Eastern Michigan Athletics
EMU Football Holds Sixth Annual Victory Day
5/23/2019 2:13:00 PM | Football
The Eagles orchestrated a day of football for cognitively and physically impaired community members
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Video Recap
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University football team welcomed more than 200 cognitively and physically impaired community members to take part in its sixth annual EMU Victory Day, Thursday, May 23. Student-athletes, as well as the coaching staff, took part in an exciting event of football related activities at "The Factory" inside Rynearson Stadium, while the 204 participants were the most since the event began.
The day began as participants walked into the facility through a tunnel consisting of EMU football players and the cheer team. Following the national anthem, EMU Head Football Coach Chris Creighton joined participants for a welcome speech and a ceremonial coin toss to officially begin the football activities.
The participants split into 10 groups in which they went through individual drills and others took the field to compete in a game-like setting. On the drills side, stations consisted of throwing nets, agility bags, kicking, and much more.
Following the interactive opportunities, Creighton and the team presented each child with a medal before posing for a group photo and wrapping up the day by singing the EMU fight song. After singing alongside the athletes and cheerleaders, everyone involved congregated for a group photo before concluding the festivities with a luncheon inside the Convocation Center.
Victory Day was started in 2010 by Trenton teacher and varsity football defensive coordinator Aaron Segedi. Aaron, a native of Riverview, was diagnosed with cancer in 2005, which was brought on by a rare condition known as primary sclerosing cholangitis. As a football coach, Aaron lives by the philosophy that building character holds equal importance to teaching X's and O's, if not more. Victory Day was developed as a vehicle to teach this virtue, as well as a way to give back to the community. What started out as an idea filled with uncertainty has since developed into a rapidly growing phenomenon as the program has already been adopted by various schools in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.
Video Recap
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University football team welcomed more than 200 cognitively and physically impaired community members to take part in its sixth annual EMU Victory Day, Thursday, May 23. Student-athletes, as well as the coaching staff, took part in an exciting event of football related activities at "The Factory" inside Rynearson Stadium, while the 204 participants were the most since the event began.
The day began as participants walked into the facility through a tunnel consisting of EMU football players and the cheer team. Following the national anthem, EMU Head Football Coach Chris Creighton joined participants for a welcome speech and a ceremonial coin toss to officially begin the football activities.
The participants split into 10 groups in which they went through individual drills and others took the field to compete in a game-like setting. On the drills side, stations consisted of throwing nets, agility bags, kicking, and much more.
Following the interactive opportunities, Creighton and the team presented each child with a medal before posing for a group photo and wrapping up the day by singing the EMU fight song. After singing alongside the athletes and cheerleaders, everyone involved congregated for a group photo before concluding the festivities with a luncheon inside the Convocation Center.
Victory Day was started in 2010 by Trenton teacher and varsity football defensive coordinator Aaron Segedi. Aaron, a native of Riverview, was diagnosed with cancer in 2005, which was brought on by a rare condition known as primary sclerosing cholangitis. As a football coach, Aaron lives by the philosophy that building character holds equal importance to teaching X's and O's, if not more. Victory Day was developed as a vehicle to teach this virtue, as well as a way to give back to the community. What started out as an idea filled with uncertainty has since developed into a rapidly growing phenomenon as the program has already been adopted by various schools in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.
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