Boll Weevils Give Back

Staff Writer

   University of Arkansas at Monticello football players often achieving major feats both on the field and in the classroom. They also excel in giving back to the Monticello community.

Photo by John Kloap

Timeout- The UAM Boll Weevils football took a timeout from their intensive practice schedule to do some community service and give back to the people of Monticello.

   Many people see what the Boll Weevils do on Saturdays in the fall, but they also make a real and lasting impact year round, as was the case Saturday morning. On a day they could have been solely focused on football for its scrimmage scheduled for that afternoon, the Boll Weevils were spread out in the community cleaning up along Highway 425 and 278 just hours before the scrimmage.

   "This community supports us a lot and this is something we do every year since I've been here," head coach Gwaine Mathews said. "It is hard to repay them back and this is just a little something we can do to show our gratitude."

   Player's shared Mathews vision of giving back to the community. Senior linebacker Jeremy Brown expressed his feelings on the project.

   "It shows that we are striving to accomplish more than just playing football," Brown said. "This gets us more involve with the community, it shows our debt to the community for their support and also helps bring more support from those who have not yet seen us."

   With the community service, the players were able to bond away from the field and establish a team bond with each other while doing a good deed.

   "This gives me a little more interaction with my players away from the field," assistant coach Donald Dykes said. "This is not just about football but about life when the players leave here, football may be over with for them, but life goes on."

   The Boll Weevil players understand the responsibility they have to giving back to the communities that support them and said they take great pride in doing so.

   "Without Monticello there would be no football team and we just want to give back to them what they have done for us already with their support," junior linebacker Larry Livers said.

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