| Show MON br Joe Ehrtnann tacHe for the Baltimore Colts lived football—und his brother died and he erteuted wondering about his Ixirpase in life His MAW lay ift the blner city 6 9wehundYlhatWitIoDi IT'S EASY TO FIND A LOT OF FORMER FOOTBALL STARS: If they're not acting in B movies or getting into politics they're usually populating beer commercials on Sunday afternoons But if you want to find Joe Ehrmann the longtime defensive tackle for the Colts you'll have to look in a place few Americans care to visit: the desolate streets of Baltimore's inner city The man you'll find there is as far from the stereotype of the washed-u- p k as anyone you'll ever meet "It's true that a lot of guys ( struggle when they re tire" Ehrmann concedes "They lose that l' (14 external acclaim and :' - t ex-joc- ' - I Tr RJ1: : A it's very confusing for them They don't know what their position is in life But I've found what I want to do There's no place A I'd rather be than here absolutely love it" "Here" is a place called The Door a I 0 T141 0 A huge set of rooms U' 4 Itj' 0'k el-- : : above a warehouse in Baltimore in an area where most families live below the poverty line and drugs are sold freely on the - streets As Ehrmann talks dozens of chil dren mill around Joe Ehrmann with Tenesha Thurman (I) 10 and Katrina McLeod 11 The girls attend his after-scho- program some of them taking art classes some studying dance Adults discuss their plans for classes in parenting and for the food bank and clothing programs that The Door runs And frequently one of the kids races up and gives a hug to the giant who made his name sacking quarterbacks at Syracuse University and then in the NFL "Reverend Joe" one little girl asks "want to see what we did?" And the Rev Joseph Ehrrnann all 6 feet 6 of him walks over to admire the child's handiwork Many athletes find religion few put it to work as energetically— or as effectively—as Joe Ehrmann But it took a time of trial and pain to help him find the purposeful life he lives today "I always thought that I would find great meaning and purpose and value in being a professional football player" he recalls "I always believed that if I could just get enough sacks if my team could do well enough if my contract would get big enough it would all come together But it never came together "I had a brother Billy who was 10 years younger than I was I taught him all the values! had learned: 'If you want to be somebody you have to make it in sports' He was working as a ball boy for the Colts and one day the trainer noticed that he had marks on his chest He sent Billy to the hospital where he was diagnosed that night as having terminal cancer" For the next five months Joe Ehrmann cared for his dying brother—and reassessed his beliefs He says that this was the 260-pou- black-and-bl- 13 V M CHA first time he realized that he had faith in a personal God it was also the first time he examined what he believed about life Billy died in Joe's home in Baltimore and was buried in the brothers' hometown of Buffalo NY Joe remembers: "After the last 'amen' was said and everybody left and I was standing by the grave there was a burning question in my head: 'What is the main value in life the purpose in life?' Here I was 28 years old and in my seventh year in the NFL and I had no idea" Searching for the answer to those questions Joe Ehrrnann enrolled during the in the Dallas Theological Seminary after two years he transferred to the Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia "They had a program for urban pastors" he explains "I grew up in a poor urban neighborhood and I crossed all the strata in this country I've seen the tremendous disparity between the haves and the have-riot- s the lack of access for poor people to opportunity the growing sense of hopelessness I knew that this was where I wanted to be working to help people find a sense of hope" Although he was ordained in an Evangelical ministry Ehrmarm established The Door as a nondenominational enterprise don't like to focus on all the little things that separate us" he explains The ministry exists on donations Ehrmann often visits suburban churches in search of gifts of food clothing and money I found McKinley Turner age 13 at The Door eating the Saturday lunch that a local McDonald's provides free to the kids during the summer He had spent the morn- - The ing working with a music tutor "I used to play at the recreation center" he told me "but The Door is a lot whole better Me and this boy are working on a rap group to serve here We call it the 'Dynamic Duo' And you can get to know the people here My mother and father and my sister can come here and help out and do things" As it has developed The Door is an agency that well tries to serve whole families Children can come to The Door for tutoring for drug education and the arts children football team that —or even to play on the little-leagJoe Ehrmann coaches "They were all excited when I took it over last year but we still came in last in the league" he says with good humor "This time though we didn't forfeit any games Usually when things go bad people get discouraged and give up So we've "Our made some progress" The Door also arranges counseling and social services for adults it even tries to people'c find housing to keep families together Says Ehrmann: "Our goal is to really impact people's lives to help lives to help egiap equip them for life" Ehrmann now 41 proved his commitment by moving with his family to a rowhouse two blocks from The Door "It's much more sacrificial for my wife Paula than for me" he says "I grew up in a city like 111111MEMBEEMEIMEEMI this I love being part of it But she grew up in the suburbs" Their kids—daughters Allison 18 and Esthern7 and sons Barney 2 and Joey 2 months—are growing up far from suburban comfort "They have friends who are affluent and friends who are poverty-strickethe Reverend Joe says "They get to walk through both worlds and I hone they'll pick out the best of both and do away with prejudice and stereotypes They're getting to see mankind as it's supposed to be" off-seas- socio-econom- ic I Door tries lanaes1 adults as as ue Says Ebrmanrz: goal if to impact thetn for life" n" E t R A 11 PAGE LmarmmmoomeolmlimeimmiimmnmmmaiLIPKwomomenonimoommonirtimmnoloinwmawmolmam!N 20 APRIL 15 N 1990 PARADE MAGAZINE |
