Saturday night, at the SFA Football game at Homer Bryce Stadium in Nacogdoches, I witnessed something truly exceptional. Believe it or not, I'm not referring to the historic 98-0 blowout win over Warner. Granted, that was remarkable in its own right, but this event happened AFTER the football game.

I handle the public address duties at SFA football games. I've been doing this for quite a few years, and after every game, I make the long walk past the field house and towards the Lanana Creek parking area.

Taking a Detour

That long walk usually takes me past the visiting football team and their families. But, after the nearly 100-point drubbing, I really didn't want to walk past them as they were boarding their buses and getting ready to embark on a 17-hour bus ride back to the Orlando, Florida area.

I mean...what kind of casual conversation do you say in passing?  "Hey, uh, sorry about the game...I love Disney World."

So, I decided to walk behind the Lumberjack Marching Band towards a different exit out of the stadium.

Something I've Never Seen

The band was just wrapping up their traditional postgame concert. They were saluting the music of Top Gun, and as always, their performance was fantastic. As I drew closer, I noticed that an SFA football player was on the conductor's stand. I thought it was so cool that a football player was being allowed to lead the band...but, that wasn't the case at all.

That player was BJ Scarlett, a sophomore defensive lineman for the 'Jacks. He was on the podium thanking the Lumberjack Marching Band for their support, for firing up the team, and for adding so much to the overall experience that is college football.

The director of the LMB, Dr. Dan Haddad, told me that Scarlett has done this on several occasions. He was a member of his high school band in Flower Mound, Texas, and he just digs addressing the band.  Haddad went on to say that Scarlett can lead the band in the SFA fight song if the Lumberjacks defeat Sam Houston State this Saturday.

This Should Happen All the Time

I love attending high school and college football games. But, just think how diminished the whole experience would be if there were no marching bands, cheerleaders, drill/dance teams, twirlers, and numerous other groups that support this great event.

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The members of all these groups I mentioned are hard-working student-athletes as well.  It was August-hot on that turf Saturday evening, and whether you were dancing, cheering, or marching in precision while playing an instrument, you were sweating buckets.

So, let this action by an SFA football player be the catalyst for making this an everyday occurrence at games everywhere. Football players, fans in the stands, or whoever, make it a point to tell these hard-working men and women, and boys and girls, just how much you appreciate what they add to the atmosphere of any sporting event.

SFA Player Thanks LMB

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