Tampa man with tough upbringing creates mentorship program to send student-athletes to college Kelly Ring reports. TAMPA, Fla. - Ricky Sailors spends a lot of his days telling teens about his life of growing up in Tampa. "I was a kid that grew up in West Tampa and it wasn't the best situation. When I was four, that's the last time I saw my biological mother. I didn't see her again until I was 19 years old," Sailors shared. Sailors and his younger brother were raised by their father. "My dad did everything he could to make sure his boys were oaky, but we had some really tough days and tough years," he said.