Benj Sampson played professional baseball for 13 years. He played Major League Baseball with the Minnesota Twins as pitcher, and also in the minor leagues with the Cleveland Indians and Colorado Rockies.

Following his baseball career, Benj attended the University of Texas at Arlington as a Finance major.

At his high school (Ankeny High School in Ankeny, Iowa), Benj was a three-sport All-State athlete. He played basketball, baseball and football. Benj's high school basketball and baseball teams won several state championships while he was on the teams.

In high school, Benj learned how to balance sports and academics. He was his class salutatorian and a National Merit Scholar for three years in a row.

After high school, Benj was recruited by over 50 Division 1 programs including Stanford, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Princeton and Harvard. He chose the National Championship program at Wichita State for his national letter of intent.

Benj is a pivotal figure in Learning Through Sports’ STAR Mentors program. His professional sports background and numerous hours spent tutoring young athletes in the U.S. and abroad have helped him to serve as a positive sportsmanship spokesperson and role model.

Benj and his wife have 2 young children. His hobbies include coaching, golfing, and spending time with his family hiking, traveling or exercising their chocolate Lab.

Tony Banks played football for over 20 years at the collegiate and professional levels. He quarterbacked for San Diego Mesa Junior College, Michigan State University, the St. Louis Rams, Baltimore Ravens, Washington Redskins, and the Houston Texans.

In his career, Tony threw for almost 16,000 yards and 80 touchdowns. Tony won the Superbowl with the Baltimore Ravens in 2000!

Before switching to football, Tony first played Minor League Baseball straight out of high school. He played two years in the Minnesota Farm System before tearing his rotator cuff. He went on to attend San Diego Mesa Junior College and then transferred to Michigan State University, where he was Team MVP both years he attended.

After college, Tony was the 1st Quarterback selected in the 1996 National Football League draft by the St. Louis Rams. He set numerous rookie records for the Rams that still stand today.

Tony grew up in Southeast San Diego, California, in a neighborhood that was notorious for gang activity. He’s one of very few kids who didn’t give in to that lifestyle. Instead, playing sports helped Tony discover his natural ability to lead others in a positive direction. Today, he is a STAR Mentor to students in schools across America. Tony and his wife have a young son named after him.