Dillan Gibbons, FSU players trying to turn snub into Christmas joy for Florida Boys & Girls

Selflessness, resiliency and overcoming adversity.

Those three characteristics have been the key components for Florida State football players to have under the leadership of head coach Mike Norvell as he’s brought the program back from irrelevancy to the national stage in four seasons.

Once again faced with the adversity of being snubbed from the College Football Playoffs despite an undefeated season and conference championship, the Seminoles are showing off the first two characteristics in grand, charitable fashion.

FSU players Jordan Travis, Trey Benson, Keon Coleman, Ja’Khi Douglas, along with the entire offensive line and alumnus Dillan Gibbons have joined together to bring a positive outcome to the situation. They have started a GoFundMe which will benefit the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs in Big Bend (Tallahassee), Tampa Bay, Gainesville, and Coral Gables through Gibbons’s non-profit “Big Man, Big Heart.”

“At the end of the day, those are the kinds of guys you want next to you,” Gibbons said.

Since 2021, Gibbons and Travis have raised money to give back to the Boys and Girls Club of the Big Bend to find children who would benefit from a great opportunity. In that first year, the duo raised over $10,000 for the event through a GoFundMe page, allowing 30 children from the organization to go shopping at Walmart with FSU players.

“That’s one of my favorite events,” Gibbons said. “I love Christmas time. I love giving back to the little kids. There’s nothing cooler than walking around a Walmart with a football player with a $200-$250 gift card to get to pick out some Christmas gifts and spend some time with guys like Jordan Travis and Keon Coleman.”

This year’s event will be a little different, with No. 5 FSU (13-0) preparing to face No. 6 Georgia (12-1) in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30 in Miami Gardens.

With bowl prep taking…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/dillan-gibbons-fsu-players-trying-101352523.html

Author : Tallahassee Democrat

Publish date : 2023-12-18 10:13:52

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