Football: Phil Bogle brings NFL friends to Spring Valley's Lineman Challenge

When he was a young man in Spring Valley, Phil Bogle had his first brush with football fame.

During an event for children in the school gym, Bogle was among the students who met the Giants' Stephen Baker, a wide received dubbed "The Touchdown Maker" who played for the Super Bowl XXV champions.

"I was a kid and he walked into the gym and it was just a presence," Bogle said. "I always wanted to have that same feeling."

Bogle said crossing paths with Baker changed his mindset in a meaningful way. He became driven to be a successful athlete. After starring as an offensive lineman at the University of New Haven, he went on to play offensive line in the NFL and now serves as a league executive.

Through his contacts and the effort of Spring Valley varsity coach Andrew Delva, Bogle has helped recruit five former NFL players to the school's annual Lineman Challenge named in his honor.

The event was scheduled for this coming Saturday, but was postponed a week, to July 27, for precautionary health and safety reasons.

Bogle hopes the event, which is set to begin around 9:30 a.m. on the turf at Spring Valley High School, can leave a similar impression on the attendees that Baker left on him.

"For these kids, it can change the trajectory of their lives to see stars and walk among them and talk to them and take pictures," said Bogle, the NFL's Director of Game Operations. "It changed my mind. I wanted to be just like those guys."

Former Giants Chris Canty, Kevin Boothe and Roman Oben are among those expected to attend. Bogle played with Oben on the Chargers. Boothe, a two-time Super Bowl champ, works with Bogle in the NFL offices. Canty, who co-hosts a show on ESPN Radio, frequents Bogle's old barber shop in Spring Valley.

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The three with be joined by 10-year NFL veteran Stephen Bowen, a former Redskin who also works with the league, and Rockland County's own Keith Bulluck, who was an All-Pro linebacker with the Titans.

"Keith is a hometown hero. He supports things I do and vice versa," Bogle said. "Keith will come out and show love any time I ask him."

Delva, who played with Bogle in high school, first organized the event seven years ago. He named it after Bogle three years ago and the two have been aggressive in their attempts to improve the event since.

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This year's Lineman Challenge features 13 teams, including New Rochelle, North Rockland, Spring Valley, Ramapo, Clarkstown North, Suffern, Albertus Magnus, Woodlands and Mount Vernon.

"We've grown. When we first started, we only had five teams," Delva said. "We learned and we've expanded on it. We've promoted it. We've reached out to coaches in Connecticut and New Jersey and tried to show people how good it is, what events we have. It's a fun day."

With oppressive heat in the forecast, Delva has pushed the event up with the goal of completing it by midday. He has envisioned it as a tribute to the big guys, the players who are too often overlooked and excluded from summer passing tournaments.

Adding NFL players to the event is another opportunity for the linemen to have their special moment.

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"They're going to come around, talk to the guys for a little bit, watch the event unfold and show some love to the guys up front," Delva said. "They all have the same common goal. They played in the trenches. They know what it's about because they played at the highest level."

Added Bogle: "You never know what their influence could bring."

Follow Josh Thomson on Twitter and Instagram at @lohudinsider.