Gateway to Growth
From NFL Setback to Building Champions Back Home in University City
In this episode of Gateway to Growth, host Jamal Cornelious sits down with Coach Will Franklin — head football coach at University City High School and former NFL player — to talk about resilience, identity, and what it means to come home and give back to the city that raised him. Will's story is a masterclass in patience and reinvention: a kid from North St. Louis who dreamed of the NFL, sat out a full year of high school ball only to have Mizzou believe in him first, built a historic senior season across three sports, and then had to rebuild his entire sense of self after his NFL career ended. If you've ever wondered what really happens after the spotlight fades — or what it takes to lead young people through their own version of that journey — this conversation hits different. Throughout the episode, Jamal and Will dig into mentorship and identity beyond sports, the mental toughness required to do the work when no one's watching, and how investing in home — literally and figuratively — can transform a community. This episode's highlights include: • Growing up in inner-city St. Louis, discovering basketball and football in the neighborhood, and catching his first real recognition in eighth grade. • Transferring high schools, sitting out an entire season, and how Mizzou's junior-year scholarship offer became the turning point in his recruitment. • A historic senior year that took his football team to the semifinals, his basketball team to a 31-0 undefeated state title, and himself to a state track title. • The mental toughness lesson from track and field about doing the work quietly, with no immediate reward, because "the finish line seems far away." • Falling into depression after being released from his last NFL team, and the phone call from his friend Tony Ernst that pulled him into coaching. • Learning to coach the whole person — helping student-athletes figure out who they are outside of the sport before that identity crisis finds them later in life. • Coming home to St. Louis instead of staying in Phoenix, because giving back to the community that produced him mattered more than a quiet retirement. • Building the culture at University City High School from 32 players to 86, upgrading facilities, and creating a path for student-athletes to graduate with an associate's degree and walk into college debt-free. Will and Jamal close it out with real talk on patience — as a first-time head coach, as a parent, and as anyone trying to build something worth building — plus advice for the next generation of coaches on what the job actually demands. Want to see it in person? University City football's first home game is September 11th at 7:00 PM against Northwest, on a newly upgraded field. Come check out the program Coach Franklin is building. Connect with Coach Will Franklin LinkedIn ▶ William Franklin New episodes of Gateway to Growth drop bi-weekly on Monday Subscribe for future episodes exploring leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation, and career growth. LISTEN ON: Apple Podcasts ▶ https://apple.co/36ycuuO Spotify ▶ https://spoti.fi/3svGoqS CONNECT WITH STL BUCKET LIST: Instagram ▶ https://www.instagram.com/stlbucketlist/ Website ▶ https://stlbucketlist.com/ WORK WITH STL BUCKET LIST Interested in partnering or sponsoring an episode? Email ▶ show@stlbucketlist.com Website ▶ https://www.bucketlistcreative.com/
