The odds were against Lynn Lovely, a single mother, with her four sons early on. But her inner-strength proved to be her strongest ally.

It's also what kept the family solid and intact no matter what life threw at them, 20-year-old Greg says.

And, oldest son Glenn adds, it's his mother's philosophy of academics over sports that has given them the opportunities she never had as a young adult.

This year 24-year-old Glenn is graduating from San José State University; 20-year-old Greg will enter Brigham Young University, after completing two years of community college; 18-year-old Gary also enters Brigham Young University; and 17-year-old Geoffrey heads off to UC-Davis to study genetics.

"Laying the path for our success came before her needs," Glenn says. "We were taken care of first."

For Lynn, what has turned into a family grand slam began with a barrage of curve balls.

At 19 years old, she was confronted with her mother's death, leaving a world of responsibility thrust upon her shoulders. She had to pay the bills, help her younger sister, care for her 4-year-old nephew and Lovely's newborn son and hold down a job, all while she still commuted from Oakland to attended San José State University.

But her son was her saving grace.

"He kept me sane," the 44-year-old Willow Glen resident says. "I had to take care of him no matter what."

And life didn't become easier. Marriage, completing her associate's degree in accounting and three more children born within three years of each other added to a relentless pace.

Her fortitude only grew after she and her husband separated in 1988 and she moved to San Jose to give her sons a better life.

Lynn faced numerous challenges, without a car or a job and four children all under the age of 10.

During their first year in Willow Glen, Lovely got by on public assistance, while taking college classes to refresh her English and math skills so she could assist her fourth-grader with his homework. She walked the oldest, Glenn, who was 9 at the time, to the bus stop near Gardner Elementary School where he rode to Trace Elementary School. Then she dropped 3-year-old Gary off at the Gardner daycare center and rode the bus to downtown San Jose, with her two other children dropping her youngest, 1-year-old Geoffrey, at the daycare provider, and taking another bus to San Jose City College where 4-year-old Greg colored pictures during her classes because there were no openings at daycare. When a spot opened up for Greg at Gardner's daycare center, Lynn enrolled him and was also offered a full-time job in finance at Estrella Family Services.

Then Lynn learned that her youngest, 5-year-old Geoffrey, required open-heart surgery. Discovering Geoff had a leaky heart valve in 1992 was a scary time for Lynn. She also couldn't afford the $450 Medi-Cal co-pay to see a cardiologist. Thankfully a doctor told her about California Children's Services, which covered the co-pay and paid for her to stay in a hotel while the surgery was performed at the UCLA Medical Center. A year later, Geoffrey was playing in Willow Glen Little League.

By then 9-year-old Glenn was already assuming various family responsibilities.

"He would take care of us first," Gary says. "Sometimes I snuck downstairs at night and saw him doing homework at 1 in the morning."

Glenn says that he took on a leadership role because he simply had to.

"But Glenn opened the door and we followed him through it," Greg says.

Glenn adds that he looked up to the male daycare workers at Estrella and admired Bill Cosby from The Cosby Show as a male role model.

And the other sons also demonstrated the same attitude and work ethic because Lynn made sure every boy knew they had to make the honor roll to play sports. Each brother started working at 13 to pay for his own entertainment expenses and start a savings account. The boys also found sports as a place where they could put their stress on the sidelines.

"Greg had begged me every day for two years to play baseball, but I didn't have a car," Lynn says. "It was hard." Then in 1993 she obtained her drivers license.

When she signed all four boys up for Willow Glen Little League she found it had multiple rewards. At the games she met other families who became her friends, and the coaches, who were positive role models for her sons.

"I never tried to be a father because I can't be a male role model," Lynn says. "But I can throw a mean baseball."

But Gary says, "Playing sports was a privilege and we had to earn it."

This fall Gary plans to study graphic design at BYU and play outside linebacker on the school's football team. Along with his brother Greg, who was also recruited to play quarterback at BYU while working toward his master's degree in psychology, both boys are receiving full four-year scholarships.

The Lovely boys also have plans for the future that they hope intersect each others lives. Glenn, who graduates with a degree in advertising this May, is aiming toward a career as an art director in an advertising agency. And he wants to help Gary, who will major in graphic design, obtain an internship. Greg, whose first love is sports, wants to become a high school football coach in the Bay Area to encourage minority athletes. Greg also wants to enter the real estate field, possibly collaborating with Gary who wants to use his skills as a graphic designer to branch off into architecture and design buildings.

And the youngest, Geoffrey, has chosen to go to UC-Davis because his open-heart surgery at age 5 sparked a desire to become a cardiologist.

And it was their mother's high expectations, hard work and support in school and attending every sports game that laid the path to their success, her sons say.

"I don't understand how she could go to school and raise four boys," Greg says. "It shows how strong she was." He adds that when asked who he emulates, he always says his mother.

Lynn still has her own dream, which is returning to San José State University and completing her bachelor's degree in accounting, a field she first pursued 26 years ago.

"But the main thing is to get the boys through college," she says.

It's her biggest desire, even though this fall her home is going to be a lot quieter.

"I'm used to them all being here," she says. "It's going to be rough."