(Video above: Piedmont High School’s football team receives a gift they’ll never forget)
PIEDMONT, Ala. — FieldTurf is an artificial turf company that strives to make the most realistic artificial playing surfaces in sports, but what the company did for the football team at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Alabama shows they’re about more than making turf.
Piedmont, home to about 5,000 Alabamians, is a typical small town in many ways. Like so many of Alabama’s small communities, the local school is the center of the town. They rally under the Friday night lights at the high school’s football stadium during the fall, the coach is a local celebrity who is looked up to by many, and being called a Piedmont Bulldog is a point of pride.
“Like a lot of small southern towns we’re seen as dying at some point and our goal is to give kids an opportunity and we think athletics is a big part of that. It teaches them a lot of the skills they’re going to need in life,” said Piedmont City Schools superintendent Matt Akin.
“About a decade ago I was fortunate enough to hire Steve Smith to come in and basically rebuild our program, and he’s certainly done that,” Akin said. “But he’s more than rebuilt our program, our school district, our goal is really to rebuild our community.”
Since he was hired as Piedmont’s head football coach and athletic director, Coach Steve Smith has a record of 93-20, including three undefeated seasons.
To thank Coach Smith for his contributions to Piedmont, FieldTurf decided surprise the team with some much needed updates.
“When the idea of doing something to give back to one of our football programs was presented to me there was no one better than Coach Smith,” said FieldTurf representative Jamie McDonald. “The impression that he’s left on everyone in our organization and everyone he’s met, his dedication his loyalty, his commitment to the program, to his players, and his community came through, so it was a perfect fit for us to give back.”
Without letting Coach Smith or any of the players in on it, FieldTurf snuck in and remodeled the Bulldogs’ locker room and outfitted each player with a brand new Under Armor uniform and helmet.
Watch the video above to see the whole story and watch the players’ and coaches’ heartwarming reactions.
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— Elizabeth BeShears (@LizEBeesh) January 21, 2015
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