Gallardo, who now works in a variety of roles for the club, including for its local broadcast team and being a community ambassador, believes the sense of family within the club is a reason why the club was able to succeed as well as it did both on and off the field.

“It’s always been a family to me,” said Gallardo. “This is where I met my fiancé, this is where my baby’s going to be born in a couple of months, and so this is home for me, and there’s still a lot of people – even though there’s been a lot of changes – there’s still a lot of people on the team that have been here since I was here, and so for me to be able to get this opportunity to come back and work in a different side of the game, it’s just wonderful.”

As part of the club’s original lineup, Sunday night proved a proud moment for the players and staff who helped lay the foundation for a landmark moment in the Lions’ history.

“I thought about a lot of my teammates today, and a lot of the former staff members,” said Valentino. “I thought about them all day because this is a special moment for this club, and everyone should be proud for the small part that everyone’s played.”