Oakland Raiders cornerback Fabian Washington visits
students at Manatee Magnet Elementary School

(BRADENTON FL - February 9, 2006) Oakland Raiders cornerback Fabian Washington said he can play football in front of 80,000 people and not feel nervous at all. However, when Washington took to the stage recently to speak to a couple hundred eager students at Manatee Magnet Elementary, he said his stomach was full of butterflies.

In the end, Washington had no reason to worry. He was a big hit before he even began to speak. And when he did speak to the students - about setting goals, working hard and dreaming big dreams - the students hung on his every word.

“You can become president, or a doctor, or a lawyer,” Washington told the students gathered in Manatee's wood-paneled auditorium. “Anybody in this room can do anything you want to do. All you have to do is to have a dream and put all your effort toward achieving it.”

Washington knows something about achieving dreams. When he was a young student at Wakeland Elementary in Bradenton, and later at Bayshore High School, he dreamed of playing one day in the NFL. He set goals and worked extremely hard and earned a scholarship to the University of Nebraska, where he played for the Cornhuskers for three years.

In 2005, Washington made a little history when he ran the 40-yard dash in an amazing 4.25 seconds, the fastest 40-yard time in the history of the NFL Combine. Later that Spring, Washington was selected by the Raiders in the first round of the NFL Draft with the 23rd pick.

During the 2006 NFL season, his second with the Raiders, Washington played all 16 games, recording 40 tackles and four interceptions. Now, Washington is determined to give back to the community where he grew up through his Franchise Kids Foundation, which provides educational and social support for at-risk students, especially students who come from single parent families. Washington has also donated to a special endowment fund set up to benefit Manatee and Bashaw Elementary Schools.

“It was my first time seeing a pro football player,” said third-grader Jordyn Bell. “It was fun. I didn't even know he went to Wakeland.”

Washington gave Manatee Elementary Principal James Hird an autographed jersey to hang in the school's office.

“He serves as a form of motivation for our students; to get them excited about learning and doing something with their lives,” Hird said. “Some may think it's a little thing for him to take the time to come here to speak to our students, but it's not. It's a big thing.”