Former Pro Football Player Revs Up Schools Before Annual Rivalry Game

The annual rivalry game between and , known as the "Battle of the Strip," is Thursday, and every year the Rotary Clubs from San Bruno and Millbrae organize a luncheon for the two football teams before the big game.

Adam Tafralis, a San Bruno native and Mills High grad who played quaterback at San Jose State University and got drafted to the National Football League, was the guest speaker for today's luncheon at the Basque Cultural Center in South San Francisco.

Tafralis's family lost their home in the Sept. 9, 2010, pipeline explosion and his father Gregg Tafralis was burned. Although football has allowed Adam Tafralis to excel at such a high level, he told the players from both teams that he loves the community he grew up in the most.

The fire reminded him of that, he said, as does the annual "Battle of the Strip" game that he played in when he was in high school.