Published May 27, 2009
By Jay Edwards
The Charlotte Observer
When Chris Canty started his junior year at Charlotte Latin, he had never played organized football. At 6-foot-5 and 185 pounds, he hardly looked the part of a future football star.
Now, 10 years later, Canty, at 6-foot-7 and 304 pounds, is in the prime of his NFL career.
Last winter Canty signed a six-year, $42-million contract with the New York Giants. He was originally drafted by the Dallas Cowboys, where he compiled 148 tackles and 10 sacks (as a defensive end) in his first four seasons.
But no matter how big Canty gets, literally or figuratively, he has not forgotten Charlotte Latin. He will return to the school this summer to hold his second annual Camp of Champions on June 25-27.
Canty answered these questions during an interview earlier this month:
Q. When you started playing football at Charlotte Latin, did you expect all of this happen?
No. I really started playing under the force of my mother. She told me I was going to either get a job or play a sport, because she got tired of me coming home after school and waiting around for basketball season. I decided a job sounded like work, so I went and tried this football thing. I took to the game quite naturally, and I liked the physical, aggressive nature of it.
Q. Were you heavily recruited out of high school?
I really wasn't being looked at by a lot of Division I schools, more so the I-AA schools. Then at the end of the year, Boston College and Virginia did step up to the plate and offer me a scholarship. I felt like at the time that Virginia was a better fit. I looked at Virginia as an opportunity for me to get a solid education. That was really all I dreamed about, I really didn't think about playing football at the next level.
Q. What is it like to be recognized with a big free-agent contract?
It feels good; for the majority of my football career, I've been a 3-4 defensive end, and it's not really one of those eye-popping stat positions on the football field. It's kind of like playing offensive lineman on defense. But, to be recognized as one of the best to do what I do, and to be compensated as such, is definitely a good feeling, it's almost vindicating.
Q. You are a very busy guy, especially this offseason, but you still find it important to give back to Charlotte and Charlotte Latin. Why?
It's really about providing an experience for the youth of Charlotte. It's something they can be a part of, to allow them to aspire and to dream. I think Charlotte is an underserved community when you talk about football players giving back to the youth, and having football camps and teaching kids the fundamentals of the game. I'm very passionate about football, and very passionate about helping young kids, so this is the perfect thing for me to do.
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