Dante Wesley
A Model Athlete and Family Man
by Monica Davis

Dante’ Wesley grew up in the quiet town of Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Raised in a single family home, he and his brother had a strong woman for a mother who taught them how to become self-sufficient and to always live their lives from a positive perspective.

Dante’ has always lived a clean and positive lifestyle, and he attributes his view of life and the way he lives to his mother.  Raised in the church, his spiritual foundation provided him with the life tools he needed to stay focused.  His mother had a solid foundation in the church and made sure her sons would grow up and experience life from a spiritual point of view.  She taught them to put God first.

He is also a family man; a husband and father of two children who applies the principles and teachings of his mother to his own family. “I never worry about anything because I feel God is always with me, and there’s nothing I need to worry about”.

Wesley is a professional football athlete who plays for the Chicago Bears.   The average football career is three years and he considers it to be a blessing to have played pro ball for almost six years in the NFL.  His goal is to play for 10 to 12 years.

He graduated with the highest of honors from Arkansas Pine Bluff College.  He believes that education is very important and his message to youth who dream of playing professional football is, “football is not forever, you are going to always have to have a strong education behind you because that’s what people are looking for.  They don’t care what kind of athlete you are but they want to know what you can do for their business.  Stay in school, keep your goal ahead of you and try to reach your goal”, he advises.

With a degree in Business Management, Wesley plans to start his own business after his professional football career.  Standing at 6’1”, this grey-eyed gentleman has also been featured as a lead model in several fashion shows and he also plans to continue modeling after his pro-football career.  Modeling is his leading passion.

When it comes to achieving goals, college life has taught him some very important lessons which he shares with all of us and applies to his life.  “Never give up on what you want to do.  Going through school and college here in Arkansas has really taught me to work hard and do my best”, says Wesley.

His journey on the road to professional football was challenging, but he remained true to his dream of becoming a pro-ball player and through struggle and sacrifice he worked his way up to the NFL.

Wesley is an active supporter of his community and he is dedicated to giving back to other communities as well.  He often speaks to youth about reaching their goals and maintaining a good academic standing.  He has also tutored students through Pine Bluff School District H.O.S.T.S. Lab (Helping One Student to Succeed), a program designed to help increase learning ability using manipulative to enhance their learning.