Sterling Finney was one of the area’s top quarterbacks during his high school football career at Hazelwood Central High during the late 1990s.
Like all top players, Finney had aspirations of playing at the NCAA Division I level and eventually the National Football League. Those things did not materialize, but he did have a successful college career at Culver Stockton and Missouri Western, plus he got a few NFL tryouts.
However, Sterling Finney’s story does not end there. Far from it. It was only beginning. Now, in his early 30s, Finney has taken his life experiences as a player and his passion for the sport and turned in into a new venture that will help many youngsters in the area.
Finney, along with fellow coach Brandon Gregory (Francis Howell North), founded STL Football U, an organization that focuses on position-specific training for youth football players. They work with players from the grade school level all the way to the high school and collegiate level.
Training sessions usually happen every Saturday at the Jamestown Sports Complex in North County. There is also team training available twice a week at St. Louis Community College – Florissant Valley.
Watching Finney in action with the kids, one can tell that he is an excellent coach, teacher and role model for the area youths who want to better themselves.
“When I was coming up, a lot of the resources that were available now for kids weren’t available for us,” Finney said. “We try to create resources for the kids to help them become successful, on and off the field.”
On the field, Finney and Gregory have assembled a great staff of former area players who are just as committed to giving back to the community. Also on the staff are Carey Davis (Illinois/Pittsburgh Steelers), Milton Proctor (Kansas State), Travis Triplett (Kansas State), Dwayne Kirksey (Webster Groves coach), Corey Lewis (Eastern Illinois) and Robert Franklin (Illinois).
“We have top players training kids at every position,” Finney said. “We call it transitional training. What players learn from us, they will be able to play at every level, whether it’s high school, college or the pros. All of us are passionate about football and building relationships with kids.”
STL Football U is also committed to helping young players become prepared academically as well as athletically. They have also collaborated with the Princeton Review to help players prepare for those standardized test that they must take in order to become eligible for collegiate sports.
As STL Football U continues to grow, they have branched out into other events as well. Earlier this summer, they hosted a 7-on-7 passing tournament at University City High, which featured eight area high school teams. On Dec. 8, they will present their inaugural Junior National Elite Awards Banquet, where they will honor athletes who have achieved in the classroom and the football field.
“We want to do our part to help kids from St. Louis receive the credit that they deserve for being good football players,” Finney said. “We want them to get that exposure and go to college.”
STL Football U will resume its training sessions in February. If you are interested, you can contact Finney at 314-456-3304 or visit stlfootballu.com.
