Aidan Mulligan slides knee-first into the endzone for a score as the Cowboys close in to celebrate.
LAKE CHARLES – McNeese Football's annual Victory Day is by-far the greatest feel-good day of the year.
The second annual event was held on Tuesday evening in Cowboy Stadium which brought out the joy and excitement for kids who require special needs while being able to play football with the Cowboys or cheer and dance with the McNeese cheerleaders and Cowgirl Kickers.
For all, it was an evening that will always be remembered, but for one young athlete, it was the greatest day of his life.
"This was the best time of my life," said Aidan Mulligan. "I feel like I'm living free and living my dream."
Mulligan, like all of the other 40-plus kids in attendance, got the opportunity to score a touchdown on a specific play called by the Cowboys' offense. On his particular play, he took a hand-off up the middle, dodged through some diving tacklers, side-stepped a few more defenders, then slid knee-first into the endzone for the score.
As the Cowboy fight song played on the jumbotron and his named called over the loud speakers, Mulligan was surrounded by the entire Cowboy team as they celebrated the score.
"It felt like I was in heaven," he said about the score. "Best time of my life."
Aidan's mother, Jeannette, was watching with tears swelling in her eyes.
"I cried for every kid because of seeing the joy on their faces and for their dreams to come true for being able to do something like this. I know it's been Aidan's dream his whole life. His big brother plays football. His friends play football."
At birth, Aidan was put into a forced coma for six weeks and doctors told his mother he would likely never walk, talk or eat solid foods. He overcame those odds and even though he currently has a VP shunt implanted in his brain, he's not holding back on living his dream.
"I told the doctors they don't know my God," said Jeannette. "Now look at that boy run, and talk."
This is the second year the Cowboy football program has put on this event.
"This is a great event and good to give back to the community," said second-year head coach
Gary Goff who started Victory Day last year. "Seeing these children with smiles on their faces and their family members watching them score touchdowns and hearing their names called out over the PA system, it's just a lot of fun."
Each kid had their own special touchdown celebration as well. One, in particular, after scoring, handed a cheerleader the football then told her to call him as he mimicked a phone to his ear. He then pretended like he was signing autographs.
"It's great to be able to give these children the experience of something they otherwise wouldn't be able to take part in," said Goff. "I'm very proud of our team. They're having a lot of fun with these children and giving them a great experience."
"This was cool," said quarterback
Tre Simmons. "I've never experienced anything like this. It gave me chills watching the kids having fun and the excitement they were having."
Scoring touchdowns weren't the only activity for the kids. They got to experience drills that included tackling, blocking and kicking as well as trying on game gear such as helmet and shoulder pads. And at the start of the event, each kid had their name called out over the PA system and ran through a tunnel formed by the Cowboys, coaching staff, cheerleaders and Cowgirl Kickers.
"To watch your baby have a dream, and have it come true, even for a few hours, when you're a special needs parent, it's the little things like that that mean the world to you," expressed Jeannette. "I'm so proud of the McNeese football program for doing this for the kids and for the parents. It's not just for the kids, it's for us too to watch our babies so happy."
If only for a couple of hours in Cowboy Stadium on Tuesday, McNeese Football helped make dreams come true and memories of a lifetime for some amazing kids and families.
