An NFL coach became a father figure to a young player, and years later they learned he was actually his biological dad.
A Coach Who Promised to Be Like a Father
Deland McCullough grew up in Youngstown, Ohio. His adoptive mother, Adelle Comer, raised him after he was orphaned at birth.
When Deland turned 17, a coach named Sherman Smith came to his house. Smith wanted to recruit him to play football at Miami University in Ohio. Smith was the running backs coach there.
Smith had a special approach with his players. “You may not be looking for a father, but I’m going to treat you like you’re my son,” he told them. For Deland, those words became real in ways nobody expected.
Smith became the steady presence Deland needed. He was there through the good times and the hard times. When Deland suffered a bad knee injury during his last preseason game, it crushed his NFL dreams.
Smith sat with him and said, “This is just a setback for a great comeback.”
Two Lives That Followed the Same Path
The two men had so much in common. Both played for Miami of Ohio and made it into the school’s Hall of Fame. Both went on to play professional football.
Both had their careers cut short because of knee surgeries. Both became coaches after their playing days ended. Both made it to multiple Super Bowls. As Deland joked, “Unfortunately, both of us lose to Tom Brady.”
The Search That Changed Everything
Years passed. Deland got married and became a father. In 2017, he decided to search for his birth parents. He found his adoption records and discovered his birth mother lived just ten minutes away from him. He reached out to her and they met.
During their conversation, Deland asked the question that had been on his mind his whole life. “Who is my dad?” he asked.
“Your dad is a man named Sherman Smith,” she told him.
The Stunning Truth
Deland couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The man who had been his mentor, his coach, and his father figure for over 30 years was actually his biological father.
Smith had known Deland’s birth mother when they were both teenagers. But he never knew she had given birth to their child. He never knew Deland existed until that moment.
When Deland went to meet Smith as father and son for the first time, the moment was powerful. “He opened the door and just opened his arms and said, ‘My son,'” Deland remembered.
Smith tried to make sense of their story. All those years coaching together. All those similarities. All those moments that seemed like coincidence.
“There’s no way you could write this and all these connections,” Smith said. “You just have to believe this is God directing our steps.”
Their story became a book called ‘Runs In The Family: An Incredible True Story of Football, Fatherhood, and Belonging.’ Now it might become a movie.
This story shows us something beautiful about how God works. He placed a father in Deland’s life long before Deland knew he needed one. He created a bond that went beyond coaching and mentoring. When the time was right, He revealed the full truth.
We serve a God who sees the whole picture when we can only see one piece. Trust that the people He brings into your life are there for a reason. The connections that feel right in your heart might be part of a plan bigger than you know.
WATCH: NFL Player Discovers His Former Coach Is His Biological Father
