Rockford High School Football Team Learns Life Lessons

A Rockford high school coach is teaching his team more than just football.

I played football for eight years, fifth grade through high school. I loved every minute of it. I miss playing. I wish everyone had the chance to do it.

Football had a very positive influence on me starting at a young age. It is more than just a sport. It taught me a lot about life. I learned things like teamwork and responsibility. Plus, it kept me out of trouble.

My neighborhood school is Rockford East High School. My daughter is a student there, so I started following the football team. I've been going to the games this season. They've been playing well. I've really enjoyed watching them and I've turned into a real fan.

I believe it's hard for a Rockford public high school to compete with schools like Boylan and Hononegah, but I think they have something special going on. I can tell that head coach, Gary Griffin, has more planned for his players than just teaching them the game of football.

Then I saw this short movie about the team from local filmmaker, Pablo Korona. He has a great series called "Our City, Our Story Rockford, Illinois." He does an incredible job telling amazing stories about the people of Rockford. Please take a couple of minutes and watch it.

About the film from ourcityourstory.com,

"A pragmatic Coach Griffin saw a way to tackle a 5-day chore while creating one more opportunity to get to know his E-Rab Football guys better. “I want them to work, to spend time together outside of football and school and feel like they’re accomplishing something. … Football is a game. It’s just a tool for me to use to get kids together and teach them about what’s right.” – East High School Head Football Coach Gary Griffin"

Video: Laundry Day at East High School

In a world where sports are all about winning, losing, and money, I was so excited to see what is going on with the Rockford East High School football program. The program is about the life lessons and becoming a better person.

Go E-Rabs!

If you want to learn more about local filmmaker, Pablo Korona, and his series "Our City, Our Story Rockford, Illinois," please check out my interview with him.

Video: Pablo Korona talks with Double T