Eastern Michigan Athletics
Football Seniors Enjoy a Climb to Pikes Peak
8/8/2014 10:20:00 AM | Football
EMU football staff and 16 seniors hike to 14,114 feet of elevation in Colorado
Photo Gallery.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – For Eastern Michigan University Head Football Coach Chris Creighton being a coach is about so much more than just X's and O's. On July 31, Creighton, the assistant coaching staff and 16 members of EMU's senior class made the trek up Pikes Peak in Colorado.
The trip, meant to be used as a leadership and bonding experience, featured the group hiking up the peak, which has an altitude of 14,114 feet above sea level and is the 31st highest out of the 54 Colorado peaks. The group of veteran student-athletes — Tyler Allen (Lansing, Mich.-Eastern), Campbell Allison (Ogdensburg, N.Y.-Ogdensburg Free Academy), Ryan Brumfield (Chester Springs, Pa.-Owen J. Robert), Kent Collins (Los Alamitos, Calif-Los Alamitos-Cerritos JC), Pudge Cotton (Maywood, Ill.-Walther Lutheran), Owen Dubiel (East Jackson, Mich.-East Jackson), Jordan Erbes (Kettering, Ohio-Fairmont), David Gibson (Cleveland, Ohio-Solon), Lincoln Hansen (Omaha, Neb.-Millard North), Bronson Hill (Grand Rapids, Mich.-Catholic Central), Kevin Johnson (McKeesport, Pa.-McKeesport), Oliver Kathalay (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada-Avondale (Ga.)), Travis Linser (Glendale, Ariz.-Phoenix Northwest Christian-Phoenix College), Robert McFadden (Flint, Mich.-Carman-Ainsworth), Tyreese Russell (Chicago, Ill.-Walther Lutheran) and Gary White Jr. (Raleigh, N.C. -Southeast Raleigh-Grossmont College) — encountered many challenges, including rainy weather, to go along with the dramatic change in altitude.
During Creighton's introductory press conference at the Convocation Center in December 2013, he promised to make being part of the Eastern Michigan program a memorable one.
"We have a vision and we want to make the experience of playing football at Eastern Michigan University one of the most incredible experiences of their lives," remarked Creighton on the day of his hiring. "This game is about relationships. We have the chance to do life intensely for four and a half years, and after that."
True to his word, Creighton is continuing to deliver on the promise.
When Creighton first told players about the idea, there were several seconds of stunned silence before a burst of excitement. On July 30, the group flew to Colorado and took a tour of the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The next morning, the team worked their way to the top on a journey that lasted more than 11 hours. The group headed back home to Michigan the next day to get ready for the opening of fall practice on Aug. 4.
"As a team, the closer you are off the field, the tighter you're going to be on the field," Creighton mentioned. "Football is meant to be played not only with your teammates but for your teammates. Getting to the level where you put your team above yourself doesn't just happen, it takes a trip like this to develop the intensity of relationships needed to reach that point."
"The whole purpose of the trip was to bring us together as a family and also to display leadership," Gibson added. "One thing that my teammates and I got out of it was just being there for each other – when someone needed something, being there and helping them out in whatever way they can whether it be giving them water when they needed it or carrying their backpack."
During his distinguished career, Creighton has taken great pride in the student-athlete experience that transcends the football field and the classroom. As head coach at Ottawa (Kan.) University from 1997-2000, Creighton accompanied his team to Pikes Peak, and later took his Wabash College squad to Austria in 2003 and Panama in 2006. Each trip featured community service, sightseeing, and a football game. In 2011, Creighton took the Drake University football team on a two-week experience to Africa in 2011 for the inaugural Global Kilimanjaro Bowl as well as the ascension of 19,340-foot Mt. Kilimanjaro.
"This trip was an opportunity to experience servant leadership," added Creighton. "We were all partnered with someone. It wasn't about trying to summit the mountain; it was about doing everything possible to help each other summit the mountain."
Allison and Gibson said the experiences helped bring the group closer together.
"It certainly brought us closer together and our bond grew a lot stronger," responded Gibson. "Getting to know each other a little bit more was awesome and I'm glad Coach Creighton had us do it. "
"I remember texting my dad about it and saying that I don't know if I'm a big fan of this whole climbing a mountain idea a few days before camp," joked Allison. "Then about a third of the way I remember saying to myself that this is awesome and I've got to do it again. It was a life-changing experience for me. I've always been a guy that has chased for the mountaintop when people told me that I couldn't really do it, so to physically reach a mountaintop was a life-changing moment for sure."
While the team will not be climbing any mountains during the regular season, the lessons learned should translate over to the gridiron.
"When things get tough, being able to mentally keep the composure and finish," is one of the biggest attributes that will translate over to the game Gibson mentioned. "You don't want to give up or stop when there are two minutes left on the clock; you want to keep going and be able to finish when things get hard."
"The amazing thing about going through a process and a journey that takes that long is that it applies to the season," Allison added. "Once you get to a certain point there is no turning back, a point where there is absolutely no possibility of just turning around and walking all that way back. I found it amazing what a group of 30 men did when they didn't have the option of just turning around and going back down the mountain."
Despite having first questioned the climb, Allison now looks forward to his next opportunity to conquer some heights.
"If Coach (Creighton) asked me if I wanted to go climb a mountain right after the season, I'd go with him," replied Allison. "I would definitely do it again.
The trip was paid for out of funds raised through the team's annual golf outing.
