Long Island's  Joe Finger

Joe Finger of East Islip was ready and willing when the phone call came to invite him to play in the 2004 Outback Steakhouse Empire Challenge.  It was a phone call he’d been waiting on since the 9^th grade.

 “I’ve wanted to play in this game since I was in 9^th grade,” Finger said. “I went to the game that year because there was a player from our school in the game.  It was awesome to see and I always wanted to be a part of it. I was hoping that I had done enough to be asked to play, I would say that I was confident that the chance would be there. But it was still a thrill to get the call and be invited,” he recalled.

While the game is an exhibition smack in the middle of the nation’s summer vacation season, Finger knows the atmosphere on the field will hardly be laid back.

“It’s true that my body might be thinking it’s only July, but this is a chance to play one more game of football. There are only 50 of us on each side who get this chance,” he noted. “Any time you get a chance to play football, no matter what time of year it is, you get excited and motivated. You appreciate every chance you get to play.”

The festive atmosphere is something Finger looks forward to, but knows that the time will come to place the trappings aside and get back to matters at hand.

“There are so many great things that take place around the game, and there is nothing wrong with us being a little spoiled by some of the things we get to do when we are not practicing. But when the pads come on, you know the other guys will be coming to play, so you can’t hold back. You have to go all out. Any time you play any game, you want to win,” he stated.

Finger will play this fall at C.W. Post, and the Pioneers are well-represented in the game with a total of 10 players on the roster, including eight on the Long Island team. Finger met some while playing against each other in high school and a few others during his recruiting visit to the campus. “They seem like good guys, and this gives us more time to get to know each other before the fall,” he noted.

After watching high profile athletes lend their time and efforts for worthy causes, Finger now finds himself in a position to help the Esiason Foundation’s efforts by playing a game of football. It’s an opportunity he cherishes.

“I thank God that no one I personally know has been affected by CF,” Finger said. “But the chance to be a part of an effort that can raise so much money for what Boomer is doing is almost as good as getting the chance to play.  Just by being good players, we can have an impact.  That’s a good feeling, having a chance to help,” he added.