Former Newton football star inspires students

A former Newton High School football star who is now an All-American at McNeese returned to his roots Friday, and Toddrick Pendland told students his mother's words, "Run, Toddrick, run" just before she was murdered, inspired him to overcome any obstacle and succeed.

Pendland, 21, didn't run away from his problems but used them as motivation, and he encouraged students at Newton Elementary to do the same thing.

"It's what's inside you, how hard you play, how bad you want it," said Toddrick Pendland to students.

Toddrick Pendland is speaking to Newton Elementary students about overcoming obstacles.

"You have to work hard. It won't be handed to you," says Pendland.

Hard work is something he knows all about.

"Don't want to look too back in the past and see everything bad.  Want to let that motivate you for some things, and I guess I did the best I could with my trials and tribulations and I'm proud of it," says Pendland.

Pendland has plenty to be proud of, from his run with the Newton Eagles to the state championship in 2005, to making strides at McNeese State University, where he led the Southland Conference in points scored per game and was recently named an All-American.

"I knew from the beginning, when he was small, that he had a special gift from God," says Mary Taylor, Pendland's grandmother.

He began running in 1996 when he was 8 years old and his stepfather shot and killed his mother, Tonya Taylor.

"My mother, the night she was murdered, she told me to take my brother and run to the next house behind us," says Pendland.

Pendland says he's not angry about his mother's death.  He says everyone has obstacles in their lives and this was one he had to overcome.

"God, he does everything for a reason, everything happens for a reason.  I'm not mad about anything he does," says Pendland.

Pendland says he prays to his mother before every game and asks for her help. 

"She told me to run and I've been running since then, like they say," says Pendland.

And he's relied heavily on his grandmother, who took in Toddrick and his brother and raised them.

"I wanted to take care of them and inspire them because I wanted them to be productive, successful young men," says Taylor.

Former teachers and people in the Newton community say he's become just that.  And he wants young students in Newton to follow in his footsteps.

"They got a chance to do good, too," says Pendland.

And learn not to run from a problem but let it motivate them to excel.

Pendland says he's interested in playing in the NFL and would also like to be a coach.