The story of T.J. Peeler is the kind that simultaneously makes you wish there were more and less stories like his.

Peeler, a senior at Broad Run High School in Virginia, helped lead his undefeated team to the state championships for the second year in a row, and while Peeler left the game with a knee injury before his team clinched its second straight championship on Saturday, he was one of the main reasons his team was even there.

Next year, the 6-foot-1, 205 pound running back is heading to Pittsburgh to play football on a full scholarship.

But none of Peeler's accomplishments would have been possible if his school's basketball coach, John Costello and his wife JoAnne, hadn't helped rescue the young man from a life of instability and poverty by making the student a part of his family. Just call it another 'The Blind Side,' a movie about the real-life story of all-American football player Michael Oher, who was living on the streets when a family took him in.

Paul Tenorio of the Washington Post writes:

A few years ago, Peeler had no real home. His family had moved so many times in the previous six years he lost count. The cities and states no longer stayed straight in his mind. There were times Peeler wasn't sure where he'd lay his head, with different apartments and motels where his family would land and nights when even those were not an option. He isn't far removed from days when it was a question whether he would eat, or times he would have to find restaurant bathrooms to brush his teeth.

"We did what we had to do to stay together, but at the same time, things wasn't getting any better," Peeler said. "So I figured, I don't really know, at the age of 14, I wanted better. I've always wanted better for my family, and not just my family, [for] me. So I had to take things in my own hands. I told my mom I wanted to stay here so I could do what I needed to do: get an education."


From the look of things, it has worked. Although they've raised their own three children, Peeler became a big brother to John and JoAnne Costello's teenaged daughter.

"He's done as much for us as we have for him," John Costello told Aol Black Voices in an interview. "He's taught us that the most important thing in life is to be of service to others and that the smallest act can change someone's life. It has been wonderful to show the students that you can talk the talk but you also have to walk it."

It's terrible to hear stories like Peeler's. His family was moving so much that his education was being affected: His family lived in motels, with relatives and never settled long enough for Peeler to get in to a groove. Just when he settled in at Broad Run, his family was set to move again. Peeler convinced his mother to let him stay with Costello temporarily. Hats off to Peeler's mother for realizing that her son needed stability to thrive.

It's great when you see people extend themselves to help others. It's apparent that the Costellos have made a tremendous difference in Peeler's life. It's not likely that he would be headed to Pittsburgh on a full scholarship had they not intervened. Even if Peeler doesn't go on to play professional football, he has a head start on creating a better life for himself.

Peeler's tests still are not over, though. According to Coach Costello, Peeler blew out his ACL during the championship game. Fortunately, Pittsburgh has said they will stick by Peeler as he rehabs the injury, which could take eight months.

"It's unfortunate, but he knows that life is about overcoming challenges," said Costello. "He has shown that anything that comes in your way can be overcome. He went from someone I worried might not finish ninth grade to going to Pittsburgh and talking about working for the Secret Service one day."

"He understands now, more than ever, why education is your best friend. I told him that football would open opportunities, but he realizes even more now how important educations is," Costello added. "He was upset initially but is grateful that Pittsburgh is sticking by him. They said, 'We won't abandon you.'"

Asked who he wants to be like, Peeler didn't cite Reggie Bush or Adrian Peterson, both star running backs in the National Football League, he cited John Costello:

"I just see Coach Cos, and he has a steady job and a family, a family that loves him, and they have a lot of chemistry. They always talk," Peeler told the Washington Post. "I just think it'd be great to be a man."

Well, T.J., you're on your way to your goal.