From Tulane to the NFL to NOLA Book Fest: Xavier Rush tells his story

When Xavier Rush came to Tulane, he’d been a three-sport athlete as a student at Jackson, Mississippi’s Terry High School, playing football, basketball and baseball. That tendency to succeed across multiple fields would prove prescient, as his future held achievements as an NFL player, an entrepreneur with XRELITE and, most recently, the author of three children’s books. 

“Whatever I decided to do, I was never half-in, half-out. I was always all in, 100%,” says Rush, who will be a featured author at Family Day during this year’s New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University. 

Now in its fifth year, the festival will feature more than 250 authors, including prominent literary figures. The free festival draws audiences from across the country for four days of author sessions, panels, book signings and family programming. 

Rush joins the Book Festival as author of “Fitness Alphabet,” “Nutrition Alphabet” and “Mental Health Alphabet.” The books focus on strength and healthy habits in an approachable format.  

But long before he was an author, Rush was a member of both the Green Wave football and track and field teams while pursuing his bachelor's degree in neuroscience from the School of Science and Engineering. The camaraderie of the Green Wave, the culture of New Orleans and the academic rigor of Tulane were an outstanding fit for Rush. 

“I was able to show young people in Mississippi and in New Orleans that look like me, you're able to not only just be an athlete, but be very successful, educated in whatever realm you would like to be, and it doesn't have to look conventional.” 

As he entered his senior year, Rush seemed unstoppable, considering either a career in the NFL or medical school after graduation. But just as his highest hopes seemed within reach, a torn ACL took him off the field. It was a moment that might have destroyed the career of a student-athlete, but Rush had a strong will — and family, teammates and professors who recognized his potential and supported his recovery.  

“My parents were a huge support, my brothers and teammates in [Room] 102 and [professor] Beth Wee. She was that person that, even when I hurt myself, was very helpful and made sure that I still got everything I needed for my classes and understood what I was going through at that time,” Rush recalls.  

Instead of Rush’s career ending with the torn ACL, the injury clarified his vision for the future. He was going to play in the NFL. He recovered in Arkansas, putting his Tulane education to good use by teaching middle school as he healed. In March 2016, he got a call from the Philadelphia Eagles, and soon he headed back to the gridiron.  

Later, he would go on to play for the New Orleans Saints and in the Canadian Football League.  

“I was just grateful during that time. I was able to meet a lot of great people, other teammates, coaches, athletic trainers, things like that, and then it allowed me to broaden my horizon and vision on what my passion really was.  

“I realized my passion was helping people at the end of the day. And then I realized I would rather help people by preventing them from going to the doctor than help them when they got to the doctor. So, that’s how I fell into training and then nutrition, and then all the things that come with overall health. That’s how I got so passionate about it.” 

Ultimately, Rush’s passion would find form in XRELITE, his thriving fitness and wellness company.  

As he trained others with XRELITE, he noticed that many of his clients were lacking the positive nutrition and wellness information that is critical for good health.  

“They got like this because we were taught a certain method when we were younger,” he said. “Why not start with the youth and teach them a different method?” 

And thus, Rush added another title to his resume — children's author. While his books introduce core strength and healthy habits to youngsters, Rush hopes his works will also reinforce these concepts to parents as they read aloud to their kids. Rush will appear at Book Fest's Family Day on Sunday, March 15, at 1:30 p.m. in Avron B. Fogelman Arena at Devlin Fieldhouse.