| By Kevin Adler The Empire
Challenge all-star football game has always been a
patriotic event, with appearances by the Huntington
Militia and the U.S. Marine Corps. Color Guard, and a
fireworks display. This year, those themes took on an
added meaning, as they came nearly ten months after the
tragic events of September 11.
For the Boomer Esiason Foundation and Esiason himself,
handling this issue was a tricky matter. �We were affected
by September 11, losing many, many personal friends and
supporters in the World Trade Center as well as having our
offices destroyed,� said Esiason. �We need to recognize
this and in fact never forget it. But this game is a
celebration of our future and of the good things in life.�
The Foundation memorialized the contributions of one of
the victims of the bombing, Timothy O�Brien, by renaming
the award for the most valuable player of the winning team
as the Tim O�Brien Trophy. �Tim loved sports and was one
of my best friends,� Esiason told the crowd as he gave
defensive back Jeff Dena the O�Brien Trophy. �Tim was with
us at the Empire Challenge game right from the start.�
Pre-game festivities also commemorated America and
America�s armed forces. In addition to the color guard and
parachutists, the players and coaches from both teams
unfurled a 50-yard-long American flag and held it open for
the singing of the national anthem. �The flag was quite a
sight,� said Esiason.
The coaches of both teams remarked that their approach
to football and the Empire Challenge was affected by
September 11. �When the World Trade Centers were attacked,
we canceled a week of football and didn�t play a game
until October,� said New York City coach Fred Snyder. �As
I thought about things during that week, football seemed
so trivial. But then I realized that in many ways, it�s
not trivial. Football is part of life, especially for
these kids. And it�s important to get them out there and
get their lives going again.�
Working together as a coaching staff and as players
also helps close some of the wounds from September 11,
said Long Island coach Keith Sachs. �The game is a lot of
fun, and it�s quite a challenge to build a team in nine
days,� he said. �I�m very proud of the way that we got
better as a team and a coaching staff every single day.�
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