Caleb Swanigan: From homelessness to Big Ten Player of the Year
The Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament starts today in Washington D.C. The favorite is Purdue, who won the regular season title. They are led by their All-American Forward, Caleb Swanigan. His is truly a rags to riches story that no one would have dreamed possible ten years ago.
Swanigan, a 19 year old Sophomore, had a troubled childhood. His father was a cocaine addict who eventually died of that and diabetes His mother struggled to make ends meet with six children. Swanigan and his family spent most of his early years in and out of different homeless shelters. Caleb also was obese and weighed close to 400 pounds when he was in 8th grade.
His life changed for the better when his mother gave up her parental rights. He was adopted by Roosevelt Barnes, a former NFL player. When Swanigan said he wanted to play basketball, Barnes encouraged him and put him through a physical workout program. Swanigan dropped more than 100 pounds and went on to become a McDonald's All-American and win Indiana's Mr. Basketball award.
Swanigan's success story continued at Purdue. Last season, he was a member of Big 10 all-Freshman team and in the last week he was named an academic All-American as well as the Big 10 Player of the Year.
Purdue plays their first game in the Big Ten tournament on Friday and then will be in the NCAA tournament next week. Swanigan's play will be a big factor in how far they advance in both tournaments. Most likely, an NBA career will follow.
Last weekend, CBS Sunday Morning did a short feature on Caleb Swanigan. Here's a look at it.
Caleb Swanigan's story shows how it is possible to succeed when all the odds are against you. Sometimes you just need a little help and encouragement. It's the reason why you should never give up on anyone.
This is another post in the Faces of Homelessness series. Here's a piece about Gratitude.
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