Enshrined: Ross Remains Grounded by Family
Standout defender passing on his father’s lessons
Mike Brohard
Family has always been paramount in Adrian Ross’s life.
That has made the past 18 months a rollercoaster ride. He moved to Houston to be closer to his father, who was in failing health. It also brought him closer to his daughter, Areum, whom he’d been attempting to gain more time with, too.
“My daughter and being a father and to live that life now is great. It’s great being able to live the life and see other teammates who are dads and the joy it brings them and our children bond,” Ross said. “Those are good pieces of life for me. That is what I wanted when I was young, and I’m living that out right now.
“It has made me think about life in terms of legacy. I was able to see my dad and spend time with him. You start to get more of the overstanding. I think I’ve gained a lot of overstanding in life where I’ve had a lot of understanding of a lot of things. Just like in the game, there’s a certain time when you come in as a freshman and sophomore and you gain an understanding of the defense. Then you get to another level where you overstand it, because you’re getting to live the example. Who my dad and my parents were, I get to appreciate a lot of things in life. I get to appreciate the time I get to spend with my daughter. I love that time.”
He said he’s gained perspective through it all, with his father’s passing in July of 2022 and the stronger bounds he now has with his daughter. Ross feels he’s in a very good place, and the phone call he received from Colorado State Director of Athletics Joe Parker added another layer.
Ross will be part of a nine-person class recognized during the annual All-Sports Reunion weekend, with the Hall of Fame Induction set for Friday, Oct. 27. The following day, the entered class will be recognized on the field during the State Pride football game with Air Force.
His football life was a wild ride, from showing up at Colorado State as a walk-on to being told of the department’s highest honor. He was a member of three WAC championship teams (1994, 1995 and 1997) as well as a two-time All-WAC selection after a standout career as a defender. He still ranks eighth at the school with 32.0 tackles for loss, and his 22.5 sacks sit fifth.
That’s what’s been good about being a father, spending time with her and seeing how she soaks things in. It’s learning her mind and what she doesn’t know. I think about my dad, and he gets to live on through me. I see the similarities she has in him.Adrian Ross
What followed was a six-year career in the NFL, and after his professional run, he remained involved with the game. Even as an agent, he was all about family. His, the secondary family he was part of at Colorado State and growing into a part of other’s lives.
“I know family was always very, very important to him,” former CSU coach Sonny Lubick said. “One could see the love he did have for his family. When he became an agent, he’d call me at times and talk to me about players, but he’d also call just to check up on me.”
When he retired from the game, he moved back to Northern California where he worked with the 3D Sports Agency, setting a goal to help educate all the of players he represented. When he exited that part of his life, he ran the Mad Backer Foundation in Sacramento, supporting schools in the area through football skills camps and meeting with schools, partially supported by the Maddbacker Charity Celebrity Basketball game he hosted every year. His delivery was always to stress education.
It was a message which came from his father, James.
“I’m really getting to enjoy the routine of being a father. My dad was the most significant person in my life, having played for the 49ers and the Broncos, having been this great educator, being a principal for years, being a coach,” Ross said. “I got to live it through football, all the knowledge he gave me is why I made it, why I had a high football IQ. I think I was more cerebral than physically gifted because of what he taught me. Now I get to live on through him, and I get to pass all of that on to Areum. That’s what’s been good about being a father, spending time with her and seeing how she soaks things in. It’s learning her mind and what she doesn’t know. I think about my dad, and he gets to live on through me. I see the similarities she has in him.”
Now retired, he looks forward to all of his time with Areum and once again seeing the world through the eyes of a child. Some things just feel new again.
The call from Parker allowed him to rehash what was in his past. His recruiting trip to Colorado State, which was hosted by Leonice Brown, who he recalled being “yoked” and made the young man wonder just how college football was really going to be if all running backs were built like him.
“I thought, I have a long way to go. That was back when all the football team was still in the dorm,” Ross said. “I think everything timewise benefited me, to be in there with those guys who had already been there, to see them in the dorm and get to know dorm life really quick.”
It also brought him to the present. Back then, he wasn’t an emotional young man. The years have changed him, particularly the loss of his father. But with Areum, he has gained a new perspective of family, one which has blessed him to see the importance from the other end of the spectrum.