Kenny is a servant leader born in Detroit, MI with passion for sports and dreams of becoming a professional athlete that began at age 4. As an all-star left-handed pitcher for Detroit Communication and Media Arts High School, Kenny R. Hampton was named Rookie of the Year, MVP (twice), and garnered All-District honors as a senior. His collegiate baseball career started in 2001 with an athletic scholarship to Kentucky State University. After becoming an MLB prospect (1B/CF), injury forced a switch to football.
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Despite never having played the sport at any level, he was determined to make an immediate impact, relying on faith and hard work to quickly move from the bottom of the depth chart to starting wide receiver. In my final season at KSU (Coach Fred T. Farrier), Kenny led the Thorobreds in receiving yards per game and helped his team to a 7-4 record. More importantly, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science.
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Embracing this newfound talent, he began training with former NFL wide receiver Reggie Germany and the staff at Soar of Columbus (Lewis Center, OH) in 2007. After participating in the Scout Camp Regional and Elite Combines, Kenny was named as a protected wide receiver by Team Tennessee in the All-American Football League (AAFL) Inaugural Draft. When the league was postponed, he spent time in the Arena Football League (AFL), Mahoning Valley Thunder (AF2), and was an alternate for Michael Irvin’s Spike TV series “4th and Long.” After two seasons with the Marion Mayhem (CIFL), his professional playing career ended in 2010.
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Years of beating the odds through unrelenting effort and determination turned into a four-year stint with the National Football League as a National Field Director for Regional and Super Regional Combines. Kenny worked closely with many prospective players during local pre-combine training, as well as post-combine to offer guidance. Sharing his story as an underdog, Division II, NFL Super Regional combine participant who took football to the professional level inspired many athletes to continue pursuing their dreams.
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All the while, he held Information Technology positions with companies such as IBM and AAA Ohio, ultimately becoming Business Development Manager at Thirty-One Gifts and earning Professional Certifications from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies. He currently resides in Columbus, OH, with his wife Ralonda (12 years), their two children, Kennedy Sheree (14) and Kenneth Joseph Richard (7), and dog Fudge.
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Despite finding professional success off the field, Kenny struggled for a time with this new identity and battled feelings of disappointment and loss of my childhood dream. But a passion for helping others to prosper as a servant leader provides him with strength and a sense of purpose; “I’m driven to share the story of my journey so that current and other former athletes around the world can feel empowered and encouraged to become a “PRO” in other aspects of their lives – and to prove that God works things out for the GOOD of those who LOVE HIM.”
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Born - 8/28 | Lifestyle - Romans 8:28
