Miami Gardens native and NFL quarterback Teddy Bridgewater paid a visit to his hometown on Thursday as the football field where he grew up playing was renamed in his honor.
Bridgewater, whose professional career began in 2014 when he was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings, recalled coming to Bunche Park as a child.
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"It serves just as a place of stability for me. It was always the same," he said. "It was always genuine love. It was always just great energy when I came here, and Bunche Park was just a place of freedom where an innocent child could just come to the park and just be free. It served as a life coach. It opened doors for relationships."
Speaking before a crowd of community members, loved ones and local leaders, Bridgewater said that his life could have been very different had it not been for coaches who offered constructive criticism, and the "village" who helped guide him through his younger years.
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Bridgewater attended Miami Northwestern Senior High School before attending the University of Louisville and earning his degree in Sports Administration.
"Several years ago, Teddy took [it] upon himself to make sure that he paid for every kid that played football or cheered on this park," City of Miami Gardens Mayor Rodney Harris said. "He paid all their fees, he paid the insurance, and he made sure that every kid that came on this park that wanted to be a part of Bunche Park, they had that opportunity."
Bridgewater became visibly emotional while speaking Thursday, before even seeing the new signage at the renovated field in his honor. He spoke about the support from the Miami Gardens community, and especially his mother and grandmother, who were honored with plaques at the field.
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"Those plaques outside, it's dedicated to my mom, who is a breast cancer survivor, and my grandmother, who is no longer with us, but she was a Bunche Park resident," Bridgewater said. "You talk about being able to smell those flowers. We definitely smell them right now."
Bridgewater said he hopes the newly renovated facilities and coaching community will continue to inspire the next generation of student-athletes.
