SE: Wildcats Spend Thanksgiving Together, Thankful for Opportunities

By Corbin McGuire

Reggie Walker has never been able to go home for Thanksgiving since he's been at K-State. A native of Ponchatoula, Louisiana, making the 14-hour drive simply was not feasible for the now-senior defensive end.

But he still got to celebrate with family.

His first year, senior safety Denzel Goolsby, a Wichita native, brought Walker back to his family's Thanksgiving. The following season, senior defensive tackle Trey Dishon, from Horton, added Walker to his family's gathering.

Those trips, in the team's last week of practice, meant the world to Walker. It wasn't his family, but he felt loved in a week where it would be easy to lonely.

"I really do thank those guys for years like that. Being so far away from home, I didn't have any good home cooking. To go with those guys was pretty special," Walker said. "It was really special. I'm really glad that happened."

This year, Walker's family made trip to Manhattan for Thanksgiving, an early arrival for Senior Night against Iowa State (7-4, 5-3) on Saturday at 6 p.m., on FS1. But plenty of teammates in similar situations to his, too far from home to make a quick trip home on Thursday, received the same treatment he did in years past.

Graduate transfer running back James Gilbert, from Indianapolis, Indiana, said he received multiple offers from teammates and coaches to celebrate Thanksgiving with them. It reinforced one of the reasons he chose to transfer to K-State almost a year ago.

Great day.... we had a super meal and great life-discussions... so happy these guys stopped by for Thanksgiving at the Malone's. pic.twitter.com/jyJBZ3h068
— K-State Coach Van B Malone (@VanBMalone3rd) November 29, 2019

"It shows the family atmosphere, the brotherhood we have," Gilbert said. "For the guys who aren't from Kansas, hours away from home, just to welcome us in and for people to say, 'My mom said you're invited to our house,' is a really good, special feeling."

The team ate a Thanksgiving meal on Wednesday night, followed by a practice on Thursday morning. From there, players were given the rest of the day to go home. Those who stuck around Manhattan for Thanksgiving ended up at a football staff member's home.

"I think it's special," senior defensive end Kyle Ball said. "Every year Coach (Chris) Dawson says anyone's welcome to come to his place for Thanksgiving. All the coaches are saying the same thing. They all want to know what your plan is because they want to make sure everyone's going somewhere for it. They don't want anybody to miss out on it, and it was like that with the last staff, so it just says something about the school and the program."

"It's really cool," added senior center Adam Holtorf. "For guys that are six, seven hours from home, who can't make it home, it's great that the coaches open their doors and players open their doors, too, to make sure people have a place to go."

Even if it's not their family, that familial setting is important, as Thanksgiving week can feel odd for K-State student-athletes still in season.

School is out for the entire week, so there's a relaxation factor. No classes to attend, no tests to take. With that, however, campus is mostly barren — the dorms included. Nearly everyone goes home to see family.

"It's interesting because it's kind of like you wish you were home with your family but then also the same time you're in town with your friends and nobody else is around, so it's kind of nice to hang out and not have any stress," Ball said. "It is kind of a weird time because nobody's in Manhattan. It's just your football friends. You just get together, watch movies, and just kind of chill."

The extra down time can also be beneficial in a few ways when it comes to preparing for Saturday's regular season finale. There's more time to watch film, rest and recover.

"Having the break from school, you can focus on football," Gammon said. "For the most part it's a normal week with just a little bit of extra time to relax and focus on football. It's usually a positive thing, for sure."

It's also a time to reflect on what Thursday's holiday is all about. For K-State's seniors, a career nearing its end. For those younger Wildcats, a chance to send those seniors out on the right note at home and, in the future, to build on what this 27-man senior class started under first-year head coach Chris Klieman.

"We have a ton to be thankful for, obviously, just being around these guys. It's cool because one of the things that I like to do…I have senior talks the last couple weeks of practices. The seniors get to come up in front of the team and just give a message to their teammates and the younger guys about their time here," Klieman said. "It's pretty impactful for me just to listen to them because I hear some stories about what their path and journey has been to get here as well as the great message they give to the freshmen about, 'It's never as bad as you think it is. It's pretty fortunate that you're a part of Kansas State football. Embrace the time because it does go really fast.'"

Gilbert, while in his first and last season as a Wildcat, is a good example of this message.

"This is my fifth year (in college football), so I just reflect on everything I've been through all the way through this point. I'm just thankful for the opportunity," he said. "I want to finish strong, with a bang, and I feel like all the guys are going to send the seniors out the right way. I'm just grateful for the opportunity."

Kansas State University Athletics

SE: Wildcats Spend Thanksgiving Together, Thankful for Opportunities

Players Mentioned

Kyle Ball

Trey Dishon

James Gilbert

Denzel Goolsby

Adam Holtorf

Reggie Walker

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