-
1 of 10
-
2 of 10
-
3 of 10
-
4 of 10
-
5 of 10
-
6 of 10
-
7 of 10
-
8 of 10
-
9 of 10
-
10 of 10
BSU reaches out to Fiesta Bowl community
Archive
Comments
Story
PHOENIX — The Boise State football team took time out of its Fiesta Bowl practice schedule Wednesday to do a little celebrity work in Scottsdale, Ariz. The Boys and Girls Club of Scottsdale visited Boise State’s practice for a meet-and-greet with BSU players. The Youth Gridiron Day gave local children the opportunity to toss the football with college athletes and even get some face time on local television with interviews about the event.
The event wasn’t all fun and games, however. The Broncos also took the time to share a positive message with the youngsters who attended. BSU Head Coach Chris Petersen was introduced to the young crowd first and he addressed the children about the importance of getting a good education.
Petersen asked various BSU players what they aspired to be following graduation from Boise State. Senior linebacker Korey Hall said he hopes to go into construction management after his football career is over. Many other players spoke about wanting to own their own business some day. Quarterback Jared Zabransky was the only player who actually admitted to wanting to play football professionally, but he also said owning a business after football was an ultimate dream of his.
The message of Petersen’s speech was that no matter how far football takes you, school is always the top responsibility. Linebacker Colt Brooks shared in Petersen’s sentiments. Brooks said he feels the Youth Gridiron Day was a great chance for him to reach out and give back to the community.
“That’s what separates our program from other programs,” Brooks said. “We don’t have a lot of problems going on with our kids. Most of our kids graduate throughout the years. I think all these things are important in any program. Having programs like that to come and talk to these kids and make sure they know that education, school’s the way to go, I think that’s real important for them.”
Despite all the excitement surrounding the event, perhaps the most enthusiastic participant was sophomore running back Ian Johnson. Johnson is known for his bright smile and contagious personality. Wednesday Johnson’s glow seemed brighter than ever as he joked and laughed with some of his biggest fans.
“This is awesome, to see the smiles on these kids faces,” Johnson said. “It’s fun to play football but its fun to see how kids react to it all. You get a chance to actually tell them something. ‘We really are about school, we are really about this.’ Here’s actually someone you look up to. It’s awesome to be able to influence someone’s life.”
Johnson recalled a time when he wasn’t much bigger than the youngsters he was talking to Wednesday. In fact, Johnson said he was never so sure football was the life long dream he wanted to pursue. Johnson’s father is a fire fighter by trade, which gave Ian a passion for the career field from a young age. Ian said he hasn’t ruled out fire fighting down the road, but it’s not his first career choice anymore.
“It’s one of those things, it’s my last resort,” Johnson said. “If business doesn’t work out for me I still have that passion in me to do it. But I want to do my own thing. Because my dad was a fire fighter I always wanted to be a fire fighter. If my thing doesn’t work out, dad’s thing will work out.”
Wednesday’s meet-and-greet is the last such event before the Fiesta Bowl, but it isn’t the first time BSU has taken the time to reach out to underprivileged children. The football team has become a regular around Boise area hospitals and schools in recent years.
“I guess this is just one more chance we’ve got to give back to this community,” senior fullback Brad Lau said about the Gridiron Day. “It’s important [for us] because it puts things in perspective. It helps me realize how fortunate I am, how fortunate our team is because of the opportunities we’re given."
Jake Garcin