The Urban Meyer I Know

Urban Meyer has dominated sports headlines today as reports have surfaced that he knew about the domestic violence allegations against wide receivers coach Zach Smith. In wake of these headlines, and Meyer being placed on administrative leave, I would like to share my thoughts on Ohio State’s head coach.

He is one of the kindest people I’ve had the privilege of meeting.

I first came in contact with him at the age of fifteen, when I attended the Tim Tebow Foundation Celebrity Golf Classic. I was watching from the tee box of the sixteenth hole. He was the last golfer to come to the hole that day. It had been a long day; sun beat down hotly before turning into a rain shower. I was nervous to meet him- I’d watched him coach for years, and the way he pushed his team to success served as my motivation as I went through the numerous challenges cerebral palsy brings.

The first thing he said to me? “I’m going to give you a big hug.” And then he did exactly that.

Because of my disability, I need help standing, and he didn’t hesitate to give me support as we took a picture. He complimented the leg braces I wore, and the kindness and warmth he treated me with immediately put me at ease. As we talked, one thing struck me above anything else: more than anything else, he’s a father.

A year later, I saw him again at the Celebrity Golf Classic, when the foundation invited me to speak at the Celebrity Gala. My father was with me, and not long after I spoke, left the room momentarily. What he told me when he came back blew me away: I just talked to Urban Meyer. He said he remembers you and he’s going to come talk to you.”

Sure enough, I looked up a few minutes later to see Coach Meyer heading towards me, with his wife right beside him. When he saw me, he pumped his arms in the air, a smile crossing his face. Once he was close, he reached out and pulled me into a warm hug before pulling up a chair and taking a seat across from me.

He and his wife stayed and talked with me for at least thirty minutes. They were incredibly down to Earth and sincere. Coach Meyer joked with and teased me as if I were his own daughter, and the conversation I had with he and Ms. Shelley is one of my favorite memories from that night.

He’s always been like that. Each time I see him, he goes out of his way to give me a bear hug, and talk with me, regardless of what else is going on around us. He wants to know how I’m doing, and it’s obvious to me that his interest and care is genuine. Last March, when I told him I liked a wristband he was wearing, he took it off and gave it to me, without hesitation or a second thought.

Urban Meyer is more than the news headlines circulating about him right now. He’s a man of faith who genuinely cares about the people around him and wants the best for them. There is more to this story, another side that hasn’t been told yet. And while I don’t know what happened in Columbus, I do know that Urban Meyer has touched the lives of a lot of people, including mine.

It’s About So Much More than Football

“What’s Urban Meyer really like?”a friend asked me last night.

As I tried to come up with an answer that adequately describes the Ohio State coach, a barrage of adjectives flooded my mind: Kind. Compassionate. Caring. The list goes on and on.

My perspective on Coach Meyer is unique, because I’ve had the blessing of meeting him and his wife. People ask me all the time how I root for Ohio State, and the answer is simple: Because Coach and Ms. Shelley are amazing.

I first met Coach Meyer two and a half years ago, at the Tim Tebow Foundation Celebrity Golf Classic. I’d gone as a surprise birthday present, and that day is one I’ll never forget. Over the course of six hours, I met so many people that I’d either listened to on the radio or watched on TV for years. They were all so nice, and being able to hug Timmy and tell him how much he inspires me meant more to me than I could ever explain.

Coach Meyer is someone else who gives me inspiration and encouragement. He was the first coach I ever watched lead the Florida Gators, and I can’t count how many times my father would remind me of the way he pushes his team as I went through physical therapy and the other obstacles cerebral palsy brings. “He pushes them to the max,” Dad would tell me. “That’s why he’s successful. You have to push yourself that way, too.” I’d always had a feeling that he was a great man in addition to being a great coach, and I found out at the golf tournament that day that I’d been right.

