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Yeah, sure, Kyle Rudolph may be the next best thing since Tony Gonzalez when it comes to tight ends in the NFL, but the event held on Friday, March 1, at the Golden Hill Education Center didn’t completely revolve around him.

It was all about the students who set out to achieve a lifestyle of healthy eating and fitness.

With the Fuel Up to Play 60 program involving the Super Bowl Breakfast Challenge, the students focused on an in-school nutrition and physical activity program created in partnership with the National Dairy Council and the National Football League. This program encouraged students to eat healthy, be active and implement positive, healthy changes at school. In Minnesota, the program is provided by Midwest Dairy Council and the Minnesota Vikings.

With this particular program, the Super Bowl Breakfast Challenge encouraged students to develop tasty new oatmeal recipes and ideas for sharing creations with their peers.

“The students collaborated on some fun recipes and ideas for getting their friends to try them,” said Golden Hill’s Fuel Up to Play 60 Program Advisor Amy Petersilie.

And, among over 73,000 schools participating in the Fuel Up to Play 60 Challenge, with the help of a student-led team consisting of Teddy Darga, Tessa Gilbertson, Kat Sarano-Guzman, and Jordon Alexander, their recipe for Extreme Viking Oatmeal Creme Brule put them in the running to win the challenge.

Their reward was to have Kyle Rudolph come to their school, answer their interesting questions, and promote healthy eating and fitness. While having a dietician from the Mayo Clinic or Olmsted Medical Center speak to students about a healthy diet and fitness is always an option, it’s just not the same.

Towering at 6’6” tall as a beefy 260 pound superstar, Rudolph is the pillar of a healthy diet and exercise. And, the students of Golden Hill Education Center, an alternative school comprised of an age range of middle school through high school, were captivated by everything 2012 Pro Bowl MVP Kyle Rudolph had to say.

“What is the most you ever benched?” asked one of the students. Rudolph replied, “Well, right now, not as much as I did in college.” Back in college, he boasted 400 pounds on the bench.

Rudolph, while humble, was also used to speaking in front of students. He’s traveled all over the state of Minnesota speaking to students at all grade levels about healthy eating and fitness.

Another student asked, “What’s your favorite football team?” While Rudolph was born and raised in Cincinnati, he said it was tough being a Bengals fan while growing up because they were so bad. So, he gravitated toward being a Dallas Cowboys fan.

“Do you have a touchdown dance?” asked one of the students. Rudolph, at first, said, “No, not really.” But, then he thought about it for a second and said, “Yeah, I guess I do. As a high school basketball player I liked to dunk, so I may take it to the uprights. And, there was this time when I did the “Lambeau Leap” at Lambeau Field into a group of Vikings fans all surrounded by Packer fans in the end zone.”

While this 23-year-old NFL sensation attracts tremendous media attention, he stays grounded. He shared that he has always wanted to play football ever since he could remember.

As Kyle Rudolph thanked the students for striving to start their day with a healthy breakfast and eat right all throughout the day, he asked if could get the recipe for the Extreme Viking Oatmeal Creme Brule.