Photo By Staff Sgt. Marianne Lane | Former Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden gives his team a pep talk during half...... read more read more
Subscribe
JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq - For many sports fans, watching football during the holidays is a tradition. Twenty-four military personnel - including six airmen -- got the chance to experience this up close during a game of flag football at Killeen Field, Dec. 21, 2010.
Two legendary college football coaches and nine players split into two teams (Freedom and Liberty) to play alongside servicemembers for 60 minutes of flag football. The event was a joint effort between the United Service Organization and Tostitos as a way to show support to deployed servicemembers. Highlights from the game are expected to air during the halftime activities of the 40th Annual Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix New Year's Day.
Team Freedom, coached by former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, won on a completed Hail Mary pass on the game's final play to beat the Gene Stallings-coached Team Liberty squad 44-42.
Being deployed and away from family members is a tough part of military life, especially during the holidays, and these football legends expressed their gratitude.
"Being able to come over and put a face on these troops has been emotional for me," said Zach Thomas, who played at Texas Tech. University. "Some of the troops are as young as 19 and up to 40. Being away from your families during the holidays and all that...I've only been away from mine for three days and I already miss them. It's hard to even compare. To be able to take this back will be an experience for a lifetime, as well as for these other guys."
For Bowden, the tour has become a family tradition of supporting the troops.
"My son, Tommy Bowden, coach for University of Northern Alabama, had the opportunity last year to support a similar trip to Iraq and he told me about it," Bowden, the second winningest college football coach of all-time, said. "Tommy had a great time and I wanted to experience it for myself."
The coach also noted the protective posture on base and being able to experience it firsthand.
"Every time we go outside, we see these barricades. I think of how lucky we are to be in a free nation where we can walk out of our front doors and not see barricades," Bowden said. "It really makes you appreciate it. It has been very educational and I'm thankful."
Also on tour was Antonio Freeman, who played at Virginia Tech; Florida's Jevon Kearse; USC great Rodney Peete; Lavar Arrington, who played at Penn State; Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne, who played at University of Wisconson; Buffalo Bills great Andre Reed, who played at Kutztown (Pa.) State; Pro Football Hall-of-Famers Thurman Thomas, who played at Oklahoma State University, and Jim Kelly of the University of Miami; and Gene Stallings, who coached at University of Alabama.
During their stay at JBB, players and coaches toured the base with 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing commander, Brig. Gen. Kurt F. Neubauer, and Command Chief Master Sgt. Buddy Hutchison, who gave them a wing mission brief upon their arrival. They also had the chance to attend a Iraqi Campaign Medal ceremony, a pep rally and tailgate party before drawing the tour to an end with the game.
"For me, to come here and thank them was amazing" Kelly said. "My father was in the Navy and uncle was in the Army.
"When I see someone in the military ... I will go up and thank them because they risk their life everyday for us. We get to experience what we do in the states because there are people in the military that provide for and serve our country."
About half of the servicemembers selected to play in the game were members of the JBB champion flag football team. The roster was filled out with winners from various skill and sports trivia contests.
"I was beyond thrilled when I found out that I was chosen to play in this event," said Senior Airman Jacqueline Berry, 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron traffic management office inbound cargo journeyman, who is deployed from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. "It's a wonderful feeling to be able to play with some real football players and be coached by two legendary coaches. Being the only female out on the field is a little nerve-racking. I play for all the service women in our Armed Forces."
Airman Berry, a native of Santa Rosa, Calif., is an avid flag football player both here and at her home station.
Seeing the game up close was special for one fan.
"Although football was not really popular in my hometown of Aujutas, Puerto Rico, I've always been a fan and watched the Super Bowl every year," said Senior Airman Ferdinand Rivera, 332nd Expeditionary Force Support Squadron dining facility food service specialist, who is deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. "I remember as a high school student watching Antonio Freeman, wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers, play in Super Bowl XXXI against the New England Patriots. When I found out my idol was coming here, I knew I couldn't miss this 'once in a lifetime chance' to see him and the other players."
After the dust had settled on the compacted dirt turf of Killeen Field, both sides parted ways with a greater appreciation for one another.
"It's a privilege for us to be here. When we leave, we will take away more than we gave them," Peete said. "We see things on TV, but this experience makes it real - talking with the troops and knowing that every single day they wake up, could be their last. For us, being able to play the game we play every day because of [the military] has been a privilege."
| Date Taken: | 12.21.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 12.22.2010 13:38 |
| Story ID: | 62495 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE BALAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 156 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Former football greats help troops "Connect to Home", by SrA Tong Duong, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
