"There's no trees or shade because you're on the roof," he said. "You've got to hold that hose tight and bring it up to the roof. And then it's about making sure you hit every spot because it's hard to repaint something that hasn't been stripped down. And you can't really cool yourself with the water because you'll rip your skin off. But it was fun."
Growing up in Memphis, Tenn., rookie offensive tackle Michael Oher sold newspapers and worked at a junkyard, but his most memorable experience involved cleaning out homes of owners who had been evicted or forced to sell the dwellings.
"One house we had to clean out, this lady had 25 cats living in the house, and she never cleaned up after them. That was disgusting," said Oher, estimating that he was about 12 at the time. "We just went in and rolled. We did have gloves, but everything else was just rough. It was a rough job."
For many players, the jobs instilled in them a strong work ethic, discipline and time management. For wide receiver Mark Clayton, working for a telephone company near Arlington, Texas, a fast-food establishment and a doughnut shop introduced him to the idea of saving money.
"I didn't save anything. I spent it all as soon as I got it," he said. "It kind of shaped the concept of having money and making decisions with your money. Instead of getting new shoes, I would think, 'Maybe I'll just chill with the shoes that I've got this time because I want to save for something else.' Eventually, I would have gone through a time in my life - and everyone eventually does - where I learn about money and spending outside of your means and realizing that I can't do that. I think I learned that lesson earlier rather than later."
Defensive tackle Dwan Edwards worked at a grocery store in his hometown of Columbus, Mont., and the experience lasted just a few months.
"I worked there for a summer, and I would always tell my mom how much I hated it," Edwards said. "And she would tell me, 'Well, if you hate it so much, you better take your butt to college.' That's something that motivated me my whole life."
Strong safety Dawan Landry joined several of his Georgia Tech teammates in loading food and beverage supplies and unloading baggage from airplanes. The long hours and relentless heat on the tarmac of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport helped refine his focus on football.
