John Shinsky arrived at Michigan State University on a football scholarship after spending part of his childhood in an orphanage. Decades later, the former Spartan defensive tackle helped build an orphanage of his own in Mexico, giving vulnerable children opportunities that once seemed out of reach for him.
Now, Shinsky is preparing to tell the story of how those two chapters of his life became connected.
The former Michigan State Academic All-American is collaborating with Spartans Illustrated publisher David Harns on My Wish for You, an upcoming memoir chronicling a life shaped by hardship, faith, education, athletics, and an extraordinary commitment to helping children.
It is a story that begins long before Shinsky ever put on a Spartan uniform and extends thousands of miles beyond East Lansing.
The Spartan behind the story
Shinsky grew up in Ohio, where his childhood changed dramatically following the death of his father. At just 8 years old, he was placed in a Catholic orphanage outside Cleveland.
What followed was a journey through institutional care, a foster home, and eventually St. Joseph High School, where athletics helped open doors to a future he could scarcely have imagined.
One of those doors led him to Michigan State and the field inside Spartan Stadium.
Shinsky became a standout defensive tackle for the Spartans, playing under legendary coach Duffy Daugherty and his successor, Denny Stolz. He earned first-team Academic All-America honors and second-team All-Big Ten recognition in 1973.
His accomplishments extended well beyond the football field.
Shinsky earned bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees from Michigan State, building a career in education that included teaching, special education administration, and university leadership.
He spent 19 years as director of special education for the Lansing School District before continuing his professional career in higher education.
But throughout those years, his own childhood experiences remained with him.
The boy who had once depended on others for care and opportunity never forgot the difference those people made in his life.
Eventually, he began looking for a way to provide something similar for children facing circumstances like those he had endured.
A promise that became a home
That commitment ultimately took Shinsky to Matamoros, Mexico, just across the border from Brownsville, Texas.
There, Shinsky and his wife, Cindy, founded Ciudad de los Niños – the City of Children – a home for children affected by abandonment, neglect, and severe poverty.
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The undertaking required years of planning, fundraising, construction, and the support of countless volunteers and donors on both sides of the border.
Among the most memorable efforts was a roughly 2,000-mile bicycle ride from Spartan Stadium in East Lansing to Matamoros in 2009.
Shinsky was joined by two former Michigan State football teammates: Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe DeLamielleure and Eljay Bowron, who served as director of the U.S. Secret Service.
The three spent 18 days on bicycles, raising money and awareness for the orphanage.
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In September 2009, the City of Children celebrated its grand opening, beginning a new chapter for children whose circumstances had left them with few opportunities.
The project has since become one of the defining accomplishments of Shinsky's life.
His work earned him Michigan State's Duffy Daugherty Award and the Big Ten's Dungy-Thompson Humanitarian Award, recognizing his extraordinary contributions beyond athletics.
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About the upcoming book
My Wish for You will explore the experiences that shaped Shinsky, beginning with his childhood in Ohio and continuing through his years at an orphanage, his transition into a foster family, his time at Michigan State, and his professional career.
The book will also examine the people and relationships that influenced his direction, the importance of his faith, his relationship with his mother, and the challenges he encountered while pursuing his dream of building a home for children in Mexico.
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While Shinsky's accomplishments have previously been featured in news reports, television programs, and university publications, the upcoming memoir will offer a more complete account of the experiences behind those achievements, told from his perspective.
Harns is working directly with Shinsky to develop the narrative, drawing on his original manuscript, interviews, personal recollections, and historical materials to bring the story together.
For readers familiar with Shinsky's Michigan State football career or his charitable work, the book will provide an opportunity to understand the personal journey connecting those two worlds.
For others, it will introduce an extraordinary story about perseverance, the influence of people who offer a helping hand, and the possibilities that emerge when someone decides to extend that same generosity to others.
Following the journey
As work on My Wish for You continues, Shinsky and Harns will visit the City of Children in Matamoros together on Saturday, Oct. 31, and Sunday, Nov. 1, providing an opportunity to document the orphanage firsthand and gather additional stories and insights for the upcoming book.
Spartans Illustrated plans to share additional updates on the project, including photographs and stories from the upcoming visit, as well as information about the book as it moves closer to publication.
A release date and ordering information have not yet been announced.
For now, the project offers a chance to reflect on a former Spartan whose greatest accomplishments came long after his final snap in green and white.
John Shinsky's football career helped change the direction of his life. The opportunities that followed allowed him to help change the lives of children who needed the same kind of support he once received.
Soon, he will tell the full story in his own words.