He was the last golfer to come to our hole, and I remember nervous adrenaline pumping through my veins as he made his way toward me. Before I could figure out what to say, Coach Meyer told me, “I’m going to give you a huge hug” and then did exactly that. The kind way he spoke to me made my nerves disappear. I noticed right away that more than anything else, he’s a father. He made me feel comfortable and he made me feel normal at a time when I often felt like my disability defined me.

A year later, six months after Timmy and his foundation granted my W15H, I gave a speech at their Celebrity Gala. My dad stepped out of the room for a moment not long after I spoke, and when he came back, he was grinning.

“What?” I asked.

“I just talked to Urban Meyer,” Dad answered. “He said he remembers you and he’s going to come talk to you.” I couldn’t believe he remembered me in the first place.

Sure enough, I looked up not long after that to see Coach Meyer and Ms. Shelley making their way towards me. They both wrapped me in huge hugs before pulling up chairs and talking with us for at least fifteen minutes-if not longer. Ms. Shelley talked to me with the same warmth and kindness that her husband did, and I was floored when she said that my speech had made her cry. They made my night, and since then I’ve cheered for the Buckeyes the same way I cheer for Florida.

Me the night of the 2016 Tim Tebow Foundation Celebrity Gala

 

The answer to the above question applies to not only Coach Meyer, but to Ms. Shelley as well. They’re both amazing, incredibly kind, wonderful people, and I’m so grateful to have been able to meet them both. That night is something I think about whenever I need encouragement, and Coach Meyer is so much more than just a football coach. He always brightens my day, and I’m so blessed to be one of the thousands of lives he and Ms. Shelley have touched.

WordPress Daily Prompt: How One “Natty” Started It All

When I read today’s Daily Prompt, I immediately thought of the 2006 BCS National Championship Game, where my Florida Gators took on the Ohio State Buckeyes, because it was that national championship that started it all.

Despite the fact that I was only six years old, I grasped what an incredible accomplishment it was just to reach the game. I can still picture the Ohio State player running down the field to score on the very first play of the game; I can still hear my dad tell me, “This is what we’ll get if we win tonight” as he showed me a picture of the crystal trophy. My parents made me go to bed at halftime, but the first thing I asked when I woke up the next morning was, “Daddy, did we win last night?”

I never could have imagined that, ten years later, I would get to sit down and have a conversation with Urban Meyer about that game. I never could have imagined that I would have the blessing of getting to know not only Coach Meyer, but then-freshman quarterback Tim Tebow. And I never could have imagined how much I would grow to love the University of Florida and college football.

As I got older, my love of UF and Florida football only grew. Saturday afternoons quickly became my favorite part of the week, because I would get to watch and cheer on my beloved Florida Gators. The team’s successes became a source of encouragement for me as I overcame the daily challenges of my cerebral palsy, because I knew that to overcome it, I would have to put in the same amount of work as the players I watched every weekend did. Whenever I got frustrated or discouraged, my dad would always remind me of the work the team puts in, and of the standards they are held to. Tim Tebow was my inspiration, and it was with his perseverance and the team’s dedication in mind that I got through weekly physical therapy, daily stretching, and challenges that CP brings.

I was in sixth grade when I went to my first game in The Swamp. I’ll never forget that day. During the Gator Walk that morning, both players and coaches said hello and gave me high fives, and I even got to take a picture with one of our offensive linemen. An already-amazing day was made even more so when we went into the Swamp. The atmosphere was electric; I loved the sound of 96,000 people singing the fight songs together and chanting “Orange!” “Blue!” It was incredible, and it made my already-intense love of the University of Florida grow even stronger.

Now, all these years later, not much has changed. I still live for fall Saturday afternoons when I get to watch my beloved Florida Gators play; I still lean on the team’s dedication and hard work for encouragement as I continue overcoming my cerebral palsy. Tim Tebow is still my inspiration, and I still love the sound of 96,000 people in the Swamp singing fight songs together and chanting “Orange!” “Blue!” I still have an intense love for the University of Florida, and that love has led me to friendships I will forever cherish and memories I will forever hold onto. That love has opened doors and created incredible experiences, and it’s a love that will never fade.