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It was the kind of moment that makes everyone forget about football.
With just a minute left in Illinois State’s quarterfinal game against host Eastern Washington, a fan in the stands had a medical emergency. The game stopped, and medical staff rushed to help him.
That man was John Rodgers, father of Eastern Washington offensive lineman Jake Rodgers. Suffering apparent heart problems, John was taken to the hospital. He died December 27.
His death shook the Eastern Washington family—and it stayed with the Redbirds. On Saturday, when Illinois State faces North Dakota State in the FCS title game, every Redbird will have a “65” sticker on their helmet, in honor of John Rodgers. No. 65 is Jake’s number on the Eagles.
“We’re just so thankful and truly humbled by this gesture,” said Bill Chaves, athletics director at Eastern Washington. “It just goes to show, at the end of the day, people are doing things for the right reasons.”
