CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Kawann Short grew up two blocks from Guthrie Street, the most dangerous street in East Chicago, Indiana. At one point, it was one of the most dangerous streets in the state in terms of gang activity and murder.

Seconds from his home on 3585 Block Avenue, Short saw everything from drug deals to fights to shootings. It was a daily test of survival, wondering if he would be the next victim of a violent crime.

Because of where he lived, the question Short was asked most prior to the NFL draft was, "Are you in a gang?"

He always drives by the street when he returns home as a reminder of how far he has come.

"It was different every day," Short said. "You never knew what was going on and what could happen. It was just going out there with an open mind every day knowing anything could happen."

Short not only survived but also prospered.

Thanks to sports and a strong support group, he made it to the NFL, and during the offseason, he signed a five-year, $80.5 million deal that made him the third-highest-paid defensive tackle in the league behind Miami's Ndamukong Suh and Philadelphia's Fletcher Cox.

But the 2015 Pro Bowl selection never forgot the people from his steel mill hometown who helped him get here.

He bussed 45 kids selected from an essay contest at East Chicago's Central High, known as a "dropout factory" because of its 62 percent graduation rate when Short was a senior, to Detroit two weeks ago to watch the Panthers face the Lions as part of an Athletes for Charity event.

On Sunday at Chicago's Soldier Field, a 35-minute drive up I-90 from East Chicago, many of Short's family and friends will be in the stands cheering for their local hero instead of the local team.

Among those will be Juda Parks, an East Chicago police officer who convinced Short to try football when Short was convinced he could be an NBA star, and Dante Dinkins, a childhood friend who is now a teacher and coach at Central High.

"Those people kept me from being on the streets," Short said.

Now Short is doing what he can to keep other kids off the street. He has become a symbol of hope for many who have gone through his free summer football camp, his book giveaways and excursions such as the one to Detroit.

While much attention this week will be focused on 37-year-old Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers, who returns to Chicago, where he spent the 2010-2013 seasons after leaving the Panthers, this also is a big week for Short. It's as much a homecoming for him as it is for Peppers.

It's a reminder that as well as Short is playing -- he is tied with defensive end Mario Addison for second on the team in sacks, with three -- Short's biggest impact might be off the field.

"And when he comes home, he's not with two or three bodyguards," Parks said. "The NFL hasn't changed him at all. He really gives the kids the mindset they can accomplish their goals."

Academics instead of violence

However, there is one bad thing about East Chicago. That issue is violence. Many crimes take place in this city every day. People are kidnapped, killed and robbed. This violence is greatly affecting our community in negative ways. Parents fear for their children's safety. They feel that if their kids leave their sights, something bad will happen to them. Many gang related crimes, and random shootings take place every day. The only place a child can truly be safe is probably at school. As residents of the city, we can stop these crimes though. To do this, we must work together and give up all our violent ways. Violence never solves anything, it just hurts more and more people until eventually the whole city is affected. Let us all come together to make one beautiful, peaceful, and loving city. -- Student

This is an excerpt from one of the winning essays selected from among the 100 kids vying for the trip to the Carolina-Detroit game. It is another reminder for Short of why it's important to keep giving back.

"A lot of these kids come from the same background I did," Short said. "Didn't have too much growing up or wasn't able to go to this because of money issues.

"You've got some of these kids writing, ‘I stayed in your old house, the whole 3585 Block Avenue. Do you still get mail here?' Some was funny, and some was heartwarming to feel what these kids are going through."

Short read as many of the winning essays as possible. It was important for him to understand the kids he would meet at Detroit's Ford Field. It also was important that they earned the trip by using their minds.

"He's definitely playing a part in changing the city," Parks said. "The people who are committing a majority of the crimes are the younger kids who didn't think they could do anything else.

"A lot of times, kids see a police officer as a police officer. That doesn't have the same impact on them that a professional athlete [does]. So with him still coming home and not big-timing anyone and taking the time to talk to them and letting them know it's possible for them to accomplish their goals like he did, it makes a difference."

