After tearing his Achilles at the start of the last season and sitting out for the upcoming 16 games with the Baltimore Ravens, JK Dobbins is set to make a comeback. But this time, it’s with the Los Angeles Chargers. The running back signed a 1-year$1.61 million deal with the Bolts with an additional $750k in incentives. However, to get here, Dobbins had to fight personal and professional battles.

Despite the struggles, if there was something the RB wanted to do was to play football, just like his father Lawrence Dobbins, who ignited a spark in his son. A spark that could not perish despite his injury-riddled NFL career, all thanks to his father. There is a dearth of information about Dobbins’ mother Mya Grounds, but it’s clear that she was with her son when he needed her the most.

Who are Lawrence Dobbins and Mya Grounds: JK Dobbins’ relentless supporters

Lawrence Dobbins used to be a running back at La Grange High School in Texas. He’s somewhat of a legend there. Mya Grounds and Lawrence Dobbins had JK when his mother was just 18 years old. Lawrence was athletically gifted, but life had other plans. JK’s father had a knack for sprinting and went to a university outside of Philadelphia on a track scholarship. But football was his first love and running in a straight line didn’t really interest Lawrence Dobbins, so he quit.

His life would change when he transferred to Blinn College in Texas. Lawrence’s football career at Blinn didn’t see much light because he was underutilized through his college tenure. Out of frustration, JK’s father quit football. He made some bad choices; the drugs got hold of him and he went to the Bartlett State Prison, where he sadly died of a stroke at the young age of 33.

Dobbins’ mother Mya Grounds was an athlete herself. She played basketball and volleyball in high school, but motherhood got in the way of Grounds pursuing a career in sports. She later joined the University of Houston, majoring in finance and now works for the IRS. Mya Grounds and Lawrence Dobbins never married each other.

That’s why Father’s Day is a sensitive topic for the Chargers’ running back. “We did a lot together,” Dobbins said. “We had competitions, because he was fast and I could run fast, too. He’d always say I wasn’t faster than him. It was always a great time. He was always there for me when he could be. I’m grateful for the time he was here.”

However, throughout the bad times, JK’s mother, Mya Ground, became a strong pillar of support for her ailing son.

The Chargers RB found the support of his mother during a turbulent life

Mya mentioned how Lawrence’s death made JK stronger. The only reason he’s in the NFL is because he wanted his father to feel proud, and that’s also the reason why he wears the same number on his jersey as his father, the #27.

“Once J. K.’s father lost football, it was almost like he didn’t care,” Grounds said. “We split up, he ended up doing drugs. When his father died, I would ask J.K if he was okay, if he needed to talk to someone else about it. But in some ways, he became more motivated. By his father not being able to see how far he has come, it inspired him. J.K. inspires me. He’s just a dedicated, driven person.”

The travesties forced JK to mature faster than a lot of other kids his age. The Chargers running back has two younger brothers and after the death of his father; he had to be the man of the family.

“J.K. was really close with his dad,” Mya Grounds told The Columbus Dispatch. “The death of his dad just gave him that drive and discipline. He was competitive (before), but it seemed he was more focused and committed to being a good role model for his (two younger) brothers.”

Dobbins had the motivation to turn his life around when he could have easily hung up the cleats out of frustration. But his desire to carry his father’s running back legacy kept him going, and he finally got admitted to OSU, and nobody could stop him.

In JK Dobbins’ last year at OSU, he had a 2,003 rushing yards season and contributed 21 touchdowns to his team. Suffice it to say that there are not many people who have those kinds of stats. The motivation to be that prolific came from his father.