Kevin Whitelaw Honored by Friends, Coach
November 07, 2009 20:23 PM
ORANGE PARK, Fla. -- Erika, Austin, Alec, Chadd and Coach Patrick Rodifer are all part of the St. Johns Country Day School family hurting without their "gentle giant."
The Spartans football team retired Kevin's #60 jersey, presenting it to his mother at the home game Friday night.
They also spray-painted his jersey on the football field, and ran the first play with a "missing man"-- the absence of Kevin, who played tackle.
"Honoring Kevin is not that we're going to go out there trying to win the game for Kevin, it's each kid on every play will tray as hard as they can, as Kevin would have done it," said Head Coach Merlin Smith.
Friends and coaches describe Kevin Whitelaw as a "gentle giant" because he was over 6 feet tall, they say, and such a big guy he didn't fit into his new football jersey -- and he had a generous and kind heart.
Kevin and his sister, Katie, were shot to death Tuesday, police say, by their own father, who then killed himself.
Erika says Kevin would "volunteer" to help her with Algebra and science without being asked. He was so good in math, she says, the teacher would ask the other students questions and when everyone was stumped, she would turn to Kevin for the answer.
Erika and her friends say their "crying stage" is winding down now, but the pain is still strong. However, they say, Kevin was part of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. They all agreed he is now in Heaven and "in a better place."
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