Thursday's Hero

September 22, 2008

We had one of the most inspiring and memorable experiences of our lives last Thursday! We got to meet the BYU Football Team - coaches, staff, and players! It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that we will never forget!

To make a long story short - every Thursday, the BYU Football Team invites someone from the community to attend their Thursday afternoon practice, and be recognized for showing courage in the face of adversity. The program is called "Thursday's Heroes."

Imagine our surprise when we discovered last week that our good friend and neighbor, John Cannon, had nominated Evan, and that Evan had been selected! So last Thursday, our family, and the Cannon family, made the trip to Provo for an amazing afternoon!

As you can see, our visit started with some family photos in front of a huge mural of Lavell Edwards Stadium - and it just kept getting better and better from there. Check out the following photos for highlights from our visit.

Tour of the new Student Athlete Building

One of the first things we saw, as we started our tour of the football facilities, was a large board with pictures of each returned missionary on the team with an arrow pointing to the area on the map where they served. Very cool to see!

The team meeting room is a large auditorium. The seats were wide with lots of leg room for those big guys. We got to watch an awesome highlights video that you can't see anywhere else. It was really inspiring! The walls are covered with cardboard "war shields" designed by each player. Before each game, two or three players are chosen to explain the significance of the words and symbols on their particular shield. (As you can see in the back of the auditorium, we brought our own supply of wild-warriors, Lindsay and her best buddy, Lisa Cannon.)

At the front of the team meeting room, there is a large granite rock. After every game, the team members who made big plays get to chisel away some of the rock in the oval area around the 'Y'. Eventually the 'Y' will be raised. Each player has their own personally decorated chisel.

Evan was drawn to the New England Patriots helmet on the wall where all the BYU players who have gone on to play for the NFL are listed. I gravitated more towards the 49'ers helmet myself.

Steve Young's BYU Jersey.

Ty Detmer's BYU Jersey.

The Locker Room

In the stairwell leading to the Locker Room, the wall is covered with pictures and profiles of all the people who have been honored as a Thursday's Hero. Lindsay found ours right away.















Also in the stairwell leading to the locker room, there is a plaque with the team's mission statement and goals for the season. Very impressive!

The Locker Room was huge! It ran the whole length of the building. It was surprisingly clean! Their moms would be proud!

The man on the right is Cort Trejo. He was the one who arranged our visit and gave us the great tour of the facility. He was awesome!

Meeting LaVell Edwards!

As we headed out the locker room doors to the practice field, we couldn't believe who was standing right in front of us! It was none other than LaVell Edwards. By sheer luck, he happened to be there that day to watch practice. Several members of the staff told us later what an extremely rare occurrence this was. He came right over to Evan, and said, "You must be Thursday's Hero." He talked with Evan as well as our family and friends for quite a while. He was so great! Meeting him was a huge, huge thrill!

He was also kind enough to sign Ryan's BYU T-Shirt.

I'm thinking this would make a great Christmas Card Photo - "Merry Christmas from Evan, Margot, Ryan, Lindsay, and LaVell!" (Notice that Lindsay is giving us her "very scary" BYU Cougar growl, with claws and teeth.)















Eventually, we did actually watch the team practice.

Team Presentation for Evan

When the team was done with practice, we were invited out onto the field and Coach Bronco Mendenhall introduced Evan to the team.

The team had a wonderful presentation for Evan. They honored him for his courage in facing this difficult challenge, and they made him an honorary member of the team. They gave him his own team flag, that has signatures from every member of the team on it. They also gave him a beautiful team coin. Every coach and player has one and they carry it with them at all times. It has the team's mission statement engraved on the back, and this year's team motto "Quest for Perfection" on the front. It's really something to see!

















As a new member of the team, Evan was asked to add his signature to the official team flag. This flag is carried onto the field by one of the players before every game as the team enters the stadium. This flag has the signature of every players, as well as each person who has been honored as a "Thursday's Hero." What an honor!

















Towards the end of the presentation, Evan got to say a few words to the team. He expressed our great appreciation for their kindness, as well as our gratitude for their example and the integrity with which they represent the University and their fans, and he wished them continued success in the upcoming season. It was pretty cool to watch all those big strong players listening so intently as Evan spoke. Evan did a great job!















And finally, in one of the most moving moments of the day, the team asked Evan to lead them in their end-of-practice cheer. All the players gathered around him, Evan called out "1-2-3," and the whole team yelled "Go Cougars!" It was awesome! I get chills everytime I think about it.

Shaking Hands with the Players

Each and every player shook hands with Evan, Ryan, Lindsay, and myself as they left the practice field. Many were even kind enough to kneel down and talk with Lindsay. It was unbelievably cool!

Visiting with Coach & Quarterback!

Coach Mendenhall was incredibly kind, and so generous with his time. He probably spent close to half an hour talking with Evan, each member of our family, and the Cannons. He had an amazing presence, and showed such sincere interest in Evan and our family. A truly great man!

Our final visit was with Quarterback Max Hall. He was also incredibly kind and friendly, and (like his Coach) very generous with his time.






















By the end of our visit, Ryan had collected signatures from LaVell Edwards, Bronco Mendenhall, and Max Hall. It doesn't get better than that!















On Saturday, Evan and Ryan were able to attend the BYU vs. Wyoming game. Ryan is wearing the practice jersey of Fui Vakapuna who literally gave Ryan the shirt off his back during our visit with the team. What a great way to cap off this amazing week!