Star Tribune · Apr 21, 2019
Park Center's best ever, Amani Hooker, remembers his roots
Amani Hooker knows where he belongs. So to understand the significance of this week's NFL draft for Brooklyn Park, you need to know about "the best to ever do it" at Park Center High School.
Paul Strong first watched Hooker, the youngest of four siblings born to Janice and Ray, in peewee football, but it wasn't until a 14-year-old freshman arrived at Strong's varsity football practice that he knew the kid was something. Hooker's brother, Quinton, was a local star on his way to becoming Minnesota's Mr. Basketball when Amani ran onto the football field as a defiant freshman.
Strong, then Park Center's head coach, ordered all freshmen to separate from the group.
