MINNEAPOLIS -- Growing up in north Philadelphia, a target of bullying and a victim of domestic violence in his home, Sharrif Floyd eventually turned his life around with the help of people who offered more through their actions than their words.
Floyd moved out to live on his own at age 16, when he found out the man he thought was his father -- who, when not in jail, had subjected Floyd to physical and mental abuse -- wasn't his biological dad. Floyd would stay with his grandmothers, his high school guidance counselor or his football coach. His counselor, Dawn Seger, sold brownies to get Floyd to the U.S. Army National Combine, where colleges that offered an opportunity to escape his rough…
