Former Kansas football player thriving with McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative

LAWRENCE — A happy accident.

About a year removed from the conversation that sparked Chris Hughes’ interest in the John McLendon Foundation’s McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative, that’s how he remembers it.

Hughes, who played his final year of college football at the University of Kansas in 2021, started talking with some teammates midway through the fall about what they all wanted to do after their careers ended. They talked about connecting with people on campus about what opportunities may be out there in the spaces they might be interested in. And while Hughes was talking one day with Maya Ozery, Kansas’ senior associate athletic director for student-athlete development, he crossed paths with Paul Pierce II and Wayne Simien.

Hughes said he was already close with Pierce, Kansas’ associate AD for inclusive excellence, and Simien, Kansas’ associate AD for engagement and outreach in the administration. But when Hughes told them he wanted to get involved in college athletics once he was done playing football, they told him about the foundation’s initiative, one he actually had never heard about before. And although he was interested in player development, he didn’t know the initiative could be an avenue to pursue it.

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A happy accident that's allowed Hughes to develop a greater appreciation for the work the John McLendon Foundation does to create access to industry opportunities for minority individuals, especially through this initiative, which looks to jump-start careers for participants through experiences and networking. A happy accident that has Hughes describing the experience as one of the best conversations he’s ever been a part of. Because the effect it has had on his life is something he can’t stop highlighting.

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“Through them telling me about it, I was like, ‘Man, this sounds amazing,’” Hughes said. “And like, legit like, that same day, I, like, kind of looked it up and read about it a little more. And I was like, ‘Wow, this seems like a really great opportunity.’”

Hughes didn’t immediately pursue a spot in the program, because he wasn’t sure if he’d try to pursue a career playing football professionally or not just yet. But he remained in contact in an effort to learn more about the initiative and eventually chose to go after it. He said he was waiting for a sign and woke up one day with the feeling that he knew it was time.

Hughes’ decision led him to become a part of Kansas’ current cohort within the program, which was started by the foundation in 2020, along with two others. According to Pierce, this is the second-straight academic year Adidas committed $120,000 to support the group of future leaders who are working with the Jayhawks. It was through a donation by Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self that the pathway to the very first future leader coming on at Kansas — Blair Griffith — was created.

Griffith spent time in development and fundraising and went on to land a position at the University of Mississippi, while Hughes is currently a student-athlete development specialist. Hughes feels he’s been able to enjoy opportunities through the initiative that have far exceeded his expectations. He’s had access to people and been able to hone his skills in a way he doesn’t think many have the chance to.

“The McLendon (Foundation) is so great because it’s not necessarily just like, ‘Hey, we’re going to put you in this very general position. All of the positions are the same. You guys are all learning the same things,’” Hughes said. “It’s really centered toward what you’re interested in, centered toward things you could see yourself excelling in or things that you, like — you really want to learn a lot more about.”

What might show that more than anything was Hughes’ role in the group that worked on the student-athlete experience part of Kansas Athletics’ recently announced strategic plan. Hughes felt what he said mattered. His voice was heard.

A gratifying part of working with the initiative for Pierce is helping future leaders like Hughes earn their next opportunity after they leave Kansas, which is something they’ve had success with so far. Adrien Harraway, the vice president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and the foundation’s director, added the program has enjoyed widespread success nationally at other universities. But what matters to Pierce is the day-to-day work and networking that’s accomplished.

“By (Hughes) being a leader of our strategic planning group with 30 other of us in our athletics department and our community, it shows how important the future leaders program is at KU for us,” Pierce said.

As Hughes looks ahead to his own future, he’s leaning more toward sports administration now than he is player development. That’s what he’s become more and more interested in. He’s valued being able to sit down with Pierce and Collin Sexton, Kansas’ associate AD for strategic initiative/chief of staff, and pick their brains about their roles.

As Hughes pursues his future, he doesn’t plan on forgetting how much help he’s received along the way. He sees the initiative he’s a part of as a pipeline to develop talent. There will be more like him, he noted, who take this avenue to enter the industry and be able to benefit from that same level of assistance.

“It’s kind of like the unsaid slogan for the McLendon (Foundation) right now, is just extending a hand back to keep helping and reaching and growing the next generation,” Hughes said. “And, like I said, I’m so happy that I have mentors at Kansas that showed me the ropes and, like, really opened so many doors and opened my eyes to so much that I don’t think the average person is able to see, honestly.”

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Former KU football player involved in McLendon Minority Leadership