Everyone can catch the Eagles kick off the 2014 season for the first game on the new "EMU Gray" FieldTurf inside Rynearson Stadium against Morgan State, Aug. 30. Single game and season tickets are now on sale online at EMUEagles.com, by calling 734.487.2282 or by visiting the EMU Ticket Office daily between 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Ticket prices start at just $12 for adults and $5 for youth 12-and-under.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – For Eastern Michigan University Head Football Coach Chris Creighton being a coach is about so much more than just X's and O's. On July 31, Creighton, the assistant coaching staff and 16 members of EMU's senior class made the trek up Pikes Peak in Colorado.
The trip, meant to be used as a leadership and bonding experience, featured the group hiking up the peak, which has an altitude of 14,114 feet above sea level and is the 31st highest out of the 54 Colorado peaks. The group of veteran student-athletes — Tyler Allen (Lansing, Mich.-Eastern), Campbell Allison (Ogdensburg, N.Y.-Ogdensburg Free Academy), Ryan Brumfield (Chester Springs, Pa.-Owen J. Robert), Kent Collins (Los Alamitos, Calif-Los Alamitos-Cerritos JC), Pudge Cotton (Maywood, Ill.-Walther Lutheran), Owen Dubiel (East Jackson, Mich.-East Jackson), Jordan Erbes (Kettering, Ohio-Fairmont), David Gibson (Cleveland, Ohio-Solon), Lincoln Hansen (Omaha, Neb.-Millard North), Bronson Hill (Grand Rapids, Mich.-Catholic Central), Kevin Johnson (McKeesport, Pa.-McKeesport), Oliver Kathalay (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada-Avondale (Ga.)), Travis Linser (Glendale, Ariz.-Phoenix Northwest Christian-Phoenix College), Robert McFadden (Flint, Mich.-Carman-Ainsworth), Tyreese Russell (Chicago, Ill.-Walther Lutheran) and Gary White Jr. (Raleigh, N.C. -Southeast Raleigh-Grossmont College) — encountered many challenges, including rainy weather, to go along with the dramatic change in altitude.
During Creighton's introductory press conference at the Convocation Center in December 2013, he promised to make being part of the Eastern Michigan program a memorable one.
"We have a vision and we want to make the experience of playing football at Eastern Michigan University one of the most incredible experiences of their lives," remarked Creighton on the day of his hiring. "This game is about relationships. We have the chance to do life intensely for four and a half years, and after that."
True to his word, Creighton is continuing to deliver on the promise.
When Creighton first told players about the idea, there were several seconds of stunned silence before a burst of excitement. On July 30, the group flew to Colorado and took a tour of the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The next morning, the team worked their way to the top on a journey that lasted more than 11 hours. The group headed back home to Michigan the next day to get ready for the opening of fall practice on Aug. 4.
"As a team, the closer you are off the field, the tighter you're going to be on the field," Creighton mentioned. "Football is meant to be played not only with your teammates but for your teammates. Getting to the level where you put your team above yourself doesn't just happen, it takes a trip like this to develop the intensity of relationships needed to reach that point."
"The whole purpose of the trip was to bring us together as a family and also to display leadership," Gibson added. "One thing that my teammates and I got out of it was just being there for each other – when someone needed something, being there and helping them out in whatever way they can whether it be giving them water when they needed it or carrying their backpack."
During his distinguished career, Creighton has taken great pride in the student-athlete experience that transcends the football field and the classroom. As head coach at Ottawa (Kan.) University from 1997-2000, Creighton accompanied his team to Pikes Peak, and later took his Wabash College squad to Austria in 2003 and Panama in 2006. Each trip featured community service, sightseeing, and a football game. In 2011, Creighton took the Drake University football team on a two-week experience to Africa in 2011 for the inaugural Global Kilimanjaro Bowl as well as the ascension of 19,340-foot Mt. Kilimanjaro.
"This trip was an opportunity to experience servant leadership," added Creighton. "We were all partnered with someone. It wasn't about trying to summit the mountain; it was about doing everything possible to help each other summit the mountain."
Allison and Gibson said the experiences helped bring the group closer together.
"It certainly brought us closer together and our bond grew a lot stronger," responded Gibson. "Getting to know each other a little bit more was awesome and I'm glad Coach Creighton had us do it. "
"I remember texting my dad about it and saying that I don't know if I'm a big fan of this whole climbing a mountain idea a few days before camp," joked Allison. "Then about a third of the way I remember saying to myself that this is awesome and I've got to do it again. It was a life-changing experience for me. I've always been a guy that has chased for the mountaintop when people told me that I couldn't really do it, so to physically reach a mountaintop was a life-changing moment for sure."
While the team will not be climbing any mountains during the regular season, the lessons learned should translate over to the gridiron.
"When things get tough, being able to mentally keep the composure and finish," is one of the biggest attributes that will translate over to the game Gibson mentioned. "You don't want to give up or stop when there are two minutes left on the clock; you want to keep going and be able to finish when things get hard."
"The amazing thing about going through a process and a journey that takes that long is that it applies to the season," Allison added. "Once you get to a certain point there is no turning back, a point where there is absolutely no possibility of just turning around and walking all that way back. I found it amazing what a group of 30 men did when they didn't have the option of just turning around and going back down the mountain."
Despite having first questioned the climb, Allison now looks forward to his next opportunity to conquer some heights.
"If Coach (Creighton) asked me if I wanted to go climb a mountain right after the season, I'd go with him," replied Allison. "I would definitely do it again.
The trip was paid for out of funds raised through the team's annual golf outing.
Everyone can catch the Eagles kick off the 2014 season for the first game on the new "EMU Gray" FieldTurf inside Rynearson Stadium against Morgan State, Aug. 30. Single game and season tickets are now on sale online at EMUEagles.com, by calling 734.487.2282 or by visiting the EMU Ticket Office daily between 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Ticket prices start at just $12 for adults and $5 for youth 12-and-under.
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