Bryson Richey – “Do Good Initiative Recipient”
Our newest “Do Good Initiative” recipient is Bryson Richey, a Plainview High School senior and Bryant-Jordan Achievement Scholarship nominee. More importantly, Bryson is an inspiration to his friends, teachers, and community members because of his Christian attitude and never-give-in frame of mind.
To understand what makes Bryson so special, we need to look back to 2015 when 13-year-old- Bryson experienced an accident that changed his life forever. On August 4, 2015, only a couple of days before the beginning of school, Richey and three of his friends, Jacob Henderson, Jathan Underwood, and Ethan Hope, were enjoying their last few days of summer freedom. The boys were exploring near Little Mountain Marina on Bryson’s family’s Polaris off-road vehicle. While driving down the highway, the crew took a turn too quickly, and the vehicle overturned, pinning Bryson’s left leg under it. Henderson, Underwood, and Hope morphed into heroes and did what was necessary to save Bryson’s life. Unfortunately, after several days in the hospital, part of his leg had to be removed. This event would be crushing to any 13-year-old, but it was especially traumatic for Bryson, a talented athlete with many famous athletic relatives. Many people had high expectations for his future in football, baseball, and basketball.
After a few weeks in shock and disappointment, and with the help of a loving community and even citizens throughout the state, Bryson decided not to let this life change end his dream of playing sports. Several sports figures reached out to Bryson, including Gus Malzahn and Nick Saban, to offer inspirational words.
He even received a wrist band from Ohio State University with the letters ERO inscribed on it. E stands for Event, R stands for Reaction, O stands for Outcome. This phrase, along with a famous quote from Paul “Bear” Bryant, “Bad things don’t have to define you and what you do in life. Always look for ways to be better,” pointed Bryson in the direction of healing. All that and his family’s faith in God brought Bryson to the other side of the tragedy.
Bryson lived his dream of playing high school sports, and during those years, he motivated many others to appreciate what they had been given and work to their full potential, whatever that turned out to be.
The following statements are from three Plainview faculty members who witnessed his example first hand:
Plainview Assistant Principal Marilyn Bryant stated, “Bryson is an absolute inspiration to all of us. His level of perseverance and determination has left a life-long impression on many people. He will surely be missed at Plainview after he graduates, but we know that he will go on to accomplish great things.”
Phillip Johnson, Plainview Head Baseball Coach, added, “Bryson is a remarkable young man. The challenges he has overcome are unlike any other player we’ve had in our program. Despite these challenges, Bryson has remained faithful to work hard each and every day and year and has put himself in a position to be a leader for us on the field and in the clubhouse. Truth be told, no one but Bryson will ever know all that he has done to accomplish such an impressive task. Still, it has been one of my greatest privileges as his coach to watch him in his endeavors, and I look forward to seeing his continued success as a player this year and, more importantly, in his future after high school.”
Finally, Plainview Head Football Coach, Nick Ledbetter, concluded, “What I have witnessed Bryson Richey do over the past few years is nothing less than remarkable. I am one of his biggest fans. I always tell him, ‘We need to get you on the cover of a magazine.’ Bryson is a warrior and a rock star. People need to know his story. His work ethic without complaining has been an inspiration to his teammates and coaches. Over the past two seasons, we didn’t have a lot of truancy or complaining from our players, even in a pandemic. Bryson’s example helped instill that lunch pail work ethic in our program. His coaches and teammates watched him happily show up to work every single day. If anyone had a reason not to be here or complain, it was Bryson. What Bryson means to his teammates, coaches, school, and community cannot be put into words. Thanks for making us all better, Bryson!”
Congratulation, Bryson!