Miami Edison Senior High gets surprise visit from Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa
LITTLE HAITI - The Miami Edison Senior High School football field was on fire Tuesday afternoon, not only because of the oppressive heat, but because they received a surprise visit from The Miami Dolphin's superstar quarterback Tua Tagovailoa who had inspiring words for both the boys' football team and the girls' flag football team.
"I think the biggest thing is listening to the people that matter... really listening to your grandparents, your parents. If it's not your parents, it's your uncles, your aunts. If it not them, then it's somebody you can look up to."
Tagovailoa said to the students.
Thanks to Tua's partnership with Gatorade's Equity in Sports and Good Sports, Miami Edison Senior High School's athletic department will be receiving approximately $65,000 worth of new sporting equipment and uniforms to benefit the boys and girls' sports programs and there's more.
"It's a really awesome program in partnership with UP 2 US Sports providing coaches for the school year for Miami-Dade School District and their sports teams so they will be supporting them throughout the school year," said Christyn Olupona, Gatorade's South Florida Marketing Director.
The Miami Dolphins quarterback was honorary coach for the day spending time with both the boys and the girls, something he knows is important.
"It's really special. This is something I always dream about growing up, being a professional pro football player and being able to make an impact for communities and being able to give back," said Tua." For me to be able to come out here while I'm still living my dream is very cool."
That's also not lost on Miami Edison's real coach, Luther Campbell.
"These kids, a lot of them, come from single-parent households and when he talked about family and just any mention of family means a whole lot to these young men and young ladies," Campbell said.
As for the young athletes, it's a day they won't soon forget.
"That means a lot because I sit back and watch him on the big screen TV on Sunday nights and I wish I was in his space spot right now," said junior linebacker Danny Vamper.
"I feel like you know he came and he's showing us and giving us a chance that we could really be like him in the future. He inspired me to play harder and work harder," said female flag football player Shalomiyth Israel.
"You know, this is Edison. We don't really get looked at like others and stuff like that. So, an NFL player to come out here and look at us and work with us, is really showing us, we can come out on top." said athlete Camille Candidate.