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That’s something that North Florida Rams President Tommy Johnson III has grown to know. His dad, Tommy Johnson Jr., started North Florida Rams Association, Inc. as a way for athletes to get their fill on the football field while giving troubled youngsters something positive to look for in life.
The younger Johnson has been a part of the organization since 2003 when his father took over the company. Since then, he has moved up the ladder from being a general manager to his current position as the president.
“My father started this and wanted me to come in and run things,” Johnson III, who goes by T3, said. “And that’s what I’ve been doing since.”
The team is a member of the Florida Football Alliance, a league of non-profit teams throughout the state. It’s considered minor league football, and the league exists to promote the 24 participating football squads.
But taking to the gridiron for spring games wasn’t enough for North Florida Rams players. They wanted more.
“We had this opportunity to start another team,” Johnson explained. “The guys still wanted to play in the summer. This group wanted an opportunity to play for a championship.”
That’s how the North Florida Cardinals got started.
The team joined the North American Football League and begins play in July.
Although the Cardinals will look to play for a championship, the team’s main priority is providing a positive influence within the community.
Johnson didn’t know much about minor league football when he joined the organization five years ago. But the 1988 Ribault High School graduate’s past in running a production company paved the way to where he is today.
“My entertainment background is what attracted me to this,” Johnson said.
Once he got involved with the sport, Johnson added the volunteer instincts passed along from his father to want to go out and better the lives of children in need.
“It’s been that way my whole life,” Johnson said.
“It’s carried over from my dad. He coached 25 years in Pop Warner. He’s a role model to so many kids out there.
“I’ve grown up and watched how he’s helped so many kids over the years. He’d make sure they did their homework before they got to practice. He took a very personal approach to things.”
Now, Johnson III wants to have that same type of positive influence.
“I’ve been around that my whole life,” he said. “Now I want to rub it off on other people as well.”
That attitude played a huge role in forming a partnership with the Children’s Home Society of Florida. This is where the Cardinals’ players will seek to make their impact.
“During the season, each player will be mandated to make a visit to the home,” Johnson said.
“During the season, we will invite the kids out to the games. It’s about serving the community. It’s part of the requirements of being a player.
“Each player will participate in a mentor session with the children at the home. The total effort is to allow our volunteers to recognize the need for an adult presence in a young child’s life as they spend time at the Children's Home Society.”
The Children’s Home Society was created in 1902 in Jacksonville to help children and families. The Rams and the Cardinals partnership is a big step for the squads and for Johnson’s vision of community-oriented teams that do more than just suit up and play football once a week.
The Cardinals are an offspring of the former Jacksonville Bobcats. While some of the players have transferred over, few also went along with the team’s former offensive coordinator, Scott Jones, who now coaches the Cardinals first opponent, the Hilliard Hitmen.
The Cardinals have four players from the Beaches area: Shane Sanderson, James Zaboroskwi, George Wyrick and Henry Sawyer.
The team’s season starts July 7 against Hilliard at Englewood High School.