diploma.

“Mrs. Jech,” Lofton writes, “a teacher and the mother of one of my best friends, Ryan Jech. Her main job was a teacher, but she was also like a stepmom, motivator and cheerleader. She asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I told her I wanted to play in the NFL. She told me that would be great, but that I should have a backup plan if that does not happen, and education is important. So, I made a promise to her that I would get my degree even if I went to the NFL.”

Lofton left OU for the NFL Draft after just three seasons.

When Lofton finished his NFL career in 2015, he returned to Oklahoma, where he lives in Edmond with his wife (former OU soccer player Jenny Nichols) and two young daughters. Getting his degree was something that gnawed at him over the years.

“OU athletes who graduate receive an “O Ring,” Lofton wrote, “and she would wear hers all the time when we would go somewhere. I wanted to wear it, but her fingers are smaller than mine.

“I wanted that O Ring.”

Read the rest of Lofton’s essay here:

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