11-year-old boy signs with Army, joins Black Knights

Now for something that will bring a little bit of a smile to your face.

This past June, the Army football team unofficially adopted 11-year-old Sean Callahan. The school wrote the little boy “was adopted by the Black Knights... as part of Hope Week and was presented a jersey from assistant coach Orlando Mitjans, Jr. during an event at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square.”

Callahan is being treated for a brain tumor, undergoing a second stem cell transplant over the summer. He “was connected to the Army football team through the [Friends of Jaclyn Foundation], whose mission is to improve the quality of life for children and their families who are battling pediatric brain tumors and to raise awareness.”

Tuesday afternoon, the relationship between the boy and the service academy expanded as the latter officially announced the former as a new addition to the team. From the release:

Today, Callahan and his family visited West Point from Mahopac and met head coach Jeff Monken and his new Army teammates. The family got a tour of Kimsey Athletic Center, the locker room and the Army Sports Hall of Fame. Callahan then signed his letter to officially become part of the Black Knights with the entire team and coaching staff looking on.

Callahan was going to hang around for practice with his new team, but he had a prior commitment: to his youth football team. “He didn’t want to miss practice with his friends and teammates,” Army stated.

For Saturday’s home opener against Buffalo, however, Callahan and his family will be in attendance, with the boy scheduled to do the coin toss prior to kickoff.

Bravo to Army for what they’re doing for Callahan. And prayers go out to the little fighter as he continues to battle his health issue.

(Photo credit: Army athletics)