On Friday, October 10th, Burrell’s football stands were full of people, this time the crowd wasn’t just cheering for another football game, instead they were celebrating for one of San Leandro High’s very own. Former NFL player and San Leandro High Alum, Charles Leno Jr., returned to Burrell field where the community of San Leandro gathered to celebrate a special moment for Leno with a field dedication ceremony and the retirement of Leno’s high school jersey.

Leno has given back to the community that shaped him, providing athletes with a brand new field. The blue turf of Burrell’s new field was inspired by the iconic blue field from Boise State where Leno attended college. For Leno, his return for the field dedication was more than just a ceremony, it cemented his legacy as a role model in San Leandro, focused on giving back to the community. 

“Oh, man, it’s always amazing coming back to Burrell. I mean, I can’t even tell you how many years it’s been since I’ve been to Burrell Field for a game. So just to go back for a football game, and then going back to see the field,” Leno said. “It was awesome. It was a great, great experience, great environment. You know, it’s nothing like being home”.

Leno was born and raised in Oakland and graduated from San Leandro High in 2009. From there, Leno went on to play college football at Boise State before continuing his path to an NFL career where he played for the Chicago Bears and the Washington Commanders. The lessons and values he learned in high school, particularly during the football season, helped him greatly, Leno said. 

“San Leandro helped me tremendously, Boom was a great coach. He let us know about a lot of values that I didn’t know about, or that I needed when I got to college: accountability, respect and just working for everything that you get,” said Leno. “And then also brotherhood, something I was looking for in a program was brotherhood. So, I feel like I got that when I went to Boise State, which San Leandro gave me.”

Leno’s path wasn’t always clear. Leno didn’t start playing football until his sophomore year, and even then he did not receive much playing time. Still, his determination and drive to get better, helped shape his path towards a career in the NFL, something he was not expecting.

“I did not expect myself to go to the NFL. When I started off playing, I was a basketball player at San Leandro High. I didn’t even play football until my sophomore year and I didn’t even play my sophomore year because I was backing up someone who was way better than me by the name of Moa. He was incredible to watch and he was a great mentor to me while I was at San Leandro,” said Leno. “But I did not expect to go into the NFL, that was not on my wish list. I was just trying to get better, trying to find out ways how I could get better in any way, shape, or form. And I think that’s what led me to the NFL because I was just always hungry to get better.”

Leno explained that being a role model for today’s athletes and giving back to the community who raised him is something he takes seriously.

“I remember walking on the field when I was high-fiving every single one of those varsity players. I high-fived every single one of them,” said Leno. “I said, ‘I was in your shoes.’ And for them to look at me and say, ‘wow, this guy was in our shoes’, that, I hope that meant something to them. I want to give them that motivation to say, ‘you know what, I can do the same thing that he did, because he got out of here and he went on to big things and went to the NFL and all that.’”

Leno decided to share some personal advice for San Leandro’s current athletes, emphasizing the importance of intention and sacrifice when pursuing big dreams.

“D1 college, NFL, whatever their aspirations and goals and dreams are–those two questions are, how bad do you want it, and what are you going to do, or what are you going to sacrifice to get there?” said Leno. “And once you have those two questions answered, then you can take the path that you need to take.” 

Now that Leno’s playing days are over, his idea of success has changed from when he was younger. Reflecting on his journey, he now finds meaning in family, love and giving back.

“When you’re young and you don’t know much, you define success as, you know, how much money someone has or how much somebody has. It’s always about the number of… like quantity, you know?” Leno said. “I define success as quality. I’m successful, not because I made it to the NFL, I’m not successful because I made money or I even went to college. I think I base my success right now off of [family], I have a wife, I have three beautiful daughters, and that’s what my success is. I think I won the game of life. Success to me is also just the fact that I was able to give back to my community. That’s a successor in my eyes.”