CBS4 News Takes Center Stage
Nov 10, 2009 1:39 pm US/Eastern
Dolphins' Bess Has Caught On
By Solange Reyner
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
-
-
Wide receiver Davone Bess #15 of the Miami Dolphins breaks through for extra yardage on a kick return while taking on the San Francisco 49ers at Dolphin Stadium on Dec. 14, 2008, in Miami, Fla.
Doug Benc/Getty Images
Davone Bess knows what its like to come home to an empty refrigerator.
"I can remember vividly opening the fridge to see a bottle of ketchup, some baking soda, and a jug of water," said Bess, a wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins. "Some nights were tough."
That's why Monday's event at a Publix in Fort Lauderdale meant so much to him.
Bess, Greg Camarillo, Jason Taylor, Jake Long, and about 20 other players, cheerleaders and Dolphins alumni paired with a student from Dade or Broward County as part of the Kids and Fins Publix Shopping Spree where 100 kids got Publix certificates to purchase food for a holiday meal for their families.
"To be able to be part of something to give back is an amazing feeling," said Bess, who helped a third grader rifle through the Publix aisles to pick out some holiday goodies.
Growing up, times were tough for Bess and his mother, Chinelle Carpenter, a single parent who had Davone when she was only 15.
Bess' father was out of the picture, and his stepfather was constantly in and out of jail. His grandmother couldn't help much because she was pregnant with her own child, and Davone was a "knuckle head" growing up until football became a permanent thing.
When Bess was nine, his mother was studying to become a nurse.
"As a little kid, I didn't understand how hard my mom had it," said Bess. "Everything started making sense to me when I was in college."
It was difficult to get there, too.
His scholarship to Oregon State was revoked after he was sentenced to 15 months in a juvenile detention facility for an incident he says wasn't his fault.
He got another shot, though, when he caught the eye of a Hawaii recruiter when he was playing in a 7 on 7 flag football game with the team from his facility.
"Unbelievable. That changed my life," Bess said. "It showed me a lot – to go from where I came from to paradise. I just never say never now."
Bess grew up in Oakland, California in a neighborhood he says that wasn't exactly the friendliest.
"People in Oakland were always mean mugging you if you looked at them the wrong way. The people in Hawaii embraced me with open arms. That showed me a lot about the culture."
Bess was comfortable, and it showed.
He quickly picked up a starting role, and finished with 3,610 yards and 41 touchdowns while there. He still owns the Hawaii conference record for career games with a touchdown reception (29), and is the only player in school history to post three 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
Back home, his mother was doing better, and Bess was helping. He sent her money from his student grant checks, giving her as much as he could after his rent and food was paid for.
"A few hundred a month helped," said Bess.
The rest of the story is history.
Bess went undrafted in 2008, but signed with Miami as a free agent. He had six starts as a rookie last season, and ranked among NFL rookie leaders in both receptions and receiving yardage.
This season, he's caught 36 passes for 262 yards.
And he's learned a new lesson in the NFL: "Take advantage of every opportunity," said Bess."You can be the man today, and be gone tomorrow."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Take Your Child To Work Day At CBS4
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
