Tyson Mageo White

Willamette Valley Youth Football & Cheer offers the Tyson Mageo-White Scholarship (TMW); this covers the full cost of registration.

Requirements:

  1. A request letter from guardian explaining the need for the scholarship.
  2. A letter from the player explaining why football/cheer is important to them and why they want to play football/cheer.

Please attach both letters to this completed form. These must be turned into your association on or before July 1st.

TYSON’S STORY:

(Fall 2004) Jeff Gerot, coach of the Sheldon Titans, first heard about Tyson Mageo-White from Tyson’s brother, Curtis White, who plays on Gerot’s Pop Warner football team. ‘My little brother really loves football,’ Curtis, told his coach. ‘He’d love to be out here, but he’s kinda sick.’ More than “kinda sick,” Gerot discovered. At age 11, Tyson has an aggressive form of leukemia, and hasn’t responded to treatment. Gerot started making calls. Soon, players on the Titans were telling their parents that Coach wanted all their uniforms back. Why? Because he was having ribbons sewn on that said ‘In honor of Tyson.’ But Gerot had something else planned for the 5-foot ‘little brother.’ Last week, Curtis came home from a practice and told Tyson, “Coach wants you to run a play for us in Sunday’s game!” Tyson was psyched, then ‘scared senseless.’ Psyched until he tried on the blue Titans uniform – No. “1,” with his name stitched on back which made his smile bigger and bigger.

On the way to the game, Tyson wasn’t sure he could go through with this. ‘I was scared,’ Tyson says, ‘but I said to myself: ‘I gotta do this for my brother.’ The Titans were trailing just before halftime when they drove to North Eugene’s 7-yardline. Time-out was called. Coach Gerot turned to Tyson, ‘Get in there,’ he said. Tyson was terrified. Tyson says, “The play was a quarterback keeper over right guard.” Tyson ran onto the field. ‘I was just thinking ‘Hike,’ run, ‘Hike,’ run! He crouched behind center. North’s players lined up in their defensive formation. ‘Hike!’ Tyson said. He grabbed the football, tucked it and charged for the goal, guided by his Titan teammates. The North players didn’t move. Their coach, Scott Mills had agreed with Gerot that Tyson’s well-being was worth far more than six points on a scoreboard. Touchdown, Titans! Tyson’s teammates slapped him on the helmet and gave him high-fives. ‘Even the North guys were, like, giving me skin, saying ‘Way to go,’ ‘ Tyson says. ‘It was unbelievable,’ says Stacey Conlon, whose son Christian plays for the Titans. ‘The North players, coaches and fans were so classy, Everybody was just clapping and cheering for this one kid.’ “Tyson was beaming,” Gerot says. “Coaches were wiping back tears.” Curtis put his arm around his little brother on the sidelines ‘Love you, man,” he said. “Good job.’

After the game – North had won easily – the Titans hoisted Tyson on their shoulders. He was presented the game ball, signed by players on both teams. Nobody I talked to could remember the score – or seemed to care. On this day, the only thing that mattered was that Tyson Mageo-White’s touchdown was etched in history, never to be forgotten by some.

Tyson Mageo White Scholarship

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