Arik Armstead's academic project gifts Sacramento father-son duo Super Bowl tickets
SACRAMENTO — A Sacramento elementary school student received the surprise of a lifetime after receiving tickets to the Super Bowl.
It's an amazing surprise that leads back to a Sacramento County native and 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead.
Armstead, an alum of Elk Grove's Pleasant Grove High School, had a fumble recovery in San Francisco's NFC Championship victory on Sunday, but his biggest contribution of the night came off the field.
His academic project gave two Sacramento residents – fourth grader Adrian McIntyre and his dad, Joel Gallardo – a trip to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas to watch San Francisco take on the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs.
"Adrian surfaced on that list and he's a huge 49ers fan, so we were pleased to be able to give him that surprise," Aila Malik said.
Malik helps run the Armstead Academic Project.
"Commissioner Goodell has been known to do surprises for Walter Payton Man of the Year nominees, and we were just very lucky that the NFL wanted to honor Arik's work in this way," Malik said.
For Armstead, it's all about representing his home.
"Being here, being in the bay, having my family close by has been a blessing for nine years," Armstead said.
This is his fourth year being nominated for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award. It's a nomination that Malik hopes he wins this year.
"So Arik is making a difference across the continuum of youth, across the Bay Area, and he is so humble and so dedicated to community impact," Malik said.
Meanwhile, Armstead also looks toward holding a Lombardi trophy in a couple of weeks.
"Looking back on our journey, on all the ups and downs and getting back to this point, it's an amazing feeling," he said.
The Man of the Year honor will be presented during Super Bowl week in Las Vegas
