Since he was four years old, Avionne Flanagan’s dreamed of playing professional soccer.

“ Soccer’s everywhere,” Flanagan said. “You build family here , friends that last a lifetime playing this sport.”

Soccer is Flanagan’s life but eventually the USF sophomore knows he has to plan for one without it. Enter the Lee Roy Selmon Mentoring Institute. A program where USF student-athletes can plan for a future after sports.

“They came to the university is to get an education and their sports really is secondary,” Claybra Selmon said. “In his mind, that was the truth.”

This was Lee Roy’s vision. The Pro Football Hall of Famer who passed away in 2011 became a Tampa Bay treasure off the football field with his contributions to the community. His name graces numerous buildings and roadways, but it’s at USF where his real legacy lives on in these students-athletes.

“We have three children and we taught them that every day that education will get you everything that you need in life,” Selmon said. “He wanted to make sure these kids had that instilled inside of them at some point.”

Selmon’s mentoring program is a perfect blend of everything Lee Roy loved – sports and education. Student-athletes are paired with a professional in a career field to give them a glimpse of jobs they might seek out after their playing days are done.

“I see Lee Roy in a lot of these athletes at this age,” Selmon said.

Flanagan loves soccer but also has an interest in sports broadcasting. That’s how we met. I was his mentor and introduced him the wide world of Spectrum Sports.

“It really surprised me how much technology and how many people it took just to put a production show together,” Flanagan said. “But I loved it.”

Now Flanagan’s hands on experience has provided him with some practical guidance.

“I saw it as a way for me to look into the future, look at a future past soccer,” Flanagan said. “Just seeing it so up close and personal, it really just made me feel comfortable and at home.”