Thursday's Heroes 2012

Ammon got to go to BYU Thursday's Heroes Reunion tonight. It was blazing hot but we had a great time anyway.

Coach Mendenhall knew who Ammon was as soon as he saw him.

 Ammon's explaining how he broke his arm. He told Coach Mendenhall, "Sunday night I hurt and I cried." The coach said, "It's ok to cry. I cry sometimes - even at BYU." 

 One very happy camper.

 Justin -- Can't remember his name but he sat at the dinner table with us last year and again this year. I heard him tell a friend as soon as he walked onto the field, "I've got to find my man, Ammon." Loved that mohawk.  He is a tackle. He's a lot of fun.

 Kyle VanNoy - a really great player.

 Michael Yeck - I know his wife through work. A really great young man who is trying to put on more weight. He is an offensive tackle. He told us that he has been working with the nutritionists this year and they are trying to get him to bulk up. That means they want him to eat 7,000 calories a day. He said, "I can't eat that much food. Eating isn't fun when you have to eat that much."

 Player in the hat is the quarterback, Riley Nelson.

Ammon got to meet Max Hall again this year. He was the quarterback when Ammon was inducted as a Hero. He is waiting to see if he gets picked up by the NFL as a free agent this year but is most likely going to stay on at BYU as a staff member working with the quarterbacks.
Like always, this is a wonderful event. We sat at the table with a young woman with three beautiful little children. Her husband was a Thursday Hero last September. He had cancer. Two days after he was inducted, he went into the hospital where they told him he didn't have much longer to live. He lived until last May. She will always be invited to be part of this group. It's very touching to see how some of the players really connect with the kids. Some do not but many of the biggest, toughest guys are softies at heart - you can just tell.

GO COUGARS!!