Bill MacGregor saw an opportunity to do something positive for the community and went out and made it happen.

The state representative from the 10th Suffolk District hosted a free football clinic for more than 50 youngsters two weeks ago at Billings Field for residents in his district which consists of West Roxbury, Roslindale, Jamaica Plain and Brookline. The response was so positive that MacGregor plans to make it an annual affair.

“It was an awesome day, the kids were so happy to be there,” MacGregor said. “I received texts from parents and kids who were there telling me how much they loved it.”

Once MacGregor came up with the idea, he set the wheels in motion to ensure the kids who came to the clinic would have an unforgettable experience. He wound up getting a star-studded cast of young men who have excelled on and off the gridiron.

He met Calicia Mullings at a city ceremony a few years back honoring her son Kalel for being named Gatorade Football Player of the Year in Massachusetts and asked her if he would be interested in helping at the clinic. Once Mullings joined the fold, MacGregor reached out to good friend Kevin Mahoney, an assistant coach at Catholic Memorial. Before long, former Catholic Memorial and current BC Eagles Owen McGowan, Datrell Jones, Jaedn Skeete and Max Tucker along with Trinity’s Brady McGowan joined in.

“I’m very proud when I hear things like this, they are terrific kids,” Catholic Memorial coach John DiBiaso said. “One of the missions of the school is to give back and it’s great that they took the time to do something like this.”

Mullings was one of the more sought-after kids at the camp. A star at Milton Academy, the 6-foot-2, 240-pounder was part of Michigan’s march to an undefeated season and a national championship.

“It was an amazing experience,” Mullings said. “It was great to be able to give something back, a lot of the kids reminded me of myself. I was able to talk to them about football and also about learning life lessons that you can use after football is done.”

He certainly had his share of fans at the clinic, one of them Brookline High sophomore Jonathan Cartwright.

“I watch Kalel Mullings on TV playing for Michigan,” Cartwright said. “My mom is a big Michigan fan – she went there. (Kalel) is a great player, and I wanted to learn from him. I’m a running back and he’s a running back, so I wanted to learn from him and develop my game.”

Like Mullings, McGowan also earned the prestigious Gatorade Player of the Year honors in 2020-21. A redshirt junior linebacker at Boston College, McGowan jumped at the opportunity to work with the youngsters.

“It was a lot of fun,” McGowan said. “It was great to see so many kids at the clinic, especially since it’s only one of the only ones in the area.”

While MacGregor gave Mahoney the lion’s share of credit for getting most of the players, Mahoney says the true heroes of the day were the football players who gave up a Sunday in the middle of the summer to participate.

“It was a hot day and those kids didn’t have to do this, so it says a lot about them,” Mahoney said. “To see these kids giving back to the community was great and everyone appreciated what they did.”

This was his vision, something he’s thought about for a long time.

“We were so excited to have so many college football players from the community wanting to give back and they all had so much fun that they want to do it again next year,” MacGregor said. “Max Tucker came up to me after the clinic and said he wished there was something like this around when he was younger.

“This is what public and community service is all about – bringing D1 athletes who grew up in and went to school in this community back here to teach the next generation of players and help them develop. I ran for state representative to help connect people, and I think we succeeded with this clinic. It means the world to be a part of something like this in the neighborhood that raised me.”