It’s Super Bowl Sunday, but let’s go back to a college football field.
Kent Waldrep, a halfback for TCU, takes the ball on a sweep. Four defenders crash into him. He hits the ground and instantly knows something is wrong. He can’t move—paralyzed from the neck down. He’s rushed to the hospital, never to walk again.
But this day took an unexpected turn after Kent’s injury. For the first time ever, Coach didn’t ride the bus back to campus with his team. Instead, he stayed behind at the hospital, sitting with Kent’s parents.
When Kent woke from surgery, Coach was the first face he saw. Coach then called friends and raised enough money so Kent never had to worry about his bills. This was essential. A year later, TCU stopped paying Kent’s health costs.
Now, you might think I’m talking about Kent’s own coach. I’m not. The coach who did this was not from TCU. He led the other team, the University of Alabama—Paul “Bear” Bryant. He was known for being tough, but in Kent’s darkest moment, he showed something even greater: mercy and compassion.
Coach stayed in touch with Kent until his death. Here is how Kent described it: “At least once every three or four months, I picked up the phone, and it’d be Coach Bryant. He’d say, ‘What’s going on, Kent? How’s therapy coming? Are you working hard every day?’”
The story didn’t end there. Years later, Kent married and had two sons. Coach Bryant made sure both boys could attend Alabama for free. Trey and Charlie Waldrep graduated without paying a cent.
Kent never forgot what Coach Bryant and Alabama did for him. When Coach passed away, Kent was there at the funeral, sitting with the Bryant family.
Kent went on to help others. Despite his health struggles, he started charities supporting people with disabilities and spinal cord injuries. Over the years, his body grew weaker. In 2022, at 67, he died of pneumonia.
Compassion isn’t just for the gentle. Paul “Bear” Bryant, who once wrestled a bear as a young man, proved that even the toughest men can show mercy.
Mark
Dr. Mark Edge
The WorkEdge Company
Telephone: 903-245-7851
Email: workedgetexas@gmail.com
Website: www.workedgetexas.com
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