Chris Hinton has been around football for more than four decades.
The Northwestern grad was the Broncos number one draft choice in 1983 but never played in Denver. Instead, he became the answer to the trivia question: “Which player did the Broncos give to the Colts in the John Elway trade?”
Hinton had a very productive 13-year (1983-95) NFL career as an offensive lineman with the Colts, Falcons and Vikings. He was a seven-time Pro Bowler during that stretch.
After retirement, Hinton and his wife Mya opened a successful retail wine business which still thrives 20 years later outside Atlanta.
However, the Hinton’s current project may be their most impactful. Earlier this year, they created “College Football Parents 24/7” which now is an advocacy group of 2,000 parents of athletes. The organization’s goal is to create a unified voice for football parents. With that voice, they are addressing issues that deal with the well-being of NCAA student-athletes.
“Mya and I are huge football fans,” says the 59-year old Hinton. “We want to see a college season but we want it done safely with uniform practices and procedures and only if it makes sense.”
The Hinton’s have a personal interest in a safe football season during this COVID-19 pandemic. Their son Myles is a redshirt freshman at Stanford (John Elway’s alma mater) while son Chris is a sophomore playing for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan.
As colleges get closer to the start of camp, schools have been forced in many cases to postpone their season, reduce the number of games, or limit their schedule to intra-conference play.
Chris Hinton is not the only former NFL player concerned about his football sons’ health. Many of you alumni, who now are parents and grandparents, are in similar circumstances. If you want to stay updated on Hinton’s group, you can follow them on Twitter (@CFParents247).
