Todd Gurley II is a six-season NFL veteran as a running back for the Atlanta Falcons. Throughout his professional career to date, Gurley has rushed for 6,082 yards and 67 TDs on 1,460 carries, has been named to the Pro Bowl three times, and was named Associated Press First Team All Pro in 2017 and 2018. Following the 2017 season, Gurley was awarded with the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year Award after he ran for 1,305 yards and 13 rushing TDs, and tallied 788 yards and six receiving touchdowns. Gurley was drafted 10th overall in the 2015 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams, and joined the Falcons as a free agent in 2020. Prior to the NFL, he attended the University of Georgia and is a Tarboro, N.C. native.

Growing up from modest means has motivated Gurley to use his platform to better the communities that have shaped him throughout his life. Gurley founded the Make A Difference Every Day (M.A.D.E.) Foundation on the principle of supporting youth by focusing on their physical, social, and educational health. M.A.D.E. aims to give youth a unique perspective on life through sports, education and community involvement, building character that will remain with them for a lifetime.

Gurley’s spirit of giving touches a variety of organizations, demographics and initiatives including annual youth football, hospital visits, food drives, youth literacy, and more. Gurley’s impact has been particularly felt in his hometown of Tarboro, where the annual M.A.D.E. Foundation Football Camp has impacted hundreds of children across the three years it has been held, and thousands of dollars have been donated to Tarboro High School, Gurley’s alma mater, and the Tarboro Outreach Community Center.

In addition to his work with the M.A.D.E. Foundation, Gurley formed a strategic alliance with the University of Georgia, through which he will be involved in a variety of aspects of on-and-off campus activities. Gurley will serve as a mentor and featured speaker for student-athletes on topics such as social justice, creating value beyond sport, financial literacy and entrepreneurship. M. A. D. E. Foundation will also host events for the local Athens community, and will partner with The Georgia Bulldog Club for philanthropic donor events.

Gurley also serves as a literacy ambassador for former Georgia teammate Malcom Mitchell’s Read With Malcolm program, and consistently donates time and monetary assets to other organizations, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Bo Jackson Invitational Golf Tournament, the Jamie Foxx Charity Basketball Tournament and many more.

Sports Athlete, Football, NFL, Sports Motivation, Diversity, Black Heritage,