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Jason Anderson
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/sn ... 8414.story
STOCKTON — There's a tattoo on Trumaine Johnson's right forearm depicting the state of California with a star representing Stockton and, scrawled in cursive lettering, the words: "Never forget where you come from."
Five days after the St. Louis Rams selected him in the third round of the NFL Draft, Johnson looked very much at home Thursday while signing autographs outside Edison High School's Taggart Gymnasium. Flanked by his parents and seated under an arch of balloons, Johnson shook hands, posed for pictures and conveyed a positive message he hopes will resonate with youngsters in the south Stockton community in which he was raised.
"I'm just like these kids," said Johnson, who graduated from Edison in 2008 before becoming a two-time All-American at Montana. "I just had an opportunity and I took advantage of it. If I could tell these kids anything, it would be: Listen to your teachers, listen to the staff and take advantage of your opportunities, whether it's football or school or anything else."
Johnson, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound cornerback, is the fifth Edison graduate in the past 10 years to reach the NFL, joining Chris Henry, Lynell Hamilton, Lavelle Hawkins and Desia Dunn.
"There are a lot of athletes coming out of Stockton," said Johnson, who will return to St. Louis for minicamp next weekend. "It's not just Edison. It's Edison, Franklin, St. Mary's, Lincoln -- it's all of Stockton."
Others former Edison standouts such as Ruben Jackson have gone on to play football in college and other professional leagues such as arenafootball2.
"This is big," Jackson said. "There's a lot of talent in this community -- a lot of talent on the streets that we don't have a hold of -- but this should give kids some belief. It's right in front of you. Go get it."
Edison sophomore Ana Franco said she was inspired by Johnson's success.
"He's coming from the south side and he's making a difference," Franco said. "He's showing us that it doesn't matter where you come from. You can make it."
Rob Brown, a senior cornerback who plans to play football at Modesto Junior College next season, called Johnson a role model.
"Seeing him makes others want to achieve," Brown said.
Edison coaches and teachers looked on proudly, recounting Johnson's early years at Edison and marveling at his ascent to the NFL.
"I always knew he was going to be special," said former Edison basketball coach Ray Harris, who added Johnson to his varsity team when he was a sophomore. "He was always getting to the ball, deflecting balls, batting balls down. He's been doing it forever."
Gabe Leal, a math and history teacher who has coached at Edison in the past, said Johnson's work ethic will lead to a successful NFL career.
"Mark my words, he's going to be a Pro Bowler and he's going to make millions," Leal said. "He's not going to let anybody outwork him."
After posing for a cell phone picture with Johnson, Edison sophomore Calvin Gray exclaimed: "This is going on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, everything."
Gray later explained his excitement.
"Trumaine is like an idol," he said. "He's doing big things to make it to college and the NFL. A lot of kids around here want to be like him someday."
