SE: A Place Where Dreams Still Come True
Sep 14, 2021 | Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
They came from as far away as California, Washington, New Jersey and Florida, these living legends who journeyed through the rolling Flint Hills and to their impassioned college home, where dreams once came true under a purple hue and cheers of "K-S-U" echoed across the fields and hardwood courts they knew full well.
A phone call from a familiar friend beckoned them to Manhattan.
"If you build it, they will come," Jordy Nelson said. "We built this in a football stadium."
For a few hours on Sunday afternoon, softball bats swung and bright yellow softballs sailed like rainbows into the eastside seating at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. K-State greats took the field at the inaugural Jordy Nelson Legends Classic Softball Game — a football field where dreams did, and still do, come true today.
Just ask K-State senior linebacker Ryan Henington.
A walk-on from Junction City, Henington didn't realize until after he exited the Vanier Family Football Complex and shared the same field with Nelson and the greats that he was the surprise honored guest at Sunday's event.
Nelson announced that part of the proceeds from the softball classic funded a K-State football scholarship reserved for a walk-on.
He announced Henington as the beneficiary of the recognition.
Henington was the 2016 Centennial League Offensive Player of the Year and an all-state quarterback out of Junction City High School, and redshirted his freshman season at K-State in 2017. A First Team Academic All-Big 12 selection from 2018-20, Henington primarily played on special teams, switched to safety last season, and is now a starting linebacker for the Wildcats.
Henington follows a legendary line of walk-ons who became key contributors at K-State. He grew up watching Nelson, a Riley native who came to K-State as a walk-on. Nelson, of course, won Super Bowl XLV during his Pro Bowl career with the Green Bay Packers.
Nelson stood next to Henington on the west sideline at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Nelson held a microphone. He pointed toward Jon McGraw, a second-round pick in the 2002 NFL Draft to the New York Jets, who finished his career as special teams captain for the Kansas City Chiefs. McGraw raised his hand to be recognized. K-State legends and the several thousand fans in the stands cheered for their native son.
Nelson told a story, one that he's shared over the years, but a story that never gets old, because those who lived through it know of its significance, and those who hear it for the first time are oftentimes current K-State players, like Henington, who can contribute his own verse to the K-State walk-on lineage story that now has proudly spanned more than three decades.
"First," Nelson began, "I need to acknowledge the guy who gave me hope to do what I did, and that's why he's here today — Jon McGraw. He gave me the idea that walking-on at Kansas State and playing for Coach Bill Snyder was a possibility. Coach Snyder had an incredible tradition of guys who came in here, worked their tails off, and who did everything the right way. When you did that and earned your playing time, Coach awarded us with scholarships. I'm glad to see that it continues, and I'm glad to be a part of it again. To me, it's a tradition that has maintained the foundation of this program, along with all of the scholarshipped guys from other states who came in to play football with us Kansas kids.
"Congratulations, Ryan, and I hope you have a great rest of the season."
Henington held another microphone and began to share a story of his own.
"First off, Jordy, thank you," he said. "I remember being a little guy watching you out here on this field. You set the precedent for what it meant. I wanted to be just like you and there are so many people who have come before me and have laid the foundation for Kansas kids, and walk-ons. Coach Snyder, thank you. I remember when Sean Snyder came to my high school and said, 'How would you like to be a Wildcat?' I remember that night I went home and I told my parents, and we sat in the living room and we cried. It's a dream come true.
"Coach Chris Kleiman and your entire staff, thank you. What you've done for me, I cannot put into words. I love you guys so much."
Henington's recognition served as the crown jewel to a memorable weekend for many K-State legends. The weekend officially began when 1998 All-American wide receiver Darnell McDonald ceremoniously opened the locker room door for the 2021 K-State football team, as players and coaches headed down the tunnel and onto the field prior to their home opener against Southern Illinois on Saturday night.
"When the door opened and the team walked out, man, I felt like I was going to play," McDonald said. "It was the greatest feeling ever. I know everyone talks about when you get older you don't realize how much you loved it back in the day, but when I ran out with them, it was an amazing feeling. I felt like I was young again. I wish I could still do it."
