Albany State football gives Dougherty County Xtreme players day to remember

ALBANY — Richard Brigham has conducted more football practices than he can count.

Monday was different.

At one point, the Dougherty County Xtreme Youth Athletics coach stood on the Albany State practice field and began to cry.

Around him were his young football players, but they weren’t alone. Members of the Albany State football team had joined them for practice, spending nearly two hours working with the children. The Albany State Marching Rams Show Band had marched across campus to perform for them.

For Brigham, an Albany State alumnus, it became about much more than football.

“I have coached a lot of football practices, but Monday’s practice may have been the best one I have ever experienced,” Brigham said. “At one point, I stood on the field in tears. I could not hold them back.”

The afternoon brought together two of Albany State’s most visible programs with some of the community’s youngest athletes.

Under the direction of Dr. William T. Brooks III, the Marching Rams made their way across campus to the practice field, where DCX players watched the band perform.

“The band’s performance filled the field with sound and energy,” Brigham said. “Our children watched, listened, and felt the excitement of having the Rams show up for them.”

Then it was the football team’s turn.

Albany State players and coaches spent approximately two hours with the DCX athletes, offering instruction, encouragement and something Brigham believes may prove more important — an example of where football and education could someday take them.

Brigham thanked Golden Rams head coach David Bowser and his program for making the experience possible.

“Their presence brought our athletes to another level,” he said.

But Brigham wanted the Albany State players to understand that their impact Monday extended beyond helping youngsters throw, catch, block or tackle.

He spoke to them about purpose.

“It looks like showing up for a child who may be meeting a college athlete for the first time,” Brigham said. “It looks like helping that child picture a future that once seemed far away.”

That is part of the mission behind DCX.

Brigham said the organization uses football as a vehicle to provide children with a safe environment, build confidence and teach lessons that can carry into other areas of their lives.

College is part of that message.

For a young player, seeing an Albany State football player up close can make the idea of someday becoming a college student — and perhaps a college athlete — seem a little less distant.

“We also want them to see that college is a real possibility,” Brigham said. “Meeting students who look and talk like them helps make that future easier to imagine.”

Monday gave the DCX players plenty to remember.

It also gave the Albany State players an opportunity to see the influence they can have simply by showing up.

“The players may not remember every child they met on Monday, but I believe some of those kids will stop them in public one day and remind them of that practice,” Brigham said. “Our children will remember.”

For Brigham, the afternoon carried another layer of meaning because it was his alma mater providing the experience.

He saw Albany State football players, coaches and band members giving their time to children from the community without asking for anything in return.

“As an Albany State alumnus, I was proud of what I saw from my alma mater: genuine love, character, and a willingness to serve,” Brigham said.

Football practices eventually blur together. There are drills to run, mistakes to correct and another game to prepare for.

Brigham doesn’t expect Monday’s practice to become one of those.

Neither, he believes, will the children who looked across the field and saw the Golden Rams standing there with them.

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Albany State University,” Brigham said. “You showed our children what it means to set the standard.”