During the 2012 football season, the T.R. Miller Tiger football donned special black jerseys for their first ever Legacy Game.
T.R. Miller cruised to an easy win over the Excel Panthers 62-6 that night as players on the team played former T.R. Miller players and had the name of that player on the backs of their jerseys instead of the usual T.R. Miller on the back.
In 2013, on Friday, Oct. 11, the same idea will be done when the Tigers take on Southside Selma for homecoming—just with a twist.
This season, the Tigers will wear the special jerseys with names on the back of someone who has been affected by cancer. The focus of the 2013 Legacy Game is to help raise money for the Yancey Jernigan Foundation.
“We have partnered with the Jernigan Foundation and we are going to run it similar to the way we did it last year,” Riggs said. “Our players have someone they are playing for and that person is someone who has been affected by cancer. That person can be someone who has passed away because of cancer, someone who has had cancer and recovered from it, or someone who presently has cancer. Because that is obviously what the Jernigan Foundation deals with.
“Like last year when our players collected some funds in honor or memory of a former player, this year we are going to play someone who has dealt with cancer.”
T.R. Miller head coach Jamie Riggs said Emmie Jernigan, who established the foundation in her husband’s name after his death in July 2011 brought the idea to him.
Jernigan said her husband was 42 when doctors found bile duct cancer.
He was given three months to live, but lived for 15 months.
The foundation provides limited financial support for medicine and pharmacy costs, helps with hotel rooms and transportation costs as well as research funding for doctors. As the foundation grows, Jernigan said, she plans to do more and homecoming activities this year will play a big role.
“In addition to the game, it will allow the Foundation to receive the funds,” Riggs said. “Another thing is I hope it will publicize the Foundation and the work they do.
“Also, we have already been able to use it for an educational tool and to help educate the team about cancer and things they can do to limit their cancer risk. Emmie came and spoke to our players at the end of school. I think it is going to be some good to come out of this.
The Legacy Game is set for Oct. 11, with a flag football game the Thursday night before on Oct. 10.
“We are going to do it on the weekend that we do homecoming,” Riggs said. “Thursday night, we are going to do the touch football game for the former players. We are also going to have a ceremony to tie into the game with the players and some of the families they are playing for. The band and cheerleaders are involved too. They have their own things they are going to do. I think the band is getting t-shirts and will do a special halftime show. I hope to have a lot of people involved and maybe make this a community thing and get the community together to support those people who have suffered from this because I think everyone has been affected by cancer.
“It should be a great weekend.”
For more information on the game, call 251-867-8436 or 251-363-0213.