From Oakland, California to Quito, Ecuador; American football pad donation historic

| American Football | 10/10/2018

Football equipment is a valuable commodity, no matter where you go in the world.

Ecuador is no exception. Financial issues are never far away and with the average salary in Ecuador being just over $300 a month, obtaining American football gear is a highly expensive proposition for the average Ecuadorian.

However, thanks to the efforts of head coach John Beam, coach Vince Bordelon and coach Kevin Evans from Laney College in Oakland, California, the Lobos de Quito American football club has received a shipment of 55 shoulder pads with another 55 on the way.

The relentless persistence of Lobos de Quito offensive coordinator Brad Scott and dedication of coach Bordelon paid off.

Beam and his staff have also arranged for the donation of 100 practice jerseys and 50 pairs of practice pants which will land in Ecuador later this year.

With the arrival of the entire donation to Ecuador, it could very well be the largest donation of football gear/shoulder pads in the history of American Football, not just Ecuador but in all of South America.

The incredible generosity was due  in large part to Bordelon’s willingness to reach out to Beam and ask him for any donations possible.

Earlier this year, Laney College had donated equipment to the islands in Samoa. Scott had heard about the initiative and contacted Bordelon.

The gear originally came from the Oakland Raiders through a pipeline gear/city/NFL alumni connection. Bordelon has been coaching for decades, including at Berkeley High School, Diablo Valley Community College and at Laney College and has been around up and coming NFL stars such as CJ Anderson and others. His charisma and genuine care for others has led him to build and strengthen many community ties throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and inevitably helped him play a large part in making American football history in South America.

The impact of this donation is enormous.

This will dramatically increase the number of South Americans getting the opportunity to play the sport of American Football. Now that there will be more gear circulated in the country at an extremely low price, those who have been watching Ecuador’s FFAE (Federation de Football Americano) from afar will now be able to enter and play for years to come.

Owen Krebs-Grimsich was born in Oakland, California and grew up in Berkeley, California. He is a Math Teacher at Academia Cotopaxi in Quito, Ecuador and the Head Football Coach of the Lobos De Quito.