Coal Miner Commended For Not Missing Son's First Basketball Game After Arriving Covered In Soot

Oct 31, 2022 by apost team

It’s heartwarming to see parents show all-out support in every milestone of their children’s lives. While it may seem unimportant to some people, it matters to kids when their parents make time for them and show up even during their busiest days. For children, it’s probably the best feeling in the world.

That’s what Michael McGuire did for his 3-year-old son Easton in October 2022 when he attended a basketball game covered in coal dust. He went there to show his support for his kid’s first basketball game at Appalachian Wireless Arena where the University of Kentucky Wildcats played a game to raise funds. 

“As a little boy growing up and watching with my dad, we never missed a game,” Michael told LEX 18 as he talked about their Big Blue family tradition.

In an interview with KOLD News 13, Michael explained why he did not have the time to wash beforehand, as he did not want to miss his son’s first basketball game. He cited the possibility of missing the game had he decided to go home and wash since he only had 45 minutes to make it to the arena from work. 

“It was either go straight there, or miss half the game to go home and take a shower and everything,” he told KOLD News 13.

It caught the attention of UK Head Basketball Coach John Calipari who took to Facebook to share the touching moment between the dad and his kid.

“My family’s American dream started in a Clarksburg, WV coal mine, so this picture hits home,” he wrote in a Facebook post. 

“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!” he added.

The photo has since garnered 74,000 reactions and 30,000 shares as of this writing. But Michael did not know that he had gone viral until he got home, as he was working underground the moment the photo started making rounds online.

“When I got out and got service on my way home, it went crazy ... I couldn’t believe that it was real,” he said.

Michael also said Calipari offered him a VIP experience that same night, but he still had to decide which game to pick at the time.

“It’s mind-blowing that everybody came together like that,” he said.

Meanwhile, Michael's wife Mollie Gail McGuire replied to Calipari, who shared the same post on Twitter. Mollie Gail couldn’t be prouder of her husband as she introduced herself as his wife and the mom of Easton. She even had to create a new Twitter account just to introduce herself to be able to respond to Calipari. 

“This is my husband Michael McGuire with our son Easton! Sorry I had to create a new Twitter account. Lost access to my old account since I rarely use Twitter. We can be reached by Instagram, Facebook, or this Twitter account!” she wrote.

Calipari’s tweet about Michael and his son Easton amassed more than 15,000 retweets and 171,000 likes.  

"It's a heartwarming experience, that so many people cared enough to help find us for Coach Cal," Mollie Gail told Fox News LA. 

Meanwhile, Mollie Gail also praised her husband for the work that he does. She also gave a shout-out to other coal miners for their hard work and sacrifices.

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What can you say about what Michael McGuire did for his son that day? Let us know your thoughts and pass this on to anyone who might be interested to read this story!