FSCC football to honor soldiers before game

As the Fort Scott Community College football team takes the field Saturday afternoon against Dodge City , one member of the Greyhound staff will have a heavy heart outside of the football world.

Earlier this week, FSCC head coach Jeff Sims learned that one of his past players, Sgt. Ryan Adams, was killed in the line of duty while serving for the United States Army in Afghanistan.

Adams was a member of the 951st Engineering Company of the Wisconsin National Guard. This was his 2nd tour of duty in Afghanistan/Iraq.

Adams, played for Sims at Mesabi Range Community College (Minn.) in 2002 before being called to duty in 2003. Adams was a quarterback for that 2002 team.

Ryan Adams was a 2001 graduate from Rhinelander, Wisconsin High school. He played football, golf and baseball in his time at RHS.

"Being dedicated to his teammates and a very hard worker" is how Coach Sims remembers Adams as a player but remembers him more as a person who would write letters to the players and to the coaching staff wanting to know how the team was doing while he was in Iraq.

"Ryan would write us letters telling us about the lavish homes of Saddam and about Iraq that they had to patrol," Sims said. "But I always thought it was strange how he was the 'hero' but he was always thinking about our football team back home and would write us to ask about us."

Sims also talked about things that we take for granted in our everyday lives.

"It's embarrassing that it takes a hit so close to home for one to notice we need to remember our soldiers everyday," he said.

Ryan Adams, 26, was born on December 7th, 1982 to Peter and Jalane Adams. He has one sister Amanda Adams. all of Rhinelander.

The Fort Scott Community College football program will honor Ryan Adams and all of our servicemen and women by having a moment of silence before Saturday's game.

'Hounds football players will also be wearing American Flag emblems on their helmets with "Sgt. Adams" underneath them.