AUBURN, Ala. — When Wayne Dickens was 5, he celebrated Halloween as many kids his age do: His attire matched what he wanted to be when he grew up.
But rather than a super-hero or cowboy costume, he dressed up as a Miami Dolphins player, believing that he one day would play for them.
And while Dickens, a former Auburn defensive tackle, never fully lived out his childhood dream, football did help propel him to something he found to later be more important: a relationship with God.
Growing up in Lakeland, Fla., long before he had ever heard of Auburn, Dickens initially was denied the opportunity to play football because he was far bigger than most kids his age.