A very little boy has taught a lot of big football players the value of life, of perseverance and of dedication -- and he's not even 6 years old yet.

Little Thomas Royer of Logan, Utah, already has had a rough life. He was diagnosed with cancer in both eyes when he was a baby, leading to the removal of one eye and extensive radiation therapy to save the other one.

He overcame that only to be diagnosed last year with leukemia. He also has several fast-growing tumors in his body, including a particularly large one in front of his heart.

Royer now faces three years of chemotherapy, said his dad, Danny Royer. "He'll have painful leg shots, spinal taps and daily doses of awful tasting medicine that causes nausea, hair loss, joint pain, mood swings and a low immune system."

But the younger Royer, who spends more time trying to be a regular boy than complaining, also has made some friends who are inspired by his tenacity.

"As far as toughness and perseverance, and those things we talk about in football go, I don't know of a better example than that of this young boy fighting through his circumstances," said Nate Kaczor, offensive line coach for the Utah State University football team.

"Thomas is a pillar of strength. For him to even see, read or walk around and do what he does is phenomenal. He's a tremendous inspiration to those around him."

Royer definitely has made an impression on Aggies defensive end Doug Madoski. "It's inspiring to see that (strength) in somebody so young," Madoski said. "I look at him, and I've done so much in my life that he'll never be able to do."

The Utah State football team became aware of Royer's condition through his father, a minister who offers pregame prayer services for interested players.

The coaches and players wanted to do something special for Royer when he was released from the hospital, but what can you do for someone so little and so sick?

They decided that what he needed was to be a part of their team, so they had a Royer-sized jersey made for him. It's fashioned after the players' jerseys, complete with a Big West patch on the shoulder, "T. Royer" on the back, and the No. 1 on both sides.

"It looks almost to a 'T' like the ones we wear," Kaczor said.

Between the jersey and the many team members who presented it to little Royer, the boy thought he had been recruited.

"He thought he was an Aggie," the elder Royer said. "He even asked me if he was going to have to play. He was pretty nervous because those guys are pretty big."

And while the Aggies don't plan on suiting him up and sending him out to throw a block any time soon, look for little Thomas Royer to continue to inspire those big guys -- and their coaches.

"For a bunch of guys who do what we do as players and as coaches, it was really touching," Kaczor said of Royer's reaction to the team. "We complain a lot about winning and losing, but it makes all that stuff seem less important. It puts it in perspective."

And a little perspective never hurt anybody.