West Texas A&M University football players brought football into the classroom last fall when the university sponsored "Pigskin Geography" as part of the Amarillo-Globe News' participation in the national Newspaper in Education program.

The classes learned locations of cities within the United States, identified capital cities, states, oceans, major rivers, bays and other geographic features. The classes learned geographic terminology, and they also calculated the mileage of trips.

The Buffs sought to bolster their support of the program with live appearances at elementary schools throughout the Texas Panhandle. The student-athletes spoke to children about the importance of staying in school and concentrating on academic success, as well as on additional topics such as nutrition, sportsmanship and teamwork.

Among those making the visits were DeWayne Miles, Chaun Thompson, Michael Evans, Kevin Brinkley, Cody Stovall and Vic Henning.

The six also spoke at Dalhart Elementary School about how they got involved in sports, what other extracurricular activities they valued, and how they balanced their time between athletics and academics.

Miles, the Buffs' senior tailback, also answered questions about his experience this season becoming West Texas' all-time leading rusher. Miles amassed 3,670 yards, surpassing the previous all-time record of 3,542, set by Bo Robinson from 1975 to 1978.

The student-athletes emphasized academics in their talks, noting that few people go on to the NFL, while many students who play sports go on to win in the game of life.

"Grades are a lot more important than athletics ever will be," Brinkley told 560 children at Dalhart Elementary School.

"Everyone likes to play sports," Stovall said. "But you won't be able to play without good grades."

The children at Dalhart conducted a musical performance for the football players, and they were delighted when the West Texas A&M student-athletes elected to take part and dance, performing with the children to the songs "Tooty Ta," "Let Me See You Boogaloo," and "Jingle Bell Rock."

The student-athletes enjoyed interacting with the children almost as much as the children enjoyed them.

"They are always happy to see us. We take so much for granted, with our size and strength. This helps to bring us back to reality. We will go through practice and complain about being sore or tired. Then, we come to something like this and realize that we should be thankful for having the opportunities we do. Not everyone is as lucky as we are. "