If not for them, he said he wouldn't have likely received an invitation.

The Hardrocker coaches and athletics department pushed to play football last fall, which got him back out on the field and kept his childhood dreams of playing in the National Football League alive.

"I'm blessed and extremely happy to have the opportunity. I wouldn't have this opportunity if Coach Flohr and the coaching staff at Mines didn't push so hard to have a fall season and the few games we had," Batho said Monday before leaving for Hawaii. "Those four games were enough film to put on tape so these guys could look at my résumé from this year and years' past."

The Hardrockers would go on to play four of the six games scheduled after originally being told they would not play, to possibly having a spring season, to finally being able to play four games.

 "Specifically for me, that means a lot that they fought so hard for a guy in my situation who was having looks, then got hurt last year, to have the opportunity to play," he said.

Flohr said he is excited that Batho is getting the opportunity to play against predominately Division I athletes at the Hula Bowl.