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| A view of Paladin Stadium from the newly installed monument and plaque honoring Bryce Stanfield. |
Bryce Stanfield would've turned 22 on Thursday. It's been seven months since the Furman defensive lineman with a million dollar smile passed away. That didn't stop his family and teammates from celebrating his birthday Thursday as if he were still here.
In the hearts and minds of those in the Stanfield family and the Furman family, he is still here. He always will be.
Furman made sure that Stanfield's legacy will be honored permanently thanks to a monument erected at the base of the Champions Walk in one corner of Paladin Stadium. Prior to the Paladins' home opener this season, there was a pregame ceremony honoring Stanfield. Coach Clay Hendrix presented a copy of the plaque that tops the monument honoring Stanfield to his parents, Fred and Teri.
"That was a pretty special ceremony. It doesn't get any easier," Hendrix said. "Some days you think it will, but it just ... But that (ceremony) was great for the family and for Furman."
The day before Furman's win over Stetson last week, the permanent version of plaque was installed. Now whenever the Paladins take that walk to the field, their old teammate will always be there to greet them.
"He will forever be a part of Paladin Stadium," Hendrix said.
The plaque features a picture of Stanfield at the top in between two diamond F logos. At the bottom are his accolades: President's Award winner; SoCon champion; SoCon All-Freshman team; Magna Cum Laude; SoCon Academic Honor Roll; and Three-Year Letterman.
In the middle is an inspiring quote from Stanfield that he wrote as part of the application process for Furman's Men of Distinction program. That program features Furman students helping mentor poor and at-risk youth in the community.
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| The plaque honoring Bryce Stanfield. |
"His mom sent that to me sometime after his passing. ... That was his original rough draft that she had found and sent it to me," Hendrix said. "I just thought, 'man, what a perfect thing to put on his plaque.' "
The memorial is just another way that Furman is honoring Stanfield's memory this season. There are the "Stanfield Strong" stickers on each player's helmet, a "97" painted along the Furman sideline and the "Big Bryce Energy" and "Stanfield Strong" bracelets that his parents had made and have given out to his teammates and fans.
At every game this season, there have also been two different Paladins chosen to hold either side of Stanfield's No. 97 jersey out front of the team sideline while Stanfield's fellow team captains go to midfield for the pregame coin toss.
The first pair to do that were Jeremiah Jackson and Luke Clark. Clark said he can't really put into words what the memorial means to him, as well as having Stanfield's parents around this offseason and season. While being around the team undoubtedly helps them cope, their presence also helps the team.
"It's unbelievable how strong his parents are. I can't imagine just how strong they are. The amount of respect and love we have for them is tremendous," Clark said. "Having that memorial there for Bryce is special. I love it."
Fellow senior Bailor Hughes said coaches have long spoke about being a "Furman man." That's taken on a whole new meaning with what the team has been through since February.
"There wasn't a better example of a Furman man in this program than Bryce Stanfield," Hughes said.
Stanfield's memory will be remembered by another team on Friday when his old high school, Harrison High in Kennesaw, Ga., has a special pregame presentation. In what the school is calling "Big Bryce Energy Night," it's just another honor for someone who clearly made a positive impact everywhere he went.
Happy heavenly birthday, Bryce.
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| Furman coach Clay Hendrix hugs Bryce Stanfield's parents after presenting them a copy of the plaque that honors their son. Photo courtesy of Furman |
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