Former NFL Players Bait Hooks, Catch Smiles at Houston Area Youth Fishing Event

Galveston, Texas—More than 100 anglers and their families joined a dozen retired NFL players and other volunteers at Galveston Bay State Park on Saturday, March 30, for a day of surf fishing and beach time.

The Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) joined Texas native and former Kansas City Chiefs fullback Kimble Anders and other members of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) Houston Chapter, Running Back Giving Back Foundation, and Texas Parks and Wildlife to provide a free, community-based event. All the youth anglers received a free fishing rod and reel to take home at the USA’s first-ever NFLPA-led Take Kids Fishing event.

With sunshine, temperatures reaching the upper 70s, and a light breeze, the waves were still pretty rough, said Kyle O’Haver, superintendent of Galveston Island State Park. Even so, participants caught a few hardhead catfish and whiting using cut squid and mullet for bait.

“As a park manager, it’s pretty exciting to partner with NFL greats like Kimble Anders,” said O’Haver. “More importantly, we had a beautiful beach day for the kids.”

“The kids didn’t care about the surf. They were just happy to play at the beach,” said LaChelle (LJ) Jackson, a community affairs specialist who works with current and retired professional athletes to organize events like this. She took her six-year-old niece who had a blast. “I’ve been getting calls all week about when we’re doing another one,” added Jackson.

Fishing can generate an appetite, and the event had that covered, too. Captain James “Smokie” Philips donated food and drinks, and a local Little Caesar’s donated more than two dozen pizzas for the day.

Participants at the USA’s First Houston Area Take Kids Fishing Day caught a few hardhead catfish and whiting.

Even though the event was over Easter weekend, there was a solid turnout, complete with 12 retired NFL players and their families. Galveston natives Kimble Anders, Mike Holmes of the 49ers, and Carl Hilton of the Vikings joined nine other Houston-area players, including Ben Cavil, NFLPA Houston chapter president, and Lemuel Stinson, NFL Alumni Houston chapter president, to bait hooks and enjoy the outdoors through fishing.

“I was blessed to be able to go and play football and make a career out of it, and giving back to the community is very special to me,” said Anders. “When I was growing up, some guys took time out for me, so I want to keep passing the torch to the next generation and teach them life lessons, and fishing is a great sport to expose kids to.”

For the players, the event was about more than just wetting a line. “Over the course of the day, these players came up to me and said they never had an opportunity like this when they were kids,” said Jackson. “This event is about parents connecting with their kids and spending time with their kids.”

Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA): The USA is a union-dedicated, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose members hunt, fish, shoot and volunteer their skills for conservation. The USA is uniting the union community through conservation to preserve North America’s outdoor heritage. For more information, visit www.unionsportsmen.org or connect on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Work Boots on the Ground (WBG): WBG is the USA’s flagship conservation program that brings together union members willing to volunteer their time and expertise to conservation projects that improve and enhance public access to the outdoors, conserve wildlife habitat, restore America’s parks and mentor youth in the outdoors. The USA’s Work Boots on the Ground program works closely with federal, state and local agencies and other conservation groups to provide manpower needed to complete critical projects that may otherwise go undone.