I am submitting my self as a candidate for The Ultimate Utah Man. Not because of what I as a fan have contributed to Utah Football, but because of what Utah Football has given me…Everything.

I have always been a Ute fan, in 2005 and 2006 I learned how to be a True Ute. In July of 2006 I wrote this letter to Coach Whittingham. I think it accurately describes me as a Ute Fan.

Dear Coach Whittingham,

I live in Kaysville Utah , I am thirty years old and married to a wonderful wife, a former Oregonian turned Ute. I have been a Ute all my life. My father and mother both graduated from the University of Utah . I dreamed of graduating from the University of Utah and finally did last year with a Bachelors degree in social work. I am currently trying to get into the MSW program. My father took me too many Utah games. Aside from my mission I haven't missed a home game. I have traveled away to as many games as possible. I hugged my Dad as the winning field goal sailed through the uprights in '93, not knowing that that would be my last football moment with my father as he passed away tragically later in the spring of ‘94.

I've given you a brief history of my life as a Ute because I am about to tell you of the biggest life changing moment of my life. I thought I had learned a lot from my father passing away. I thought I had learned a lot from my mission. I even thought I had learned a lot from the first years of marriage. I sat in Tempe Arizona and celebrated the “Magical Season” of Ute football. But, I am writing to you now so that you know that this most recent season, '05, has been the most magical year of my life.

I vividly remember being completely distraught on the way home from the New Mexico game. I was scheduled to travel to BYU to watch the Utes suffer predictable defeat. While I was bellyaching to a distant family member, a woman who never followed sports, let alone Utah football, she reminded me that I sure was a loyal fan when the Utes were winning, but now when they needed me the most I abandoned them like everyone else? That really stuck with me. I determined that for better or worse I was going to travel down south and scream my hardest--win or lose. I listened to the media talk about how this was the cougars year and how they were picked to win as we had no quarterback. I completely understand why you shut the doors to the media and kept all affairs in house. I stood in that stadium late Saturday night as proud a fan as ever, I even turned to my right to give my father a victory hug but instead was delighted to find my six month pregnant wife. In December my family traveled to the Emerald Bowl where once again I was shown how you and your players locked all else out and went into battle with an eye set upon eminent victory.

My wife gave birth to a five pound three ounce little girl on February 27th. Due to small size the pediatrician asked that we get a check up four days after her delivery. A test was run, and it was bad news. We rushed her to Primary Children's where other tests were run that discovered she had no gall bladder. This is a disease called biliary atresia, the odds of getting it are about 1 in 20,000. Through the month of March she went through many tests to hopefully rule out this diagnosis. But to no avail. Everyone I told about this disease who knew of it including our pediatrician made sure to let us know what a difficult thing it was to have. Odds were given on the successful treatment of biliary atresia—chances for victory were very poor.

Coach, about a week before the first surgery something came to me. Something so simple, yet truly a breakthrough. You actually want to play the tougher opponents! If you are given a chance at a team ranked 30th as opposed to one ranked 24th you will take the one ranked 24th, because then, if you…sorry, then WHEN you beat them it proves your own ability to a greater degree than would victory over the lesser opponent! Well, I took this to heart and told my wife on the way home from the doctor appointment, “ looks like we're playing USC. We would rather play them than some average no name school right?” “RIGHT” she exclaimed. So we closed our doors to the media and all who said the odds were against us because of the size of our baby and the seriousness of her condition. During the week prior to surgery, we beefed our baby up from 6 pounds to 7 pounds 3 ounces. On the day of her surgery, our “game day”, we dressed Jada Rose in her little Ute gear. I wore the same clothes I wore to the BYU game and the Emerald Bowl. My wife wore Utah gear as well and so did all three grandparents. My siblings who had to work that day and couldn't be at PCMC with us, all wore Utah gear. If one would have seen us in the waiting room, we certainly looked as if we were staging a pep rally and they probably wondered what game they were missing? The surgery failed, and we now await a liver transplant…Were going to win, I just know it. And because I know it my baby knows it.

Coach, I want to thank you for showing me what it means to believe in yourselves. Right now my baby girl is on the liver transplant list she is getting very sick. However, as for my family and I, including little Jada Rose, victory is eminent! Whenever knowledgeable health care professionals hear of our battle with this disease, they usually say “wow, that's a tough disease.” I simply say “yea, well she's a tough little Ute.” Last year you showed me that in the face of adversity, and unfavorable odds, and seemingly impossible probability for success, all which really matters, is that you believe in yourself. It seems a lesson I should have learned long ago, and perhaps I did. But never to the degree that I now know it.

I want you to know that I consider you to be a great inspiration and strength in preparing me for the successful execution of the toughest game I'll ever play in—my little girl and her battle for life. I'm probably going to miss some games this fall, but I'll be watching from Primary Children's Hospital. I know that football is just a game, but this past season and the way you and your players conducted themselves is truly magical to me.

Thank You, with all my heart, THANK YOU,

One month after this letter was written Jada Rose became more sick than we ever thought possible. In August of 2006 she was permanently hospitalized and each day we watched her become more and more sick. Always though, we referred to ourselves as “True Utes” WE WOULD NOT GIVE UP! Jada Rose would not ever sense us giving up! Victory would be eminent! We worked very hard not to show negative emotion around her. If one of us felt we were going to cry, we left to take a walk. As a father watching my daughter die before my eyes I would find myself wondering what life might be like without my little angel? I finally broke down to my mother. “I'm done Mom! I said, I just cant cheer on any longer” She told me that once again I needed to listen to my own words. I needed to believe we COULD be like the Utes! We would beat the odds! I was working a lot and needed some way to re-commit myself to Eminent Victory.

I took her advice to heart and imagined what I would do this fall and next fall with my healthy little girl? I had always dreamed of building a Ute Room. A room dedicated to watching and enjoying present and past games with my family and friends. I gathered every spare cent I had, and began working on a Room that the three of us could enjoy as Ute Fans together! I built what is now known as The Ute Room. In reality it should be called the Jada Rose Ute Room. Every day when the stress became unbearable, and I found myself wondering about defeat I took all my emotions out building this room.

On September 4, 2006 I was napping in this very room (which I had finished in 15 days!). It was my wife weeping on the phone “Our Liver is on its way! They have found a donor!”
This moment began what I consider the longest most important Ute Victory I ever experienced! Jada Rose's life was saved. She began her recovery and by the end of the season we were watching Utah Football games in JADA's Ute Room!

Being an Ultimate Utah Man contributed to preserving, and in many ways saving the happiness of my family. Kyle Whittingham will forever be a part of our lives as “Our Coach”. I met with him during one of his December practices last year. I told him I was Jada Rose's Dad. He grinned ear to ear. “That's you?” he said. He told me he had a personal copy of my letter to him, and read it regularly. I have included a Video Tour I made of the Ute Room. As I feel it best describes my claim as THE ULTIMATE UTAH MAN!!! GO UTES!