LUMBERTON — The passion in Tim Worley’s voice was undeniable.
During the course of a 32-minute conversation on Wednesday morning, with vigor and reverence, the 50-year-old Lumberton native told a story that he’s told countless times across the nation.
Filled with extreme peaks and valleys, it’s one that’s hard to forget — and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
“I never get tired of telling my testimony,” said Worley, a former star running back at Lumberton High School and the University of Georgia.
Worley doesn’t shy away from the pitfalls that haunted him for years after an all-American career with the Bulldogs. Plagued by the abuse of alcohol and drugs, during and following his six seasons in the NFL, Worley’s breaking point came on April 13, 2008 during an altercation with a police officer outside of Atlanta.
His 23 days in a jail cell would set in motion a rebirth.
Now, Worley is focused on helping people — men, in particular — stay on the right path.
A motivational speaker and life skills consultant who operates Worley Global Enterprises with his wife, Dee, in Huntersville, Worley uses football as a platform to educate young men across the country. The organization specializes in marketing, business consulting and motivational speaking.
“Now, it’s not always about telling my story, but telling people how I came out of it,” he said. “It’s more of a quick overview of what happened and then teaching the tools of how I came out — the process that it took to get me out of that hell hole I was in.
“I have a mandate on my life to help men realize who they are in Christ Jesus. I was able to experience that because of my failures.”
Time as a Pirate
Tim Worley’s journey started in Lumberton.
A Parade All-American running back and state champion track star for the Pirates, the stories seem endless when it comes to Worley’s outstanding prep career.
The tales still resonate throughout Robeson County. If you mention Worley’s time with the Pirates, most people point to a Friday night in 1984 against West Robeson. On that night, Worley scored on a 99-yard run on the first play from scrimmage.
“My entire high school career was great memories,” Worley said. “High school was fun for me because there was a gift I had and I dominated in that gift.”
Worley rattled off a few names that stood out during his prep career, including teammates James “Hulk” Thompson and Matthew Chavis.
“A lot of great memories. The competitive level within Robeson County and Cumberland County was unbelievable,” Worley recalled. “You had guys like Lee Vernon McNeill from St Pauls and Lee McRae from West Robeson. … All of those schools had players. I used to tell people, they wouldn’t believe the level of competition back then.”
Appearing in the Shrine Bowl as a senior, Worley was just getting started on gridiron. He was inducted into the Robeson County Hall of Fame in April 2011.
‘Pioneer out of N.C.’
After a dominant prep career at Lumberton, Worley would take his immense talents to the University of Georgia, where from 1985-88 he developed into one of the program’s greatest running backs.
But it almost didn’t happen.
“I was a Tar Heel guy,” he said. “I was a big fan of Kelvin Bryant.”
Bryant was an all-Atlantic Coast Conference running back at North Carolina and was named the USFL MVP as a rookie in 1983.
Worley took notice of the Tarboro native.
“It was always two schools in the ACC for me — UNC and Clemson,” he said.
That was until he started watching Georgia’s Herschel Walker and Auburn’s Bo Jackson.
“When I saw Herschel, my junior or sophomore year, and Bo Jackson in the Southeastern Conference, I said, ‘Uh oh, that’s what I want right there,’” Worley said. “They were big, fast guys that liked to run over people. That was me.”
Convinced Georgia was the best fit, there’s another reason he chose to be a Bulldog.
“This is something I don’t tell a lot of people. It was one of my worst visits, but Georgia was the only school (on my list) that had a band and they had a bass guitar. I thought that was cool.”
The running style of the Bulldogs and the competition within the SEC didn’t hurt, either.
“I was born at Southeastern Regional Medical Center in Lumberton. I played football in the Southeastern Conference at Lumberton and the SEC in college. God does things in threes,” Worley said with a laugh.
Worley burst onto the college scene in Athens, Ga., by ranking second on the team in rushing as a freshman with 627 yards and he led the Bulldogs with 10 touchdowns. The highlight of the season came when Georgia knocked off top-ranked Florida, 24-3. Worley delivered an 89-yard touchdown run and 125 yards rushing.
“That’s what a lot of fans seem to remember.”
But Worley remembers his comeback. After blowing out his knee four games into his sophomore season and dealing with academic issues, Worley missed two years and returned with a vengeance in 1988.
“I remember my last year there,” he said. “We opened up with Tennessee on ESPN. With (starting running back) Rodney Hampton, we (mowed down) all of the Tennessee defensive players.”
