NFL receivers have a tendency to be prima donnas. Whether it’s Terrell Owens mockingly placing the football on the Dallas Cowboys’ midfield star, Michael Irvin getting caught with cocaine, or a more recent incident with Chris Henry busting car windows with a beer bottle, they seem to earn a bad reputation.

That’s why it’s refreshing to hear about professional football’s good guys like Tim Brown. Although Brown was as good, if not better, on the field as all the aforementioned troubled players, he handles his success with dignity and class, which is why the local Christian school, Providence Hall, was thrilled to land him as a guest speaker.

A packed Calvary Chapel was buzzing with excitement Wednesday morning as the crowd awaited Brown’s presentation on the importance of Christianity and education. It didn’t seem like a chore to him either as he was “bright-eyed and bushy tailed,” as he put it — genuinely wanting to be there to speak on what was important to him.

Children were the emphasis when the retired Oakland Raiders great stepped up to the podium in front of the more than 100 students, faculty and fans. He stressed the importance of being a positive role model for our youth by doing what the Bible says is right.

“I want them to hold me to a higher light,” Brown said about setting a good example.

In his speech he explained that he grew up in Dallas as a member of religiously strong family. He was in church four days a week and that helped him stay out of trouble. That Christian upbringing helped him say no to drugs and alcohol throughout his life, as well as many other destructive situations that a top NFL player can be tempted into.

Brown knows he can’t be a role model for every child, which is why he emphasized the importance of parents’ setting proper examples for their children. He mentioned that the better environment children grow up in, the easier it is for them to make the right decisions in a difficult situation.

“In this day and age I think it’s paramount to put your child in a Christian environment if at all possible,”  Brown said.

In honor of his great achievements on the field and his incredible integrity and faith off the field, Providence Hall has introduced an annual Tim Brown Award to the student who best represents godly character in athletics. The award will be given out to the highest character male and female athletes at the end of every school year from here on out at Providence Hall.