I just think we can have a long-lasting effect on people's lives if we can do things together instead of as individuals, ... I just felt like when you're sitting at home and everyone's calling you and everyone's pretty much in distress, it's like, 'I have to do something.~ Warrick Dunn

Warrick Dunn is a former American football running back on to play five seasons with the Buccaneers, six seasons with the Falcons, and then one final year with the Buccaneers, drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12th overall in the 1997 NFL Draft, after playing college football at Florida State.

Warrick is perhaps best known for his involvement in philanthropy. As a rookie for Tampa Bay, Warrick founded our Homes for the Holidays program to fulfill his mother’s dream of homeownership for single-parent families. The program partners with local organizations to turn houses into homes for single-parent families through home furnishings and down-payment assistance. Since its inception, Homes for the Holidays has furnished 169 homes, provided over $800,000 in down-payment assistance, and served over 457 single parents and children.

The impact of Homes for the Holidays inspired Warrick to expand into three additional programs: Count on Your Future, Sculpt, and Hearts for Community Service Scholarships, all housed today under the Warrick Dunn Charities umbrella. Together, the four programs are dedicated to strengthening and transforming communities by combating poverty, hunger, and improving the quality of lives for families academically, socially, and economically.

Raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Warrick Dunn was the oldest of six to his single mother, Betty Smothers, a police officer killed while escorting a businesswoman to make a night deposit. Warrick was only 18 years old.

Thrust into the role of head of the household, Warrick used his mother’s life insurance to purchase a home for his younger siblings. He would ultimately choose to fulfill his mother’s dream and play at Florida State University.

Dunn, with the help of his grandmother, managed to both parent and be a brother to his siblings from afar, while becoming one of the best backs the Seminoles have ever seen.