UAlbany football is getting ready to get back on the gridiron, but in the meantime, they're getting out in the community. Several players stopped by local police, fire and EMS departments in the Capital Region on Wednesday.

Head Football Coach Greg Gattuso and some of the Great Danes football players stopped by to visit with local first responders Wednesday and give them tickets to their Hometown Heroes game on Sept. 21.

"It's great for a couple reasons: one, I think probably the most important reason is it gives our players a little comfort level with police and fire and EMS," Gattuso said. "And they understand there's great people that work in these fields and with the way the world is now, there's so many issues they have to deal with."

One of those stops to give away tickets included the McKownville Fire Department, which helps serve part of the university's campus, but that isn't their only connection to UAlbany.

"We have the opportunity to give back. I think it's important," said Head Men's Basketball Coach Will Brown.

He looks a little different in bunker gear than a jersey, but Great Danes sophomore basketball player Antonio Rizzuto volunteers his free time as a firefighter at McKownville Fire.

"Basketball is very demanding; so is school, but there is still some free time that I have to do other stuff like this," Rizzuto said. "I wanna maybe help people and give back a little bit, but it's something new. I never really pictured myself in this position; it just kind of happened for me."

Rizzuto says a friend asked to come down to the station during last season and try some drills, and that was all it took.

"It's like a family here as well, so it's somewhere I can get away from if I want to get off campus for a little bit," Rizzuto said.

Brown says Rizzuto's inspiring others in athletic programs across the university and for that, he couldn't be more proud.

"The only challenge for me would be if there's a minute or two left in the game and he hears the alarm go off and he runs out of the arena, but other than that, I think it's terrific," Brown said. "Any time he's available and can get here to help this fire department and help this community, he's here."