Stories
Rolando Blackman
Rolando Blackman, standout K-State basketball player from 1977 to 1981, completed his degree through Second Wind in 1996. After leaving K-State just 20 hours shy of a bachelor's degree, four-time NBA all-star Blackman played professional basketball with the Dallas Mavericks and the New York Knicks. Today Rolando is the Director of Basketball Development for the Dallas Mavericks. “I want to finish anything I start. The Second Wind Program offered me the opportunity to fit studying around my personal life,
” Blackman said.
Tim Stone
Tim Stone, 1985 football team captain and left tackle, completed his bachelor's degree through Second Wind after playing professional football with the Cincinnati Bengals for three and a half years. “The service and advice I received from K-State was great. It impresses me to see that K-State is committed to helping athletes obtain the goal of a college degree,
” he said.
Isaac Jackson
Isaac Jackson, who held K-State's single-season rushing record for 27 seasons, completed his bachelor's degree in social science through Second Wind in 1990. “When I start something I like to finish it,
” Jackson said. “I wanted to pursue my bachelor's degree because I was so close to finishing. I felt like I would be a lot more marketable.
”
Eric Gallon
Former K-State running back Eric Gallon is grateful for the opportunity Second Wind gave him to complete his degree. “Because of my degree, I have not been limited in my field, and I have gained an advanced position in a juvenile correctional facility with a substantial increase in pay,
” Gallon said. “I'm now in a position to nurture young people to be better individuals and to increase their academic level and further their education. I am always pleased to talk about my alma mater and its commitment to excellence. As a former student-athlete under Bill Snyder, I can say that striving to get better each day has become a way of life. Winning will come as a result of improving.
”
Cephus Scott
Cephus Scott only spent a year at Kansas State University—but it was a year he'll never forget. It was 1997 and he was a defensive back on the K-State football team, the year the Wildcats won the Fiesta Bowl. It was one of the best years of his life, and it's why he came back to K-State—online. Scott earned a bachelor’s in social science with a concentration in behavioral sciences in summer 2007. “There was always someone there—family, friends, teachers, advisors—to pick me up when I fell, to turn me right when I was going left, no matter where I was in life. I'm the first person in my family to graduate from college because of that support,” Scott said.
Read more about Cephus Scott's Second Wind Experience
Photo courtesy of K-Stater magazine and the K-State Alumni Association
