Timpview Football Community Rallies Around Coach Stokes As Wife Battles Cancer
Sep 19, 2020, 9:49 PM | Updated: Apr 18, 2021, 4:53 pm
PROVO, Utah – Timpview head football coach Andy Stokes is dealing with more in his life than just leading his team to victory each week. His wife Tia was diagnosed with leukemia one year ago.
To honor his wife, the Timpview football players wore jerseys on Friday with #TiasTribe on the back in their win over Cyprus. Stokes did not know about the uniforms until his players came out from the locker room onto the field.
“My wife has been sick since my baby was born (one year ago) and my good friend and co-coach Josh Arnold, when she got really sick in March, we took her to him and he is the one who diagnosed her,” Stokes told KSL Sports. “We run a non-profit, we raise money for families in need but you are never prepared to have your best friend, loved one told that they could die any day so, it’s been tough, it’s been a blessing to our family at the same time. We’ve gotten stronger together as a couple. Our family has gotten stronger and we have been able to see so much good in the world. It’s been hard for us to receive so much service in return but it’s been unbelievable to watch how awesome the world is and people in the world are such a blessing to our family.
“Add coaching football into that and my wife runs two dance studios, it’s been wild but we have had people step up into our lives and just help us at every corner,” Stokes continued. “The number one lesson is how awesome and amazing people are especially in a time like this where there is so much negativity, we have learned that people are amazing.”
#TiasTribe #FightLikeTia pic.twitter.com/Bi1eMitvih
— Timpview Football (@T_BirdFootball) September 19, 2020
How The Uniforms Came To Be
About four weeks ago, the parents of the players got together and had the specialty jerseys made to honor Tia. They also organized the auction that the jerseys will be sold and the proceeds going towards the Stokes family. Brandee Stubbs was the main organizer of the jerseys and the auction.
“We thought this would be a fun way for the boys to be able to support their coach and raise money for him and his family,” Stubbs told KSL Sports.
Uniforms Are Being Auctioned Off
After the uniforms were worn, the players are now putting them in an auction where the money raised from the auction will go to help the Stokes family. Pro Look provided the uniforms which allows the team to auction them off. Minimum cost in the auction is $75 and 100 percent of the proceeds go to the family.
The auction for the jerseys can be found, here.
