The Florida A&M Rattlers have named Trayvon Martin's father an honorary captain after a moving speech he gave the team on Sunday, coach Earl Holmes told the Orlando Sentinel.
Tracy Martin will perform the pregame coin toss for FAMU's season opener against Mississippi Valley State on Sept. 1, as part of the honors, the Orlando newspaper reported.
"[We] talked and I told him I'd love him to talk to the team," Holmes said. "He came out and he was very, very encouraging. ...
"[He] got a standing ovation from our guys. He talked about just persevering and told the guys to keep on pushing through the hard times. The message he shared with the kids was very positive and they were very responsive."
Holmes said his players were inspired by Martin's speech.
"He had some inspiring words and the guys played off of that," Holmes said, according to the Sentinel. "And we're going to keep pushing for him and his foundation. He'll be an honorary captain for us this year and he's welcome anytime."
Trayvon Martin, 17, was shot to death on Feb. 26, 2012, as he was returning to a gated community in Sanford, Fla. Jurors found George Zimmerman not guilty last month of second-degree murder.
Tracy Martin has started a charity in the wake of his son's death.
"I think what he's doing with the foundation is big and it speaks volumes, and I want the football team and FAMU Nation to be part of that," Holmes said.
Courtesy of ESPN:
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/...
Posted By: Reginald Culpepper
Tuesday, August 13th 2013 at 3:43PM
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