Former University of Mississippi defensive tackle and motivational speaker KD Hill visited students at Steelville R-3 School District on Oct. 20 to share his story of perseverance, faith and overcoming adversity. Hill spoke to grades 4 through 12 at Steelville schools, and then hosted a free community talk in the evening at the Meramec Music Theatre, which was attended by students and Steelville residents alike.

Hill, an Alabama native, dreamt of playing in the SEC since he was 10 years old.

“I’m from the South. I’m from Alabama. We don’t think about the Big Ten, we don’t think about the Big 12. The SEC is the best of the best,” Hill said. He recollected that when he shared his dream with his mother, she told him, “Son, don’t tell me how bad you want it. Show me how bad you want it.” 

And Hill did. He started as a defensive tackle for the Ole Miss Rebels in the Southeastern Conference during his freshman year in 2019. Hill had aspirations of playing in the National Football League and eventually caught the attention of scouts from the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets. Throughout the process of transitioning from the SEC to the NFL, Hill, a child of a single-parent home, worked as a nighttime truck driver to help his family make ends meet, all while maintaining a physical training regimen by day.

Then, tragedy struck Hill and his family in July 2023 when a trucking accident in Cullman, Alabama led to the amputation of Hill’s right leg.

Hill spent five hours pinned between his truck and a tree. When first responders told Hill that they’d have to amputate his leg, “I said three words to them,” Hill said. “Let’s do it.”

For Hill, that moment was like a crossroads. Rather than allowing the life-changing loss of his right leg to define him, Hill said he turned his experience into a mission to inspire others to face their own challenges with determination and a positive mindset.

According to Hill, perspective is the key.

“Perspective may not change your circumstance, but it changes how you view your circumstance,” Hill said.

Since October 2023, when he booked his first gig as a speaker, Hill has traveled to schools, universities, athletic programs and businesses across the country.

Steelville R-3 School District Middle School Counselor Sarah Baker first heard Hill’s story when she found his book The Uphill Climb: The KD Hill Story while visiting her aunt and uncle in Oxford, Mississippi.

“So as I’m reading it, I’m thinking I need to buy this so I can read it to my kids,” Baker said. “And then I kept thinking of specific students. The more I read it, the more I just felt I needed to reach out.”

Baker thought that hearing Hill’s story would benefit her students, so she booked him to speak at Steelville schools. Other schools in the area followed suit. Nearby St. James R-1 and Cuba R-2 school districts also invited Hill to come speak to students.

Aside from speaking with Steelville students, Baker said that Hill was eager to put together an event for the entire community.

“KD wanted to do a community event. When we spoke, he said he doesn’t want to be just a typical inspirational speaker. He wanted to make an actual impact with students, with faculty, with the community because we’re all a team,” Baker said.

Baker added that she hopes students and community members hearing Hill speak will leave knowing that “everyone has a lot of trials, but don’t give up. Just keep going. It’s going to take people here. It’s gonna take a lot of hard work, but we’re not victims. Just keep going.”

Hill used to think that his purpose was to play football. Now, he believes that sharing his story of perseverance with others is what he is meant to do.

“I may walk with a limp from time to time when my leg is sore. I’ll tell you why. God knew I would be stronger with one leg than two legs,” Hill said. “He knew what I would do with my story.”

Hill told community members that everyone has a story to tell and that their own stories are still unfolding.

“What good is it to have a story if you’re not sharing your story? Surely, if you’ve got breath in your lungs, God is not done with you yet,” Hill said. “I’m supposed to have a white sheet over my head, but I got one thing. And guess what I’m gonna do with that? I’m gonna hop until God calls me home.”