17 Years Later: Remember the 10

I’ve written about it dozens of times so I don’t need to recap my experience in detail. Everyone remembers where they were. Everyone remembers what they were doing.

There were some great tributes this year. This on Chad Weiberg and the brother he lost was tremendous. This on how the 8-month-old son (at the time) of one of the men on the plane is going to walk on at KU is equally great. Kyle Keller always speaks wonderfully about what happened. His cousin, Nate Fleming was on the plane that Keller got off of.

“I walk into my uncle’s bedroom and he’s in a fetal position and sobbing uncontrollably,’’ Keller said. “I was thinking the worst was going to come. And then he told me he loves you. All you want to do is you just want your cousin back. I was supposed to be on that plane. But if I don’t take that and help people around me and other people then I’ve devalued the plane crash and I’ve devalued those 10 men. I haven’t done what I’m supposed to do.’’ [NCAA.com]

There isn’t much to say that hasn’t already been said. It is a tragedy so monumental that even if you aren’t tangentially related to anyone who died (or their families), you were still affected.

Mike Boynton was a college athlete at the time. He knew about it because everyone in college basketball knew about it.

“We always all the thing that matter in the tradition and history of this program,” said Boynton recently. “Certainly that’s one of the most significant points in program’s history is the fact that that happened 17 years ago. It’s an opportunity to always make sure those families know that their children and loved ones are big parts of our program moving forward.”

It’s always crazy to me that it has been X years since it happened. This time, it’s 17. That feels like forever. I was 15 years old 17 years ago. I’ve lived what seems like two lifetimes since then. And for the parents and siblings, I know the feeling is probably similar.

I know the sting might dissipate but it never disappears. Hopefully they know — I think they know — that those of us who followed OSU (and still do) think about their sorrow often and join with them in remembering.

"I want all the families that were affected by this tragedy to know that their loved ones will always be a big part of our program," @thacoachmike. #RT10 #okstate pic.twitter.com/fh8A4D1tGe

— Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) January 20, 2018

Kendall Durfey
Bjorn Fahlstrom
Nate Flemming
Will Hancock
Daniel Lawson
Brian Luinstra
Denver Mills
Pat Noyes
Bill Teegins
Jared Weiberg

We will always Remember The Ten. pic.twitter.com/hfB3Tr1Jdj

— Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) January 27, 2018