IU football team connects with area children

Before members of the IU football team could begin spending time practicing on the field or lifting in the new North End Zone facility, last week, it was time for something more important.

“Everybody sees them play in this stadium on Saturdays,” football coach Bill Lynch said. “They’re judged by how they perform on a given Saturday afternoon or Saturday evening. We know there’s a lot more to their development. We want them to learn to give back.”

The time had come for them to do so.

For the first time, the Hoosiers partnered with the Bloomington Boys & Girls Club on their home turf and brought about 75 members of the group to Memorial Stadium on Thursday for a day of fun and games with some of the children’s favorite athletes.

“I think it’s particularly important that we do it with kids,” Lynch said of the community service his team does. “Our guys know they’re very fortunate to be Big Ten football players. Any time they can give back to kids, I think it’s special.”

The event began last winter, when Lynch asked members of the team’s newly formed leadership council to pick two groups they wanted to interact with as a part of their community service. One of those groups was the Bloomington Boys & Girls Club.

Senior Jammie Kirlew, defensive end and member of the council, said he knows the benefit of such programs.

“I was in Boys & Girls Club when I was younger,” Kirlew said. “It was a great time. You always remember those experiences.”

Kirlew was one of the team leaders at the event and led the groups through the tackling station. He said he couldn’t help but feel enthusiasm for the service he and his teammates were providing to the children.

“I just got into it,” he said. “I was having fun with the kids. When you see those expressions, when you see how much fun they’re having, that just has to have a big impact on you.”

Lynch agreed that the event was beneficial to both parties involved.

“Any time we do something like this, you find out that your own players maybe get as much or more out of it than the kids themselves,” he said. “So many of these guys here got their start – whether it’s in athletics or just in getting mentored by people in a place like a Boys & Girls Club – in the communities where they came from. I think they remember.”

Lynch said the leadership council and team-building events such as the afternoon’s activities with the Boys & Girls Club are meant to help his players take ownership of their team rather than be “renters.”

“If you’re a renter, then you just don’t have the same investment, and it’s easy to get out of it when it gets tough,” he said. “When you’re an owner, there’s an investment, and you’re going to fight for your home. You’re going to fight for whatever you own.”

Kirlew said he feels these off-the-field experiences will result in on-the-field progress. For now, though, it’s not about putting up wins but putting forth service.

“This will always be a memorable experience for them,” he said.

For Lynch, his players’ progress is obvious, even without seeing them on the field in full gear.

“We think we got a bunch of owners that checked into the hotel today,” he said.