Football Program Visits 9/11 Memorial & Museum

Last weekend, Gonzaga's Varsity Football Program traveled to New York for a game Friday night against Fordham Prep at Fordham University. On Friday morning, the team visited the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, which honors the nearly 3,000 people killed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. 
 
“While we’ve always talked about 9/11 each year, going to the memorial helped to remind me of the magnitude of the crisis and the long-lasting impact it has had on our nation and the entire world,” said David McMorris ‘24, one of the team captains. 
 
During the visit, Gonzaga students had the opportunity to hear from two first responders, Lieutenant Mike Braccia of the New York Police Department and Lieutenant Greg McGuinness of the New York Fire Department. Both played football at Xavier High School, a Jesuit high school in New York, and had teammates who were killed in the attacks. 
 
“Exploring the 9/11 Memorial opened up our team’s eyes, as we learned what true heroism and bravery looked like from first responders," said Aiden Conrath '24, another team captain. "This trip helped us understand the history of our country, and understand the importance of togetherness in times of calamity.
 
Darius Wise '24 added: “Visiting the 9/11 memorial allowed us as a team to understand and internalize how important the time we have together is. Being in the presence of those who collectively shared such a tragedy stressed to us how much we must appreciate every moment we have.”
 
Gonzaga is grateful to Lt. Braccia and Lt. McGuinness for sharing their time and stories with our students and coaches. As our country marked the twenty second anniversary this week of 9/11, the Gonzaga community joins all those across our nation and the world who are remembering and praying for those whose lives were lost that day.  
 
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To read about the Football game that took place Friday evening after this visit, please click here.
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