Fourth-grade class to meet Saints punter during Super Bowl week

Morstead invited the fourth-grade class at Rossman Elementary School to attend the Super Bowl Experience, the NFL's interactive theme park at the Minneapolis Convention Center, during Super Bowl week in Minneapolis.

The class saw Morstead's video invite on Friday morning.

"It was awesome," said Nick Alton, who teaches the class. "Watching the kids' reaction today was priceless."

Alton said his class is taking a charter bus to Minneapolis next Friday to attend the Super Bowl Experience and meet Morstead days before the big game, which is between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Feb. 4, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

The Minnesota Vikings are paying for the trip, Alton said.

"I wanted to tell you guys I was totally blown away and inspired and you made my wife cry, it was an awesome gesture you guys did. I wanted to reward that," Morstead said in the video that Alton played for his class. "Myself, along with the Minnesota Vikings, would like to have that whole class come down Minneapolis the week of the Super Bowl and get to do the NFL Experience with me."

Alton's class of 24 students erupted with excitement, as they watched Morstead extend the invitation on the video.

"So what do you guys think, should we head down there?" Alton asked his entire class when the video was completed.

The class responded with a loud cheer.

"Truthfully, nothing was ever on my radar," Alton said. "It started out with a neat sportsmanship gesture from a punter and it spiralled from there to where we are today."

The fourth-graders first caught Morstead's attention a week ago when Alton posted a 31-second video on Twitter last week, announcing their donation to Morstead's foundation called "What You Give Will Grow." Morstead retweeted the message on Friday, Jan. 19, and wrote: "How can I meet this class. Just made my wife cry."

Alton's class ended up raising more that $200 to Morstead's foundation. Vikings fans helped donate more than $200,000 for the foundation after Morstead's show of sportsmanship at the end of the Vikings' 29-24 victory against the Saints on Jan. 14 in the NFC Divisional Round at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Morstead, who injured his ribs early in the game, came back out on the field for a mandatory extra point with no time on the clock, even though the game's outcome had been decided and his team had lost in gut-wrenching fashion on the game's final play.

Morstead has pledged to donate the more than $200,000 that his foundation received from Vikings fans to Children's Minnesota. He will present the check during Super Bowl week in Minneapolis and also meet with Alton's class.

Dennis Lomonaco, the executive director of Morstead's foundation, contacted Alton last week about having the fourth-graders meet Morstead.

"I just couldn't believe it. I was floored," said Alton, who played football at Concordia College from 2005-2008. "I thought this would just fizzle out."