Homeless former Indiana running back gets help after Austin path encounter
Sampson James, a former four-star running back who played at Indiana University, had been homeless in Austin, Texas for eight months when Jasper Steinmetz noticed his Indiana athletic backpack on a path earlier this year. Steinmetz, who had graduated from Indiana, stopped to talk. A Google search later revealed James had been a standout at Avon High School in Avon, Indiana before joining Indiana's football team as a freshman in 2019. He transferred to Purdue in 2021 and returned to Indiana as a walk-on in 2023. A knee injury and a diagnosis of bipolar disorder ended his football career. He dropped out in 2023 without graduating.
A chance conversation between strangers who shared an alma mater helped a former athlete who had lost his career and housing find stability again.
Source: A former Indiana football star had fallen on hard times. A chance encounter with a fellow Hoosier gave him a new lease on life. (cbsnews.com).
Written by the HappyGood desk from the primary source linked above and checked against it. Every story links its source. Corrections: [email protected].
More from the archive
- Bringing back the American chestnut: four approaches to a forest giant's return October 14, 2026
- 5 search and rescue teams, RCMP find stranded person in canyon above Penticton October 14, 2026
- Mackenzie Macdonald, 16, heads to the Youth Olympics for Australia in taekwondo October 13, 2026
- Parksville festival volunteers help deliver record $89,270 donation October 12, 2026
- Police fetch antivenom as three Blue Mountains rescues unfold in a day October 12, 2026