Joey big man on campus -- again

October 2004

Harrington visits Trillium Academy October 27, 2004 BY GEORGE SIPPLE FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER Joey Harrington completed more passes in one hour Tuesday than he ever has in a game for the Lions. During an assembly for children in grades 6-8 at Trillium Performing Arts Academy in Taylor, Harrington threw passes to about 75 students. All but a few made perfect catches. Harrington went to Trillium as part of the NFL's Take a Player to School program. Seventh-grader Kyle Dubrul, 12, filled out the winning entry at the JC Penney store at Southland Mall. Harrington picked Dubrul up for school in a limo and autographed a Lions cap and jersey for him. "You could tell he was a little nervous," Harrington said. "That's OK. I probably would have been the same way." Harrington, 26, spoke to the kids, answered questions, threw passes and then played the piano in his 90-minute visit. "Any time you go and speak to a group of kids, you hope you can impress upon them something you may have learned along the way," Harrington said. "Today, I wanted to impress upon them the importance of working hard and the importance of doing a lot of activities, no matter what it is: sports, music, math, science. "The reality is you have a bunch of squirrels sitting up in the front, who aren't always paying attention. If you can just give them something to remember, just a positive image of the Detroit Lions, that's well worth it." The memory many will have is catching a pass from an NFL quarterback. Harrington was supposed to throw to a handful of students because of time constraints, but he told the school's staff he wanted to throw to everyone. That was a relief to principal Angela Romanowski. "I really didn't want to pick only 10 students," she said. "By him opening up and saying 'No, I'll take the time. I'll do it for everybody,' everybody felt important." One student asked Harrington who his role model was growing up, and he replied: his father. "There are a lot of other people, especially in this building -- teachers, the principal -- that can have such an impact on these kids," Harrington said later. "I guess sports has become such a big priority in America, hopefully we can have that kind of influence as well." The students asked Harrington a range of questions, everything from his favorite college --"Oregon"-- to his favorite animal -- "a lion and a duck." Oregon is his alma mater, and the school's mascot is a duck. Harrington also was asked about the most exciting thing that has happened to him. "You mean besides coming here this morning?" he said. "Well there's a couple, because I'm not the kind of guy who's all football. There's a lot of other things I enjoy. "In sports, it was probably either getting drafted by Detroit or winning the Fiesta Bowl in college." Outside of sports, a highlight was graduating from college. "Walking across the stage and seeing my parents in the crowd," Harrington said. Another student asked him what it's like to be a football player. "It's fun," he said. "I get to play a game. It's just like I'm out at recess, playing football with the guys. It's a lot of fun. "You stay in school, and when you get out you're supposed to have your job, your career. I get to play a sport." Dubrul and 15 classmates also filmed an announcement with Harrington that will be shown during the Lions-Colts telecast on Thanksgiving Day. "You're going to be so popular by the end of the day," seventh-grader Alexandra Ridley told Dubrul. When Harrington got out of the limo, "my stomach dropped," said Dubrul, who had trouble sleeping the night before. But he found out Harrington was a regular guy. "I was shocked that he was nice," said Dubrul, who introduced Harrington to his mother, Debra; older sister, Deanna McCall; and uncle, Ernie Combs. "A lot of football players are stuck up. He wasn't like that. He was real nice and cool to me." NOTEBOOK: Lions defensive tackle Shaun Rogers was named NFC defensive player of the week for his role in the team's 28-13 victory over the New York Giants. Rogers made five tackles, including a sack, and deflected a pass. He is tied for the NFL sack lead among defensive tackles with four.
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