Select students rewarded with visit
Posted on Wednesday, May 14, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/brog/Sports/60239/
ROGERS — Former Rogers football standout Lee Ziemba doesn’t get to come home from Auburn, Ala., very much these days.
With the demands of being a starting offensive tackle in the Southeastern Conference and a 12-hour roadtrip between the two towns, the opportunities are few and far between.
Ziemba, a 6-foot-7, 288-pound All-SEC and All-America freshman for Auburn last year, is grateful for whenever they do come.
“ It’s a great feeling being home, ” Ziemba said Tuesday after spending the lunch hour at Westside Elementary where he visited with several select students. “ I feel right at home. Nothing’s really changed. The city has gotten a little bigger, the roads are a little different, Rogers is growing like a weed, but it’s still home. It’s real nice to be here. ”
Ziemba, a 2007 RHS graduate and Parade All-American, and Rogers offensive line coach Rob Bray were invited to come speak to a handful of accelerated reading students, who were being rewarded for their achievements over the last several months, according to Westside teacher Jade House.
Before Ziemba and Bray arrived at the school, fourth-grader Alex Coffin asked classmate Ryan Smith, “ Do you think (Ziemba ) could beat Darren McFadden ?”
Smith responded, “ If he goes pro, he could possibly be on the same team as McFadden” to which Coffin answered, “ That’s so wicked !”
Ziemba and Bray arrived carrying blue Mountie footballs and gave some tips to the students.
“ I remember ever since I was your age my dad told me that education was real important, ” Ziemba told them. “ Talent can only take you so far but an education will carry you for the rest of your life. That’s why it’s important to pay attention to your teacher. ”
A student asked Ziemba how he could grow up to be like him and he gave four specific tips: Follow directions, work very hard, be able to read and keep being a good person.
“(Ziemba ) understands that he’s making a difference in kids’ lives, ” said Bray, whose mother Monica Bray is a teacher at Westside. “ He wants to be a coach someday, too. Making a difference is a big thing for him. I’m glad he’s got the opportunity to come over here and do that. ”
After a brief Q & A period, the group went outside to throw the footballs and got a surprise visit from former Rogers quarterback Cody Kirby, who threw some tight spiral passes as well.
Kirby, a record-setting quarterback at Rogers in 2006, went on to start for Missouri State and earned the Gateway Football Conference’s Freshman of the Year award.
“ It was a good experience, ” Kirby said of his freshman year. “ I didn’t really know what to expect going in. I was just going to work hard at it. I was fortunate to be able to get to start. ” Kirby said he’ll be in the area for the next two weeks before returning to Missouri State for summer school and conditioning. Ziemba said he’ll be in town for another week before heading back to Auburn.
• • • Ziemba started at right tackle for the Tigers in 2007 but moved to left tackle in the spring. He played both sides of the line at Rogers but was mainly used at left tackle. “ It’s very rewarding, ” Bray said of watching Ziemba succeed. “ He’s down to earth. He’s got his act together pretty well and that’s a tribute to his family and the upbringing he’s had. ” Ziemba said playing in the SEC last year was a new experience every week. He expects the same this year. “ It’s a challenge, ” he said. “ I had challenges in high school. It was a new challenge every week. Sometimes I got beat, sometimes I did well. ”
• • • A Westside student asked Ziemba what NFL team he would like to play for one day. Ziemba responded, “ I don’t care, as long as I get to go (to the league ). ” Ziemba said that since moving to Auburn, he has become a fan of all teams in the Atlanta area, which is a short drive from Auburn. “ Atlanta’s like an hour and a half away and that’s when I really started keeping up with their teams, ” Ziemba said. “ I keep up with the Hawks (NBA ), the Thrashers (NHL ), the Falcons (NFL ) and the Braves (MLB ). ” Asked what he thought about former Falcons coach Bobby Petrino becoming the head coach at Arkansas, Ziemba admitted, “ It was a little strange. ”