Less than 48 hours after defeating the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game and punching a ticket to Super Bowl LVI, Los Angeles Rams linebacker Von Miller made a special appearance at Cate School to kick off its celebration for Black History Month.
The eight-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl 50 Most Valuable Player answered questions one-on-one from Cate junior Carlo Kim about his life and career before addressing questions from the entire community.
Miller opened up about his midseason trade from the Denver Broncos to the Rams, his work ethic and inspiration from Kobe Bryant, being one of the last players ever to sack Tom Brady, and his career backup plan as a poultry farmer if football didn’t pan out.
“Thank God I made it to the NFL,” said Miller, who majored in poultry science at Texas A&M.
Kyle Mason, Cate’s director of outreach and recruitment and head track & field coach, helped organize the event with the Kim family and spoke about the excitement of having the future Hall of Famer on campus.
“We are honored and blessed to have him open our Black History Month this year as we celebrate Black joy at Cate School,” Mason said. “He has affected change on so many levels beyond football and does so much more than what we know him for.”
Miller, who has overcome lifelong vision problems and asthma to reach the highest level of his sport, founded the organization Von’s Vision, with a mission to provide low-income students with the eye care they need to be their best in the classroom and in life.
“I started out trying to help one or two children, and now we have raised millions of dollars in eyewear,” Miller said. “It’s an honor and a privilege to start Von’s Vision and for it to have the type of impact that it has.”
Following the Q&A, Miller took photos and signed autographs, even for one brave student wearing a Cincinnati Bengals jersey.
He took a photo as well with members of the Cate football team, also nicknamed the Rams, which won the school’s first-ever CIF Division I 8-Man Football Championship in November.