Drake Making History
While the basketball team was busy with some off-season conditioning, the Drake football squad was off making history. The Bulldogs traveled to Tanzania to take part in the first ever American football game on the continent of Africa. The Bulldogs beat the CANADEIP All-Stars from Mexico by a score of 17-7. The Global Kilimanjaro Bowl was played at the Sheik Amri Abedi Memorial Stadium in front of 11,781 mostly confused, yet enthusiastic, fans.
But the Drake athletics department did a lot more during their trip to Tanzania than just play a football game. Prior to the game both teams were greeted with great fervor and the coaches put on some clinics for the youngsters of the local area. After the game, the group headed to the city of Moshi where they volunteered their time to provide service projects to benefit the community. But the biggest task still was ahead of Drake, their football opponents and Global Football, the group who spent two years putting the trip together.
They were all going to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. At 19,340 feet, Mt. Kilimanjaro is the tallest peak in Africa. They broke up into two groups and took two different routes to reach the peak. It took five days, but to much rejoice, the two groups met near the peak before making the final ascent. The children of the Drake Athletic Director even became two of the youngest people to ever climb the mountain. Maybe they did not learn too much about football, but the Drake players and staff had a life changing trip and brought American football to a group of people who mostly have never seen this version of football.
Read the in-depth men’s basketball preview for this team
