Football is a sport which requires countless hours of dedication, on and off the field. It is because of this that when someone steps on the field, entirely new, and amazes others around them, it’s a shock to us all.
That is the story of Damari Heller, number eleven on PC’s football team.
Coming from Broward County, Florida, his football career has been one of the most unique ones seen in quite awhile. He spent his first two college years in California at Juco, never having played football before.
“Growing up, life wasn’t always so stable. I moved around a lot and was raised by a single mother. Although I wanted it, football was never really an option.” Damari gravitated towards working in social media and surrounding himself with people he could look up to. One of those people was Marcus Williams, who through social media, made Damari aware of a group work out opportunity on the beaches of California, which he was insistent to attend.
This was where things changed for him - left and right, he began getting asked where he played football. Nobody believed this stranger telling them he was without any real experience on the field. Heller’s energy, unlike anyone else’s, was what stood out the most.
“I was doing it with intention - doing it with hunger. I wanted to be there.” It was because of this energy that people labeled Damari someone to believe in. He was invited to a college event the next day where he could show his skills further and, from there, it seemed as though Damari couldn’t stop. Great coaches, big names in fact, couldn’t believe that this random guy had never played professionally before. He was ready to be handed any challenge, honored that God had given him such an opportunity in the first place.
“My mom was shocked when I told her, but I had to tell her, ‘Mom, God has different plans.’ She was so happy for me.”
It was when one of his fellow teammates was late to a special teams meeting and the coach needed someone to fill a spot. Damari stood up and volunteered himself. “I didn’t even know what I was doing. I was just saying my name because I heard opportunity.”
Special teams, Damari recalls, had never been taken as seriously as offense or defense. However, to him, a place in football was a place in football. He ended up being on every single special teams unit, and by the first game, he was special teams player of the week. Damari remembers how the energy surrounding special teams shifted after that.
To the other players, Heller made it seem fun. That season, his team would go undefeated 11-0. Damari would be awarded a ring but, more significantly, he’d be awarded the title of Special Teams Player of the Year. “Nobody’s anticipating an award their first year. They already feel so grateful to have a seat at the table, it almost feels like it would be too much.” The next year followed similarly, every moment filled with moments of growth and great opportunities. Now Damari had more understanding of football culture, two rings from JUCO, and lots of offers rolling in. Damari claims, despite all of this success, that he couldn’t have done it alone.
“My mother was amazing. I saw her do her best with raising us as a single mother. She was going through it, but if she can do that, anyone can do anything. My mom’s gotten yes-es just by being persistent, so that’s what my whole standard of life has become. It got me into football. It got me to PC. It worked. Football may have given me direction and structure, but my beliefs came from her.”
He also has a lot to owe to his wife. According to Heller, she was the one driving him to the California beach workouts two hours away and now has moved with him twice to continue being a great supporter in his life.
“She’s my best friend. She pays attention to the little things. There’s no way I’d be out here doing all this without her. Having someone to come home to who will pick me back up makes the difference, especially when she’s pushing me in moments where I lack the energy,” Damari said.
Another person he gives credit to is his brother, Demone. According to Heller, he played one of the biggest roles in his journey, always pushing him to keep going.
“He believed, even when things weren’t clear for me yet.”
Heller claims without his brother bringing him to California, he never would be living the life he has now. “I never would have met my wife, and I wouldn’t have found football or met any of the people who gave me chances to prove myself.”
Now, he’s at Presbyterian College, and Heller has a lot to say about it. “I love it here. One of the biggest things for me is that we do community service. I strive every day to be a man of the people. I love to do things for my city. When I was at Concord, I wanted to do so much but there were so little opportunities.
“Here, it’s different. We help move trees out of yards and read to kids. Recently we had the Special Olympics. That made me so happy.” Another thing he loves about PC, Heller says, is the faith. “I wouldn’t be here without God. Even at times where I question what’s going on in my life, I always go back to faith and prayer to remind myself who I’m doing this for.”
Heller continues to be an aspirational person, trying to motivate anyone who he comes across.
“A lot of what I tell young men now is that yes, football is a performance-based business, but never base your personal life or who you are based on how you play a game. Make sure the two stay separate. Enjoy it, and always go back to faith.”
Another great lesson Heller emphasizes: Saying yes to opportunity when it presents itself. “If my story shows anything, it’s that your path doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s to be successful. If you’ve always wanted to do something but never got the chance, don’t let that stop you. … your time can still be coming, but be ready when it does.”
Since beginning football, his life has changed completely. He now lives life with a leader mentality, pushing through adversity and working to represent something bigger than himself. Football, according to Heller, gave him purpose and showed him what is possible for people who don’t give up.
