The Matt Leinart Foundation wants to thank its title sponsor Verizon Wireless.


Captain Isaac and his family sailed to USC’s Wrigley Marine Center on Catalina Island to begin his adventure. As the family disembarked, they were greeted by Captain Isaac’s motley pirate crew for the day. The crew was anxiously waiting for their new Captain because they needed to find the secret treasure of Catalina. Following some pirate antics, the Captain and crew found the long-lost treasure map and their journey to find the treasure began. Captain Isaac and his crew sailed the Catalina seas together in kayaks, meticulously following each clue on the map. After sailing and searching the island, Captain Isaac and his crew finally located the hidden treasure chest! They put on their best pirate faces, let out their special pirate yell and started digging. Captain Isaac was in awe as he opened the treasure chest to find precious jewels, gold coins and priceless riches.

To complete Captain Isaac’s extraordinary day, his crew gave him a special pirate shirt that has their famous pirate yell, “What arrrrgh you looking at?” The Captain cherishes the gift from his crew and wears it on his daily adventures at home. It cerrrrtainly was a day Captain Isaac will never forget!

Wish Granters: Michelle Cuellar & Janet Fraser

As a child of a mother who worked for Orange County Special Schools, Leinart is no stranger to the value of the Best Buddies mission which is to enhance the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities by providing opportunities for one-to-one friendship.

25 of Best Buddies Arizona’s youth with intellectual disabilities were invited to Brunswick Via Linda Lanes in Scottsdale to bowl the night away with Leinart, his family, friends and teammates. The Matt Leinart Foundation provided each guest with an exclusive bowling party, a snazzy tee-shirt, and a gourmet Italian meal. All guests received a signed photograph from Leinart and spent the night taking photos with him. Best Buddies Arizona was honored to celebrate Matt’s birthday complete with cake and a touch of the “Best Buddies Cheer.”

Many individuals with Down syndrome, Autism and other intellectual disabilities are limited to social opportunities within their Special Education classrooms or with paid caretakers. While Best Buddies is typically the only opportunity to shift this social paradigm, it is important to highlight that The Matt Leinart Foundation not only observed this social exclusion, but created a much-needed opportunity for youth with intellectual disabilities to proudly socialize in the Arizona community at large.

Best Buddies Arizona’s participants came to the bowling event proud of Arizona Cardinals Quarterback, Matt Leinart, for his work on the field but walked away even prouder because of the genuine experience that they had with Matt—an experience where Best Buddies Arizona participants were truly viewed by an NFL star for their abilities rather than their disabilities.

Best Buddies Arizona thanks Matt Leinart, Ryan Leinart, Randy Williams and The Matt Leinart Foundation for their sincere interest in the Best Buddies mission and for creating a night that will never be forgotten!

Check out the news feature of the event from Good Morning Arizona!

I want to share with you all the experiences, memories that Ryan and I shared and what he meant to me.

I first met Ryan when he got a chance to come out and see the USC game when we played Cal. I remember this small fragile little boy come into our QB meeting with the biggest smile on his face and that’s where our connection began. He was so shy at first then he loosened up as he spent the day with us. My fondest memory of that weekend came when Coach Carroll put Ryan up on his shoulders in a team meeting as we sang our fight song. I remember looking around the room and seeing tears falling from everyone’s faces. What an impact he made on not just me but everyone on that football team. We ended up winning and Ryan became our good luck charm.

Over the next year or two our relationship grew and our friendship grew. After I was drafted by Arizona I wanted Ryan to be able to come out to AZ, so once a year over the next 3 years he and his dad would come out for the weekend. I really don’t think he or his dad knew just how much I looked forward to that weekend every year. We shared so many memories on those weekends from playing golf, watching our Trojans dominate going shopping for his Christmas presents and playing video games. We would play Halo when he wasn’t out in Arizona on-line and talk crap to the other guys. I could go on and on about my time with Ryan but I want to talk a little about what he meant to me.

The thing about Ryan was that he was always more concerned about everyone else while he was battling for his life. He never once complained and was always happy. During my rookie year he came out for the Monday night game against Chicago, it was only my second start and we lost in a thriller. When I walked out to see him after the game I was upset but you know in the NFL you are not going to win them all. I walked up to Ryan and he had tears in his eyes, he was just so upset that we lost. That was just the type of person he was.

He has taught me so many things. He taught me to never give up and to always keep fighting, no matter what challenges life throws at you. He has also taught me to be a better person and more importantly to be a better father to my son Cole.

