By: Hannah Kazemi, Staff Writer

We often hear about SFU athletes who have had a particularly impressive season, but what happens to those athletes when they graduate and leave SFU? In this Alumni Spotlight series, The Peak is chatting with four SFU football alumni to find out how and why they continue to support SFU’s young student athletes years after their time with the program. For the third piece in this series, The Peak spoke with Frank Roberto, former president of the SFU Football Alumni Society. Roberto was a running back on the SFU football team from 1977–1980.

Supporting current SFU football players is especially important for Roberto, who’s inspired to pass down the same support he received when he was a student. He tells The Peak that he relied on assistance from his SFU coaches and alumni to help fund his education, and wouldn’t be where he is today without them. “I’ve always remembered that there are other people just like me who need support,” he said. “When you reflect back on your life, you look at some key points. [SFU] gave me the opportunity to not only play high-level football, [but receive] an education so I could continue on with a job.” Roberto went on to pursue a career in education, and started four football programs in schools while continuing to support the Alumni Society. 

Roberto credits much of who he is as a person to the values that football instilled in him, including “hard work, commitment, and dedication.” The former running back believes having to juggle both academics and athletics plays a big hand in developing life-long skills in athletes. “It’s a difficult time in [a player’s] life,” Roberto said. “They have to maintain a high average to play, and there’s an expectation of practice, but that builds strong character,” he acknowledged. “I think it’s important that [players] recognize that’s gonna carry them through life — building that resiliency, that strength, and that character.” ”

Roberto also carries with him fond memories of his time as an SFU football player, including winning the Shrum Bowl and getting to travel throughout the United States to play southern opponents. However, he says, “The highlight in the career of football is a network of people that you know. If you ever had to go into battle, those are the guys you want to cover your back.” The connections Roberto made while playing football at SFU have lasted a lifetime, so much so that “even to this day, after 45 years, [he] can still call a friend, and it seems like it was yesterday.”