Will Carter is a Mass Communications student at Chabot College, and while he doesn’t currently plan to continue football, he has a lot of respect for the game and the people who helped him learn and grow.

“Will showed me a picture of how he looked in high school, he was a heavyset little kid, I couldn’t believe it, even from when he got to Chabot he’s changed his body, but I guess he already made some big changes to his body during high school too. He was there for the voluntary stuff and worked hard for himself and his teammates,” said head football coach at Chabot College, Eric Fanene.

“Getting into a sport is a leap of faith, you don’t know if you’re gonna like something unless you try it. I had no intention of getting into football, but a couple of my friends were trying out and said I should join, and I felt like, What? Football? I don’t have no business playing football, but 6 years later, I was still at it,” said Carter.

Carter said he feels everything he is today is due to football, “It’s taught me a lot of things, like time management, ethics, accountability. It’s helped me grow in so many ways that I can’t even explain.”

“One thing I really praise coach Fanene for is he always gives you a reason for doing what you’re doing. Over time you’ll start to realize the work is actually paying off. We’re working so we get faster, so we get stronger, and build a better relationship with each other, and within ourselves. I appreciate the method to the madness of football,” Carter said.

Carter isn’t the only one who praises football’s methods. Evan Tucker wrote in his blog last year that football made him a better teacher. Oddly enough, while part of it is the team goal of winning, Tucker said an even more significant part is learning how to accept defeat.

“Having to do that time and time again made me able to accept struggle in life, and it made me a better learner. I think it made me a better middle school teacher, too.” Tucker wrote.

Will’s father wasn’t around when he was in high school, but he said the regimen, the integrity and effort football expected of him, helped him learn life lessons that he would have expected to learn from his dad. In that way, football was a replacement father figure, and he is grateful for that experience.

Football students are expected to spend time in classes to watch films, and learn football theory. They must also spend significant time in the weight room, for conditioning and plyometrics, and any other exercise needed for the position you’ll play on the field.