CNN
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A Kentucky coal miner who rushed straight from work to take his family to a Wildcats training game at the University of Kentucky is shortlisted for Father of the Year and earned acclaim from legendary coach John Calipari, who shared a photo of him and admired him. Hard work and dedication to his son.
The photo, which has now gone viral, shows Michael McGuire and his son sitting in the stands at Saturday’s Blue-White Game brawl that was played in Pikeville, in eastern Kentucky.
McGuire is still dressed in his work uniform and heavy boots, his face and arms covered in coal-black dust.
Sue Kinneer, a Kentucky fan, took the photo and posted it to several Wildcats fan pages on Facebook hoping someone from the coach’s crew would see it and send the little boy an autograph.
The plan worked better than she had hoped, and Calipari posted the photo on social media.
My family’s American dream started in a coal mine in Clarksburg, WV, so this picture hits home. From what I was told, after his shift, he raced to be with his son and keep an eye on our team. I don’t know who this is, but I have tickets for him and his family at Rupp to be treated like VIP!! , “Calibari chirp. (Robb Arena is the home of the University of Kentucky basketball team.)
McGuire was not recognized at that point, but Kentucky fans quickly found him and linked the coach to the family.
Maguire said CNN’s WKYT That he was at work underground while all this was happening and had no idea anything was going on.
He told WKYT, “When I went out and got the service on my way home, I went crazy…I couldn’t believe it was real.”
McGuire told the station he only had 45 minutes to get to the game when he left work on Saturday and didn’t want to miss his son Easton’s first basketball experience.
“You either go straight there, or you miss half the game to go home and shower and everything,” he told the affiliate.
He said Easton had a great time and that they are now looking forward to going to their home game at Robb Arena in Lexington.
“He had a blast. He was dancing and every time they pounced, he would go crazy,” McGuire told WKYT.
McGuire, a lifelong Kentucky fan, spoke with Calipari on Monday night.
“He was great, he was really humble,” McGuire told WKYT.
calibari Reporters On Tuesday, he said he spoke to McGuire’s wife, Molly, first because her husband is still in business.
And Molly Lee’s comment is, ‘My husband is humble. He works hard. This is hard work, but it makes enough of being there that I don’t have to work. He is a great father. “He’s done this a few times,” Calipari said.
The coach said he hopes McGuire will be a lesson to his players.
“I’ve talked to my guys about it. It’s just a great lesson, I showed them a picture of Michael and his son yesterday, and talked about hard and back work and that’s an honorable job, but it saves time for his son, even when he knows he can’t take a shower. Calipari said: ” His looks didn’t matter, he just wanted to be with his son.”
McGuires hasn’t decided which game they’ll go to, but Calipari said hotels, restaurants, and other local businesses stumble upon themselves to do something nice for them when they come to town.
“Isn’t it nice for someone like this, a calm and humble man to know people appreciate you, and we appreciate what you stand for,” Calipari told reporters. “And I appreciate that because it’s how my family got its start in this country.”
Kentucky held a Blue-White game in Pikeville to raise funds for flood relief in eastern Kentucky.