McDonald's eyes sparkled as he recounted the story while standing near home plate at Sunday's softball game. Home plate was positioned just a few yards away from where McDonald lined up for one of the biggest plays in K-State football history, as the second option on the fateful crossing route in which he darted 11 yards into the end zone. He caught the famous pass from Michael Bishop to give No. 1 K-State the game-clinching touchdown in a 40-30 win over No. 11 Nebraska on November 14, 1998.
"It all happened right here," McDonald said, gazing toward the south end zone. "To be here is amazing. This place is amazing. It's our field of dreams."
Hall-of-Famer Bill Snyder delivered the honorary first pitch of the softball game. Afterward, Snyder shared a story as well.
"Obviously, it's a wonderful thing that Jordy, Emily, and their family are doing," Snyder said. "It embraces the feeling that he had coming here as a walk-on. Some of the young people participating in this game were scholarshipped and some were walk-ons and ended up being placed on scholarship. It typifies what it means to work hard for something. That's what Jordy has always done and the same holds true for all of these young guys.
"Some of these guys haven't been back to Kansas State for many years and it's amazing talking with them. All of them remember their time here and what I appreciate so much is how grateful they are for what Kansas State University meant to their lives and how it impacts their lives right now. That's a wonderful feeling for me."
The actual softball teams didn't matter, but the names upon the rosters were priceless.
Home team: Jordy Nelson, Emily Nelson, Kevin Lockett, Aaron Lockett, Marcus Watts, Megan Mahoney, Ryan Lilja, Christian Smith, Sean Lowe, K-State head women's basketball coach Jeff Mittie, Nicole Ohlde and Joe Rheem.
Away team: Jon McGraw, Kendra Wecker, David Allen, Nick Leckey, Darnell McDonald, Jeff Kelly, Chris Canty, Laurie Koehn, Ty Zimmerman, Steve Fritz and Jamie Rheem.
There was playful trash talk — like when emcee Matt Walters introduced McDonald to the crowd as one of the best wide receivers in K-State history. McDonald smiled and turned to make eye contact with Kevin Lockett.
"He said you were one of the best," Lockett said.
"No, he said I was the best," McDonald replied.
Lockett said, "What about Jordy?"
McDonald pointed to Nelson and grinned, "Jordy was a defensive back."
Nelson smiled and nodded.
Thirty seconds later, McDonald, Lockett, Nelson and everybody else turned to see Tyler Lockett catch a 69-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson, as the Seahawks/Colts football game played upon the videoboard at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
The softball game paused. Former K-State legends cheered at the vision of one of their K-State brothers, who couldn't make the trip to Manhattan because of his work schedule, but who one-thousand miles away had also become a part of the special day.
Back at the makeshift softball field, Nelson won the home run derby by hitting 18 homers, including several shots that reached the upper deck.
A couple of hours later, Nelson also served up the heroics to end his first-ever softball classic after more than two hours.
Facing two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning with the score tied 20-20, Nelson, the former walk-on, hit a walk-off home run off McGraw, his old role model. In fact, Nelson pelted the ball with such fury that it smacked Sean Snyder's Ring-of-Honor nameplate along the eastside club-level seating. Sean Snyder, too, had originally arrived at K-State as a walk-on. The cycle of life for K-State walk-ons was on hand during a gorgeous September afternoon.
Tickets to the event started at $5 for K-State students. Outfield section seats were between $8 and $12, sections behind home plate were $15 to $20, and a limited number of VIP seats directly behind home plate that included an autographed Nelson softball were $75.
Judging from the fun-loving, carefree hours of softball and reacquaintance, the K-State legends will likely bring even more K-State legends to Manhattan to enjoy the event next year.
"We had a good time here," Nelson said. "Hopefully everyone stayed safe with all of the balls flying past the outfield. We'll be doing this again next year at about the same time. If you had a good time, let some people know, and let's see how many people we can fit inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Everyone who had a hand in this today, thank you.
"Hopefully we can make this a tradition every year. Hopefully we can build on it."
As Henington now knows full well, it's a field where magic can happen.
They came from as far away as California, Washington, New Jersey and Florida, these living legends who journeyed through the rolling Flint Hills and to their impassioned college home, where dreams once came true under a purple hue and cheers of "K-S-U" echoed across the fields and hardwood courts they knew full well.
