The University of Northern Colorado football team has signed dozens of local children throughout the past few years. But one recent signing has stood out among all the others.
Grayson Petersen, 5, is the newest signee to the Bears football program, through an organization called Team Impact, which pairs children facing serious illness and disability with college sports teams.
Surrounded by his family, and all the University of Northern Colorado big wigs, Grayson put pen to paper Aug. 21. And while he’s a decade-plus younger than the average Bears’ signee, he’s been through more adversity than most adults six or seven times his age.
At just 2 days old, Grayson was diagnosed with total anomalous pulmonary venous return, a rare congenital heart defect in which the pulmonary veins attach to the wrong place in the heart.
“He underwent open heart surgery at just 2 months old,” his mother, Ashley Petersen, said. “Then from that, a lot of different complications have come, and he’s been in and out of hospitals his whole life.”
And though he just officially signed with the Bears weeks ago, Grayson has been around the program for a couple of months.
Grayson’s family reached out to Team Impact earlier this year, and after a waiting period, he was paired up with UNC, first meeting the team during a summer conditioning period.
When he first got to campus, he was a little overwhelmed, Ashly admits. Looking at a weight room full of Division I athletes, he felt a bit discouraged.
“Walking back to the car, he had big tears in his eyes,” Ashley said. “Like, ‘I will never be like that.’”
But something freshman quarterback Gavin Lockett told him instilled him with a confidence he hasn’t yet forgotten.
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Since then, Grayson has been Lockett’s No. 1 fan.
“That is his buddy,” Ashley said. “He wants to be a quarterback. He wants to be No. 18 just like Gavin.”
Lockett is one of four players — along with redshirt freshman defensive lineman Blake Weslin, sophomore cornerback Mekhi Toms and redshirt freshman wide receiver Keenan Campbell — that serve as a lead group of mentors to Grayson.
Since Grayson’s signing is a two-year commitment, Director of Player Personnel James Pazak said the team made a point to appoint younger players who will have time to grow alongside Grayson in the program.
“They’re young, very influential players on our team,” Pazak said.
University of Northern Colorado football Director of Player Personnel James Pazak holds a sign Aug. 21 at a signing for 5-year-old Grayson, diagnosed with Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return. (Courtesy/University of Northern Colorado)And though those four are Grayson’s core group, Ashley said the whole team has welcomed him with open arms.
“I know there is a core team that works with Grayson, but I feel the whole team has grasped the concept and is really taking Grayson in as one of their own,” she said.
Lockett said just as much ahead of Grayson’s signing day. The impact Grayson has already made on the team is apparent.
“I would more than call him part of the family,” Lockett said in a video the University put out. “We look at him as one of our brothers. He’s our brother. I know that he loves us and we love him. We’re so excited to have him.”
Grayson recently carried the confidence his new brothers have given him to his first day of kindergarten.
Due to his condition, he is unable to eat anything, instead getting his nutrition through a central line he carries in a backpack 18 hours per day.
“He is very nervous about his backpack in new environments,” Ashley said. “He feels like he’s not going to fit in because he carries his backpack.”
To send him off to his first day, UNC Football gifted him a new Bears backpack.
“They built him up that day about his backpack. He came home after his first day and it didn’t even phase him. He’s like, ‘Nope. My team said it was the coolest thing,” Ashley said.
Grayson was slated to be an honorary captain Saturday at UNC’s 17-7 season-opening win vs. Chadron State, but he was hospitalized due to a medical emergency.
They plan to make that up later this season. Because, as he’s done his whole life, Grayson will keep fighting.
“Grayson is a very special part of our team,” Pazak said. “We are always rooting for him more than he’s rooting for us. That’s for sure.”
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