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On & Off the Field
Mistie Desper
“I have always believed the need to leave it
all on the field, be the best person you can be,
and use each day that God gives you.” Mozell
“Mo” Little Jr. has used his faith and positive
attitude to shape his children, on and off the
field.
Mo admits that sports has always been a
major part of his family’s life. With him and
his wife, Kim, both active in sports and playing
ball growing up, it was certain their children
would be natural athletes as well. Mo said, “I
always taught our children to have a teamwork
mindset and know that it’s not always about you.”
Starting at a young age, the Little children,
Alyssia (19) and Mozell III (17), had a loving
and supportive father who not only helped
them achieve their goals on the field but used
that to teach them valuable life lessons. He
recalled, “They started in soccer and I remember
teaching them good sportsmanship, and to
help a fellow player, to always strive for their
personal best in every game and that personal
best for that day may not actually be their best.
It was important for them to be able to realize
that they had limitations and be mature enough
to say ‘hey coach, I’m not feeling the greatest
today but I will give you my best and prepare
hard and play hard.’”
Mo added, “In the game of sports and the
game of life, you will get knocked down. Life
is just a big game and you have to always work
hard and just give your best.”
As their children began to excel in their
own sports, Mo quickly realized that his desire
to be their dad was greater than his desire to
be their coach–so he helped to get them to
that next level. Both children decided to
change sports to one they both were passionate
about. Mo supported their decision and
watched them flourish and grow. He recalled,
“They made the decision and I saw a different
level of energy and focus because it was
something they wanted.”
As a father, Mo always watched for their
times of failure. He explained that he wanted
to see how his child would respond at that
moment of disappointment or anger when life
didn’t go their way. Mo said, “Its not about the
action but the reaction. That is where your
character is built. Your core values will show up
in defeat.”
This work ethic Mo instilled in them came
from his own youth. Losing his father as a
young boy caused his mother to raise him and
his sister. He saw her work very hard to provide
for her family. That same hardworking mentality
shaped Mo’s young life and he strived to do the
same in his life to accomplish all that he wanted.
Carrying on this legacy, Mo taught his children
how to always work hard and strive to be their
best creating an unbreakable bond of love and
mutual respect.
Mo’s son, Mozell, added, “Throughout my
life, my dad has always taught me that if I want
something to always go after it. For example,
I have a dream of making it as far as I can
with baseball and he has taught me that for
my dream to come true, I would have to work
for it.” Mozell plays baseball for Brandon High
School and has big dreams ahead while sister,
Alyssia is pursuing her own dreams while she
plays softball for Mississippi Gulf Coast
Community College.
Mozell said, “I’m glad that he [my dad] has
taught me to work for what I want when it
comes to sports because if feeds into the rest of
my life.” He praised and thanked his father for
helping shape him into the young man he is
today by giving him the tools to work hard to
achieve all his dreams that would take him to
places he could have never imagined.
Alyssia concluded, “He not only enforced
hard work with sports, but he also encourages
this in school and in life. He has provided
confidence and never ending love–and for
that I am truly thankful.”
Mo prays that his children will always “use
the same effort and passion they have in sports
to give their all in everything they pursue and
to do what touches them in their life, whether
it be their mission, ministry, or job. If they do
that, everything will always fall into place.”
Hometown RANKIN • 41