Kitchener man in viral football video named Laurier community ambassador

Alex Morrison is one of the biggest fans of the Laurier Golden Hawks football team.

The 23-year-old from Kitchener was recently on the field for a practice during training camp. A video of that experience shows him taking on linebacker Tommy Bringi. Morrison fakes right, goes left and the crowd goes wild.

The video went viral after various sports websites including ESPN and the Canadian Football League retweeted it. 

"It makes me excited. It makes me happy," Morrison said in an interview with CBC Kitchener-Waterloo.

Confidence builder

He says the football players helped him with his football skills and they helped him build confidence.

Now, Morrison has a new role with the team: he's their honorary community ambassador. He says that means he'll work for head coach Michael Faulds, get the players water or towels when needed and support the team.

"It makes me feel like I can work in the field all day," Morrison said. "Probably I'd never leave … it's like having a good time there and having a blast."

Watch the video of Alex Morrison on the field here:

More than just one practice

Morrison visited the training camp through Light House, a local organization that runs adult day programs for people with developmental disabilities. 

Kyle Craig, co-creator of Light House, played football under Faulds when he was younger and the two reconnected a few years ago to see if there was a way to partner up. 

Each year they've done something different, Craig said. 

"Last year we had [people] do some drills with the team and it was really awesome so we said let's do it again this year. It just really took off and obviously [got] some great [video] footage that kind of went viral there," Craig said.

Faulds said training camp can be a tough time for the athletes, but they enjoy spending time with the visitors from Light House.

He told CBC "the second Light House is on our sideline, everyone is always smiling. There's a sense of energy that comes off of everyone involved with Light House and our players really respond to that, so that organic energy of laughter and cheering when Alex made that move, you could just see how excited the players were."

Throughout the year, Faulds says he and players will visit Light House for lunches. This year, the group joined the Adopt-A-Hawk fundraising campaign for Laurier athletics and adopted player Shomari Hutchinson. 

"It's a great relationship," Faulds said. 

"It's more than them just coming to one practice and that video that went viral. It truly is a 12 month relationship."

Role in next home game 

Craig said watching the video, people may have thought it was rehearsed or planned out. But he said all of it — from Alex's moves to the football players' reactions afterwards — was a truly organic experience that just makes people happy.

"It's something we do every day, right? So you know we don't think it's that big of a deal," Craig said.

But after a video like this gets out, it shows off the abilities of the people who attend their day program and that resonates with people and they love it, Craig said.

The team says Morrison will have a special role in the next home game on Sept. 7. Morrison will be in the locker room before the game and will lead the team onto the field before they take on the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. Kickoff for that game is 7 p.m. at University Stadium in Waterloo.