Hampton and Worley combined for 340 rushing yards in the 28-17 win over the Vols, with each running back scoring a pair of touchdowns.
He also recalls playing against Ole Miss that season. Worley dominated the Rebels, finishing with 121 rushing yards and a touchdown rushing, passing and on a kickoff return.
“They started pushing me for the Heisman (Trophy),” he said. “That was redemption for ‘86.”
After finishing the year with 1,216 rushing yards, Worley didn’t win the Heisman, but he was named the SEC’s Offensive Player of the Year by United Press International and was a consensus first-team All-America selection.
In three seasons with the Bulldogs, Worley rushed for 2,038 yards and 27 touchdowns on 353 attempts. He was inducted into the Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame in 2007.
He also paved the way for future in-state running backs such as Millbrook’s Keith Marshall, Tarboro’s Todd Gurley and Scotland’s Zamir White — the latest running back to “Commit to the G.”
“I’m a pioneer out of North Carolina, going to UGA. I never really thought about it,” Worley said. “Now, it’s making me think about it. I was the first as far as a running back. It’s like, ‘Wow, what are these kids thinking about?’ I’m assuming that Todd Gurley knew, Keith Marshall knew, and I’m assuming Zamir heard of Tim Worley. That’s a pretty good feeling. It’s an honor.”
And there’s no doubt in his mind about the location of “Running Back University.”
“Oh man, I think of UGA.”
Worley left Georgia after his junior season and was chosen No. 7 overall in the 1989 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The pitfalls of sudden fame and success awaited him in the NFL.
Finding a new identity
After a promising rookie season in which he ran for 770 yards and five scores with the Steelers, Worley battled injuries and problems with alcohol and drugs that would eventually end his career after six seasons.
“That was all I had. Where I’m at today and where I was at 16, 17 (years old) — Tim Worley never knew who he was. In that process, over time, I locked myself in that (football) identity. When it was over at 30, I didn’t know what to do.”
And his life changed forever on April 13, 2008 — a date Worley will never forget.
Worley reached a low point on that night when he was arrested and tasered during a highly-publicized incident in Smyrna, Ga. It was the wake-up call he needed.
With Johnny Hunt, his pastor at the time at First Baptist Church of Woodstock, and Troy Sadowski, an all-American tight end at Georgia, there to greet him after a three-week stint in jail, Worley was ready to turn things around for good.
“When I went down, I started listening. I knew that God was speaking. He will sit you down. He sat me down in a jail cell,” he said. “I asked God to restore me. Those guys (Johnny and Troy) came and offered me an opportunity and I haven’t looked back since.
“For so many years, in my mid-30s, I just believed my only identity was as an athlete. I didn’t know I had these things inside of me. From that moment, God gave me a speaking gift.”
It’s a journey that continues today.
“For the last 15 years, I’ve been on speaking circuit. Over the past four years, since I received my John C. Maxwell certification, God has given me an assignment (to teach) men. My hand will always be in with helping youth, but I have an assignment.”
While his current focus is on leading men to be “protectors, providers and leaders in their homes and communities,” Worley said he still has a message for youth in Robeson County and throughout the country.
“I’m truly faithful to God. I’m not perfect. I would put God first in everything you do and pull away from anything that comes between you and your destiny.”
And he continues to mentor and lead players bound for the NFL, as well as NCAA-level athletes and business leaders.
“Off and on, I’ve been connecting with them since 2009. Now it’s in a place where it’s reached another level. It’s taking me away from the shallow water into the deep water where the men are.”
All the while, never forgetting about his roots. Tim’s parents, James and Nettie Worley, still live in Lumberton. They’ll be celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary this week. His five brothers — Corey, Rico, Randy, James and Tony — each played influential roles in his life.
“I love my roots. I’ve never forgot where I’ve come from. Let Robeson County and Lumberton know I will be coming to speak at some point and in God’s time.”
Over the past few years, Worley has also been working on his memoir, which he hopes to have published by the end of this year.
“It’s not just me telling my story about the bad things that happened to me. It’s going to be a teaching tool. It’s bigger than my story,” he said. “It’s about men repositioning themselves. I failed as a man, as a professional, as a father, as a friend and in a lot of things. God’s amazing grace gave me an opportunity.”
With the same determination he used to dominate between the hedges, Worley is ready to empty the tank when it comes to helping people.
“I want to give all I can while I can. … It’s a blessing. I love life today. I know who I am today.”
