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A college basketball game’s typical outfit might include everything from team-colored t-shirts to face paint to tailored jackets to jerseys. One thing you don’t see very frequently, though, is a man sitting in the stands wearing a full coal miner’s outfit, complete with work boots and a dusty face.
Michael McGuire and his 3-year-old son Easton, went to the University of Kentucky Wildcats Blue-White basketball scrimmage played in Pikeville, Kentucky.
The father is covered in black coal dust on his face and arms, wearing his work outfit and boots. What was the cause of his fascinating look? His son’s first basketball game was something he didn’t want to miss, so he hurried right from work.
Sue Kinneer, a lover of Kentucky basketball, captured the picture and posted it on numerous fan pages in an effort to locate the family and get the staff’s notice. She wanted to get the kid something fun, like an autograph or anything. But her strategy performed even better than she had anticipated.
John Calipari, the head coach of the Wildcats, noticed the father and tweeted a photo of him to show his admiration for McGuire’s commitment to his family while simultaneously working hard at his career.
Additionally, he mentioned that coal miners were a part of his family, which made Calipari’s reaction all the more emotional.
Thank you everyone for your incredible response to this. No one rallies like the #BBN!
We are looking forward to hosting @mcguire_mollie9, her husband Michael and their family at a game soon!! https://t.co/2OpC5tkjag
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) October 24, 2022
“This image has special meaning for my family because the American dream began in a coal mine in Clarksburg, West Virginia. According to what I’ve been told, he hurried to be with his son and watch our squad after his shift. I have tickets for him and his family to be treated like VIPs at the Rupp Arena, but I have no idea who this person is,” Calipari tweeted.
He mentioned how the image reminded him of his grandfather, a coal miner, and how he had great respect for both of them.
“My grandfather, who worked underground in the mine, has been on my mind a lot lately. I’ve had the honor of traveling underground with miners in Kentucky, and one of their comments stood out to me: “We go down together, and we come up together.” For each other, they each work. The best teammates ever! “he said.
Rupp Area is the home court for the University of Kentucky basketball team.
Mollie McGuire, the coach’s wife, replied to the tweet. “This is my husband, Michael McGuire, and our son, Easton,” she said.
The family quickly made contact with Calipari and the Wildcat staff. McGuire couldn’t believe a picture of him was becoming popular. He claimed to CNN station WKYT that he was working underground when the story broke and had no idea he was going viral online.
“On the way home, everything went nuts when I got out and received service… I found it hard to believe that was true,” he stated.
McGuire claimed that he didn’t want to miss his son Easton’s first basketball game because he only had around 45 minutes to get there after leaving work on Saturday.
“I had to go straight there or miss half the game to go home and take a shower and everything,” he told the affiliate.
So he made the decision to proceed directly there. Wow, what a committed father.
Here’s John Calipari explaining how he saw the photo of coal miner Michael McGuire and his son at the Blue-White Game, and how he wanted to treat the McGuire family after seeing it. “Believe me: It hit home as soon as I saw it… I’m taking care of this guy and his family.” pic.twitter.com/uhclRHqXJk
— Tyler Greever (@Tyler_Greever) October 25, 2022
Calipari informed reporters that he discussed McGuire with his players in the locker room and even showed them the image of the father with dirt on him.
“I mentioned how he takes time for his son even though he knows he won’t be able to shower because of the difficult, exhausting work that he does. He only wanted to be with his son, and it didn’t matter what he looked like,” Calipari added.
Although the McGuire family isn’t yet certain which game they’ll attend for the VIP treatment, they are looking forward to yet another memorable family outing.
Do you have any similar experiences with your dad or mom? It’s time to go back in time and remember those beautiful moments. Please let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to spread the news so that we can hear from more people.
