Cyclone football Victory Day made its reappearance for the first time since COVID-19 shut down most football operations. The event’s impact was clear from the start as smiles stretched across every face on the field throughout the night.

The Victory Day on Friday made an appearance for the fifth season under head coach Matt Campbell’s guidance. The event has become a cornerstone of Iowa State football and allows the team to give back to the community before the season begins.

The main goal of the event is to help kids with disabilities live out their dreams of playing football at Jack Trice Stadium. By the smiles on their faces, it was clear that it achieved just that.

The players also got the chance to connect with each of the kids and make their nights. It was easy to see that the event meant a lot to everyone involved.

“This night was awesome. It was really awesome,” Anthony Johnson Jr. said. “This is one of my favorite things that we get to do.”

The event kicked off as each kid was introduced and had the opportunity to run down the field hand-in-hand with the football players. Every member of the marching band was there, setting the tone as everyone cheered on the young athletes.

After everyone was introduced, the kids split off to compete in various drills and score touchdowns with the team. The team lined up across from each other to simulate a real game experience, and the kids were rewarded with the band playing the fight song after their touchdown.

Victory Day’s importance was clear, as many of the kids in attendance won’t have the chance to play football. 

“Man, we’re playing a game, and some young people never have the opportunity to play this,” Campbell said.

Helping them achieve the impossible meant a lot to the kids and the football players. The players made it clear that they wanted to give back and help those around them.

The ability to help others and take the focus off themselves is something that Campbell has instilled in his players. It’s easy to get lost in the limelight and focus too much on being a great football player instead of working on being a great person.

Campbell said he wanted to teach his players that they aren’t just football players; they are human beings. With everything going on in a young person’s life and their own struggles to deal with, it can be hard to make time for others.

Victory Day did a great job of allowing the players to help others.

“We’re going 100 miles per hour, and sometimes we might forget to appreciate the things that we do have, and doing an event like this where we get to give back to kids who won’t have the opportunity to play football,” Jirehl Brock said. “You know it brings a smile to our faces and more, a smile to theirs.”

At the end of the day, the memory of the night will live on in the minds of the kids who attended and the players who were involved. Stories were made all across the field.

Kids were letting off steam in the tackling drills and sacking young men who were three times their size. Others were throwing and catching footballs with some of the talented young receivers.

One kid even got to design his own play alongside Campbell, where he caught a pass in the endzone from Brock. The players’ and the coaches’ attentiveness and availability were impressive, as each kid was able to get an individualized experience.

“It was special again because if you know me, man, helping other people, that’s what I’m all about,” Johnson said.

Johnson also made a special connection with one of the kids at the event. Because of the pandemic, Johnson’s only other Victory Day experience was during his freshman year.

Of course, he still remembers that day and the kids he was able to hang out with. One kid he remembered from the last event when he was a freshman was at Victory Day this year, and he had a great reunion with her.

A smile stretched wide across Johnson’s face as he talked about how she called out to him, making his night as he saw a familiar face. The whole experience was “indescribable” to him.

Every player was beaming about the event, and anyone could tell how much it meant to them.

“Never take anything for granted because this sport that we get to play in front of these fans and go to this school, you know a lot of people dream of that,” Brock said.

Most people won’t be able to see their dream come true, but Victory Day allowed all the kids to live out their dreams. The night ended with an award ceremony where every kid was awarded a gold medal for their performances throughout the day.

A perfect end to a perfect day.

With just one week until the start of the football season, the event was a great chance of pace from the grind of the fall camp.

“What makes this place still really special is you can make a difference, and tonight you got to watch our kids make a difference,” Campbell said. “At the end of the day, we all want to win, we all want to have great success, but there’s no greater impact you can have in life than making a difference in the lives of others.”