Fresno State Athletics
Bulldogs Visit Pearl Harbor
12/21/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
By: Matt Burkholder
mburkholder@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
HONOLULU - Between preparation for the Hawai'i Bowl, great food and sandy beaches, members of the Fresno State football team got the chance to visit Pearl Harbor following its second practice on Sunday leading up to its Christmas Eve game against the Rice Owls.
"Dec. 7 - a date that will which live in infamy," were famous words spoken by former United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt following the attacks on Pearl Harbor. The Bulldog football team had the opportunity to really understand what that meant, and what all took place on that date with a 75-minute program that consisted of a film and boat trip to the site of the memorial for the USS Arizona.
"This was really the first time I learned about everything," said senior safety Rodney Mathews. "Being able to watch that video, learn more about the history of it and at the same go on the boat and visit the site was an amazing and very eye-opening experience.
"It was just crazy how you could still smell the oil from the ship, thinking about all the bodies of all the men who served. It was a pretty amazing experience. I'm glad that we got to come. I really enjoyed it."
Sunday's visit also touched graduate assistant coach Overton Spence, Jr., a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy who spent the last eight years as an active procurement officer in the Air Force before joining the Fresno State coaching staff in November.
"All these types of events where you get to remember that freedom isn't free I think is great," said Spence. "It's great character building stuff, it's great to honor and respect the sacrifice that these guys made to give us the freedom that we enjoy."
Spence also added that the afternoon visit between practice and the upcoming evening's Hawai'i Bowl Beach Party BBQ was a good reminder to the players to really appreciate the freedoms they have.
"We are out here in paradise, its good to kind of balance it out with `how did we get to where we are right now'," Spence said. "It's the men and women that sacrificed to give us the freedoms that we have right now."
The Bulldogs will have two more practice days ahead of them before the Hawai'i Bowl on Christmas Eve against Rice. The Hawai'i Bowl is set to kick off at 5 p.m. Pacific on ESPN.
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