Informational Links:

• Michael Pennerman Scholarship
• Poster Sale Fundraiser & How You Can Contribute to the Michael Pennerman Scholarship Fundraiser
• M. Pennerman Scholarship Homepage

Michael Tracy Pennerman Jr. was born on April 1, 1988, at Kaiser Hospital in Vallejo, California to Traci Lynn Shelley and Michael Tracy Pennerman Sr.

Michael began elementary school at Cooper Elementary School in Vallejo, Ca. He later moved to San Diego, Ca, where he began playing the sport he loved most - football. While in San Diego, Mikey spent a lot of his time with his father, his paternal grandmother, and cousins in the area. Mikey also spent time in the Bahamas with his father.

He started his football career wearing jersey number 9. In between he wore other numbers, but ended his football career wearing number 9 at Jesse Bethel High School.

Because Michael's stepfather, Theo Wease, Sr., was in the Navy, he and his family moved from San Diego to North Carolina, then to Fresno, Ca.

While living in Fresno, Mikey attended Sunnyside High School where he played on the freshman and Junior Varsity football teams, being coached by his Uncle Stephen Shelley. At Sunnyside, Mikey excelled as a student athlete maintaining an exceptional grade point average as well as excelling as a Receiver and Defensive Back on the football field.

Michael returned to his hometown of Vallejo, Ca. in November 2003. He finished his 10th grade year at Jesse Bethel High School. He played on the both the Junior Varsity basketball and baseball teams. He immediately made friends at Jesse Bethel, and everywhere he went he would become known as "Dawg". In the classroom, Mikey maintained a 3.0 grade point average.

Mikey loved his family. He was very close to his brothers and sisters, in particular, his sister Jasmine and his little brother Theo. Mikey also had a special relationship with his maternal grandmother Karen, as well as a very close relationship with his aunts and uncles. His cousins idolized him. Whenever he would come into a room, one of them would run to him and yell his name.

Michael began his junior year and his first year playing Varsity football for the Jesse Bethel Jaguars, being coached by yet another uncle, Phillip Shelley. He once again returned to wearing number 9, his first football jersey. On the football field "Dawg" was having a great season on the varsity team. He was the leading receiver in the city of Vallejo and in the Solano County Athletic Conference. He had 23 catches for 273 yards and 3 touchdowns. On defense he was the captain of the secondary. He would later be voted First team ALL-LEAGUE (SCAC) and ALL-REGION at wide receiver and free safety. Mikey also had just received his first recruiting letter to play college football.

On November 6, 2004, Michael and his Jesse Bethel Jaguars teammates were playing their homecoming game against Rodriguez High at Corbus Field. Michael was doing what he loved, plying high school football with his teammates, when he suffered a severe head injury. Michael passed away on November 7, 2004.

Just like his mother Traci, Mikey was a phenomenal human being. He was extremely intelligent, funny, clever, wise, loving, respectful, and cared a great deal for all people. If he ever saw a homeless individual, he always gave them money. He talked all the time at an early age that he planned to open a homeless shelter big enough where every homeless person could come and have all their needs met. Michael had sympathy and acceptance for everyone.

Michael has left behind a legacy of love and caring that we all should aspire to. With this, we honor Michael's memeory in the manner in which he lived his life, by giving.