What to Know
- Quincy Royal coaches the semi-pro Montgomery County Rams football team.
- He provides his players with equipment, takes them on college visits and secures them scholarships.
- He has used his college coaching connections to send more than 300 students to college in 10 years.
The coach of a D.C.-area semi-professional football team uses his own money to help his players go to college.
Montgomery County Rams coach Qunicy Royal's mission is to get a college education for all of his players even if he has to go broke doing it.
“I called Coach Q up, and he wanted to know my whole life story, had me over for dinner and accepted me on the team,” said Michael Joseph Harsanyi, who has been Royal’s team for a few months.
As Harsanyi and his teammates play, Coach Q works on their lives.
“We talk God, we talk school, we talk about family, we talk about work,” Harsanyi said.
“When me and Coach Q get on that phone, we on it all night, for real,” player Nathan Scott said.
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Coach Q gets his players into college and secures them scholarships.
“I have relationships over 200-300 coaches because they know I’m going to bug them,” he said. “I pester them every day, all year round."
He buys them equipment and takes them on college visits. He said he has 700,000 miles on his car.
He'll also provide a player with a place to stay.
“I’m here to help the underdogs, the ones that’s 5’9”, 5’10” that you know not going to go to the pros and not even going to get a look. So those are the ones I help get in college and get a scholarship,” he said.
In 10 years, he has sent more than 300 kids to college, but it’s the kids he wasn’t able to save that keep pushing him forward. One guy was just $35 short of a bus ticket to go to school.
“Someone shot and killed him,” Coach Q said. “That’s why I’m trying to get funding, because that right is what weighs on my mind.”
Those he has been able to save are beyond grateful.
“I’m not used to people giving me help,” Harsanyi said. “I just got lucky. I just met the right person at the right time.”
Coach Q also helps find homeless people housing and once bought a Hurricane Katrina victim a new car for herself and her five kids.
If you'd like to support the Montgomery County Rams, send an email to Coach Q or visit this fundraising page.
Reported by Leon Harris, produced by Michelle Rivera and edited by Perkins Broussard.
