There have been many UTEP Miner greats on the gridiron and on the hardwood. Even more have given back in a meaningful way off the field. When Buick asked Miner Rush to write about one of them, it was a difficult decision. I decided to write about former UTEP and New Orleans Saints defensive lineman Brian Young. Why? Because not only is Brian Young a local legend, being of course a former star from Andress High School, but he has proven to be exactly the kind of athlete UTEP needs more of. He's the type of athlete that takes pride in giving back to El Paso and the Miner community.
A few years ago, Brian Young made headlines by donating tons of money to the UTEP program to equip Mike Price and his staff with top of the line wireless headsets that UTEP likely wouldn't have been able to afford otherwise. The UTEP Hall of Famer, also returns home every year from his job as an assistant with the New Orleans Saints to host a football camp for local kids.
"I really wanted to stress the importance of education," said Young. "Everybody aspires and everybody wants to play in the NFL but the fact is there are 1,500 plus spots for the entire world to play in the NFL. For the guys who aren't fortunate enough to make it to that level, we want to make sure that they have an educational background. Make sure they have something to fall back on. Just show them what it takes to be successful by guys who have been successful.
After a nine year NFL career, mostly with the New Orleans Saints, Young is now in his third year as a defensive assistant coach with the Saints.
To see the rest of the Buick Human Highlight Reel, and even share a story of your own, go to ncaa.com/buick. This post is sponsored by Buick.