Just after Christmas, Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre was talking with his brother, Matt, on a porch outside the nursing home in Nashville, Tennessee, where their father lived, when he realized the significance of the moment. The brothers looked at each other and both understood. Mike was set to return to Boulder a short time later, and the next time he heard from Matt, he knew what it would be about.
"I got home, and about seven days later, Bryan McGinnis, our football ops guy, says, 'Hey, your brother is on the phone,'" MacIntyre said. "As soon as he told me that, I knew.