A family that prays together, stays together! One such family is the Schuster family. Patriots WR JuJu Smith-Schuster is very close to his family. Apart from being a family man, JuJu is a talented Wide Receiver too. In his career spanning seven seasons across the Steelers, Chiefs, and Patriots, JuJu holds a record of 430 receptions for 5,048 receiving yards and 32 touchdowns. Last year, he played 11 matches, getting 29 receptions for 260 yards and scoring one touchdown. The WR’s career has been full of ups and downs, with his career-best in 2018 when he racked up 1,426 receiving yards. Despite, not being able to perform well last year, now the WR is all set to bounce back.

But none of these achievements would have been possible without the support of JuJu’s family. Sammy Schuster, Smith’s mother is his biggest advocate and the strongest and fiercest woman of his life! She is often seen cheering for her superstar son during NFL games. Not only a protective mother, JuJu has a supportive father too! While less information is available about his biological father who left him when he was a toddler, we do know a few things about his adoptive father. JuJu’s mother met Lawrence Shuster when the WR was four years old. Two years later they married and now have five kids together. Apart from having five younger siblings, Lawson, Oilau, Salaia, Pua, and Teuila from Lawrence, JuJu also has an older sister named So’omalo from his biological father.

The WR gives all the credit for his success to his parents’ support and never fails to express gratitude for their sacrifices. Since the Schuster couple struggled financially, they had very limited resources. The couple managed a household with seven children, which often involved challenging situations like Lawrence walking every day to a bus stop and going to work by bus. These compromises instilled in JuJu a strong work ethic and a deep appreciation for family, motivating him to pursue his dreams with determination. Moreover, his family has been a constant source of inspiration for him to achieve everything in his career and even perform philanthropic activities. However, even during their struggling days, Sammy and Lawrence encouraged JuJu to follow his dream of becoming a footballer.

JuJu was just eight years old when he started playing football. Since an early age, he dreamt of making his career in the NFL. And from such a young age, he wanted his mother to stay by his side. From high school to the NFL, Sammy has always been there, cheering for her son at every single one of his first touchdowns. Talking about Sammy, JuJu told Steelers.com, “She means everything to me. She means the world to me. Without her, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Without my father too. She is the rock of our family. She keeps us strong, keeps us together.” Smith and his mom love sharing their family moments on Instagram, and their photos are absolutely heart-melting.

Sammy Schuster is one of the coolest mommas on Instagram! She takes care of the marketing and advertising of the JuJu Foundation and Team JuJu Shop, a clothing store. JuJu Foundation is a non-profit organization that helps people in need especially youths. Being a protective mother, she still defends him from abusive comments, hecklers, and trolls. 

The New England Patriots WR shares a very loving, close, and beautiful relationship with his mother. According to Mrs. Schuster, the WR’s roots and connection with her keep him grounded and prevent the fame from getting to his head. She told Steelers.com, “We are very close. He is very open and honest with me. Sometimes he gives me too much information. That is the innocence in him. That has been our relationship. He has been very open and honest. Even if he is going to do something bad, I know it before he does it. He tells me before he does it. He has been that way his entire life.”

JuJu Smith-Schuster’s Mother Sammy and Father Lawrence are his rock

​JuJu Smith-Schuster loves his family and always shows commitment towards them. His adoptive father played a huge role in the WR’s life and was the one who taught him football and rugby as a child. JuJu was so inspired by his father that he even changed his last name from “Smith” to “Smith-Schuster” to pay him a tribute. Moreover, after signing a contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019, the NFL player gifted his dad a brand-new truck! Smith took to his Instagram to post how grateful he is to have Lawrence as a dad and gift his father something.

JuJu wrote, “My big family is made up of my parents, myself, and my six siblings. Growing up, we had one car for everything we needed to do. Dropping us off to school, practice, work, groceries, whatever we needed to do, we had 1 car. My dad would walk to the bus stop and catch the bus each morning to go to work. My parents struggled so much and worked so hard to provide for my siblings and I. I’ll never be able to give them what they gave me, but I’m so thankful I can at least do something. So proud and blessed to be able to buy my dad a new truck, this man means so much more to me than I can ever put into words!”

The Schuster’s love, encouragement, and care have been evident throughout Smith’s career. Moreover, they have a ritual to perform a small prayer before JuJu’s every match. Isn’t it so beautiful! They are the kind of family that makes you go “Aww!” every time.