Nine-year-old Burkley Hoover has been immersed in the sport of football for most of her life. Her father, Justin Hoover, is the head coach of the Shawnee Mission East high school football team and owner of Spin It Quarterback Academy.
That immersion has given her a knowledge of the game that many people her age may lack. She says that knowledge gap gave her the idea for what a Book of 44 pages.
“I wanted me and my friends to learn more about football,” she said KCUR is up to date. “A lot of them I can talk about things like what game happened, but some of them don’t know much.”
Justin said the idea started with activities at their home to help Burkley’s friends understand the game.
“It was really about you starting, ‘Can we pull them over? Can we watch a movie? Can we watch a game with my friends?’ What can we do to help them, to help educate them?” he said.
Soon, he said, Burkley began jotting down a paper she used to help teach friends when they came over. The document was later seen by a family friend Tim Grunharda former Kansas City Chiefs center and offensive line coach at the University of Kansas.
“He kind of said, ‘Hey, wait a minute. I think you’ve got something here,” Justin said. “So he put us in touch with another local author and it just inspired her to get on with it.”
Burkley spent several months researching the history of football, from the origins of the offensive huddle to the evolution of helmets worn by players over the years.
She said this research was often the most difficult part of the writing process, which caused her to miss out on social opportunities with friends and family.
However, writing had some advantages. The finished book featured several interviews with professional players, all of which were conducted by Burkley and her family, allowing her to meet some of the men who play her favorite sport at the highest level.
“I made a video of some of them and sent it to them. Some of them… I FaceTimed them. Some of them we sent the questions to … but they were all really nice,” Burkley said. “I don’t think I have a favorite.”
Justin said the interviews and research Burkley gathered will be something to teach football fans of all ages.
“I actually learned a lot,” he said. “Things like taking the terms from coaches and then breaking it down into a kind of kid’s version, I think it was really interesting and helpful for me to learn the game.”
Burkley said she wants to write more books like this about other sports like volleyball or soccer. Her dad said he’s just proud to see her finish this one.
“I think it’s inspiring when you think of a nine-year-old girl who says, ‘I’m going to do this,’ and then actually gets it done,” he said. “That’s probably what I’m most proud of.”
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