Story & Reporting by Diane Roberts
SANDY SPRING, Md. (WUSA 9) -- The United States has a growing number of overweight children. Statistics from the CDC show childhood obesity has tripled since 1980.
Chris Grier, new head football coach at Sherwood High School in Montgomery County, wants to use his own story to help combat the problem.
In March, Grier was named head coach at his Alma Mater. Now, he sculpts young bodies and molds young minds, but it's not just exercise that's important to a successful football career, it's also diet, and that's something personal to coach Grier.
"When I was in this same weight room as a high schooler, there was nobody there who could guide me as to what I had to do to get in shape and lose weight," said Grier.
The former offensive lineman's weight had been an ongoing problem.
Grier was 300-plus pounds. His wake-up call came in 2006 when a doctor told him he wasn't an athlete anymore.