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WATCH: K-State RB gives profound award speech day after dad dies
Denzel Goolsby hadn’t intended to accept the Barry Sanders High School Male Athlete of the Year award in person.
Already at work at Kansas State, the incoming freshman running back had planned for his grade-school coach to accept the honor from the Wichita Sports Commission on his behalf if he won, but then Goolsby received terrible news Wednesday morning.
“I woke up in Manhattan to a lot of missed calls and text messages and I didn’t know what was going on,” Goolsby said. “So I called my sister back, and she said that my dad back here in Wichita had a brain aneurism in the middle of the night, and that he was on life support and that I was supposed to come home to say my last words to him.”
Goolsby's dad died later that day. On Thursday, the three-star recruit was on stage telling his story with incredible bravery and perspective, and dedicating the award to his dad.
“He is a big reason why I’m the person I am today. He always pushed me, and I’m a firm believer in work ethic being something that is passed along.”
Goolsby then went on to compare life's hardships to the dents on a golf ball. But rather than transcribing it here, do him the honor of listening to his profound words in the video above.
(h/t: kwch.com)
