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On Saturday, the Coyote football team will be in Davis, Calif., to take on UC Davis for game two of the young season. For South Dakota senior wide receiver Eric Shufford, a California native and one of four Coyote captains, the game hits home and carries meaning beyond the gridiron.
Shufford grew up in Rialto, Calif., which is next to San Bernardino near the Los Angeles area. Rialto is about six hours away from Davis, but for Shufford it still feels like a homecoming in a sense.
"I have family making the six-hour drive to come see me play," Shufford said. "I couldn't be more excited because they haven't seen me play in a really long time. But while it's great that they're coming, it's still business for me out there and the team is coming for the win."
While getting the win and playing in front of family are important to Shufford, coming home to California serves as a reminder of how far Shufford has come since his days in Rialto.
Shufford says that many young men in the Rialto area aren't able to make it out of the area to pursue a college education or play collegiate athletics due to the environment surrounding them.
"Coming to South Dakota has been a blessing," he said. "I made it out of Rialto. I'm not in a gang, or prison or even dead. I've known two people who have died in the last year in Rialto from gang warfare. It really is a blessing that I was able to not fall into that trap.
"Now I'm a semester away from graduating from college and I'm proud to be a positive role model for kids from my area. I'm able to shine light on Rialto and show people that it's not all bad that comes from there."
Shufford said his mother, Diana, and stepfather, Shan Baker, were the reason he was able to make it out of Rialto.
"My mother and my stepfather didn't have a lot of money, but they were able to keep myself, and my four brothers busy with athletics and academics to keep us out of trouble," he said. "The positivity they installed in us is something that I cherish."
Shufford doesn't plan to simply leave the Rialto area and never look back. Once he graduates in December with a sport management degree, Shufford aims to give back to kids who have grown up in similar situations to him, something his mother and stepfather were able to provide.
"My best friend, who plays football for Montana, and I are planning on starting a non-profit organization for underprivileged kids," Shufford said. "Our non-profit organization would provide these kids with academic and athletic training.
"We want to provide kids with opportunities that we didn't have growing up so that they can chase their dreams like I've been able to."
Shufford has already provided more than 700 hours of community service with Snap Hold & Kick, a non-profit organization founded by former UTEP place-kicker Hugo Castellanos. The program provides youth in the Los Angeles area football-kicking skills and personal growth opportunities. Shufford has been a part of the organization since 2008.
"I've known Hugo since middle school," said Shufford. "He asked me to come out one day to help the kickers. That's where I started holding and learned to catch and return kicks. I was able to move from a volunteer role into a mentor role as I continued in the organization."
Shufford was named to the all-MVFC Newcomer Team last season after leading the Coyotes with 53 receptions for 699 yards and five touchdowns. He had game highs of six catches for 79 yards in last Saturday's season opener against Kansas State.
