University of Charleston football coach Pat Kirkland and his team were out at Laidley Field to train around 6 a.m. on Saturday morning, but what they did that day had nothing to do with football.
The football team, as well as the UC women's soccer and volleyball teams, were out on the field that morning to hear some words of wisdom and get put through a workout led by members of the Navy SEALs and Army Rangers.
"What was cool was that it wasn't just a thing where they sat back and listened to these guys talk about their experiences and what they've gotten to do. They really pushed them physically, mentally and emotionally -- they put them to work," Kirkland said.
The group of SEALs and Rangers in attendance were all either graduates of UC or students currently enrolled at the University and taking classes either on campus or online. That was something that helped to make the experience even more special and was an idea brought to the teams by the business school.
In the past, the group had gone to work with NFL teams and other businesses to preach the importance of teamwork, communication and accountability.
"They did a good job of sharing their experiences with us and relating all of that to the things they were stressing in the workout," Kirkland said. "It wasn't football-related activity or soccer or volleyball or anything like that. It was just hard work and they stressed the tasks they wanted to get accomplished and the only way to really do that and get it done was through great teamwork."
The SEALs and Rangers would pick one athlete from the group and give them the directions and what needed to be done. It was then on that athlete to spread that message through everyone else and from there they had to work together to figure out what was the best way to accomplish the tasks they were given.
It wasn't always easy, there were many bumps in the road along the way, but they were able to work together and figure out what they needed to do to complete the jobs they were given.
"They didn't walk them through anything, they just said, 'This needs to get done, figure it out,'" Kirkland said. "Some guys had to learn the hard way through some trial and error, others realized quickly how much easier it was to accomplish things when you have the help of your teammates."
For Kirkland and the Golden Eagles that will be hitting the football field on September 2 to start the regular season, learning those types of lessons about working together and doing everything you can for the person next to you were important lessons they needed to hear.
As UC heads into the year looking to get back on track after a rough 2016 campaign, those had been the ideals that Kirkland and his staff had been trying to instill into the team. But sometimes hearing it from a different group of people who had been through different experiences -- especially peers who also attend the school and had the life experiences that these people have been through.
"It was just a really important message for our football team, and the other teams, to hear," Kirkland said. "To hear about that from a group of people that have done tours overseas and have served our country was a unique opportunity for everyone.
"Once they were out there doing everything, they realized what they can accomplish through teamwork and effort and accountability and communication. They started to get it and had that moment where it all made sense. It helped them realize just how important that all is if you want to be a part of a great team."