When three American football coaches, including Lions offensive line coach Jeremiah Washburn, arrived in northern Uganda to teach orphans the sport, among the first reactions was to laugh. The children wondered why the ball had its odd shape and why one side had white laces.
By the third day of the camp, about 50 boys and girls had learned the new sport enough to play a scrimmage, one that ended with a last-second touchdown and an appropriate celebration.
For Washburn, Dylan Gandy and Matt Burke, the chance to teach children in Africa quickly became more than just another day of coaching drills.