Quarterback Thomas Hamilton hadn't done anything like it before.      

But when his step father Mike Ryan suggested he might like to help coach a couple of Clackamas County Special Olympics teams last winter, it struck a chord within him.     

"As a college athlete, I have been blessed with many great opportunities thanks to the help of many people and my family.  I saw this as a good opportunity to give back and help someone else who maybe wasn't as fortunate as I was," said the 6'3", 220 pound redshirt freshman who is listed this year as both a quarterback and wide receiver.    

Hamilton helped Ryan coach Special Olympics basketball and softball teams composed of athletes ages 19 to 40.  He lettered in basketball his first two years at Baker High School prior to transferring to Oregon City High School his senior year.  He played baseball in grade school.     

He and Ryan were coaching athletes with widely ranging levels of special needs and athletic skill.       

"With some of these guys, you wouldn't know they had any challenges at all.  Some are better basketball players than others and they all want the ball in their hands.  But, they're aware of their individual level of play and are able to work together toward the common goal…to win," said Hamilton, who had more than 1,800 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and only five interceptions as a senior at Oregon City. In his junior year at Baker City, he won a state championship, completing 146/241 passes for 1,470 years and 12 touchdowns.     

Coaching special needs athletes has extra challenges, he said. "You need to be very patient and persistent.  You need to work to understand where they're coming from. Part of working with these guys is coaching skill, but most is support and guidance."      

And, Hamilton has discovered that hanging out with these athletes is just a lot of fun.     

"It's just fun to be around guys who are competitive.  They take their games as seriously as we take ours," he said.     

He said just being around the players is fun. "Personally, I enjoy being around the guys. It's cool that I can be part of something that they look forward to on a weekly and yearly basis," Hamilton said.     

Both teams also have done well with softball winning the Special Olympics Summer Games tournament in Newberg last summer. The basketball team also has been successful on the court.      

"If they make a big play, they're excited. Over a year, it's fun to see how they grow as a team and how they learn to play with each other. A lot of this group has been together for four or five years," he said.       

When hanging out with his teams, he's found they also like to talk with him about football. "We hang out together. We're friends."       

In fact, there's a lot of interest in Hamilton's team among the Special Olympians. For the Vikings' first home game against Central Washington, Ryan brought 25 of the teams' players.       

Perhaps the best thing that's happened so far to Hamilton, though, is being asked to be part of a team playing in the Trailblazers Special Olympics Three-on-Three Tournament.      

"A couple of the guys asked me to play on their team (it's a mixed tournament)," said Hamilton, obviously pleased to have been asked.     

Something like coaching Special Olympians hadn't crossed his mind before last winter, but now Hamilton thinks it's something he'll likely continue for a long time.       

"Giving back really has its rewards," he said.