I recently got a chance to sit down with a remarkable man. Karl Dunbar, the Jets defensive line coach is my type of guy. His smile is infectious. As soon as you meet him, you want to be his friend. He exudes confidence and coolness but not arrogance. Like most of the D-linemen on the Jets team, he instantly became one of my “favorites”.

The amazing quality about Karl Dunbar – he is not shy and he lacks no self-confidence.  Coach Dunbar has vitiligo, a disease that turns his black skin white. He was diagnosed at the age of 12 and as you can imagine he was teased relentlessly. But it never stopped Coach Dunbar’s fun loving personality shine. He credits his parents who always let him know they loved him and that’s all that mattered. As you can imagine, it wasn’t easy living with the disease and he said he spent his fair share of time in the principal’s office after fighting – but he persevered. He was standout athlete in high school and college and later played in the NFL. He is now a respected coach in the NFL. I hope people who feel they are “different” can learn from coach Dunbar. It’s not just OK to be you; it’s GREAT to be you. For me, that’s the best way to live!

Here’s the link to the story on Coach Dunbar:

http://thejetsblog.com/uncategorized/jets-nation-inside-camp-karl-dunbar-micd-up-81212/#disqus_thread