Our Hawkeye football season continues right into 2017…and we’re headed on another road trip…a drive to Tampa to cheer on the Hawkeyes in the Outback Bowl on January 2, 2017.
The Hawkeyes also played in the Outback Bowl in 2014, and if’ you’re a long-time follower of my blog you may remember reading about the chance meeting before that game when I met a very special person. So please allow me to reintroduce you to the brave Hawkeye Football mom who is now my friend for life. In fact, we both plan to stay at the same hotel for the Outback Bowl in Tampa again THIS week so we can catch up!
I’ll share our 2017 bowl trip adventures in another post. And FYI…Patrice’s Hawkeye son Christian has moved on from college football to enjoy much success in the pros.. He is now playing for the Cleveland Browns!
Now…Here is that 2014 story that still brings tears to my eyes…
Before we leave the Outback Bowl 2014 and Tampa behind, I do want to share a story about a very brave and loving Hawkeye Mom…Patrice Kirksey. We met Patrice at our hotel in Tampa. She traveled to the bowl game to watch her youngest son, Christian, a senior, (#20) play his last game for the Hawkeyes.
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| Ashle (Christian’s girlfriend), Patrice, and her grandson, Brandon Kirksey. Brandon played football at Minnesota and is now a college football coach. |
Most people who attend football games don’t think too much about the lives of the football players when they’re off the playing field. And Patrice’s story is a great example of the burdens and challenges these men (some as young as 17) can be facing in their daily lives.
When Christian was recruited by the Hawkeye coaches, his college visit was a little bit unusual, since he brought FOURTEEN family members with him from St. Louis to tour the campus! The Hawkeye coaches took it all in stride, though, and Patrice said they were willing to pose for pictures with Christian and his dad in many locations on campus. Patrice said she took LOTS of photos…not knowing then how precious those photos would soon become.
17 year old Christian chose the Hawkeyes, and on the day he reported for Freshman training camp…his loving father died of a heart attack at the age of 59.
After much prayer and soul searching with his mother and the rest of the Kirksey family, Christian decided his father (a minister) would truly want him to honor his commitment to the team, and he came to Iowa. With him he brought the book of photos his mother had so lovingly taken on that campus visit. Patrice told me Christian carries that photo book with him to every game to remind himself that his dad actually stood with him on the Kinnick field..and that he’s still with him today.
So when those players enter Kinnick Stadium in that famous “swarm” please take a moment to reflect…these are young men with personal lives we know nothing about. And take a moment to thank them for their dedication and willingness to take on the challenges that face them, both on and off the field!
It was a pleasure and an honor to meet Patrice, and for her to share her faith and her love of family with me. We share a common belief that FAITH plays a role in the way we live our lives…and FAMILY is the glue that holds us all together.
That’s why I’m sure meeting Patrice was no accident…
Lovely experience – It is amazing how many students I know at our University are popular athletes who also have personal issues and stories that folks don’t think about.
Thanks for your comment Linda…Sometimes we forget these big, burley athletes were riding dirt bikes and playing in a sandbox longer than they’ve been driving cars! They can always use a hug from whatever mom or grandma happens to be close by!
Amazing how special things happen to us…you just have to be open and realize it happened for some reason.
I totally agree Linda…It’s amazing how life gives us so many gentle “nudges” if we’re just aware enough to recognize them. (Sometimes I call them “Angel Whispers” for me.) Thanks for your comment!
Love this story. On the other hand, the Big 10 has been abysmal in the bowl games
There is always next year!
I know, Carmen…and we’ve been there to witness many of these bowl losses. But there is so much more to life than just those scores. The fans we’ve met and the laughs we’ve shared with others has certainly helped to take the sting off those losses. (And I heard no Iowa fans complaining about the weather they enjoyed this week in the Sunshine State!) And Thanks again for your comment!
Love the way you all think about things going way beyond what happened on a field – and realizing that many of these players and coaches are sensitive folks like everyone else!!
Absolutely…Thanks Linda!