Ardmore became the perfect home for Jermaine Gresham

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By Jenni Carlson
The Oklahoman

ARDMORE — Jermaine Gresham lived a normal childhood.

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Ask him, and he'll say nothing out of the ordinary.

Talk to those in his tight inner circle — mostly folks from the Oklahoma tight end's beloved hometown of Ardmore — and they'll recount an upbringing that was anything but typical. He slept most nights at houses that were not his own. He learned how to make a bed when he was in college because as a kid, he never had a bed. Clothes and shoes, backpacks and meals rarely came from blood relatives.

Gresham's parents provided him with love but had little else to give.

But like Gresham, there are details about his childhood that those closest to him refuse to divulge. The football coach, the substitute teacher and the school counselor know that the memories are still too fresh, still too painful for Gresham.

They will protect him at all costs.

Ironic, considering the Sooner sophomore hardly looks like he needs to be protected. He is a football force, entering the Fiesta Bowl with a team-leading 11 touchdown receptions despite having just 34 catches this season. In the mold of

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Ardmore became the perfect home for Jermaine Gresham

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