A phone call from a familiar friend beckoned them to Manhattan.
"If you build it, they will come," Jordy Nelson said. "We built this in a football stadium."
For a few hours on Sunday afternoon, softball bats swung and bright yellow softballs sailed like rainbows into the eastside seating at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. K-State greats took the field at the inaugural Jordy Nelson Legends Classic Softball Game — a football field where dreams did, and still do, come true today.
Just ask K-State senior linebacker Ryan Henington.
A walk-on from Junction City, Henington didn't realize until after he exited the Vanier Family Football Complex and shared the same field with Nelson and the greats that he was the surprise honored guest at Sunday's event.
Nelson announced that part of the proceeds from the softball classic funded a K-State football scholarship reserved for a walk-on.
He announced Henington as the beneficiary of the recognition.
"This a dream come true"
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) September 12, 2021
Congrats on your scholarship, @RHenington#KStateFB | @JordyRNelson pic.twitter.com/ijcbhVHFtZ
Henington was the 2016 Centennial League Offensive Player of the Year and an all-state quarterback out of Junction City High School, and redshirted his freshman season at K-State in 2017. A First Team Academic All-Big 12 selection from 2018-20, Henington primarily played on special teams, switched to safety last season, and is now a starting linebacker for the Wildcats.
Henington follows a legendary line of walk-ons who became key contributors at K-State. He grew up watching Nelson, a Riley native who came to K-State as a walk-on. Nelson, of course, won Super Bowl XLV during his Pro Bowl career with the Green Bay Packers.
Nelson stood next to Henington on the west sideline at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Nelson held a microphone. He pointed toward Jon McGraw, a second-round pick in the 2002 NFL Draft to the New York Jets, who finished his career as special teams captain for the Kansas City Chiefs. McGraw raised his hand to be recognized. K-State legends and the several thousand fans in the stands cheered for their native son.
Nelson told a story, one that he's shared over the years, but a story that never gets old, because those who lived through it know of its significance, and those who hear it for the first time are oftentimes current K-State players, like Henington, who can contribute his own verse to the K-State walk-on lineage story that now has proudly spanned more than three decades.
"First," Nelson began, "I need to acknowledge the guy who gave me hope to do what I did, and that's why he's here today — Jon McGraw. He gave me the idea that walking-on at Kansas State and playing for Coach Bill Snyder was a possibility. Coach Snyder had an incredible tradition of guys who came in here, worked their tails off, and who did everything the right way. When you did that and earned your playing time, Coach awarded us with scholarships. I'm glad to see that it continues, and I'm glad to be a part of it again. To me, it's a tradition that has maintained the foundation of this program, along with all of the scholarshipped guys from other states who came in to play football with us Kansas kids.
"Congratulations, Ryan, and I hope you have a great rest of the season."
Henington held another microphone and began to share a story of his own.
"First off, Jordy, thank you," he said. "I remember being a little guy watching you out here on this field. You set the precedent for what it meant. I wanted to be just like you and there are so many people who have come before me and have laid the foundation for Kansas kids, and walk-ons. Coach Snyder, thank you. I remember when Sean Snyder came to my high school and said, 'How would you like to be a Wildcat?' I remember that night I went home and I told my parents, and we sat in the living room and we cried. It's a dream come true.
"Coach Chris Kleiman and your entire staff, thank you. What you've done for me, I cannot put into words. I love you guys so much."
Henington's recognition served as the crown jewel to a memorable weekend for many K-State legends. The weekend officially began when 1998 All-American wide receiver Darnell McDonald ceremoniously opened the locker room door for the 2021 K-State football team, as players and coaches headed down the tunnel and onto the field prior to their home opener against Southern Illinois on Saturday night.
"When the door opened and the team walked out, man, I felt like I was going to play," McDonald said. "It was the greatest feeling ever. I know everyone talks about when you get older you don't realize how much you loved it back in the day, but when I ran out with them, it was an amazing feeling. I felt like I was young again. I wish I could still do it."
