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The champion newspaper.
October 17, 2019
Image 15
The champion newspaper., October 17, 2019, Image 15
About The champion newspaper. (Decatur, GA) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 2019)
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Newspaper Page Text
SPORTS
THE CHAMPION, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17 - 23, 2019 • Page 15
FOOTBALL
Southwest DeKalb High School graduate and current Indianapolis Colts cornerback Rock Ya-Sin returned to his alma mater to speak to students. Photos by Carla Parker
NFL player Rock Ya-Sin speaks
to students at Southwest DeKalb
BY CARLA PARKER
carla@dekalbchamp.com
Southwest DeKalb
High School graduate and
current Indianapolis Colts
cornerback Abdurrahman
Ibn “Rock” Ya-Sin returned
to his alma mater Oct. 9 to
speak to students about life
after high school.
Ya-Sin, a 2015 graduate
of Southwest DeKalb, is
in his first season with the
Colts after being drafted in
the second round at 34th
overall last May. During
the Colts’ bye week, Ya-
Sin stopped by his old high
school to give the students
encouragement about their
future.
“I wish I had somebody
to come back and speak
to me when I was here to
give me hope,” he said. “[I
wanted to] let them know
that it can be done. You can
do whatever you put your
mind to, and I felt the kids
need that. I love Southwest
DeKalb. Anytime I can get
some free time, I always
want to come back and talk
to the kids.”
During his high school
career, Ya-Sin won two
state wrestling titles, and
was a two-time all-county
and all-region selection in
football. He also led the
county in interceptions his
senior year in 2014. Ya-Sin
continued his football career
at Presbyterian College,
where he played for three
seasons before transferring
to Temple.
Ya-Sin appeared in 12
games for the Temple Owls
and recorded 47 tackles (36
solo), 2.0 tackles for loss
and 12 passes defended. His
12 passes defended ranked
third in the conference and
14th in the nation.
In five games with the
Colts, he has 14 tackles,
including a season-high
of six tackles against the
Kansas City Chiefs on Oct.
6. The game was nationally
televised on NBC’s “Sunday
Night Football” and the
Colts won 19-13.
When “Sunday Night
Football” aired the players’
self-introductions during the
game, Ya-Sin acknowledged
Southwest DeKalb instead
of Temple or Presbyterian
as the previous school he
attended.
“[Southwest DeKalb]
is my roots,” he said. “I
feel like this place molded
me. The people that I’ve
met here molded me into
the person and player I
am today. I felt like they
deserved it.”
Ya-Sin said the message
that he hopes sticks with
students is that with hard
work and dedication,
anything is possible.
“[Also], understand
that it’s a process and you
have to trust the process,”
he said. “There is no such
thing as instant gratification
in life. So, you have to trust
the process and continue
to work hard and persevere
through whatever.”
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