Dec. 18, 2007

In the euphoric aftermath following Carroll (Mont.) College's 17-9 win over the University of Sioux Falls last Saturday in the NAIA football championship, AP photographer John Russell snapped a photo of Carroll junior linebacker Brandon Day celebrating on mud-caked Jim Carroll Stadium in Savannah, Tenn. That image appears on the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated as part of our PICTURES OF THE YEAR issue. Day, 21, tells SI.com's Richard Deitsch what it means to be a Carroll football player and what he was feeling when Russell took his photograph. Russell also gives us the story behind the picture from his perspective.

The big word we use around here is brotherhood. I know it's kind of cliché and lots of teams use that stuff but it's real here. We play for each other and we believe in the tradition that our coach (Mike Van Diest) has developed. I was born in Boise but my family moved to Helena when I was 8. Helena is a quintessential Montana town. You can see the mountains everywhere and be at three different lakes in 15 minutes. I started playing organized football here in the fourth grade and played linebacker and tight end at Helena High. There are about 1,400 students here at Carroll and I share an a house about a mile from campus with wide receiver Travis Browne, free safety Tyler Pasha, and wide receiver Stevie Sloan.

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