Bishop Sankey returns for fundraiser at Gonzaga Prep

True to who Bishop Sankey is, the first thing he purchased after signing a rookie contract with the Tennessee Titans wasn’t anything for himself.

The former Gonzaga Prep standout, a second-round pick in the 2014 NFL draft, bought his mother furniture.

That didn’t surprise Bullpups coach Dave McKenna.

“He’s just a humble young man,” McKenna said. “I’m proud to have coached him, but not because he’s playing in the NFL. I’m blessed to have a friendship with him that goes beyond football.”

Sankey texted McKenna about two weeks ago, saying he wanted to come back to Spokane and do a meet-and-greet fundraiser for G-Prep’s football program. He flew in on Monday and the function was held Tuesday.

He brought autographed jerseys, football cards and other memorabilia to sign for a silent auction. Sankey also gave the program a $5,000 donation. A little more than $8,000 was raised.

“I talked it over with my dad and he suggested that I try to do something to help out Gonzaga Prep,” Sankey said. “I wanted to give back to the program that had given me so much. The school had a big impact on my life – not just athletically but academically and spiritually. G-Prep prepared me mentally for the NFL. It taught me to earn things. The school pushes you in so many areas. It instills discipline. It carried over to college and the NFL. I have a lot of fond memories. It’s hard to find another community that’s so closely knit.”

He rented a car and drove to Seattle on Wednesday to see some former college teammates at the University of Washington. He planned to take in Pro Day today and catch a spring scrimmage before returning to Nashville on Sunday.

Sankey left UW after his junior season. He signed a four-year, $3.843 million contract with a $1.115 million signing bonus before training camp last July.

He said leaving UW was the best decision.

“It made sense with the year we had as a team and the year I had,” Sankey said.

He set eight records at UW including single-season rushing (1,870) and career rushing touchdowns (37). At G-Prep, he broke the GSL record for most yards in a game (359) and all-time rushing yards (4,355) among other feats.

Listed on the Titans’ roster as 5-foot-10 and 209 pounds, Sankey started eight games last fall, finishing with 569 yards.

Scour social media and you’ll find criticism of Sankey’s rookie year. Overall, he thought the season went well.

“I don’t go looking for all that stuff,” he said of the criticism. “I think I matured as a football player and person because of the season. Obviously our record wasn’t good enough. It was a big learning experience for me, realizing what it takes to compete week in and week out. I know what to expect now, what the grind will be like week in and week out.”

Sankey will participate in his first OTA (offseason training activity) beginning April 20. Those will continue through late June before preseason begins in July.

“I couldn’t do OTAs last year because I was still in school,” he said.

Some predraft chatter has the Titans drafting another running back. Sankey started the final game of the season last year, but understands the dog-eat-dog world of the NFL.

“I plan on being the starter,” he said. “Nothing’s guaranteed – unless you’re established and have the franchise tag. I welcome competition. The nature of the NFL is they bring in new guys every year. It will only make you better.”

Sankey, who is single and doesn’t have a girlfriend presently, plans on finishing his college degree. He recently completed an online course and is about 20 credits shy of completing a major in communications.

After he’s done playing football, he’d like to pursue a career in college administration.

His first purchase for himself after signing his rookie contract? A 2011 535 BMW.

“I’ve always wanted a BMW,” he said. “But I didn’t want to buy anything brand new. It’s nice but it’s not over the top. You should see the players’ parking lot. It’s insane the kinds of cars there. Some guys are pretty conservative in what they drive and others are pretty flashy.”

McKenna’s wife, April, surprised her husband with a trip to Nashville to watch Sankey play.

“We met up with him on Saturday night and after the game,” the coach said. “It was against the New York Giants. It wasn’t a good game for Tennessee but he started.”

McKenna knew when Sankey was at G-Prep that he would be playing in the NFL someday.

“Because of his drive,” McKenna said. “You don’t find his work ethic in very many kids. And you find it in fewer and fewer kids as the years go by because of entitlement. He’s going to be fine in the NFL.”

Sankey has been relatively injury free going back to high school.

If he has a son some day, he won’t push football on him as early as his dad did.

“I was playing tackle football at age 7 in Dayton, Ohio,” he said. “I’ve never had repeated blows to the head. I’m fine, I have all my cognitive abilities. I’ve never missed a game because of an injury. But there’s preservation of your body and life after football.”