There is a dog tag he made for me with a picture of us that hangs from my mirror in my car so I see him every day. He inspires me every day as I know he does so to so many other people.

Ryan touched so many lives. He was the bravest, most courageous person I have ever met. He will be missed so much by so many people but I think we all have to remember just how much happiness he brought to us.

Finally, Ryan, I feel so blessed that I got a chance to talk to you the night before you passed and I know that you are no longer with us but I know that you will always be watching us. I couldn’t ask for a better guardian angel. You were my friend; you will always be my friend. I love you!!

Matt Leinart

Now is the time to establish a NFL presence in Los Angeles, and give back to our youth, in a market void of professional football since the Raiders and Rams left the area in 1994.

The Matt Leinart Foundation (www.mattleinartfoundation.org) would like to invite you to join us in the creation of the LA Urban Youth Football League (UYFL). UYFL will be a full contact football league targeting 7th and 8th grade students who were either too large to participate in the traditional youth leagues such as Pop Warner, and/or lacked the financial means/resources to participate.

The projected start date for the UFYL is this April (2008). The league will be comprised of 6 teams, aka franchises, from various attendance areas within the LAUSD. Each franchise will have an ownership group of 1-4 current and former NFL players, or other prominent figures such as commentators or coaches – ideally with roots within the community where each franchise will be established.

The UYFL’s goal is to create an unquestionable bond between the franchise owners and the community by not only offering an athletic/academic outlet for the children, but also by introducing the kids to positive role models from all avenues of life. The UYFL will also present an opportunity to bridge the cultural, economic and social divides that exist within many communities through football.

As our motto states, the UYFL is focused on building character through athletics and, most importantly, in life. In addition to gaining gridiron knowledge, tutoring and mentoring programs, community service work, and regular grade checks will be key and essential elements of the UYFL.

To successfully achieve the mission, it must begin with strong ownership. Each ownership group will cover a franchise fee that will pay for: equipment; facilities; insurance; officials; coaches; transportation; and league administration. The franchise fee, which the UYFL likes to refer to as a contribution to the community, is renewable on a yearly basis. Each owner has the prerogative to treat his team and staff to any additional such as USC or UCLA game tickets, team trips to a museum, and weekly team meals to name a few options. The owners and the franchise mentors are responsible for creating an environment that promotes positive citizenship, academics, and community service.

UYFL League Management will look for people within the community to donate their time and services in many areas: doctors to perform team physicals; educators to provide tutoring; community leaders to serve as mentors or coaches; and police officers/firefighters to relate their experiences just to mention a few. Most significantly, these local leaders will be able to relate to kids the trials and travails they faced to reach their prestigious state in life.

The aim for each franchise is to have 30 students on each team. In addition to meeting the size and/or financial requirements, each participant must have a letter from a current school administrator acknowledging that the player “shows the desire to learn and participate cooperatively in the classroom”.

The season consists of five league games. Once the season is complete, the franchise will continue to promote and participate in all the non-football programs of the UYFL, making this a year-round endeavor.

We are excited to present this opportunity to the civic leaders of Los Angeles. We hope that you share our enthusiasm and decide to be a part of the UYFL. We believe everyone can benefit from a program of this magnitude with the biggest winner being the children of Los Angeles. We look forward to hearing from you.

For more information on the UYFL, please contact Chuck Price at 310-963-2594 or via email at cpfastact@aol.com.

Program Management
Chuck Price, President, 4th and 9 Sports, (Project Director for Matt Leinart Foundation) MattLeinartFoundation.org

Chuck created the NFL Air-It-Out Flag Football Tour in 1992 with David Newman and NFL Properties. Originally referred to as “Draw Play”, the grassroots flag football initiative reached every NFL Market in 1994-1996 with flag football tournaments ranging in size from 100-1,200 teams per city. Fast Action Sports managed the events in Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange County from 1993-1998.

From 2000-2006, Chuck was the Director of Operations for the Cali-Florida Bowl HS Football All Star Game. The contest, benefiting the Los Angeles Ronald McDonald House, featured the best high school football players from California and Florida. Some of the participants in the series were: D.J. Williams; the late Sean Taylor; Matt Leinart; Devin Hester; Santonio Holmes; Maurice Jones-Drew; Ernie Sims; Marshawn Lynch; Pat Watkins and Antonio Cromartie.

