Damon Michael Denson is a preacher

Preacher

Preacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...

, motivational speaker

Motivational speaker

A motivational speaker or inspirational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. In a business context, they are employed to communicate company strategy with clarity and help employees to see the future in a positive light and inspire workers to pull...

, writer and former American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 guard

Guard (American football)

In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....

 in the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 (NFL).

Early life and history

Damon Michael Denson was born on February 8, 1975 in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania

Aliquippa, Pennsylvania

Aliquippa is a city in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 9,438 at the 2010 census. Formerly a borough, it was formally named a city in 1987 by the Aliquippa Council.-History:...

. A few years after his birth, his parents moved from Aliquippa to Baldwin, Pennsylvania

Baldwin, Pennsylvania

Baldwin is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 19,767 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...

, a suburb of Pittsburgh. Ironically, the legendary WPIAL

Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League

The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League is an interscholastic athletic association in Western Pennsylvania. It is District 7 of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. The league is colloquially known as "WIP-ee-al"...

 high school football

High school football

High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....

 coach Don Yanessa took over as the athletic director

Athletic director

An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...

 and head football coach

Head coach

A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...

 at Baldwin High School

Baldwin High School (Baldwin, Pennsylvania)

Baldwin High School is in suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the third largest public school in the Pittsburgh area. The district serves the communities of: Baldwin, Whitehall and Baldwin Township. Baldwin currently offers 15 Advanced placement courses....

 in 1989 after leaving Aliquippa High School

Aliquippa High School

Aliquippa Jr./Sr. High School is located in the city of Aliquippa in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. in 2007, The Jr./Sr. High supports grades 9–12 with an enrollment of 465 students. By 2010 the grade 9–12 enrollment declined to 329 pupils with further decline projected through 2019...

 and having coached NFL greats Sean Gilbert

Sean Gilbert

Sean Gilbert is a former professional American football defensive lineman who was selected by the Los Angeles Rams as the third overall pick of the 1992 NFL Draft. A 6'5", 318-lb...

 and Ty Law

Ty Law

Tajuan "Ty" Law is a retired football cornerback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 23rd overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan....

.

Denson became only the second player in Baldwin High School history to start

Starting lineup

A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...

 on the varsity

Varsity team

In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...

 football team as a true freshman. During his junior year, the Fighting Highlanders beat North Hills High School

North Hills Senior High School

North Hills Senior High School is a suburban high school located in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. The school's mascot is the Indians and its official colors are red and white....

 to win their first playoff game in over three decades. During his senior year, Denson was selected as a USA Today

USA Today

USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...

High School All-American and chosen to play in the prestigious Big 33

Big 33 Football Classic

The Big 33 Football Classic is an all-star American football game featuring the top high-school football players in Pennsylvania. Played since 1957, the game is often described as the "Super Bowl of High School Football." The last 14 contests have pitted players from Pennsylvania against players...

 Pennsylvania Football High School All Star Game.

College

After graduating from high school in 1993, Denson went to the University of Michigan

Michigan Wolverines football

The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...

 where he became a starter his true freshman year as a defensive lineman. During his junior year he made the switch to offensive guard. Denson along with Jon Runyan

Jon Runyan

Jon Daniel Runyan is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party. He is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League, where he played for fourteen seasons. He was a participant in the 2003 Pro Bowl following the 2002 NFL season...

, Jon Jansen

Jon Jansen

Jonathan Ward Jansen is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He previously played for the Detroit Lions and Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft...

 and Rod Payne

Rod Payne

Rod Payne is a former professional American football center who was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He is also a former All-American center who played for the University of Michigan Michigan Wolverines football team from 1993-1996. He won a Super Bowl with the...

 helped Tim Biakabutuka

Tim Biakabutuka

Tshimanga "Tim" Biakabutuka is a former American football running back for the Carolina Panthers of the NFL from 1996 to 2001.-College career at Michigan:...

 rush for 1,818 yards; still the single-season Michigan record. In his senior year, Denson was named a 1st Team All-Big-Ten

Big Ten Conference

The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...

 selection.

NFL

In 1997

1997 NFL Draft

The 1997 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 19–20, 1997. No teams elected to claim any players in the supplemental draft that...

 Denson was drafted by the New England Patriots

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...

and played under coach Pete Carroll

Pete Carroll

Peter Clay Carroll is the head coach and executive Vice-President of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He is a former head coach of the New York Jets, New England Patriots and the University of Southern California Trojans football team.-Early life:Carroll attended Redwood High...

. In 2000 Denson finished his NFL career with the Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...

 and subsequently retired.

Ministry

Denson was converted to Christianity during his freshman year at Michigan. He joined a local church where he was ordained

Ordination

In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...

 as a minister and began teaching bible study

Bible study (Christian)

In Christianity, Bible study is the study of the Bible by ordinary people as a personal religious or spiritual practice. Some denominations may call this devotion or devotional acts; however in other denominations devotion has other meanings...

 on campus. After being drafted by the New England Patriots

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...

, he continued to minister as an evangelist

Evangelism

Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....

at a local Boston church. Damon's service to humanity spans from ministering in churches and prisons as well as performing Chaplin duties for professional sports teams and speaking at the prestigious NFL sanctioned Super Bowl Gospel Celebration.

In September 2007 Denson started his own ministry website DamonDenson.com with the mission of empowering people to reach their full potential through spiritual and practical guidance.