Houston Texans Celebrate Father's Day

Yesterday, the Texans hosted All Pro Dad Day Event at their training facility and are celebrating Father's Day by having Gary Kubiak ( HoustonTexans.com video above) and various players (video below) talk about fathers and fatherhood. The featured speaker at All Pro Dad Day was Texans special teams coach, Joe Marciano. If you have ever seen Marciano talk about fatherhood and the responsibilities and joys of being a dad, it is extremely uplifting and meaningful.

Mariciano writes of his moving fatherhood story in a Sporting News story in 2005. At age 45, Marciano adopted his newborn son, Joseph. As a single dad who worked NFL hours, tending to a child wasn't easy, but eventually it became more difficult. He learned that his son was autistic, and the first doctors he worked with gave him a grim prognosis. They said that Joseph would need adult supervision his entire life and may never learn to speak.

In getting a second opinion, Marciano learned that with intensive intervention, it is possible for autistic children to make terrific advances. Marciano loves spreading his message of hope to families with autism, and loves talking to people about parent's responsibilities to their children. Today's article in the Houston Chronicle discusses the progress that Joseph has made, and how he is making A's and B's in mainstreamed classes.

I've heard Marciano speak a number of times, and he is one of those people who makes you want to run through a brick wall for him. His players love him, and his special team units have always performed better than the rest of the team.

Here's some of the Texans players talking about their fathers (and some cases mothers):





I want to wish a special Father's Day to all you dads out there, including my dad. I'm the oldest of seven kids, and I have no idea how my parents didn't go completely insane.