McNair's Passion
Student at Wofford College works hard to help his community
By Maria Cancino

When Wofford College's recruitment board officials laid their eyes on a skillful football player from Mount Zion High School in Georgia, they didn't know that they were recruiting a campus leader. Three years later, J.R. McNair, now the star running back of the Wofford Boston Terrier football team, has become a prominent leader through his service to the community and his involvement with school.

As a philosophy and finance senior, McNair became the 2003-2004 president of Campus Union, WC’s Student Government. "I decided to run because I knew that it was probably the best way for me to help the most people on campus," he says. During his presidency, he became aware that many students drive home regardless of bad weather, without realizing that they are too tired or under the influence of alcohol or drugs. He then decided to take action and created the Stay a Night/Save a Life Program at WC. "Every student that's 50 miles away from home can stay a night at any participating hotel for a $29.99 flat rate," he says.

McNair also takes care of the kids in his community by mentoring students and giving speeches on the importance of staying drug free, away from bad influences, and focused on academics. "I realized that at-risk students need someone to be there for them because I knew that if I was their age, I would definitely want someone to be there to try to help me," he says. Among his many activities, McNair volunteers once a week at Mary H. Wright Elementary School and C.L. Madden Elementary School, where he created a program in which he takes students out to lunch to reward them for good work or good behavior—or just for a pick-me-up because the teacher feels that the student needs to be rewarded. "There's a gift inside of everyone, and it's your choice whether you share it or not with the world. God has placed a gift inside of me, and I'm just planing to do my best to share it with the world," McNair says.

Since 2000, McNair has provided donations for 450 meals through his membership of the Feed the Children organization. To encourage his football teammates to take a step in helping their community, McNair has organized activities in which some members of the team read to preschool students and visit children at hospitals.

"With his ever-present smile, encouraging words, and amazing energy, J.R. has been a positive student leader," says Roberta Bigger, vice president of student affairs. "From his first day in office, he sought to complete the goals chosen by the Student Government assembly. He motivated first-year students and new members of the Campus Union, while constantly promoting Wofford."

Football is also a big part of McNair's life. "Football has been a strong motivator, for I've learned to compete on and off the field. When you compete on the field, it kind of comes over with everything else because you want to be the best in everything that you do. You want to make sure that the organization has the best, that your organization strives to be the best, and football falls right into it," McNair says. As a high school senior, McNair was an all-state selection and held a school record with 1,691 yards and 11 touchdowns. Today, McNair is an All-Southern Conference candidate and represented WC at the 2002 SoCon Student Athlete Leadership Institute, which promotes positive choices for a healthy life style and helps develop leadership and team mentoring skills in student athletes from all around the country. Also in 2002, McNair was selected to the American Football Coaches Association "Good Works" Team, where he was one of five I-AA students to be honored for their community involvement.

"Outside of the Campus Union, J.R. operates like the 'Energizer Bunny,” Bigger says. “He's president of the gospel choir, the men's Glee Club, and an award-winning fullback on the football team who scored 11 touchdowns. A balanced person, J.R. is also very successful in the classroom, earning honors on and off the field.”

McNair is a leader of various campus and religious groups including the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. "I do a lot of ministry. I do campus outreach based on FCA, I go to speak to different Christian programs, different middle schools, different junior high schools, and also here, at the college," McNair says. He's also a member of five choirs in addition to the gospel choir. As the president of the gospel choir, McNair strived to increase their exposure at the state level. "We have more organization, and our exposure at state-wide level has increased almost 50 to 60 percent. Every school that has a gospel choir in the state knows of us now," he says.

"I love everything that I do, and I show a passion for it," McNair says. "I'm a server because I love people, and that's why I do as much as I can."

"As a veteran college administrator, I learned from JR. When faced with adversity, he never gave up. He looked at a challenge from various angles until he found one from which he could tackle the problem. He never said no to a request and was extremely flexible," Bigger says. "One Saturday in the fall, he gave a speech to prospective students in the morning, played a football game in the afternoon, and then sang a solo in a college concert that evening. He's thankful to God for his natural talents and blessings, and he strives to use them to the best of his ability. I’ve enjoyed working with him, and I look forward to watching him accomplish great things after he graduates from Wofford."

Contact Bigger at biggerrh@wofford.edu or McNair at mcnairwf@wofford.edu.

Copyright © 2005 Oxendine Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved