College hoops star Wayman Britt found success in athletics, business and government, but his story is one of guts and grace behind any glory. Today, Britt uses his life experiences to inspire others — particularly those in underserved communities — to overcome challenges, dream bigger and achieve more in life.
His upcoming book, Fulfilling the Dream: My Pathway to Leadership and Finding Purpose in Serving Others.
A long way from the North Carolina tobacco farm where he grew up, college basketball standout Wayman Britt captained the University of Michigan Wolverines to the NCAA title game in 1976. It had always been his dream to play the game he loved for a bona fide powerhouse like the Tar Heels of North Carolina, and the Wolverines fit the bill. After realizing one dream, Britt set his sights on another. And another.
Britt didn’t let his poverty-stricken environment in the North Carolina Jim Crow era of racial discrimination dissuade him from envisioning a bigger world and a better life.
In his new book, Fulfilling the Dream: My Pathway to Leadership and Finding Purpose in Serving Others, Britt shares his personal account of growing his skills through life experiences. Following his successful careers in college and professional basketball, he grew into a management role for an international company and later rose to administrator for one of Michigan’s largest counties. Along the way, he became a dynamic leader and role model in the communities he served.
Britt candidly tells of the hard work, determination and faith in God that propelled him through challenges, disappointments and setbacks. He takes readers through his quest to open up the American Dream to people long excluded, and relates lessons and experiences of competing at the highest levels in athletics, corporate culture, government and politics to some of the most sensitive cultural issues of modern times.
This compelling account of the way Britt found his life mission will stimulate readers to reflect on how the individual accomplishments of one person contribute to building a society that matches Martin Luther King Jr.’s “dream” of opening opportunity to every citizen. Fulfilling the Dream is a tale about pursuing dreams, realizing them—and then dedicating one’s life to helping others.
Enjoy Rick and Wayman talking about the book and a lot more.
