I was either in the presidency, or
Primary pianist when Jordan went through Primary.
Mom was his Primary teacher...because she was
everyone's Primary teacher!
His parents are Kerry and Leslie.
This article was on the AF Bands Facebook page.
It
has been brought to my attention that a former AF Band Alumni will be playing
in the Super Bowl this Saturday!! This story has been on our website this year,
but I've copied and pasted it to share here.
Enjoy!
NFL:
AF Band Alumni Jordan Devey's progress has been music to Patriots' ears
Jordan Devey stood 6-foot-5 and weighed 270 pounds as a high school senior. So
it was hardly surprising he spent his Friday nights on a football field and
performed well enough to find himself entertaining several scholarship offers.
There
was one twist.
Devey
wasn't playing football at American Fork High, but the tuba in the school's
nationally acclaimed marching band and it was his musical proficiency that drew
the attention of several colleges in his native Utah.
"I
went to every football game and sat on the sidelines," said Devey who gave
up the sport after eighth grade due to intense knee pain from having
Osgood-Schlatters disease. "Most of my friends who weren't in the band
were on the football field. They always gave me a hard time trying to get me
out there.
"I
wanted to, it was just one of those things where we had the big picture in mind
rather than the here and now."
That
prudent approach paid off.
The
here and now for Devey includes being an offensive lineman for the Patriots,
who signed the undrafted rookie to their eight-man practice squad in early
September just days after he was cut for a second time by the Baltimore Ravens.
Devey's
journey to New England was circuitous, protracted and, especially, rewarding in
a personal, pious and professional way.
After
graduating from high school in 2006, Devey took a job working security on the
graveyard shift for a computer company. Twelve hours a day, five days a week he
checked diesel rigs bringing in shipments.
From
there it was off to Costa Rica to serve a two-year mission as a member of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Devey loved everything about the
country from its beautiful beaches to friendly folks.
Well,
mostly friendly
Trying to get people to listen to his Mormon message was always demanding and
occasionally demoralizing.
"You
get a lot of doors slammed in your face," Devey said. "You see the
best and the worst of people when you're doing that because a lot of times it
is cold calling."
His
experience in Central America, while focused on serving others, helped foster
his individual growth.
"I
definitely loved it and I learned a lot of things that I still apply in my
life, about working hard and learning new things — I had to learn Spanish while
I was down there," the easygoing and enthusiastic 25-year-old said.
"So a lot of life lessons I picked up down there that will stay with me
for a while."
When
Devey returned to the United States he felt a bit out of place after having
been immersed in Latin culture for so long. He had also grown another 2 inches
and lost 50 pounds due to a diet heavy on rice and beans and a daily regimen
that included lots of walking.
Devey
also shed the knee pain that had beset him for years and decided to walk on to
the football team at Snow College, not far from his hometown. He not only made
the squad, he started for two years and — when was the last time you heard a
lineman honored this way — was named the Snow Cats' Offensive Player of the
Year on a team that wound up being ranked seventh in the country in 2010.
Now
6-foot-7 and more than 300 pounds, the athletic scholarships poured in. Devey
settled on the University of Memphis, where he studied accounting, got married
and played every snap in every game while seeing time at left tackle, right
guard and right tackle over the next two years. Oh yeah, he was named team MVP
after his senior season in 2012.
Although
he went undrafted in April, Devey was signed by the Ravens right after the
conclusion of the seventh and final round. He spent spring and summer in
Baltimore before being released, re-signed and released again, leading to his
becoming a Patriot.
Utah
will always be home, but Devey has settled in quite nicely in Massachusetts.
"I
absolutely love it here," he said. Coach (Bill) Belichick does a really
good job. Everyone here is blue collar. It's all about going to work and the
team and getting better every day. That's the kind of person I am, so I felt
like I fit right in with these guys and I couldn't imagine a better group of
guys to be around."
As
for the tuba, Devey came home from Costa Rica and discovered he couldn't blow a
note. That's about the only thing that hasn't worked out these last few years
for him.
Blocking for #12 . . . Tom Brady
