Bowie, Md. - As the Bowie State University Bulldogs Football team prepares for their upcoming home opener against the Livingstone Bears, they were reminded of the theme being, "Military Appreciation Day".  Steven Henry; a former United States Marine and colleague of Bulldogs Character Development Coordinator M. Burton Cornish, Jr. (Army Veteran), visited Bulldogs Stadium to observe practice and immediately met Coach Arthur Thomas; Vietnam Veteran and Administrative Operations Assistant for the team.  As a current Veteran Advocate for the American Legion, Henry shared Thomas' sentiments on the importance and pride of serving their country as members of the Armed Forces.  PHOTOS

Upon meeting Henry, Head Coach Damon Wilson instantly said that he noticed Henry's huge stature on the sidelines as he stands well over six feet and laughed as he asked, "do you have any eligibility left because we could use your height on the defensive line".  Henry stated that he definitely missed his days on the field as a collegiate football player and the camaraderie.
 
When addressing the team, Henry highlighted the Bulldog's current record of 2-1 and that their only loss was by a slim margin but in no means meant they are defeated.  His examples of discipline, commitment and the will to succeed when many said "you aren't good enough" were highlights of his story as someone who had never played football at any level before gaining over 40 pounds of muscle mass to walk-on at the University of Kansas.
 
Lamenting that his time as a Kansas Jayhawk football player was cut short due to injury, he then recanted to those on the team battling injuries that they are minor set-backs and should be fuel to be even better as everything happens for a reason and a delay never means denial.  He concluded his remarks by commenting on the season's theme of, "Master the things that require no talent" that was presented as a challenge during training camp by Defensive Coordinator Antone' Sewell before being presented a "Bulldogs Under Construction" t-shirt by Coach Wilson and Captains Anthony McDaniel and Justin Nestor. Though he won't suit up with the Bulldogs on Saturday, he assured us he will be rooting for a victory.

Bowie State willplay its home and conference opener on Saturday, September 26th vs. Livingstone College. Kickoff is set for 6 pm in Bulldogs Stadium.