Proud of Pinoy roots

Last week, we introduced you to Filipino Eugene Amano who plays for the Tennessee Titans in the National Football League (NFL). He’s the first full-blooded Pinoy to ever play in the NFL.

We also wrote about Roman Gabriel, the first Fil-Am to see action in the NFL.

From readers, we later found out that Tedy Lacap Bruschi of the England Patriots is a Fil-Am and proud of his Pinoy roots.

Unlike most Filipinos, Americans don’t usually use their mothers’ maiden names for their middle names. They prefer to use their second Christian names like Billy Bob Thornton or Tommy Lee Jones. Mexicans do the same as in the case of Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez. 

But Bruschi is different. He likes to be known by his full name, Tedy Lacap Bruschi, just like his brother and sister. Once, he was asked about his strange-sounding middle name by an American writer. Bruschi said he and his siblings all use Lacap as their middle name to show respect for their mother. 

Bruschi’s mother is Juanita Lacap, a Filipina who married Anthony Bruschi Sr., an American of Italian descent. Their marriage ended in divorce when Bruschi, the youngest of three children, was only five years old. Juanita was later remarried to Ron Sandys, a professional tennis player.

Bruschi, 34, was the Patriots’ third round pick in the 1996 draft.  The 6-1, 247-pound linebacker has played on three Super Bowl champion teams and was co-Comeback Player of the Year in 2005. 

In February 2005, Bruschi suffered a mild stroke, traced to a congenital heart defect. He suffered partial paralysis and endured eight months of rehabilitation before making a comeback on the grid. It’s incredible that he has fully recovered from the stroke and continues to play for New England.

Last year, Bruschi wrote a book entitled “Never Give Up: My Stroke, My Recovery and My Return to the NFL.” He recounted his ordeal, surviving the threat of a life-threatening affliction and bouncing back to play football to win the prestigious Ed Block Courage Award.

Bruschi’s story is an inspiration. The fact that he is half-Filipino and proud of it makes him more of a hero in every Filipino’s eyes.

By the way, we’d like to thank our loyal STAR readers who regularly e-mail comments to the philstar.com website – ereyserhead, nuchabas, anyamettin, TJpatakla, pinay07, gelopaolo, morpheus, VicOngasis, Pugz, voodoo, Rhazte, critic, pfete, tonette_macho, hollywood and skyflakes25. Keep the comments coming. You’re a solid source of information and upliftment. You’re the reason why we write and strive harder to make it worth your while to read us.

* * *

The Accel 3-Point Shootout Challenge is back! Now on its third year, the Challenge is open to all 16-19-year-old boys who’re hoping to be the next Allan Caidic. Students and out-of-school players alike are welcome to play.

The first NCR regional challenge is set tomorrow at 1 p.m. in the UP Diliman Gym. Big prizes are at stake, including a chance to undergo personal and extensive training under the Triggerman himself.

Registration is free. For details, call 843-50-87 or 0920-9078189. Organizers are inviting PBA Accel endorsers to attend the 3-point competitions, from the regionals to the finals, for autograph-signing and picture-taking with fans. 

Postscript. In celebration of the sixth National Down Syndrome Consciousness Month, the Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines, Inc. will hold its fifth Golf Cup dubbed as “Tee-Up for Downs” on Feb. 22 at the Tagaytay Midlands Golf Club. Tee-off time begins at 7 a.m. For tickets and inquiries, call Adette de la Paz at 895-36-06 or 895-96-42…Emerald Headway, the leading distributor of nearly 1,000 books and foreign magazines including People, Star, Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, National Geographic for Kids, Who Weekly, Review Asia, Time and Fortune, invites you to join its Warehouse Raid ’08 promo. Get as much as a 20 percent discount for every one-year subscription and 10 percent discount for a six-month subscription. Moreover, if you subscribe within the promo period, you’ll have the opportunity to gather as many back issue magazines as you can in 10 seconds on Jan. 24 and 25. For details, call the subscription department at 647-4744/647-5631 to 34 or visit the Emerald showroom at 218 Katipunan Ave., Blue Ridge, Q. C.