SEBASTIAN – William Shogran Sr. mustered up a few words to share from the pulpit during his son’s funeral service held at the Sebastian River High School Performing Arts Center on Tuesday afternoon.
Shogran told family and friends gathered at the ceremony that speaking at his son’s funeral was the hardest thing he has ever had to do.
Dozens of his fellow state troopers and highway patrolmen filed into the auditorium in support of their co-worker.
William Shogran Jr. died on Aug. 13 while away at the Sebastian River High School football training camp in Starke, Fla. He was a home schooled student who was starting his freshman year and playing football with the Sharks.
According to police reports, coaches called 911 around 11 a.m. after the football player complained of dizziness and removed himself from the practice field. He died shortly thereafter.
Memories shared about Shogran Jr. and his life during the funeral ceremony largely revolved around his sense of humor and zeal for his faith.
Many of the friends Shogran Jr. made through his church’s youth group were seen at the funeral wearing royal blue t-shirts with the message “Live like a 10” plastered on them.
The phrase, according to officiating pastor Todd Thomas, came out of a conversation held between Shogran Jr. and several other students and youth sponsors at a summer youth conference in Tennessee.
During the conference, students were asked to rate themselves on a scale of 1-10 regarding their level of commitment to sharing the love of Jesus with other people. After many of the students ranked themselves low on the scale, Shogran reportedly remarked that the low scores depressed him, and exclaimed he was committed to being a “10.”
Shogran Jr. and his father confirmed their commitment to their Christian faith when they chose to be baptized together on April 9 of this year.
The phrase “Live like a 10” caught on and now students in the youth group are using Shogran’s enthusiasm for life and faith as a mantra to model their own lives after.
Shark’s head football coach Kevin Pettis addressed the family, telling them there are three things the coaching staff asks of their players: “To be good sons, good students, and good citizens.”
If the players focus on those three things, football will take care of itself, Pettis said.
“He loved you all,” Pettis told Shogran’s family. “He did good.”
After the funeral had ended and Shogran Jr.’s family was presented with his retired No. 72 jersey, the entire football team, more than 50 students, filed through one at a time to personally hug and shake hands with the parents of their deceased teammate.
Dozens of state troopers stood shoulder to shoulder with the football team to form an aisle of support as the family was escorted from the auditorium.
Shogran Jr. was laid to rest after the funeral service at the Sebastian Cemetery.
Donations in Shogran’s memory may be made to the William Shogran Scholarship Fund, c/o Sebastian Christian Church, 190 Day Dr., Sebastian, FL 32958.
