TAMPA, Fla. — The days are long.

The practices sometimes tedious.

But Berkeley Prep Buccaneers assistant coach Andre Kirwan keeps coming back for more.

“Each year that you keep saying maybe it’s my time to go, somebody just captures your heart,” he said.

Losing a good portion of their starting lineup from last year’s state runner-up team, this young Bucs roster has taken its lumps this season. They are in rebuilding mode. That’s something Kirwan is very familiar with. His life is literally in the middle of a rebuild.

On July 4, 2019, Kirwan watched his home and most of his possessions burn to the ground. A fire, sparked by a celebration firework, spread quickly throughout the house, destroying everything.

“The fire marshal came to me, he put his arm around me and he said, God was watching out for you because you shouldn’t be standing here right now,” Kirwan said.

Furniture, gone. Clothing, gone. All of his football memorabilia collected during his time with the Jesuit Tigers, Stanford and the Grey Cup ring he won with the Toronto Argonauts, gone. But there was something the fire couldn’t destroy.

“Your career is here. It’s in your head and in your heart,” he said. “Those are memories that no one will ever be able to take away from you.”

Most of Kirwan’s possessions were destroyed in the fire. But there were signs a higher power was watching over him. Like this bible, nearly intact with a bit of water damage, while everything else around it was burnt.

Kirwan believes he is playing with someone else’s game plan. He truly believes things happen for a reason. And he discovers the reason for this fire every day. He’s learned to appreciate the peace and tranquility in nothingness.

“When something like this happens, you have to reset and almost block it out of your mind space because it will tear you up,” Kirwan said. “But at the end of the day, it’s just stuff. I’m alive.”

Perspective. Kirwan’s got plenty of it. A greater appreciation for life? Sure. But perspective is a funny thing. Once you’ve got a good dose of it, you can’t help but want to share it.

And that’s exactly what he’s trying to do with these Berkeley Prep players.

“If you can help them, you can look back on your time coaching and say I was a small part in being a catalyst to achieving their goals,” he said. “I’ve already lived my goal. I’ve lived my dream. And now it’s really time to pass it forward and pay it forward.”