With the NY6 bowl games in action and the National Championship only a few days away, the new year appeared to be off to a great start for college football. Then last night, January 1st, at 8:30 pm a tweet brought news that shook the college sports community. Purdue student, superfan, and captain, Tyler Trent, had passed away from a rare form of bone cancer.
As a Purdue football season ticket holder, I was first introduced to Tyler last year when Purdue took on Nebraska for their annual “Hammer Down Cancer Night.” At this point Tyler was still a student at Purdue and was drawing attention from students and coaches alike for his determination to make every home game despite the different surgeries and chemotherapy he was going through. Tyler was lead onto the field by Boilermaker captain Ja’Whaun Bentley as an honorary captain before the game and received a standing ovation from a packed Ross-Ade Stadium.
Fast forward to this fall and Tyler’s condition had taken a turn for the worst. On September 29th, after Purdue’s 42-28 routing of Nebraska, he announced on Twitter that he wouldn’t be able to continue taking classes at Purdue. His condition continued to worsen into October when Tyler was showcased in a College Gameday special that put him in the national spotlight. In the special he predicted that Purdue would beat then 2nd ranked Ohio State in Ross-Ade Stadium on October 20th.
The special aired on Gameday the morning of the big game against Ohio State and gave Purdue the support of the nation going into the night. Tyler and his family were guests of honor at what was thought to be the last Purdue event he would ever attend.
I’ve been to many Purdue games, but the atmosphere on campus that night was different from anything I’ve ever experienced in West Lafayette. As I made my way to the stadium I looked over to my dad and told him that there was no way we were going to lose this game. There was just a different feeling around campus that night that was indescribable. The usual “IU Sucks” chant was changed to “Cancer Sucks” in support of Tyler and when we did it on the opening kickoff it was the loudest I’d ever heard that chant.
What was already an epic night was topped off by a 49-20 beatdown of the Buckeyes and as fans stormed the field, Tyler was brought down from his box to celebrate with us. There will never be another night like that in West-Lafayette. That game will always be known as the Tyler Trent game and his story trumps any upset narrative that can be written about that night.
The next weekend Purdue traveled to East Lansing, MI to take on Michigan State. I was fortunate enough to be sitting in the front row of the Spartans student section and I was shocked when everyone yelled “Cancer Sucks” after the first kickoff and then again after every kickoff the rest of the game. Seeing the overwhelming support Tyler was receiving from other fan bases was heartwarming. My Tyler Trent story ends here, but his story continued to grow.
- On November 15th a bobblehead was created in his image to raise money for the V foundation for Cancer Research and the Tyler Trent Cancer Research Endowment.
- On November 24th he was named an Honorary captain for the Old Oaken Bucket game against Indiana.
- On November 28th he received the Sagamore of the Wabash award from Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb. This award is the highest civilian honor in the state.
- On November 29th he was announced the winner of the Disney Spirit Award, which is given to college football’s most inspirational player, coach, team, or person.
- On December 28th he was flown to Nashville by Indianapolis Colts owner, Jim Irsay, so he could serve as the honorary captain for Purdue’s bowl game against Auburn.
- Then on January 1st, 2019 he died after his fight with cancer.
Tyler may be gone, but his impact on Purdue, college sports, and cancer research will live forever. One of his last wishes was to write a book about that magical night in West Lafayette and his battle with cancer. The book can be pre-ordered here.
Rest easy big guy, I hope they’re storming the field for you in Heaven.