KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs Ambassadors paid a special visit to the Central High School football team's practice on Thursday, leading up to Week 2 of the high school football season.
"It's very emotional for me, because we put so much into these kids," D.J. Pittel, head coach at Central High School, said.
Sure, emotions can run high between the lines, but Thursday's wasn't a standard Central High practice.
That's because Chiefs ambassador Shawn Barber handed off a donation to kick off September, which included new practice gear. The funds came directly from former players' pockets.
Tim Grunhard wasn't in attendance for the presentation, but was instrumental in setting everything up for the Blue Eagles.
"We ended up with $3,000; 30 guys all chipped in $100 in three days," Barber said. "And it was just like, man we have to get this done."
The Blue Eagles got new uniforms too — collared shirts and ties for away game road trips.
"We needed some shirts and ties for this wonderful Central team and I said, 'How do we know their sizes?" Keith Novorr, with Michaels Clothing, said.
So, Novorr personally fitted the players himself.
"How about we set up a time, I go over to the high school, bring a tape (and) measure all of them up," Novorr said.
This is more than just a clothing donation to Central High.
The practice gear will be used on the field, but the collared shirts and ties — they won't just be used for traveling on the road, they'll serve a purpose after high school.
"We have stuff for job interviews, college interviews, funerals. That's the thing here in this neighborhood, weddings," Pittel said. "So we have something that will change them and make them look good."
The Blue Eagles say they're ready to look good on game day.
"It's not something normal, it's a one time thing, so it means a lot," Devante Harrington, a football player at Central, said.
This is about bringing a team together, before they break the huddle.
"Feel good about themselves on Friday, it's one symbol of what happens when you just do one good thing," Barber said.
Central plays on the road this Friday against Lexington.
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