Southeastern Louisiana Dedicates Football Season to 'Children of the Gulf'
By John Lenz, The Hammond Daily Star
Thursday, August 19, 2010
If there was any doubt about whether the Southeastern football team was doing the right thing by giving up its day off Sunday to travel to hurricane- and oil spill-stricken Plaquemines Parish, the tears in Parish President Billy Nungesser's eyes erased all of that.
To kick off a football season the Lions are dedicating to the "Children of the Gulf," the Lions loaded up the bus and visited Buras on Sunday, attending church services in the morning at Trinity United Methodist Church - Lions senior nose tackle Devin Boutwell's home church - before having lunch and holding an autograph session for the local youth at nearby Buras Auditorium.
There, Nungesser spoke for 45 minutes, showing the Lions photos detailing the ravages of the oil spill - oiled pelicans, polluted marshes, etc. - and displaying his gratitude for the Lions' efforts in the most poignent way possible.
"He actually shed tears," said Lions head coach Mike Lucas. "He was so touched that we came down there to spend the time and that we were dedicating our season to his people. He was really touched, and our players, I think it was an eye-opening experience for them to see what's really going on down there."
It was a thrill for Boutwell, too, to be back among his people and to show his teammates the reality of life in Buras right now.
"I was born and raised in that church," Boutwell said. "After Katrina I wasn't able to go to it. All the guys got to see how Katrina really ravaged that area and how the oil spill affected it. The church has no pews, just chairs and wooden benches made from scrap. The church trip, I think, really opened our eyes to see how fortunate we are here.
"Over the years - I've been here so long now - I've had about 12 (teammates) come down with me to fish and hunt. But to have the whole team come down was really special to me."
It was even more special to the local residents - especially the kids.
"You could see as soon as we walked in, the little kids, immediately they just started glowing," Boutwell said. "You could tell it meant a lot. All the adults took us in with caring hands. My mom was super excited."
Boutwell was one of three Lions who made the trip who hail from Plaquemines Parish, along with David Durden of Port Sulphur and Raphael Garrison of Belle Chasse. But 60 Lions come from the Gulf Coast from Houston to Mobile and are truly "Children of the Gulf'.
"I think we accomplished more (than we hoped)," Lucas said. "Especially for our kids. Even as we were getting off the bus, the kids were amazed at all the still devastation from Katrina. Those kids had never been down there before and they were telling me, 'Coach, we had no idea it was still like this.' And the church service was just fantastic - just a little hometown church. The people were so great. To listen to the people talk about everything they were going through, it really had an impact."
Lucas is hoping the Southeastern community will rally to the cause. The football team will be selling "Children of the Gulf" T-Shirts throughout the season for $10, with all proceeds going to the Committee for Plaquemines Relief to help families in the parish that are suffering.
"It's just a way for us to give back," Lucas said. "We are the university that represents those people, and we want to let those folks know that we really do care about them. The more of them we sell, the more that we can donate down there to those folks."
To order or for more information, call the Athletic Department at (985) 549-2395.