Eight days after the tragic and untimely death of Oklahoma linebacker Austin Box, family, friends, teammates and coaches (current and former) paid tribute to Box’s life in his hometown of Enid, Oklahoma.
You could say the memorial service was attended by Box’s two families -- his on-the-field family and his off-the-field family.
The emotional memorial featured at least 50 of Box’s teammates, including quarterback Landry Jones and receiver Ryan Broyles, as well as head coach Bob Stoops and defensive coordinator Brent Venables.
“The coaching manual doesn’t prepare you for a day like this,” Stoops began.
“He was a beautiful young man and we will surely miss him,” said Stoops."The best part of what we do is deal with characters, and he was a character. He was a fun, fun guy to coach.”
“When asked how things were going, he often said living the dream and that’s pretty cool because you ask yourself how many people can really say that, and Austin did,” added Venables, who lost his brother just two days after Box."He was going to make sure he continued to live that dream and bring the calming presence to our defense.
“He was my left hand man in that meeting room and he still will be. There will be nobody in that seat but Austin’s spirit.”
Box was known as a great teammate in the Oklahoma locker room, but it was Wade Burleson, Senior Teaching Pastor at Emmanuel Baptist Church, who preached that Box’s life should be judged by the people he touched off the gridiron.
“The greatest thing I can say about Austin Box is that he was a man who loved his family and his family loved him,” said Burleson. “Football is not life, it’s a game; relationships and family, that’s life. Too often you get your accolades on the field, the truth is, you should get your accolades from your family.”
Burleson also spoke on behalf of Box’s family.
“Until you walk a mile in a man’s shoes, it’s difficult to judge him,” Burleson said. “Rather than define Austin by his death, we’re here to define him by his life.”
Box obviously had a positive effect on those he came into contact with and it’s a very sad day that a young man was taken far, far too soon.
But a sobering moment such as this can teach us that, at the end of the day, the colors we don proudly have zero affect on our ability to love one another.
If you have children of your own, hug them a little longer next time you see them.
