LAS -- On Saturday the BYU football team will make its third straight postseason appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl on ESPN. Since clinching its second consecutive outright Mountain West Conference title against Utah last month, BYU football players have been showered with congratulations and adulation the likes of which only heroes receive. This final week of the 2007 Cougars' season has been no different.
But rather than bask in the glory of a fantastic regular season, which included another undefeated MWC run, an ongoing nine-game winning streak and the opportunity to showcase their talents on national television, these young men spent Thursday sitting on the other side of the table -- spending time with, and admiring, heroes of their own.
The morning started with a trip to Sunrise Children's Hospital where five fortunate student-athletes got to meet and greet patients in the Pediatrics Unit. Senior Dustin Gabriel, junior Saia Hafoka and freshmen J.J. DiLuigi, Griffin Miller and Jason Munns all went room-to-room visiting with kids of all ages.
Along with Cosmo the Cougar the players talked and laughed with the young patients and their families. They also signed casts and passed out stuffed Cosmo and Mickey Mouse dolls to the children, who ranged in age from infant to 18 years old. SCH Child Life Specialist (and BYU alum) Riann Garbett said having the players around helps the kids at the hospital to have a smoother recovery from their various ailments.
"It's a huge part of their recovery because hospitals are boring," said Garbett. "We try to make it more fun, and when they laugh and smile and their spirits are good, it makes it that much easier for them to get better. It really does help to have fun things like this for these kids. It makes the kids much more excited about having to be here."
The excitement was apparent in one little boy who was so eager to meet BYU football players, he didn't wait for them to come to his room. Wheeling his I.V. stand out into the hall, the boy approached the group of players as they exited another child's room. The boy and his family took pictures with his new friends and talked about the Cougars' upcoming game.
"It's a pretty humbling experience to see these kids," Gabriel said. "When we walk in there and see their smiling faces, it's great because you know they're hurting in here. It's been a really great experience for me and my teammates."
Later in the afternoon team members split up, some visiting the Las Vegas Boys and Girls Club where players conducted a football clinic and others traveling to the Las Vegas Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, which houses local elderly and disabled people.
BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall accompanied coaches Mark Weber and Patrick Higgins and 15 of their players to the Las Vegas Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center.
In an assembly hall the BYU representatives serenaded the gathered host of residents with Christmas carols. The joyful audience was treated to renditions of Jingle Bells, Joy to the World, Silent Night and We Wish You a Merry Christmas.
"This is a phenomenal opportunity for us as staff to be able to have the football team come in and provide this for our patients," Activity Director, Krista Jolley said. "These people need it around this time of year, and it means everything to us. They've been looking forward to this for the past week, and they were so excited today. I could see on their faces that this literally made their year."
Freshman Walter Kahaialii, who is from Lahaina, Hawaii, sang a solo number, Mele Kalikimaka, while Brenden Gaskins shared with the crowd his family's Christmas tradition -- reading the story of Jesus Christ's birth out of the Bible. Parker Mangum spoke about remembering the love the Savior during the Christmas season.
After the team's final song Mendenhall addressed the folks.
"We're here in Las Vegas to play football," Mendenhall began, "but that's not what we think is most important in our lives. What's important is loving others and making a difference in others' lives."
A difference was made in many lives in Las Vegas Thursday, starting with the lives of those who will suit up in the locker room on Saturday.