FRISCO, Texas — The centerpiece of Dallas’ offensive line, Travis Frederick, hosted his fourth annual Blocking Out Hunger Event to honor his foundation at the Omni Frisco Hotel at the Star.
Since the four-time Pro Bowler’s rookie season in 2013, his fight off the field has been supporting low-income families throughout Dallas who struggle with hunger.
“ For me, as a rookie, you come in here and get invited to a lot of charity galas and things like that,” Frederick described to me.
“ I saw that generosity that everybody had. Everybody wanted to help. There’s a ton of people in Dallas that wanted to help, and I knew that I needed to help somebody. So, then going with another company, I went downtown and was handing out meals and saw these kids coming through the line and seeing how happy they were to be getting that first meal, it really tore at my heartstrings. These kids didn’t get a chance to eat normally and this is one of their first meals in a long time. So I knew at that point I needed to help those kids. So, that’s how the Blocking Out Hunger Foundation was created.”
Fredrick took a hands-on approach starting his own foundation to use his platform as a Dallas Cowboy to enact change in the community. As a first-year player in the NFL, he saw kids that were food deficient, beaming at one meal because they did not know when the next one would be. In an instant, his life changed as he thought about a bigger picture and what he as an individual could do to remedy the problem.
In 2018, Frederick’s life drastically shifted. He began losing feeling in limbs and received a diagnosis no one could have predicted. He had autoimmune disorder, Guillain Barre Syndrome. Frederick’s world was turned upside down. Not only was he unsure of his health condition and the severity of the rare disorder, but also ever playing football again was an additional question mark.
During his rehab/recovery process, he never had a ‘woe is me’ mentality. He dealt with the diagnosis head on, just like he does in collisions on the field against defensive lineman. During that season of life, he fulfilled his commitments. He was at practices coaching from the sideline, meetings, and was there on Game Days for moral support. In addition, he continued his work with the foundation and hosted events that were on the calendar. Being around his teammates and staying in a similar routine was a way for Frederick to escape and have some sense of normalcy.
He told me, “ It was immensely helpful for me to be around. When you’re hurt, sick, or injured, generally you are sort of separated from the team and cast out almost. It is not a purposeful thing; you just can’t be helping the team. So for them to allow me to continue to help the team in a quasi-coaching role, it really was helpful for my psyche and staying connected with those guys and really made my transition back into this year a lot easier.”
Frederick was given heartfelt letters from children he had helped through the foundation that spired him on. He had poured into the lives of children meeting their needs with fresh meals, and now on the flipside, those children were pouring into his life with encouragement.
“Actually one of the schools that has a pantry in it, “ he smiled as he explained the mementos given to him during his absence from the field.
“ I got sent get-well notes and pictures from the kids. So those kinds of things really mean a lot. And it’s exciting to know that the kids that we’re helping here are thankful and happy about what they’re getting.”
Now, No.72 is back on the field in 2019 playing with a new perspective on life. Head coach Jason Garrett talks a lot about ‘getting players with the right kind of character.’ There is no one who embodies that more than Frederick: A humble man that constantly puts the needs of others before his own. He is one of the greats on and off the field and his impact in the community speaks for itself.
