Click here for the Spanish version.
TEMPE, Ariz. – Juan Roque observed from the sidelines with childlike glee.
Standing on a football field in Hermosillo, Mexico, Roque watched two young men, both offensive lineman, both towering over 6-feet tall, mock a pass rush. One acted as an offensive lineman protecting his would-be quarterback, the other served as a defensive tackle trying to storm the backfield.
It was a perfect practice rep exhibited by both young men after they had just received instruction and technical feedback from nearby coaches. Roque beamed with pride
It was just the validation he needed.
"Validation that we are doing the right thing," Roque said.
In the past three years, Roque, a standout offensive tackle on the Sun Devils' 1996-97 Rose Bowl team and former NFLer, has made it his mission to give back to a sport that's provided him with so much. Not just to anyone, though – to kids as young as six and as old as college-aged in Mexican cities such as Puerto Peñasco and Hermosillo.
To a country that craves football but may not have the resources to fulfill those dreams.
Roque, along with a star-studded coaching staff featuring Super Bowl winners and former Pac-10 Champions, teamed up to create Boo Sports, a traveling football camp focused on fundamentals, drills and scrimmages. These three-hour sessions would provide the instruction, resources and equipment to the Mexican youth.
"We want to bring the sport to Mexico," Roque said. "We feel there's an untapped talent pipeline there. If these kids can get an opportunity to play here at the college level at any school where they can get an education and an opportunity to play football, how would that be a bad thing? We're expanding the sport, we're creating passion and we're doing it on a grassroots level.
"We're doing it individually in these little neighborhoods. That's really where you want to start the fire. That's where you want the passion in the sport to go, where you have these kids who aspire, look forward to, have goals with. That's what we want to do – ignite a fire for our sport."
Roque always felt inclined to give back, especially after climbing the ranks from the youth level to the NFL, but more so as a Mexican-American himself. As it currently stands, the youth in Mexico are hindered by plastic pads, makeshift fields and empty resources.
That these conditions exist for kids roughly 400 miles south of Phoenix disheartens him.
Everything in his life traces back to football. How could he replicate that for kids looking for the opportunity like he once was?
He came across Jose Flores, a restaurant owner in Puerto Peñasco who used to run baseball camps in the area – free of charge – for kids simply looking to play the game. Flores dreamed of expanding into football, but didn't know where to start. By chance, he met Roque.
It was a perfect pairing.
Roque then called upon fellow Sun Devil Brent Burnstein, Super Bowl champions Darin Jordan and David Diaz-Infante plus former NFLer Derrick Stinson, among others, and a staff was assembled.
"How many Super Bowl champions would these kids encounter in their lifetime," Roque said, "and here we have two. Two! You don't get that kind of exposure for kids here in the states for camps. Here, we have two Super Bowl winners, two Pac-10 Champions, successful high school and college coaches that have won state titles.
"We're exposing these kids to success. We're bringing that to them. They get so excited to have us there. The love we're shown lights that fire to keep going."
The crew put on its first camp in 2021 in Puerto Peñasco in front of roughly 60 attendees. The following year, at the same location, topped out at 65 attendees. A solid showing, sure, but not the growth they envisioned. The potential remained untapped.
After a conversation with Marcos Cazares, the president of the flag football leagues for both men and women in Mexico, the team opted to relocate camps to Hermosillo, a city just shy of one million residents.
They drew over 100 participants this year.
"There's so much potential in what we're doing," he said. "To see how they react and how they respond, it's just amazing."
Whether it's drill stations, fundamental work, one-on-ones, seven-on-sevens, Roque and Co. are introducing a love of football to a community that's hungry for it.
They don't want to stop there, either. Eventually, Roque envisions donating equipment to local leagues and teams. Instead of parting ways with or simply throwing away outdated equipment, he'd help redirect it to Mexican communities looking to build up a football program.
Helmets, cleats, pads, footballs – anything to get kids on an equal footing.
"A lot of these kids don't have the equipment. … They want to play football, they want to learn. These coaches down there want to teach it."
Roque witnessed this first hand on the sidelines in Hermosillo after assisting the two linemen. Two young players, eager for instruction, duking it out in a pass-rush drill.
And, finally, the resources and coaching at their disposal to pursue a passion.
"Those two young men, we spent about 25 minutes with them, but just in that short time, you saw the improvement. They were learning and that had an impact on me, that this is something that we want to continue doing."