WICHITA, Kan. -
Signing day is a good day for most student-athletes. It's the end of a long process of recruitment, but the very beginning of another even longer journey.
Relief is felt and congratulations are wished as the young person takes in the focus and admiration of their peers, families, and elders.
For Chris Ivy, it was all of that. It was relieving and joyous. It was the end of a long, exhausting process that his father wasn't a part of.
When Ivy was a sophomore, his dad passed away in a car accident. In a time when he needed family, teammates, and friends, he got them.
"I had the support of my team, my coaches, my family," Ivy said. "They've been with me through this whole journey. I'm blessed, for real. I really am."
Imagine being in the middle of high school and having your world turned upside down. You have the security of a father and a leader. Then it's gone.
It was that moment late in his sophomore year he knew exactly why he played football. He knew what his drive and motivation was every time he stepped on the field.
"I had to learn to do things for myself most people my age do with their father," Ivy said. "I had the support of my family. They were there for me through everything."
Ivy turned a situation that could have sent his life in a different direction into one that drove and motivated him.
"Every time I went out on the field, I knew who I was playing for," he said. "I was playing for my father."
His consistently impressive performances caught the eye of Tulsa, where he signed Wednesday. That drive, motivation and support led to that moment of putting the pen to paper.
"It's just a big relief," he said. "I just know he's smiling down on me, proud of me."
Ivy will be either a tackle or guard at Tulsa, but it really doesn't matter to him. He said he was happy to be given the opportunity in light of all the support he's had over the past few years.
"Anytime I had a down moment, they were always there to pick me up," Ivy said. "If I ever needed anything, they were there. My coaches stayed on me about grades and working hard. Everybody constantly stayed on me. They saw my potential and knew what I had been through and wanted to help me through it."
Catch It Kansas
Signing day is a good day for most student-athletes. It's the end of a long process of recruitment, but the very beginning of another even longer journey.
Relief is felt and congratulations are wished as the young person takes in the focus and admiration of their peers, families, and elders.
For Chris Ivy, it was all of that. It was relieving and joyous. It was the end of a long, exhausting process that his father wasn't a part of.
When Ivy was a sophomore, his dad passed away in a car accident. In a time when he needed family, teammates, and friends, he got them.
"I had the support of my team, my coaches, my family," Ivy said. "They've been with me through this whole journey. I'm blessed, for real. I really am."
Imagine being in the middle of high school and having your world turned upside down. You have the security of a father and a leader. Then it's gone.
It was that moment late in his sophomore year he knew exactly why he played football. He knew what his drive and motivation was every time he stepped on the field.
"I had to learn to do things for myself most people my age do with their father," Ivy said. "I had the support of my family. They were there for me through everything."
Ivy turned a situation that could have sent his life in a different direction into one that drove and motivated him.
"Every time I went out on the field, I knew who I was playing for," he said. "I was playing for my father."
His consistently impressive performances caught the eye of Tulsa, where he signed Wednesday. That drive, motivation and support led to that moment of putting the pen to paper.
"It's just a big relief," he said. "I just know he's smiling down on me, proud of me."
Ivy will be either a tackle or guard at Tulsa, but it really doesn't matter to him. He said he was happy to be given the opportunity in light of all the support he's had over the past few years.
"Anytime I had a down moment, they were always there to pick me up," Ivy said. "If I ever needed anything, they were there. My coaches stayed on me about grades and working hard. Everybody constantly stayed on me. They saw my potential and knew what I had been through and wanted to help me through it."
Catch It Kansas
