Coal Miner Taking Son to Basketball Game Goes Viral - Coach Steps In with Touching Gift
When Michael McGuire started going viral, he didn’t know it. He was deep in the coal mines of eastern Kentucky, working to support his family.
And that’s exactly why America in general — and one college basketball coach in particular — fell in love with the miner.
According to ESPN, McGuire became a social media sensation after he rushed to a University of Kentucky men’s basketball scrimmage held at Appalachian Wireless Arena in Pikeville, Kentucky, on Saturday.
The miner and father had rushed from his job in the mines, so he could catch the Blue-White scrimmage with his son — his first live basketball game.
After the photo of McGuire covered in soot, still in his miner’s uniform made the rounds, University of Kentucky coach John Calipari shouted the dad out on his Twitter account.
“My family’s American dream started in a Clarksburg, WV coal mine, so this picture hits home,” Calipari wrote on Twitter.
“From what I’ve been told, after his shift, he raced to be with his son & watch our team. Don’t know who this is, but I have tickets for him & his family at Rupp to be treated as VIPs!!”
My family’s American dream started in a Clarksburg, WV coal mine, so this picture hits home.
From what I’ve been told, after his shift, he raced to be with his son & watch our team. Don’t know who this is, but I have tickets for him & his family at Rupp to be treated as VIPs!! pic.twitter.com/a5BJXUnK2v
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) October 24, 2022
One of the clues to the man’s identity came from a response in the comments section, showing a screenshot featuring a social media post from the coal miner’s wife, Molly:
— EthanLamarUSA (@TheEthanLamar) October 24, 2022
“My amazing husband started his day at 4:45am that morning and worked all day,” she wrote. “Then drove straight to the arena to meet us and enjoy the game with our son!
“We are truly blessed with such an amazing man, and beyond thankful! We love our coal miner.”
Hard work and great parenting: Two things that helped make America great.
Then, according to ESPN, Mollie received a call on Monday from an unknown number.
“Hello? This is John Calipari,” the voice on the other end said.
“I was stunned,” Mollie told ESPN.
Thank you everyone for your incredible response to this. No one rallies like the #BBN!
We are looking forward to hosting @mcguire_mollie9, her husband Michael and their family at a game soon!! https://t.co/2OpC5tkjag
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) October 24, 2022
“Although he was tired after a long shift, Kentucky’s scrimmage was the first live basketball game their son had attended, and he didn’t want to miss it,” ESPN reported.
“McGuire said her husband was unaware of the buzz about the photo because he’d been in the mines all day.”
Now, the coal miner and his family will be getting the VIP treatment at a Kentucky Wildcats game at Rupp Arena in Lexington — quite the experience for the second live basketball game their son will have attended.
What’s more, it’s worth noting that the Blue-White scrimmage in Pikeville was a fundraiser to help families hit by flooding across the area.
While the McGuires weren’t affected, ESPN reported the family “packed up bags of clothing and gave them to family members and friends who’d lost everything.”
“It’s amazing that these guys came here and raised money,” Mollie said. “It’s going to put roofs over people’s heads.”
In other words, it’s a feel-good moment all around. In these fractious times, it’s good to see a hardworking, blue-collar dad and his family get rewarded by a college basketball program doing the right thing. Three cheers all around.
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