2008 Woodie Awards
A dad who loves b-ball and his son
Brooks Kirchheimer
Issue date: 4/8/08 Section: Sports
As we now reminisce about one of the most exciting March Madness' in recent history there is one story that brings it all together. It is a story about a father and a son. A son that is a leader on his team. And a father that well, travels.
It is a story about George Mason guard Folarin Campbell and his father, Festus. A story that begins and ends in a train.
You might have heard of George Mason University after its Cinderella story run in the NCAA tournament in 2006 when the Patriots advanced to the Final Four before losing to eventual champion Florida.
Campbell was the main reason that the Patriots went deep in the tourney thanks to his double-digit scoring in all five games as a sophomore.
This year's tournament appearance was a whole different story. The Patriots were Colonial Athletic Association Conference winners and given an automatic bid to the tournament. In 2006 George Mason received an at-large bid and didn't know it was in the tournament until the selection show. Oh and by the way no one thought the Patriots should have made the tournament and look what they did.
Throughout the magical run and all the conference and non-conference games, the blow-outs, the close victories and tough losses there has been one Patriot fan always there, Festus.
"I think he has maybe missed two or three in my four-year career and that is probably because he couldn't get off of work. He has been supporting me from day one," said the younger Campbell.
Sitting at the Pepsi Center in his yellow-and-green jersey on March 20 in the first round of the NCAA tournament against Notre Dame there he was. A little exhausted but it was worth it.
"Because it would have cost $700, $800 per person round trip to fly, so I can get on a train for free, why in this economy do I want to spend seven to eight hundred dollars," said Festus.
So on Tuesday before the tournament as George Mason was about to board a comfortable flight out to the Mile High city, Festus was boarding his smelly and slow Amtrak train, destination Denver. As the Patriots got off their three-hour flight from Virginia, Festus' journey was just beginning, a journey that would end up lasting 20 hours.
It is a story about George Mason guard Folarin Campbell and his father, Festus. A story that begins and ends in a train.
You might have heard of George Mason University after its Cinderella story run in the NCAA tournament in 2006 when the Patriots advanced to the Final Four before losing to eventual champion Florida.
Campbell was the main reason that the Patriots went deep in the tourney thanks to his double-digit scoring in all five games as a sophomore.
This year's tournament appearance was a whole different story. The Patriots were Colonial Athletic Association Conference winners and given an automatic bid to the tournament. In 2006 George Mason received an at-large bid and didn't know it was in the tournament until the selection show. Oh and by the way no one thought the Patriots should have made the tournament and look what they did.
Throughout the magical run and all the conference and non-conference games, the blow-outs, the close victories and tough losses there has been one Patriot fan always there, Festus.
"I think he has maybe missed two or three in my four-year career and that is probably because he couldn't get off of work. He has been supporting me from day one," said the younger Campbell.
Sitting at the Pepsi Center in his yellow-and-green jersey on March 20 in the first round of the NCAA tournament against Notre Dame there he was. A little exhausted but it was worth it.
"Because it would have cost $700, $800 per person round trip to fly, so I can get on a train for free, why in this economy do I want to spend seven to eight hundred dollars," said Festus.
So on Tuesday before the tournament as George Mason was about to board a comfortable flight out to the Mile High city, Festus was boarding his smelly and slow Amtrak train, destination Denver. As the Patriots got off their three-hour flight from Virginia, Festus' journey was just beginning, a journey that would end up lasting 20 hours.
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