Building Men for Others: Setting Goals

Yesterday's Freshman Tailgate Party was a huge hit.  Parents, coaches and players enjoyed the great food, drink and fellowship of building a football family.  A huge thank you goes out to you parents for all the great food and to Mrs. Phillips (Diego's mom) for the lumpia!  Yum yum.

Part of the mission for having the tailgate party was to give our young men a look at the next level.  What is it like to be a college football player and what is it like to participate in the college experience?

At 3:00, the Aztec team busses arrived at the stadium. Our team lined up at the on both sides of the Aztec Walk.  Cheerleaders and the Aztec drumline led the players and the coaches towards the stadium.  Our players exchanged high fives with the Aztec players and coaches.  It was electric and you could see the look on the player's faces how exciting it was to be a part of the Aztec Walk.

But that was only the beginning.  We lined up the players and took them not only into the stadium, but down onto the field for the Aztec pregame warm-up.

The players were in awe.  They looked at their particular positions that they play and watched the drills and team period.

I asked all the players the following question:  With hard work in the classroom and in the weight room, do you see yourself playing for a CIF Championship in the same stadium in next two to three years?  All of them responded yes.

It is going to take hard work and dedication to re-build our football program to where it was when I was a player and coach in the late 70's and early 80's.  It will have to start with discipline in both the classroom and in the weight room.  We have a lot of work to do as a staff and as mentors to our young men.  But it all begins with setting a goal.  Our players set their goal.  Now let's work to make that a reality.

I want to thank SDSU LB coach Kevin McGarry for getting our players down on the field.  It was a great experience for our players.  Coach Martinez and I like the event so much, we are looking to do it again next year!