Coyote football shows support for Chapman
By: David Toelle, KWU Sports Information

Members of the KWU football team shoot t-shirts into the stands as the Coyotes showed support for Chapman High School at the school's home opener last Friday.

CHAPMAN – A little over three months removed from a devastating tornado that ripped through the town, the Irish football team kicked off the home portion of its 2008 season on September 19, and Kansas Wesleyan University team members were there, showing their support.

“It was a humbling experience for our players that went, especially those guys that had never seen tornado damage,” KWU assistant coach Mike Reid said. “It really subdued them, but also helped them refocus and stay upbeat.”

The Coyotes headed to Chapman, which is about 45 miles east of Salina on old US-40 highway so that the team could see the path the twister took into the town.

Before and during the game, KWU players and coaches handed out tickets for last Saturday’s home opener for Wesleyan and showed support for the team and fans alike. The Coyotes also shot KWU t-shirts with a shirt cannon into the stands.

Prior to the opening kickoff, the KWU players lined up along the sideline, led by senior Scott Moore.

“It was really humbling seeing what they had to go through in Chapman,” Reid said. “They had to pull together as a team and clean their field of all the dangerous debris, and everything else they had to go through to rebound to where they are was amazing.”

“After the trip, I could see a change in our players,” Reid said. “The experience really made an impression on them.”

-- KWU SI --