Somerset Football Player Tackles 2 Roles in One Night, Player & Marching Band Drummer

A Somerset Berkley Regional High School football athlete is catching the town’s attention after his performance last Friday against Durfee.

His football skills were evident, but so were his drumming skills.

Dressed in his football uniform, Kyle McKinnon took the field to play the snare drum for the SBRHS Marching Band before joining his team on the field for the game.

Instead of being in the locker room with his team during the halftime show, McKinnon took the field with his drum, before helping the team to a 19-0 victory.

McKinnon spoke with George Austin of the Somerset Sentinel and shared his love for both sports and music.

“I feel like I was made to play music,” he said.

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McKinnon’s dad, Jesse McKinnon, played a huge role in getting McKinnon interested in football, and now, he balances the demands of being a member of the percussion section for the band and being a team player for the football team.

When I came across this story, I knew I wanted to share it. McKinnon’s desire to be great in all areas of life needs to be talked about.

When I was in middle school, I was a trumpet player for the jazz band. When I got to high school, I thought I was “too cool” to play in the band and dove headfirst into athletics. While I have zero regrets about my journey in athletics, I do regret my shallow and naïve actions when it came to music. I fell into a stereotypical view of what was socially acceptable, and seeing a young gentleman be unapologetically himself brings me so much joy.

You don’t see a football player hopping into the drum line every day, and I have no doubt that McKinnon has inspired his peers to tackle interests head on.