Cathleen Laporte, the president of Athletes for Charity, was skeptical when another player called to recommend Short as a client following Short's rookie season out of Purdue University in 2013.

"I was hesitant because he was so young," Laporte recalled. "You don't know how serious they are about giving back and being committed to giving back."

She quickly learned that Short was as committed to giving back as he was to being a star player. Instead of simply holding a football camp, Short held a camp with an emphasis on education through STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

Before the kids learn football drills, they spend time inside learning the importance of what it takes in the classroom to be eligible for football.

Short also takes Central High kids on a yearly field trip to Purdue for a college tour that is primarily focused on the importance of academics.

"As KK has matured, his communication to the kids is more about pursuing academic excellence because he may have missed his opportunity at Purdue, had he not stepped up to take ownership of getting his grades better," Laporte said.

Short didn't have that kind of influence until late in high school. After his junior year, he wound up going to summer school and night school and taking online classes to become eligible for a Division I scholarship.

"He worked his butt off," Parks said. "He's been blossoming ever since. I wish more kids would learn from his example."

First love was basketball

Short was around 10 years old when Parks first saw him on the basketball court between Bock Avenue and Guthrie Street.

"He wasn't in trouble, but me growing up here, I like to reach out to the kids when I see them on the courts in the summer and see what mindset they have and goals they have," Parks said.

The only time Parks saw Short get in trouble was the day Short was suspended from school for a day for something that "really shouldn't have gotten him in trouble."

"Two guys were picking on a special-needs kid," Parks recalled. "They were threatening to beat him up and stuff, shoving the kid around a little bit. Here comes Kawann out of nowhere, grabs one of the guys and throws him off of him and pretty much protects the special-needs kid."

Short was focused on basketball when he first met Parks. He had visions of being the next Michael Jordan and playing in the NBA, even though at 6-foot-3 and then around 275 pounds (instead of his current 315), he didn't have the build or moves for it.

He helped Central High win a state championship as a junior, averaging double-digits in scoring and rebounding.

"I actually liked basketball better than football back then," Short said with a smile.

Short chose Purdue because the Boilermakers offered him a chance to play football and basketball.

"Then I realized football was a lot of work, so I just threw basketball out of the whole picture," said Short, who got the nickname "KK” in college when someone joked that he was too big to simply be called "K."

Parks convinced Short to give football a try, telling him that if he didn't like it, he didn't have to play. He also believes Short could have been a Division I basketball player "had he been 3 inches taller." He'll never forget Short's performance in the state championship game, particularly two crucial steals in the fourth quarter.

"Purdue football coaches saw how quick his feet were and started recruiting him," Parks said.

Short credits that footwork for his ability to get to the quarterback like few tackles can in the NFL. His 11 sacks in 2015 tied for the NFL lead at his position.

Growing up in East Chicago taught Short the tenacity it takes to keep shoving through double-teams to reach the quarterback.

"Every day you've got to be fight for your life," he said. "You never know if you were going to be that victim that week or that day."

Remember where you come from

Short won't have time to visit East Chicago on his first trip to Chicago to face the Bears as an NFL player. But he'll be thinking of his old neighborhood.

"He always was really different from most kids. He was always very helpful to the other kids around him. Just a good kid and a great story coming from where he comes from to where he is now." Juda Parks on Kawann Short

"He says it to me all the time: Never forget where we come from," Dinkins said. "Through all the negatives and bad influences and mistakes we made in the past, it made us to who we are today."

Short doesn't necessarily like being in the spotlight. He's shy in many ways. But he doesn't shy away from being an example to the kids in East Chicago. His homecoming has created a buzz around the city like none since he helped the Panthers reach Super Bowl 50 two years ago.

"It's definitely locked in," Dinkins said of the city's excitement for Sunday's game.

Short is locked in, too. He wants to make a good showing -- not just for the Panthers (4-2) but for those in his hometown watching.

"He always was really different from most kids," Parks said. "He was always very helpful to the other kids around him. Just a good kid and a great story coming from where he comes from to where he is now."