PEORIA, Ill. – A former Peoria Richwoods Knight gave back to the community on Friday before he becomes part of the city’s sports greats.
Sherrick McManis spent 11 years in the National Football League, playing defensive back, for the Chicago Bears and the Houston Texans. He spent the last nine seasons with the Bears, and spent his college career with the Northwestern Wildcats.
McManis is part of the Class of 2024 for the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame, which will hold its induction ceremony on Saturday.
He says the success of some of Peoria’s greats from the past helped motivate him to be the best he could be.
“Guys like Jamar Smith, Zack Richter, Shaun Livingston that were big names at the time and still doing great today. That gave me the encouragement of, not only seeing how they did things, but wanting to be better than them,” McManis said.
Before his induction, McManis spent his day visiting with patients at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital. He says the visit is a “humbling experience.”
“This is one of the major points why I played the game. Obviously, I wanted to provide for my family. But being able to be a big impact on somebody’s life , just by speaking to them, showing them ‘Hey, I’m just like you,’ is awesome,” McManis said.
McManis says he hopes to have a similar impact on Peoria-area kids that he had at Sterling Middle School when Curly Boo Johnson visited him there.
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