County Executive Honors Hyattsville Native Olu Oluwatimi, Super Bowl Champion

Hyattsville's Olu Oluwatimi stood before student-athletes from DeMatha Catholic, Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. and C.H. Flowers on March 25 and delivered advice shaped by real loss: his father had died recently, and that grief sat at the center of what he told the room. "You owe it to yourself," the Super Bowl-winning center said, "because God has blessed you with that ability to perform."

County Executive Aisha N. Braveboy hosted the meet-and-greet, presenting Oluwatimi with a proclamation recognizing how far this Prince George's County product had traveled, from DeMatha's offensive line to a Super Bowl ring with the Seattle Seahawks. The gathering drew coaches, community members and young athletes to a Q&A where the Hyattsville native fielded questions on discipline, mentorship and maintaining focus under pressure.

Derek Finner, himself a former Seahawk and lifelong Prince Georgian, attended alongside DeMatha head coach Bill McGregor, who coached Oluwatimi through his high school years and watched him develop into a professional. McGregor pointed to qualities that extend well beyond the field: faith, family and what he called a "big heart." That combination, McGregor suggested, matters as much as any physical skill in making it to the highest level.

Braveboy's office framed the gathering as part of a broader youth development effort, with officials signaling that more community engagements spotlighting local leaders and athletes are planned. Prince George's County consistently produces top high school talent and college prospects, and events like this one strengthen the networks between schools, coaches and county leadership that can shape what young athletes do with that talent.

Oluwatimi's appearance carried particular weight given how candidly he addressed hardship. Speaking about his father's death while still in the midst of a professional career, he offered students something beyond football strategy: a model for perseverance when circumstances are difficult. For the players who sat in that room, he was not a distant name on a jersey. He came up through the same schools and came back.