Although Ben Faires didn’t make it to the NFL after playing for the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, he still has a career that centers on sports.
Faires, 28, is the director of Life Champs Youth Sports in Little Rock, a nonprofit organization that teaches children that life is about more than winning. Last year, Life Champs had more than 900 children and teenagers involved in football and lacrosse.
“I think sports just teaches you so much about life, but in a fun way,” Faires said.
He said some city officials in other states have shown an interest in starting a Life Champs in their area, but nothing has happened yet.
“We’d like to take it to northwest Arkansas or somewhere in the state first,” he said. Expanding, however, remains in the planning phase.
Faires also is the head coach and assistant facility coordinator at D1 Sports Training in Little Rock.
He started at Life Champs, which is seasonal, as a fundraiser in 2007 and joined D1 a year later.
His coaching and training duties at D1 start at 5 a.m., when he guides a number of people into shape through cardio and weight-training exercises.
Looking ahead, Faires said he wants to focus on growing Life Champs by adding other sports while also becoming well known as a personal trainer.