Todd Davis' A+ Living
The Broncos inside linebacker has proven himself to be as much of an asset off the football field as he is on it
With a career 230 tackles and an active commitment to helping kids, Broncos inside linebacker Todd Davis has proven himself to be as much of an asset off the football field as he is on it. After becoming a dad, the now father of three felt a desire to help children less fortunate than his own.
Davis and his wife, Zina, began the A+ Living foundation to empower underserved youth in academics, athletics and social skills. The nonprofit reaches kids in Colorado and Davis’s native state, California.
The 230-pound athlete, nicknamed Bam Bam, speaks at local schools, hosts four to five football camps and charity events each year, and is in the process of building an academic and athletic complex in Palmdale, California.
“I feel like there’s a lot more you can do than throw a football, and I think it’s my job to spread a broader message. I love what I do, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. But the chances of becoming a professional athlete are so slim. Kids have to prepare for if this doesn’t happen, and then if it does, they have to be able to handle that, too.” Davis emphasizes the importance of learning to provide for oneself, including understanding how finances work, something he wished he knew himself before he began making money.
With nonprofit work, there’s often a defining moment when it becomes clear to an individual that what they do matters. For Davis, that came at an inner-city school event in Denver, after he started a giveaway that included free clothes and haircuts.
“Hearing the response from all of the kids and how confident they felt after they got some new clothes and a haircut, and talking to all of the parents and them telling me how grateful they were, because they felt like it was something they couldn’t have done—it meant the world to me that they really appreciated it and let me know I was making a difference.”
