BIKE & DONATES IT TO ANOTHER KID

MANDY MILES mandy@keysweekly.com

Stories like these do the heart good.

Local kids were asked to design a logo for this year’s Paddle for Paws, a leisurely kayak and paddleboard trip off Cudjoe Key that raised money for the Florida Keys SPCA.

Michael Barrett, a 10-year-old fifth grader at Poinciana Elementary School, won first place for his drawing of a cat and a dog paddling a kayak together.

His prize? A brand new bike and helmet that were donated by the Big Pine Bicycle Center.

“I was so surprised that I won first place and a new bike,” Michael told the Keys Weekly on Jan. 23. “But I already have a bike, and I thought that there must be a kid who needs this one way more than me. So I decided to donate it.”

With help from his parents, Michael contacted the Southernmost Boys & Girls Club, which provides affordable after-school care for more than 100 local kids.

Michael Barrett, 10, won first place in an art contest to design the logo for this year’s Paddle for Paws fundraiser for the SPCA.

On Jan. 23, Michael and his mom took the bike to the club at Bayview Park and donated it to a beaming Keion Hodges.

“He seemed really, really happy. It’s a great bike. I think he had wanted a bike for Christmas, but didn’t get one. So I felt really good about donating it. I just knew someone else needed a bike more than me, because I already have one.”

MANDY MILES mandy@keysweekly.com

hy are so many Key West Conch sports fans now rooting for the Tennessee Titans?

Because the Titans’ new general manager, Ran Carthon, was — and always will be — a Key West Conch.

The Titans made the announcement earlier this month, though Carthon currently remains busy as director of player personnel with the San Francisco 49ers, as their postseason play continues.

Carthon, who turns 42 on Feb. 10, was a running back for Key West High School.

He graduated in 1999. As a junior in 1998, “he rushed for more than 1,300 yards and gained over 500 yards DESPITE missing seven games due to high ankle sprain,” Carthon’s high school coach, Jerry Hughes, told the Keys Weekly on Jan. 24.

“In my 40-plus years of coaching high school football, I have been blessed to have coached some superior athletes and outstanding young men who have made my coaching career rewarding and satisfying,” Hughes said. “Ran Carthon is one of these exceptional student athletes.

“My first conversation with Ran was very impressive (eye contact, firm handshake, speaking with confidence), all attributable to his family’s military background and the parental guidance he received while growing up,” Hughes continued. “When observing Ran on the practice field, my feelings grew even stronger due to his work ethic, leadership and athletic abilities.”

Carthon received a football scholarship to the University of Florida, where he was a running back.

He signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played for three seasons in the NFL with the Colts and Detroit Lions, according to Wikipedia.

After his NFL career was over, he returned to Gainesville, and graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 2008.

SInce 2008, he has worked in executive positions for the Atlanta Falcons, St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers before being hired as the Titans’ GM this month.

“I am so proud of Ran for being consistent, determined and relentless in pursuing his ultimate goal,” Hughes said, “all with the ‘attitude of a champion.’ GO TITANS!”

Bill Spottswood, whose son Billy went to high school with Carthon, was proud to have Carthon list him as a mentor on his resume.

“He was over here all the time,” Bill Spottswood said. “He still calls me Pops. He said, ‘You were tough on me, but you were tough on your own kids, too, and you loved me.’”

Spottswood credited much of Carthon’s collaborative spirit, communication skills and team mindset to his time in Key West.

Carthon is the NFL’s eighth black general manager.