School Calendar & Sports!
Westlake High School retires football jersey
By Emily Zimmer
In American football, there are 11 teammates at play on the field. But at Westlake High this year, there are 12. Well, maybe not on the field, but certainly at the heart of the team. In the tradition of the great Texas A&M, who have trademarked the phrase “The 12th Man,” the Thunder are honoring their devoted fans.
During the Homecoming assembly, head football coach Jason Walker made a moving announcement to the student body crowd gathered in the stands. He told them that the team could not have made it to an undefeated 5-0 season thus far without their support and encouragement.
He then related that when a team wants to honor its most valuable player, they retire that player’s number as a show of respect and appreciation. Coach Walker told the students and staff that they are the team’s most valuable player and they are retiring the #12 jersey in their honor. The students roared their appreciation for the gesture and the excitement in the air for the upcoming homecoming game that evening was palatable.
Walker had decided prior to this season officially starting that he wanted to retire the #12 jersey, and made plans to do so when designing the new uniforms for the 2010 school year. When he was ordering the sample, he asked them to use the #12 on the jersey with the intention of retiring it. He was inspired by the way that Texas A&M honors their fans and he wanted the students and community to feel the same type of connection to this Thunder football team.
When asked what the significance of retiring the #12 jersey is, Walker stated, “For a football player, the highest honor is to have your number retired. We want our fans to know that even though they never get to be on the field, they are the most important player on our team. We love and appreciate the support from fans, friends and family, and we pay them respect by retiring the #12 in their honor.”
When asked if he had any plans to announce the dedication to the parents and community, he said that he would like the opportunity to be able to do that. He indicated that the jersey will be hung in the trophy case inside the school for anyone who would like to see it.
Walker said he is not aware of any other high schools retiring #12 in honor of its fans. Westlake High may very well be the first high school in Utah to do so. That is indeed an honor.
