Most athletes are usually thankful for the career choices they make. After all, most of them would not have reached the pedestal they are on right now if not for the sport. However, for some, it is much more than that. It is a matter of life and death! And for US speed star Fred Kerley, he would have ended up in jail if not for track and field! Sounds pretty outrageous, right? Well, that is the harsh reality. Thus, this is something that Fred Kerley is always grateful for. 

In a recent appearance on The Pivot Podcast, Kerley reflected on how he would have ended up in jail, too. As a matter of fact, both his brothers are serving jail time. Growing up in the rugged region of Texas, Kerley was imbued with the street culture. But then, something happened that helped him snap out. “It saved me from a lot of things… If I look back right now…my older brother: jail. Younger brother: jail. Me signing that contract saved my life,” said Kerley. Well, the coveted contract that Kerley is talking about is the one with Nike in 2017. 

Signing his first major contract, Kerley was able to get out of the dark alleys of Texas and literally save his life from drowning deep. Surprisingly, the track was not the first choice of Kerley. He started his career trying his hand at basketball and football. The 29-year-old even wanted to get into the NFL as a defensive back. Unfortunately, his dreams were cut short by a gruesome collarbone injury.

Looking back at the days now, Fred believes that everything happened for a reason. “Everything happened for a reason; football was not in God’s plan,” he said. Kerley further added, “My track journey is a blessing; it actually got me out. If I were still playing football and basketball, I would still be in the streets. Football and basketball, I think that was my ticket out until I broke my collarbone.” 

Surely, things did work out pretty well for Fred Kerley after coming to the track realm. He has won the World Championship gold thrice and also boasts five World Championship medals. However, Kerley might not have entirely been able to get out of his dark past. Speaking about his childhood, the World Champion athlete had some surprising experiences to narrate.

Fred Kerley’s emotional journey from a turbulent childhood to turning his pain into power

Fred Kerley’s path to greatness didn’t begin on a track. It began in a crowded household, bursting with resilience! Long before the world knew him as a sprinting sensation, Kerley was one of 26 children being raised by his aunt and uncle, who opened their doors and hearts to not just him but many of his cousins as well.

Recalling his childhood, he shared, “My aunt and uncle adopted me.” In The Pivot Podcast, Fred shared, “They adopted 26 of us… It was like 26 kids in the house altogether.” For Kerley, the chaos of a packed home wasn’t a burden. Rather, it was the beginning of his competitive fire and quest for the top. Kerley’s biological parents weren’t present during his upbringing.

His father was incarcerated for murder. And his mother, as he revealed, is still battling addiction. With his immediate family unable to care for him, his aunt and uncle stepped in—not just as guardians, but as pillars of stability and strength in a world that offered him little of either. “It’s just like my uncle adopted me, my cousins, and family down the line,” Fred himself shared.

That home in Taylor, Texas, was more than a shelter—it was a proving ground. “That’s why I’m like competitive,” Fred explained. He continued, “You have to win the situation, you know what I’m saying?” Growing up surrounded by so many kids, survival and success weren’t separate ideas—they were intertwined. And yet, despite building strength in Taylor, Kerley’s heart never left his roots. “San Antonio, where all my family and everybody’s from,” he said. That city, and the people in it, remain his emotional anchor.