Before we dig into our Thursday edition of Once #FAMILY Always #FAMILY, we want to give a big shout out to all our Titan Touchdown Club (TTC) volunteers who have helped, and continue to help, make the 2019 Stevenson Football season one to remember.
Did you know the TTC is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting parent & student involvement, enhancing the game day experience, supporting all three Titan football teams, and giving financial support for equipment, services, and facilities not covered by the school? We could not accomplish anything without the sacrifices made by our volunteers.
This past year, the TTC was responsible for organizing and implementing the 25th Annual Rick Bye Golf Outing, the 1st Annual Tastefest, Charity Mania, pasta dinner, team dinners, Titan apparel, and so much more! The TTC was able to purchase Guardian Caps for ALL Titan football players. Guardian caps fit over the players helmets and help reduce injuries involving the head. Additionally, the TTC has partnered with ATAVUS. ATAVUS is the world’s leading authority on tackle performance, analysis, and coaching technique. Many Division I college football teams partner with ATAVUS and Stevenson is proud to be one of the first high schools in the State of Michigan to partner with ATAVUS.
The Titan Touchdown Club is doing great things for our players, but we need your help. It takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a community to raise a football program! Help us make the Stevenson Titan football program the envy of the MAC Red. Consider donating today at: https://my.cheddarup.com/c/donations-45393
Don’t forget to visit our website at www.stevensontitansfootball.com to keep up to date on all the great events the TTC is offering and help support our Titan football teams! Also, take the time to give us a like on Facebook (@StevensonTitanFootball).
Ok! Let’s get to the REALLY fun stuff! We have some great alums to feature today. Let’s start off with an alum who graduated, not so long ago, and is already stamping his name into history! Titan Nation rise and give a big welcome to Tom “Tommy” Kambers!
Tom had the fortunate opportunity to play for Coach Frederick from 2011-2014. He was on the offensive line and wore number 71. A member of the TTC had the opportunity to watch Tom, grow up from a young child. He was their neighbor! Tom is a modest and humble man, so we are taking some liberties and filling in some of our observations because, somethings just need to be said!
Tom, during his youth and into his adulthood, has always been the most respectful and caring young man. You will often see him going over to younger kids in the neighborhood and helping them learn how to block, snap, and how to, simply, play football. He never passes anyone by without at least a wave or a friendly hello. We often see Tom leaving his home dressed in umpire gear as he ventures off to support youth sports. So, next time you want to yell at an umpire or referee keep Tom in mind or better yet, take a look at his photo and reconsider!
Tom’s participation in football and wrestling helped uncover a hidden love for weightlifting. Tom missed the competition he had playing sports after graduating from Stevenson. He got involved in power lifting. After numerous hours of training and competing, Tom holds multiple state power lifting records across multiple federations! He is currently working to qualify for the national level. GO TOM!
Tom’s favorite memory of playing football at Stevenson was all the time spent with his teammates and the hard practices. He loved the workout and the time spent together getting better. He says, “It formed a real brotherhood”.
Playing football for Stevenson taught Tom that if you want something bad enough, you need work ethic and discipline. You need this above all else to achieve what you desire! If Tom could go back to his playing days, he’d focus more on getting better outside the workouts. He’d pay more attention to his diet and recovery and attend more football camps.
We’ve asked all our alums this past week for any advice they’d like to share with the current Titan football players. Tom is no different and said, “I’d tell them just to keep working hard and enjoy it. It’ll be over before you know it, so appreciate all the little things about it. Even the parts that, right now, seem miserable, you’ll look back fondly on them. And remember, every member of the team is just as important as the other, so take pride in the fact you play for Stevenson!” WOW!
Thanks, Tom, for sharing with us! We’d love to see you this Friday as the Stevenson Titans look to CRUSH Ike!
Keep scrolling down for another Titan Alum!
Our second alum for today, was coached by Rick Bye in 2006 and 2007. This alum wore numbers 15 and 2 and as a linebacker, he smashed the competition on the defensive side of the ball. Back in 2006, the top Billboard song was "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter and in 2007, it was "Irreplaceable" by Beyonce. It seems like yesterday, but how quickly time passes. We sure are happy to hear from this great alum and all the cool things he has been up to since graduation.
The Titan Touchdown Club would like to welcome Jordan Belfiori for another segment of Once #FAMILY Always #FAMILY!
We might not see Jordan at the game this Friday, but it is for good reason. Jordan will be busy putting the final touches on a game plan for another football team located in New York. Jordan is an assistant coach for the Colgate Raiders, who will be kicking off on Saturday against Dartmouth.
Titan pride swells when we hear that Jordan was part of having the number one overall defense in college football for the 2018 season. Having the number one defense is a big deal and launched Jordan, and the Raiders, into the 2018 NCAA FCS quarter finals after winning the Patriot League Championship. Due to Jordan’s successes, he was selected to attend the NFL/NCAA coaches academy in February 2019. Stevenson has a history of placing players into the NFL but wouldn't it be cool if Stevenson could have a NFL coach? Keep up the good work Jordan and maybe you'll be the first!
When Jordan is done coaching for the day, he likes to spend some of his limited free time with his long-time girlfriend, Samantha Kloss. Samantha is also a Stevenson graduate! We can safely assume she is a HUGE Colgate Raider fan!
Jordan has many memories playing football for Coach Bye and the Stevenson Titans. Jordan loved the off-season workouts. He found much joy in his football workouts because it gave him an opportunity to train and compete against his teammates.
Jordan recalls lessons learned while playing for our Titans. Jordan has learned that being persistent, and sticking to the process is the biggest key to becoming great! He learned how to become a great leader and how to sacrifice his personal goals for the team’s success. In retrospect, Jordan wishes he had worked a little bit harder during his time at Stevenson. Hindsight is 20-20, and we couldn't be more proud of Jordan and how hard he has worked.
Jordan has some advice for the current Titan players. He states, “Just when you think you’ve given it your all, you still have more to give! Team success is 100 times more fulfilling than individual success. Strive to be the best teammate you can be”.
Thanks, Jordan, for taking the time out and sharing your story with us! Plan to stop by soon! We'd love to see you!
GO RAIDERS! CRUSH DARTMOUTH
GO TITANS! CRUSH IKE!
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