Current Carolina Panthers NFL player and Bowie alumni Michael Griffin rewards team

From the Burger Field, to Daryl K Royal Stadium to NFL stadiums; from red and black, to burnt orange and white, to white and blue, these are just a few of the colors football player Michael Griffin has worn on the field.

Griffin, a Bowie alumni from 2003, came to the school over the summer during the two a day trainings to donate brand new jerseys as a surprise to the varsity football team.

“It’s pretty awesome that Michael Griffin, a guy who played for Bowie and in the NFL, wanted to donate these jerseys to us,” senior defensive end and safety Joshua Smythe said.

The current special teams football coach for the school, coach Sam Miller, was Griffin’s defensive back coach and the two also saw each other in the classroom as well as on the field.

“I did know Michael from before, I coached him when he played here and he also had him in my algebra two class as well,” Miller said.

Griffin met up with his old coach to start the design of the new jerseys and together they kept it a secret from all of the football players.

“He came to my house one night during the summer and we worked on the niketeam.com website  designing it and making it like he wanted,” Miller said.

Griffin had an idea of what he wanted the jerseys to look like because he wanted to make them look like the way they did when he was a bulldog.

“When he was here we had a special red jersey we wore for special games and he wanted to give one to the team as well,” Griffin said.

The football players were very pleased with the new style of the jerseys that Griffin and Miller designed because of their sleek look and bright red color.

“The players had no say in the look but Michael and Coach Miller designed the jerseys,” junior defensive back Seth Werchan said. “The new jersey’s look great and gives us a new look that we haven’t seen on the field for a few years.”

Because of their vibrant color the jerseys will give a pop of color on the field and will catch people’s eyes during the game and give alumni a sense of nostalgia.

“I personally think they’re really cool. They are throwbacks to what Bowie used to wear in the early 2000’s but with a modern twist. We’ve never worn red so I think it’ll be really cool out on the field,” Smythe said.

Griffin actually showed up to the campus to give and surprise the players with the new jerseys. He posted the events of the day on his Instagram and sent a message to the team and community.

“Blessing to be able to give back and especially to where it all started. Donated and helped design these new uniforms with my old DB (defensive back) coach, Sam Miller, to bring back the color combination we wore my senior year at Bowie High School,” Griffin said.

The team received a pep talk from Griffin about his years on the team before he made the big announcement and surprised the varsity  team players.

“When Michael came out with the new jersey’s everyone was super hype and excited,” Smythe said.

Other than donating the jerseys Griffin continues to stay in touch with the school and the team. He will even go to the games and cheer on the team from the sideline.

“I come to each game that I can to encourage them and share the insight that I know,” Griffin said. “But at the end of the day, the coaches know what they are doing and the team is very well coached based on the record.”

The community has done a lot for Griffin to help him get to where he is today. For the team being able to see a player who had graduated from the same school as them and be able to make a career from football is an inspiration.

“I feel like the education and teachers helped me out tremendously. Mrs.[Carlen] Floyd showed me responsibility even after I was already committed to play at the University of Texas. She was going to fail me unless I made up my work and she was an LSU fan,” Griffin said.

For the players it is exciting for them to see Griffin, but for  Miller being able to watch Griffin grow into a professional football player after coaching him is rewarding.

“It is a great feeling have one of your players move to the next level, not matter if its college or the NFL,” Miller said. “But the best thing is how he is in the community and so supportive to his previous school, that’s the best feeling.”