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The world-famous comedian, actor and philanthropist will meet with students and tour the Miles College's campus today at 1 p.m. Saturday, he'll be speaking at the "Changing Lives Education and Entrepreneurial Summit", going on at the BJCC from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

But for a few minutes early this morning, he was just an ex-ballplayer, dropping some words of wisdom on the younger generation of ballers to get them ready for a big game. Cosby delivered an insightful, and of course comical, message to the Miles' football team at the Golden Bears' walk-through practice before they take on West Georgia on the road Saturday at 6 p.m.

"My kids they were so excited," Miles coach Reginald Ruffin said. "We grew up watching, you know the history of Bill Cosby, "Fat Albert" and "The Cosby Show" and all the stuff that they've done for people and communities and not just black and white but all communities. (Cosby was) just showing you life lessons. It was very special."

The team huddled around Cosby near the 50-yard line at Albert J. Sloan-Alumni Stadium and talked to players about the basics of football and, in many ways, life.

"No. 1," Cosby said. "Know your assignment. And if you don't know, go to the coach and say, 'I need help'. There's always somebody who knows the play. You don't want to bother people when they say, 'Break!' and you come out and say, 'Where do I go?' You're not doing your team any good."

He used an embarrassing example from his two-year career at Temple University to drive his points home. As Cosby told it, he was a running back and the coach called a dive play in the thick of a 0-0 game. He was supposed to follow the fullback into the hole off guard. Instead, Cosby did what he wanted to do and darted left where he was met by a defender who stood him up in the backfield and the play was called dead and the game ended in a tie.

When the team went back and reviewed the game film, he saw that the fullback had pancaked the inside linebacker and he would've likely been able to pick up a big gain had he simply done what he was supposed to do the way he was supposed to do it.

"You have 10 other people on the field with you. Do your job!", Cosby exhorted. "Do your job. Don't say, 'Well, he's good enough so he can do this and I can stay out of it. Put it in there."

He left the team with two rallying cries---'Courage' and 'Make it happen'.

He asked the players to repeat the mantras but not with a resounding shout but with a reserved sincerity that reached them within. He implored them to keep on fighting on the field until there was no time left on the clock and for each man to look to himself to be the catalyst to change things, following their 42-7 loss to North Alabama in their opener.

"I watch him all the time when I have a chance," Miles quarterback David Thomas said of "The Cosby Show". "Because my parents grew up off of it, my cousins and family members. So, it's just been a part of my life, learning life lessons from him has just been great. Seeing him today was just a big moment in my life."