University of Colorado football star Travis Hunter had an emotional moment when speaking about his father during his Heisman Trophy acceptance speech.
The wide receiver and cornerback was deemed this year's top collegiate football player at a ceremony at New York City's Lincoln Center on Sunday, Dec. 15.
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In his speech, Hunter, 21, thanked his fiancée, friends and family, becoming especially teary-eyed when expressing his gratitude for his father, Travis Hunter Sr.
“I want to say something to my father. He’s not here. But I know you’re watching on TV,” Hunter said, wiping tears from his eyes. “Dad, I love you. All the stuff you went through, man. Now, look at your oldest son. I did it for you, man.”
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“All the times that you ain’t get to see me, and the times that 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 so much to me.”
He continued, “I know you wanted to be here and you can’t, but trust me, I got you. I’m bringing the trophy home. I love you.”
According to The Palm Beach Post, Hunter Sr. was not in attendance at Sunday's ceremony because he wanted his mom, Shirley Hunter, to be there with her grandson in New York.
“He could have went,” Shirley Hunter told the outlet of her son, Hunter Sr. “He just wanted me to go in his place because I hadn’t been (to New York) and he wanted me to go instead of himself.”
Hunter Sr. told The Palm Beach Post, however, that he plans to be there at his son's future major life events.
“I want to be there when he gets married and when he gets drafted. I’m going to watch this from home,” he said.
During the speech, Hunter also took a moment to specifically thank his mom, Ferrante Edmonds, and his fiancée, Leanna Lenee.
“I want to thank my fiancée and my mother,” Hunter said. “They’ve been with me since the first time I had surgery my first year of college. They never took a step away from me. All the hard hours. All the hard days. All the times I didn’t want to wake up and even get on my phone, look at football — y’all stayed with me. I’m very thankful for y’all.”
He continued of Edmonds, “I’m thankful. I’m thankful for my mother. She took me out of Florida. Bad area, I’m always getting in trouble, to now look where I’m at. It’s crazy."
Earlier this year, Hunter surprised his mom with a home in Savannah, Georgia, sharing a heartwarming video to YouTube of her reaction. In the clip, he describes the five-bedroom house as “very, very nice.”
In February, Hunter and Lenee announced their engagement in an Instagram post. On a November episode of the “2Legendary” podcast, Hunter confirmed that the couple plans to get married in May 2025.
Hunter, a junior at Colorado, said in November that he “for sure” plans to enter the 2025 NFL Draft, according to the NFL.
The two-way football star began his college career with coach Dion Sanders at Jackson State University, then followed Sanders to Colorado. He's expected to play in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28 when Colorado takes on BYU.
According to the NFL, Hunter received first-team All-Big 12 honors as both a defensive back and a wide receiver. He was also named the conference's 2024 Defensive Player of the Year.
This story originally appeared on TODAY.com. Read more from TODAY:
