TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl players made new friends today at Children’s of Alabama (PHOTOS)

It’s not every day college football players 3 days out from a bowl game visit children in the hospital, but that’s exactly what happened today in Birmingham at Children’s of Alabama. Players from Boston College and Cincinnati stopped into hospital rooms bringing gifts and good cheer.

Read on for all the details.

1. Boston College and Cincinnati play in the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl January 2.

Boston College and Cincinnati are in town for the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl this coming Thursday. If you want to check out the game, here are the details:

• What: 14th Annual TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl
• Where: Legion Field
• When: Thursday, January 2, 2020, 2-6PM
• Get tickets: $30 general admission, $50 reserved
• Specials: 4 complimentary tickets for military families and veterans, up to 4 complimentary tickets for first responders (first come first served).

To get warmed up for the game, on Wednesday you can check out the Uptown Street Fest and Pep Rally:

• What: Uptown Street Fest and Pep Rally 
• Where: 2221 Richard Arrington Junior Boulevard North, Birmingham, AL 35203
• When: Wednesday, January 1, 1-6PM
• Hosted by: TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl
• Admission: FREE and open to all

2. The players brought gifts to young people at Children’s.

The first order of business, after representatives of both teams arrived, was a welcome in the gorgeous downstairs lobby of Children’s of Alabama. One of the speakers reminded the football players that to the kids they were about to visit, they are heroes.

This helped get all the players, who’ve already been busy practicing for Thursday’s game, in the mood to go spread some good cheer.

3. Watching the players bring smiles and good cheer to young patients’ faces was truly heartwarming.

After gathering in the lobby, various players and media representatives divided up into groups, accompanied by staff of Children’s of Alabama. Our group got to hang out with two Boston College players and one Cincinnati player:

• Danny Longman, Kicker, Boston College
• John Tessitore, Kicker / Punter, Boston College
• Charles McClelland, Running Back, Cincinnati

4. Here’s what the players thought about their visit to Children’s of Alabama.

It was fun watching them hang out with the kids. Afterwards, I asked them how it was for them. Here’s what they had to say:

“I really liked the experience. Seeing all these kids with smiles on their faces kind of helped us out too.”

Danny Longman, Boston Collage

“Around the holidays, it’s great to visit—especially people in need of a smile or a laugh and being able to give gifts. It’s the time of year, so it’s great to do that wherever we are. This is our family, on the road together, so to extend that family to people in need or just anybody in general—it was a great time.”

John Tessitore, Boston College

“What I liked about it was it was new—I never experienced it before. It was pretty fun, got to meet kids, see what their world is for a day. I got to make a new bff.”

Charles McClelland, Cincinnati

5. You can still get in on the New Year’s football action.

If you want to get in on the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl action and see these big-hearted guys play, we’ve got some resources for you:

• Uptown Streetfest and Pep Rally January 1 and TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl January 2
• 5 ways to make Boston College fans feel at home for the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl
• 5 ways to make Cincinnati fans feel at home for the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl

Tell us, Birmingham, are you headed to the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl? Tag us on social @bhamnow and let us know. We hope to see you there!