Beyond a love of the game, the teammates have faced a great deal of adversity over the past few seasons, but still managed to compete at the national level. The first tragedy was the loss of Deshaun Swanson in a drive-by shooting while attedning a family funeral. A drive-by shooting the year before left another teammate Ty-juan Preer, in a wheelchair. January 11, 2023 my husband Richard "Coach Nell' Hamilton was tragically taken from us by a road rage shooting. Tesse are the realities faced by the youth of Indianapolis, but the opportunity to participate in the Indy Steelers Youth Organization gives these kids recreation & mentorship they need to grow.
We play other Indianapolis youth organizations and travel to the Midwest to regional competiotions. The team has managed to bring home second place titles in national tournaments, but it also creates much more than sweat and pride. The program is connected to the MLK Community Center to provide homework assistance, literacy, tutoring, & support for parents. These opportunities, along with the lessons learned on the field from coaches and teammates, makes, this program unique in its ability to shape our youth.
