Travis Hunter feels grateful after winning the Heisman Trophy.
The wide receiver and cornerback from Colorado won the prestigious award, given annually to college football’s top player, on Saturday, Dec. 14, during the Heisman ceremony at Lincoln Center in New York.
The football star, 21, thanked friends, teammates, coaches and family during his acceptance speech, but became especially emotional as he gave a shout-out to his father, Travis Hunter Sr.
“I want to tell my father something. He’s not here. But I know you’re watching on TV, he said tearfully. “Dad, I love you. Everything you’ve been through, man. Now look at your eldest son. I did it for you, man. All the times you couldn’t see me, and the times you came to see my games. From probably two games in high school to seeing me on TV every weekend and coming to see me, man, that means a lot to me.”
“I know you wanted to be here and you can’t, but trust me, I have you,” he concluded. “I’m bringing the trophy home. i love you.”
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Travis Sr. decided to stay home so his mom — Travis’ grandmother Shirley Hunter — could attend in his place, according to the statement The Palm Beach Post.
“He could have left. He just wanted me to go for him because I wasn’t (in New York) and he wanted me to go for him,” she told the newspaper after the Heisman ceremony.
Travis Jr. also saluted his grandmother during his speech.
“My grandmother, you are the person who made me start playing football. It means a lot to me,” he began. “You saw the vision before I saw the vision. When I was 4 years old, you told me to put the cushions on, go outside and play with your cousins.”
“You will see how small I am. Just imagine 4-year-old me trying to put on shoulder pads,” he continued, eliciting laughter. “It’s crazy. i thank you I know you’re up there crying. I rarely talk to you, but I’m telling you now, I love you. Thank you for all you have done.”
Travis Sr. said The Palm Beach Post that although he would miss this ceremony, he plans to attend the other moments of his son’s life: “I want to be there when he gets married and when he is mobilized,” he said.
Travis Hunter holds the Heisman Trophy on December 14, 2024.
Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty
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Per Sports IllustratedTravis Jr. is the second Buffaloes player in school history to win the Heisman Trophy, joining running back Rashaan Salaam, who won in 1994. Travis Jr. he won the Heisman ahead of Oregon running back Dillon Gabriel, Miami running back Cam Ward and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty for the honor.
This season, the Colorado wide receiver caught 92 passes for 14 touchdowns and 1,152 yards; each of those first two figures led the Big 12. He also intercepted four passes and broke up 11, with the latter figure also leading his conference.
His efforts also helped Colorado finish 9-3 and reach the Alamo Bowl, and he became the first player in history to win both the Bednarik Award as the nation’s top defensive player and the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s most outstanding receiver, per Sports Illustrated.
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Earlier this year, the Colorado football star gifted his mother a five-bedroom house in Savannah, Georgia, and posted a video of the elaborate surprise on his YouTube channel.
In 2023, he gave his then-girlfriend Leanna Lenee a new Tesla — a surprise he documented on his YouTube channel. This February, the couple announced their engagement.
The couple recently confirmed that their wedding date will be May 24, 2025.
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Source: HIS Education