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Sep 14, 10:56 AM (ET)


HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) - To his fans, Snoop Dogg is a pioneering rap artist, to some authorities who have tangled with him he's an ex-felon. But to the players and parents in the Orange County Junior All America Football League, he's just coach Dogg.

"Teaching kids is something fun," said Snoop Dogg as he prowled the sidelines Saturday night while his son's Rowland Heights Raiders were defeating the Huntington Beach Dolphins 18-0.

"I give them a lot of strength and vision," added the rapper, a former football player who attended a clinic to become certified as a coach.

"I am falling in love with these kids," he added.


Not that he can entirely leave his rap image behind. Snoop, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, gained fame rapping about street violence, gangs, sex and marijuana. In 1990 he was convicted of felony possession of cocaine for sale.

Earlier this year someone took a shot at a convoy of six cars he was traveling in, so perhaps it was no surprise he arrived at Saturday's game with six bodyguards.

But parents and players alike said they were impressed with Snoop's dedication to his 8- to 10-year-old charges.

"The first time I met him, I was shocked and had butterflies in my stomach," said David Betancourt, a Raiders linebacker. "But when you see him every day, he's just a regular guy."

Dolphins team mother Jennifer Gutierrez doesn't let her son listen to Snoop's music but is happy to see him at the games.

"I think it's great that he does this for his kid," she said.

Chip Chapella of Garden Grove agreed.

"A lot of people slam him for what he does, but they are not out here on the field," he said.