Harriet Sherrod's fireplace mantel is a treasure trove of matte gold-finish trophies. Etched glass plaques bear the engraved Sherrod name. There are as many awards for academic honors as there are for sports achievements. And every time she would squeeze in a new award - no easy task with so little room - Harriet and the rest of the family would look over at youngest son Derek and tease him a little. "Your brother just got another one," they'd say. "You'd better catch up!"
That's how it is with this close Mississippi family of college graduates and soldiers. Derek Sherrod grew up knowing nothing but support and success. What he didn't get from the family genes at 6 feet 5 1/2, 315 pounds to help his football career as an offensive tackle, he learned from his father, Louis, a Navy man, his three high-achieving older siblings and his mother, Harriet.
"Nothing is given in life," she told him again and again. "You have to work for it. You have to earn it." Sherrod's selection in the first round, 32nd overall, of the NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers late Thursday night was no accident. And no stroke of luck. He worked his way through Caledonia (Miss.) High School to become one of the most coveted recruits in the nation. He became an All-American at Mississippi State, graduated in three years on the honor roll and started pursuing his master's degree in 2010.
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