The Whitewater Warhawks football team has had many players from the past and present that have had amazing stories on how they have made it this far.
Most players have started playing football at a very young age.
Whitewater Warhawks Junior, wide receiver and physical education major Tommy Coates has played football since he was in the third grade.
Coates was inspired to play football by both his father and his cousin. He has watched his cousin played football when he was younger and always wanted to step in and join.
Coates attended De La Salle Institute, which is a private catholic high school located in Chicago, Illinois and during his time there, he would also play both basketball and baseball.
Coates never thought that he would be playing for the Whitewater Warhawks.
“I actually went to a different school my freshmen year,” Coates said. “I went to North Central and then I ended up transferring to Whitewater and I never thought that I would be playing for the Whitewater Warhawks.”
Coates has faced a couple of big challenges as part of the Warhawks roster.
“Coming in you got to go through a whole new playbook and you got to learn everybody new and like I said everything is all brand new,” he said. “It’s really hard at first, but it will get easier as the season goes on knowing a new playbook and making new friends on the team.”
Coates has accomplished a few things during his time playing for the Warhawks like scoring six touchdowns, including a game winning touchdown against the Mary Hardin Baylor Crusaders.
He hopes to keep playing football in the future and dreams of playing for the Chicago Bears.
This Saturday, Oct. 14, the Warhawks face their biggest game of the season as they on the River Falls Falcons, who are ranked number one overall in offense and defense.
Coates is hoping they can bounce back and win this Saturday to keep their playoff hopes alive after suffering a heartbreaking loss last Saturday against the La Crosse Eagles.
“We’ll just go on field tomorrow and fix our mistakes,” he said. “Everybody is positive and we all know how good we are. We all know what we can do.”
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