Cornerback NFL player on Minnesota Vikings and Central alumnus Shaun Prater always dreamed of playing on a professional team. Prater attended Central all four years, graduating in 2008, afterwards attending Iowa University to continue succeeding in football.

Prater, though now on the Vikings, was originally drafted to the Cincinnati Bengals in his senior year of college during the fifth round of the 2012 NFL draft, placing on injured reserve, he said. In 2013, Prater played for the Philadelphia Eagles and then transferred mid season Vikings. Prater has been on three teams in two years, which he said was “quite a journey.”

Prater’s most memorable time at Central was winning the state football championship, which further helped him develop his skills to overall become an NFL star. He decided to attend Central because “it was a powerhouse in Omaha. [I] looked forward to going.” Because of all of the history Central has to offer, and most of all, the other football stars (such as Ahmad Green) who attended, Prater was excited to enroll and follow in their footsteps. “Ever since I was young, I wanted to go there,” he said.

When choosing colleges, Prater’s eyes were on Iowa because he said they were the school which frequently visited Central. “[Iowa University] always came up to talk [to the school],” he said. He explained them as “loyal and faithful” and he knew he wanted to attend.

Though he graduated almost six years ago, the impression Central left of Prater has not diminished. He said attending Central caused him to “always try to achieve greatness. [It’s] what we’re all about.”

“[Attending Central] just forced me to grow up—helped figure out my future,” said Prater. Attending also helped him, he said, prove that Central’s athletes were the best athletes.

What Prater misses about Central is, simply, being there. “[I miss] all of my friends,” he said. “[It was] fun going to class—high school was really fun.” He said waking up, going to homeroom, hanging out with his friends in the courtyard and winning games were the highlights of attending. “It was a great time,” he said.

Prater has been playing football since he was 10-years-old, and at Central played in a few JV games for his sophomore year, one JV game his junior year and from that point on, was on varsity for the rest of his Central career, which he explained was a “really tough road for me.” Prater played outside linebacker safety, offensive and wide receiver.

Football plays a very important role in all Prater does. “[It’s] basically my life—something I was born doing. Football makes me happy,” he said. “It’s something I look forward to every morning. Without football, I don’t know what I’d be doing.”

Prater, due to his hard work and perseverance, always figured he would be able to be drafted into the professional football world. “[It was] always my goal. I knew—putting in hard work—I’d make it,” he said. “[I] always sacrificed. Always had the dream and turned it into a goal the older I got.”

Besides football, Prater also played basketball his senior year in high school and ran track for three years, though he had to sacrifice that to gain weight and focus more on football and overall, his future playing the sport.

The differences Prater noticed from high school and college versus professional football is the whole aspect of it actually being a job. He said there is less playing around and more focus. “[We] put all of our time into it,” he said. Also, there is more skill imputed because of the age group from 20s to even late 30s. “Totally different,” he said. Besides that, earning money to play is also the obvious aspect.

“[Playing football] really kept me focused,” he said, though playing was “very difficult” in a timely and dedication sense. “Without it, I don’t know. I would have taken a very different route.” The route being more of a focus on school work and trying to decide what he would do in the future.

Prater’s future consists of hopefully playing in the NFL until he is at least 32-years-old—10 years in the league. “I feel I can do it,” he said. “Something I can definitely do.” In order to do so, Prater said he has to stay confident.

Afterwards, he hopes to run his own business, own land or open a restaurant. “Right now,” he said, “my main focus is football. Afterwards, other things.”