Southern Utah Punter Pays Tribute To Late Michigan State Punter Who Died In A Car Crash

It wasn’t the biggest game on the Thursday college football docket, but the Utah versus Southern Utah game featured a touching tribute to late Michigan State punter Mike Sadler. SUU punter Tate Lewis took the field with “Sadler 3” etched in permanent marker on his left arm.

It was a classy tribute to Sadler, who died this offseason in a car accident while returning from a kicking clinic. Nebraska punter Sam Foltz was also killed in the accident.

Kickers and punters are a tight-knit fraternity of their own. They spend most of their practice time exiled from the rest of the football team, punting the football into the corner of the field over and over and over and over. It doesn’t help that most of them are a quarter of the size of their linemen. Punters are people too, damnit.

Knowing the NCAA, though, Lewis will likely be sidelined for the next eight games of the season for borrowing a Sharpie from a coach. Remember when the NCAA came down on a college golfer who used university water to wash her car? He’s lucky he’s not in the NFL, where execs shoot to kill over shit like this.

The only negative of Sadler’s tribute is that it probably saw a little more airtime than SUU would’ve liked. Southern Utah was forced to punt ten times throughout the game. The Thunderbirds lost 24-0 to the Utes.

Classy move, Lewis. Respect.

h/t Desert News

  1. Ohiostatee

    If Fail Friday isn’t gunna be a thing anymore then just tell us, and stop with the teasing you fucks.

    8 years ago at 1:43 pm
  2. Mayor of Weinerville

    So did I just waste my time submitting all those witty Tim Riggins comments?

    8 years ago at 1:54 pm