When 11-year-old Andy Co, a sixth-grader at Issaquah Middle School, got ready for school on Tuesday morning, he didn’t wait for his father to drive him as usual. Instead, he was waiting for a call from Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to say he was on his way over.

“(Andy’s) face just lit up like a Christmas tree,” said his mother, Judy Co, about the moment he received the call. “He was so excited, he couldn’t wait.”

Hasselbeck arrived soon after in a black stretch limousine to spend the morning with Andy, a winner of the NFL Take a Player to School sweepstakes. The contest is part of the NFL Play 60 program, which is an initiative to help children get 60 minutes of exercise a day, and presented by JCPenney Afterschool.

Hasselbeck joined the Cos for breakfast, took a tour of Andy’s room — where he signed a pennant and a picture — and even participated in a short Nintendo Wii game of Madden ‘09, which Hasselbeck promptly lost.

Andy’s parents and older brother, all sporting jerseys and Seahawks blue and green, were thrilled Andy had won the sweepstakes.

“I think we were more excited than he was,” said his father, Dickson Co.

Meanwhile at IMS, students lined the entryway to the school, decked out in Seahawks gear, waving banners and pompoms and waiting for the two to arrive.

IMS student Molly Shade stood anxiously outside the building in a No. 8 jersey, searching the road for a sign of Hasselbeck’s limousine.

“I’m so excited,” she said. “We found out about this about a week-and-a-half ago, but not who it was for sure until last night. I’m so excited, I’m a total Matt guy.”

The NFL had been keeping the player’s name hushed until the day of the event.

When the black limousine finally arrived in front of the school, Molly and her friends rushed into the building to join the welcoming party, squealing with excitement.

Hasselbeck and Andy entered the school, smiling and waving, and were immersed in a blue-and-green sea of cheering fans.

The day began with a high-energy assembly, where Andy welcomed his classmates and introduced them to “my friend, Matt Hasselbeck!”

Hasselbeck chatted with the audience for a while about his own family and the importance of staying active, and told them the most important thing is to be happy doing it.

“Pick something you really enjoy doing,” he said. “Whether that’s rollerblading or biking or swimming, as long as you’re active and you like it, that’s what matters.”

His short speech was followed by a round of questions from students, including how many calories Hasselbeck eats a day (5,000), whether or not women should be allowed in the NFL (his daughter is going to play football), and if games are stressful (no, but sometimes the playbook is). One audience member asked what kind of advice for success he would give to middle-schoolers.

Hasselbeck said he remembers middle school as a time when children started feeling the brunt of peer pressure, and the most important thing to impart is that it’s not worth it to do something simply to impress others. He also encouraged students to be committed to their schooling and activities, and to talk to parents and teachers if they’re feeling pressured, an answer that garnered a lot of enthusiastic applause.

After the assembly, Andy’s family said they were still in shock he had won.

“They called me at work to tell me he had won and I just didn’t believe it,” Judy said. “I wanted to tell him in person. So I said to him, ‘What’s the most exciting thing that can happen to you?’ And he said, ‘If I won the NFL Take a Player to School.’ It was just amazing.”

Andy, however, said he knew he would win all along.

“I was really really excited to find out,” he said. “But I knew I was going to win. I just had a feeling.”

After the assembly, Hasselbeck joined Andy for his third-period P.E. class, where he stretched, ran in place, and did “Issy” jumping jacks with the class. He showed the students an exercise using resistance bands to develop a strong throwing arm, then wandered among them, chatting and giving them various exercise tips — until the fire alarm rang, proving that it was still a normal school day.

The whole school was ushered outside onto a grass activity field, slick with mud and light rain, where they lined up alphabetically according to their teacher. Hasselbeck joined the students on the field, shaking hands and asking them whether they thought there was a real fire.

“It was awesome to see him chatting with Andy and the kids,” Judy Co said. “He’s very down-to-earth, an amazing guy. He really knows how to relate to children.”

But for Hasselbeck, there was more to the program than just talking to and having fun with the students.

“I think it’s a lot of fun, yeah. But beyond that, it’s a great opportunity to encourage kids in what they’re doing,” he said. “To teach them that it’s really important to stay active, and talk to them about staying on top of their schoolwork, and to reinforce organization and an appreciation for hard work.”

Another perk of the program is the $2,000 grant IMS will receive to help support after-school activities. Half of the money is donated by the NFL, and the other half comes from the JCPenney Afterschool program.

As the day came to an end, Andy — who spent it wearing Hasselbeck’s NFC Championship ring, and hopes to play football himself — said he was pleased with how everything turned out.

“I was really hoping it would be Matt, because he’s the best player on the team,” he said. “It was awesome. He’s really nice, and kind, and a pretty good guy who is fun to hang out with. But he’s not so great at Wii.”

Katie Regan can be reached at kregan@issaquah-reporter.com or 391-0363, ext. 5050.