NFL Running Back Ricky Watters: How Adoption Shaped My Life

About this episode

Ricky Watters shares how his adoption experience influenced his life and career.

Drop us some Fan Mail. Thanks! Join us for this interview with former NFL Running Back and Super Bowl Champion Ricky Watters. He is an adoptee, an adoptive dad, and author of a new children’s book on adoption, A Gift Called Shane. In this episode, we discuss: How old were you when you learned you were adopted and how did you find out?When you discovered you were adopted, you mentioned in your NFL movie that it put a big chip on your shoulder. How has that chip served you well as an adoptive d...

People in this episode

Guest: Ricky Watters

Topics covered

• adoption
• foster care
• personal story
• NFL
• parenting
• children's book

Keywords

• Ricky Watters
• adoption
• NFL
• children's book
• Super Bowl Champion
• personal story

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NFL

Books & works: A Gift Called Shane

More episodes of Creating a Family: Talk about Adoption, Foster & Kinship Care

• Understanding the Child Welfare Experience from the Birth Parent's Perspective · June 10, 2026 · 39 min
• Why Is My Foster Child Hiding Food Everywhere? - Weekend Wisdom · June 6, 2026 · 10 min
• Raising Kids, Caring for Parents · June 3, 2026 · 37 min
• How to Get a Birth Certificate & SSN After Your Baby’s Adoption - Weekend Wisdom · May 30, 2026 · 9 min
• A Hard but Helpful Step: Navigating Residential Treatment for Adopted Kids · May 27, 2026 · 59 min
• ADHD or Trauma? How Foster Parents Can Advocate at School - Weekend Wisdom · May 23, 2026 · 11 min