Tyler Junior College football enlists workout help from the U.S. Marine Corps

Published 5:41 pm Friday, July 9, 2021

The annual football game between Tyler Junior College and Kilgore College is historic in East Texas, but over the years has made national headlines.

This year, the 127th meeting (Tyler leads the series, 63-61-2) will be Military Appreciation Night when the teams kick off at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 4.

To prepare for the game, Tyler Junior College head coach Thomas Rocco enlisted guests at practice Friday: The United States Marine Corps.

Summer workouts for the Tyler Junior College football team are broken into several phases. Friday at 6:0 a.m. was the final day for the second camp.

Instead of a light workout, the players were greeted by U.S. Marines.

Rocco contacted Marines Gunnery Sgt. Richard Eadie in Tyler who is the station commander in Tyler at the U.S. Marines Corps Recruiting Center.

Only two of the six Marines played football, and the football players were not Marines. The training served two purposes, the players took part in training they had never experienced, and the Marines completed a semi-annual fitness requirement.

The football field was filled with yelling of encouragement as players were carrying each other and Marines down the field and going through a fast-paced obstacle course that involved running, weights and push ups.

“We were brainstorming months ago, trying to get creative, get these guys an experience that would be valuable now and later,” Rocco said. “The Marines have a good reputation. When we talk to young people they talk about idolizing sports athletes, entertainers and rappers, but there is a different ball game, too — the military.”

The day was so successful, the players and the Marines will do it again on August 6.

After the workout, the players and Marines shook hands and posed for photos. They will both have another photo opportunity — in full uniform — on Military Appreciation Night.

“The Marines are helping us widen the reach with other branches of the military,” Rocco said. “This is not going to be a conference game, but it’s bigger than that, it’s a rivalry.”

Tyler Junior College Athletic Director Kevin Vest is also working on another military-themed game when TJC hosts Navarro College on 9/11 at 7 p.m.

Rocco was pleased with the first meeting between the Marines and the football team.

“It was more than football, the Marines had to respond to trying to lead a different group of guys than they are used to and our players had to respond to someone different than coaches,” Rocco said. “I thought it went well, they got used to us and the way we do things … It was well-received, but hard, physically.”

Rocco said the team went through the combat fitness test. It wasn’t a long test and at first, the players thought it would be easy.

“They said, ‘Man this ain’t gonna be hard, we do all sorts of stuff.’ Then it hit them in the mouth,” Rocco said. “A lot of players were gassed, I don’t think they thought it would be that hard, but they had fun. They like to do physical stuff.”

The Marines gave motivational speeches as well.

“Hopefully it’s a relationship that will continue as long as we are here,” Rocco added.

For Sgt. Eadie, it’s another chance to get involved in the community. His office is in the Brookside Village (near Chili’s) at 535 W SW Loop 323 in Tyler.

“I was excited. We like to do community outreach and involvement as much as we can. Anytime we are called to work with kids, we jump at the opportunity, Sgt. Eadie said. “This is a semi-annual requirement for us. He wanted me to come up with a good workout that will challenge them. This is the best we can do, it’s a short workout, but it’s physically intense. Anytime we get to workout, it makes us smile.”

When asked if the Marines were ready to lead a football team, Sgt. Eadie laughed and said, “They were born ready.”

Sgt. Eadie was impressed with the linemen who went through the intense maneuver course that he said uses every muscle in the body. He also said he can’t wait to attend the Military Appreciation Night against Kilgore College, which also features the halftime performances between the TJC Apache Belles and Kilgore College’s Rangerettes.

“Coach Rocco kept praising my guys and they are known for bringing it when it’s time to show out,” Sgt. Eadie said. “We bring in people of all shapes and sizes into the Marines, some have never played a sport in their lives. As long as they meet the minimum standards, we will work with them the rest of the way.”

The local recruiting office has three college students as well.

“I have a young man who attended TJC who is in boot camp, another student from UT Tyler is in reserves and we have a Stephen F. Austin grad with a bachelor degree who is going to recruit training in November,” Sgt. Eadie said. “The SFA grad wants to be a forensic scientist. She will get experience in the Marines and her school. They also have veterans preference. If you are applying for a government or law enforcement job, it gives points over anyone else.”

He added, “We get a lot of college students, most are community college students who see the benefits. A college student can get extra college paid for, added military benefits, and a good way to accelerate into their career of choice.”

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