Official Site

Event Overview (PDF, 3.7MB)

Golf Registration Form (PDF, 426KB)

The non-contact camp is open to all boys and girls ages 7-14. All positions will be coached (with an emphasis on the skill positions), and we encourage all football participants from elementary schools and middle schools to attend. This camp will prepare you for all levels of play – from youth flag football all the way up through Div I High School Football.

The younger kids focus will be on general fundamentals with an emphasis on safety an enjoying the game. The older group will get into more specific drills by positions as well as 7 on 7 “pass league” style competition.

The Matt Leinart Football Camp offers 5 1/2 hours per day of on-field instruction. Additionally, we look to provide at least one hour per day of classroom/lecture hall instruction. All of the on field drills are led by current or former high school football coaches, who along with college aged counselors, will always give us a supervision ratio of 1:7.

Matt will be an integral part of the camp from start to finish. He plans on having some of his friends stop by to talk about their football experiences throughout the camp. Although the athletes coming to camp are not committed to sign autographs or take photos, Matt will make sure that his guests use their time at camp to maximize the experience for all of the campers.

California State University-Long Beach offers ample field space to conduct a quality camp. The fields are adjacent to one of the most recognizable structures in Southern California, The Pyramid, as well as George H. Allen Field — named after the legendary Hall of Fame coach.

Typical Daily Schedule

7:00am: Wake Up
7:30am – 8:45am: Breakfast
9:00am – 11:30am: Field Instruction / Drills
12:00pm – 1:45pm: Lunch / Free Time
2:00am – 5:00am: Field Instruction / Drills
5:30pm – 7:00pm: Dinner / Free Time
7:15pm – 8:30pm: Chalk Talk and/or Football Video
8:45pm – 10:00pm: Supervised Rec Activities Video
10:30pm – 11:15pm: Lights Out

Note: For the day campers, we will establish a pick-up and drop-off area at the steps of The Pyramid, All day campers will have lunch and dinner privileges only.

Overnight Camper Checklist:

→ Sleeping Bag (or linens) and a pillow
→ Personal Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo)
→ 2 towels
→ Cleats
→ Clean socks
→ Clean underwear
→ Sweatshirt or light jacket
→ Shorts (2-3 pair) and T-shirts (4-5)
→ Vending machine / Snack money

The Matt Leinart Football Camp will also provide each camper with apparel and other items to take with them as a keepsake for attending the camp or to utilize during the camp.

Costs

The cost of the camp for overnight campers is $695 and for day campers is $495 (day campers will be provided with lunch and dinner). Registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. Your enrollment will be guaranteed once your full enrollment fee has been received. If you register prior to January 31, 2008, your tuition rate will be reduced by $50!! Register early to guarantee your space at the Matt Leinart Football Camp!! YOUR FULL TUITION IS DUE BY MAY 1, 2008.

Download Registration Form (PDF, 41KB)

This past weekend, Trojan Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart opened up his home in Phoenix, Arizona, to his buddy, Ryan Davidson.

Leinart hosted Ryan and his father, Kirby Davidson, and friends, in a weekend filled with sports, entertainment, games, and barbeque.

Leinart gave Ryan a personal tour of the Arizona Cardinals’ practice facility on Saturday. Later that day, the Davidsons and friends headed to Leinart’s house to watch some college football (Leinart closely follows the Trojans), play various sporting and video games, and feast on some barbeque, as Leinart’s older brother, also named Ryan, demonstrated his outdoor grilling skills. On Sunday, the Davidsons watched the Cardinals – Giants game from the Matt Leinart Suite, with the Leinart Family and friends. One of those friends, Hollywood film director Peter Berg, invited Davidson to visit the set of his new movie. This is the third year in a row Leinart has hosted the Davidsons.

“It’s always a blast to hang out with Matt and his family,” beamed Ryan. “He’s a good friend and a great guy to hang out with.” Ryan also sported a new hairdo, with his hair dyed a lighter color at the ends.

“I continue to be amazed by the Leinarts’ generosity and love for Ryan. And, I know that Ryan’s not alone as the Matt Leinart Foundation does so much to help kids in similar situations,” Kirby observed. “The friendship that has formed between Matt and Ryan since they first met back at USC four years ago has been an inspiration of hope throughout Ryan’s continued cancer battle. Ryan definitely knows that Matt is always there for him.”

“It has been so amazing to see Ryan grow over the past five years,” Leinart commented on his friend’s visit. “His strength and courage inspire me every day. I’m blessed and thankful to be his friend.” As it is that time of year when many reflect on what to be thankful for, WeAreSC echoes Leinart’s sentiments.