“My mom’s motivation is just to raise us into great men,”  said TreVeyon Henderson, who is an emerging name in college football. Born on July 22, 2003, he hails from Hopewell, Virginia. Since a young age, Henderson started taking an interest in playing football, and to begin his career in it, he went to Hopewell High School. His journey from living in a rough locality to becoming a standout running back for the Ohio State Buckeyes has not been easy. Henderson’s mother, Lakeesha Hayes-Winfield, has worked day and night to provide everything to him and supported him and his brothers, Ronnie Walker Jr. and Kesean Henderson. 

TreVeyon Henderson’s mother

Treveyon Henderson was born in Lakeesha Hayes and Trenton Henderson in the United States. However, certain details about Henderson’s father’s personal or professional life are not available; his father’s initial love and support played a role in shaping Treveyon’s life.

Lakeesha Hayes-Winfield, his mom, faced many difficulties all her life that molded her children’s lives. “I just wanted my boys to grow up and do something with their lives,” she said, who wanted to keep them away from all the negativity and crime that happened in the city they lived in, Hopewell, Virginia. As a single parent, she provided her children with everything they needed. She ensured her kids stayed focused on academics. For that, Lakeesha used to do a fun reward system to keep her sons motivated. When the eldest Ronnie was in high school, she promised him to give $100 if he got all A’s on his report card, and surprisingly, this strategy worked out for all three of her boys. As a result, all her kids, including Henderson, maintained a 4.0 GPA, and they never made a B, which highlights Lakeesha’s influence in molding them to be hardworking.

Lakeesha Hayes Winfield had been single-handedly taking care of her children by doing multiple jobs. She did two jobs simultaneously and followed a schedule of waking up at 6:30 AM, getting to her first job, and staying there till evening. On top of that, she would go to her second job from 6 PM to 2:30 AM. Given her family’s financial needs, it was inevitable for her to be harsh on herself. She would often do long shifts to walk that extra mile. Even while facing financial problems, she supported her children’s dreams. “There were times I’d be at my last, but I made a way,” she recalled.

TreVeyon often gets emotional talking about his mother. “She is the type that’ll go broke just to get us what we want,”  said TreVeyon, emphasizing his mom’s sacrifices. Finally, when he got selected to Ohio State, she cried so hard out of joy. “I cried and held him; I cried like a baby,” she said. TreVeyon acknowledged his mother as his constant motivation: That’s my no. 1 motivation, my mom—to get her out of Virginia so that she can live a great life and won’t have to stress anymore.” TreVeyon further said that without his mom, his family, and his brothers, any of this would not have been possible.

Hopewell suffers from a high rate of crime and violence. Trevor once mentioned that there is frequent violence, with shootings occurring every other day and people being killed almost daily. Growing her children in such a place made it important for Lakeesha to keep them off the streets and make them involved in positive pursuits. While interacting with the media, she revealed an incident that happened a few years ago.

It was a fine afternoon, and she was attending a Zoom meeting for her job when she heard gunfire and panicked. Right at that moment, Henderson was washing his Maroon Lincoln MKX gifted by his mom when he heard the echo of gunfire. After that, they realized the sound was coming from a few blocks away, but it was still a matter of concern. Despite living in an unsafe locality, she proudly says, “I still love what I call my city. I was born and raised here. I have family and friends here. This is still home.” While talking about the city they lived in, Lakeesha says that multiple shootings, robberies, and violence were quite common there, and it was difficult to keep her children away from that mess and indulge them in their studies.

A Legacy of Football from TreVeyon Henderson’s grandfather

TreVeyon Henderson’s grandfather, Albert Lee Harris, is popularly known as “Airplane” for his fast pace on the football field back in his day. He was the one who inspired Treveyon to play running back. In addition to playing football, Harris used to play basketball at Hopewell, and he wore jersey No. 32. Connecting with his legacy, TreVeyon also wore the same jersey number as a freshman at Ohio State. “When he sent me this picture, I had to pull over because I was in tears. I know my father will be so proud of his grandkids,” said his mom, Lakeesha, getting emotional about her son’s achievements.

Given his mother’s sacrifices and his determination, TreVeyon was granted the success he’s enjoying today. He joined Ohio in 2021 and is making waves in college football with his strong on-field performances. Qualities of hard work and consistency will surely lead him to major success in the 2024 championship, as believed by his fans. Besides, let us know in the comments which are your favorite players for the season.