USA WEEKEND's Most Caring Youth Coach awards

Tampa Bay Buccaneers' running back Warrick Dunn, 33, knows firsthand how the right mentors can make a difference in the lives of kids. He credits one of his childhood football coaches, Maelen "Choo-Choo" Brooks, with teaching him life lessons. "He taught me that we're not all perfect, that we'll all make mistakes," Dunn says. "If you don't make the grades at school or you talk back to your parents, you're going to have to pay the price for that. But you're also going to have the opportunity to correct yourself and be better in the future."

A great youth coach should be patient, know how to motivate players and bring the team together, Dunn says: "Coaches set the example, on and off the field. It's important that they talk to their players, tell them to stay away from drugs, stay off the streets, respect their parents. If your coach volunteers, the players will follow, and the coach should encourage it. Whether it's feeding the hungry or going to see a kid in the hospital, all it takes is something small that can make a big difference in someone's life."

Dunn has found unique ways to give back: His Homes for the Holidays program helps single parents achieve the dream of home ownership. As he writes in his new autobiography, "Running for My Life," his inspiration was his own single mother, a Baton Rouge police officer who was killed when he was a high school senior. Since 1997, the program has helped 78 single parents, with 205 kids, become homeowners. "If she were still here, she'd want to continue to help people and point them in the right direction," he says. "That's what I want to do, too."