McDonald's eyes sparkled as he recounted the story while standing near home plate at Sunday's softball game. Home plate was positioned just a few yards away from where McDonald lined up for one of the biggest plays in K-State football history, as the second option on the fateful crossing route in which he darted 11 yards into the end zone. He caught the famous pass from Michael Bishop to give No. 1 K-State the game-clinching touchdown in a 40-30 win over No. 11 Nebraska on November 14, 1998.
"It all happened right here," McDonald said, gazing toward the south end zone. "To be here is amazing. This place is amazing. It's our field of dreams."
Hall-of-Famer Bill Snyder delivered the honorary first pitch of the softball game. Afterward, Snyder shared a story as well.
"Obviously, it's a wonderful thing that Jordy, Emily, and their family are doing," Snyder said. "It embraces the feeling that he had coming here as a walk-on. Some of the young people participating in this game were scholarshipped and some were walk-ons and ended up being placed on scholarship. It typifies what it means to work hard for something. That's what Jordy has always done and the same holds true for all of these young guys.
"Some of these guys haven't been back to Kansas State for many years and it's amazing talking with them. All of them remember their time here and what I appreciate so much is how grateful they are for what Kansas State University meant to their lives and how it impacts their lives right now. That's a wonderful feeling for me."
The actual softball teams didn't matter, but the names upon the rosters were priceless.
Home team: Jordy Nelson, Emily Nelson, Kevin Lockett, Aaron Lockett, Marcus Watts, Megan Mahoney, Ryan Lilja, Christian Smith, Sean Lowe, K-State head women's basketball coach Jeff Mittie, Nicole Ohlde and Joe Rheem.
Away team: Jon McGraw, Kendra Wecker, David Allen, Nick Leckey, Darnell McDonald, Jeff Kelly, Chris Canty, Laurie Koehn, Ty Zimmerman, Steve Fritz and Jamie Rheem.
There was playful trash talk — like when emcee Matt Walters introduced McDonald to the crowd as one of the best wide receivers in K-State history. McDonald smiled and turned to make eye contact with Kevin Lockett.
"He said you were one of the best," Lockett said.
"No, he said I was the best," McDonald replied.
Lockett said, "What about Jordy?"
McDonald pointed to Nelson and grinned, "Jordy was a defensive back."
Nelson smiled and nodded.
Thirty seconds later, McDonald, Lockett, Nelson and everybody else turned to see Tyler Lockett catch a 69-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson, as the Seahawks/Colts football game played upon the videoboard at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
The softball game paused. Former K-State legends cheered at the vision of one of their K-State brothers, who couldn't make the trip to Manhattan because of his work schedule, but who one-thousand miles away had also become a part of the special day.
Back at the makeshift softball field, Nelson won the home run derby by hitting 18 homers, including several shots that reached the upper deck.
A couple of hours later, Nelson also served up the heroics to end his first-ever softball classic after more than two hours.
Facing two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning with the score tied 20-20, Nelson, the former walk-on, hit a walk-off home run off McGraw, his old role model. In fact, Nelson pelted the ball with such fury that it smacked Sean Snyder's Ring-of-Honor nameplate along the eastside club-level seating. Sean Snyder, too, had originally arrived at K-State as a walk-on. The cycle of life for K-State walk-ons was on hand during a gorgeous September afternoon.
Guess who hit the walk-off winner?
— K-State Athletics (@kstatesports) September 12, 2021
🥎 @JordyRNelson Legends Classic 🥎 pic.twitter.com/cIIc4bPzq6
Judging from the fun-loving, carefree hours of softball and reacquaintance, the K-State legends will likely bring even more K-State legends to Manhattan to enjoy the event next year.
Watching Wildcat legends
— K-State Athletics (@kstatesports) September 12, 2021
🥎 @JordyRNelson Legends Classic pic.twitter.com/pAJHV1OHw4
"We had a good time here," Nelson said. "Hopefully everyone stayed safe with all of the balls flying past the outfield. We'll be doing this again next year at about the same time. If you had a good time, let some people know, and let's see how many people we can fit inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Everyone who had a hand in this today, thank you.
"Hopefully we can make this a tradition every year. Hopefully we can build on it."
As Henington now knows full well, it's a field where magic can happen.
Wednesday, June 03
Tuesday, June 02
Monday, June 01
Thursday, May 28
