PASADENA, Calif. — In a season marked by heartbreak, the Pasadena High School football team received an unexpected gift from Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and his wife, Kelly.
The couple surprised the Bulldogs during their team banquet earlier this year with a donation of brand-new uniforms. The emotional revelation brought loud cheers and stunned reactions from players who, just months earlier, had lost nearly everything.
The team had recently captured the CIF-Southern Section Division 13 championship in November — Pasadena High’s first football title in 91 years. But less than two months later, the celebration was replaced by a crisis.
On Jan. 7, the Eaton Fire swept through parts of Pasadena and Altadena, damaging homes and destroying equipment belonging to several players.
Seventeen-year-old Andrew Johnson, a junior on the team, recalled how close the destruction came.
“It was close around my community. Some fires were down the street,” Johnson said. “My house is fine, but some houses around me weren’t.”
While Johnson’s home was spared, many of his teammates weren’t as fortunate. Coach Ron Jones estimates 11 of his family members lost their homes, besides countless players, friends and students.
The season quickly shifted from football to recovery.
“You try to help,” Jones said. “Some just want friendly conversation. Some want to feel that it’s gonna get better. Some just want a distraction. Everyone’s different in how they handle the tragedy.”
For a team grappling with grief and uncertainty, Stafford’s visit offered more than gear — it delivered hope.
“When the Rams quarterback walked in, I was like, whoa, this is crazy,” Johnson said. “I haven’t seen my teammates smile this much since before the fires.”
The donation is part of a larger effort by the Rams organization to support fire-impacted communities.
“You know, myself, Kelly, the Rams — kind of all that coming together and getting something done for these guys and some of the youth teams out here as well — it’s near and dear to my heart,” Stafford said. “I love the game of football. It brings us all together.”
The team will continue that mission during the upcoming NFL Draft, which they will host from the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Air Operations headquarters in Van Nuys.
