Football | August 15, 2016

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – In 2015, Trevor Sweeney received a full scholarship on an onside kick during one of the Western Michigan football team's practices. In 2016, the team raised the bar and brought in special guest Sylvester Stallone to help award redshirt sophomore Kasey Carson a full scholarship.
 
Carson, a Battle Creek, Mich. native, was challenged by a fully-padded Coach Fleck to stop him at the goal line and if he did, there would be no team meetings that night. Sure enough, Carson stopped Fleck but that wasn't the biggest part of practice. The best surprise came when Coach Fleck directed the team's attention to the video board, which featured Sylvester Stallone along with WMU alumni Alec Gores.
 
Talk about Growing Higher.
 
"Not only do the players have to change their best, but the coaching staff has to change their best as well," head coach PJ Fleck said. "Kasey Carson truly deserves (the full scholarship). He is what Kalamazoo is all about. He's what Western Michigan is all about. He's what our Row The Boat mentality is all about and there is nobody more deserving that him."
 
Carson is a redshirt sophomore who attended Harper Creek High School. He played in nine games last season and totaled eight tackles and one for loss including a career-high four tackles at Eastern Michigan in the Broncos 58-28 win.
 
 "Right when he called me out I knew something was a little fishy because I usually don't get those opportunities to get in front of the team," Carson said. "I grew up watching all the Rocky's and all the Rambo's and just to see him take time to get a personal message to me and our team, it's just really special."
 
"I just want to show these guys that we have their back in every area and anything we can possibly do to motivate them and keep the energy high on a daily basis we do it," Fleck added. "They need that from their head coach. I've got to find creative ways to get their energy going every single day."