When I arrived in Spokane yesterday I gave my parents big hugs as they were waiting for me at the airport. We then drove to their house and I dropped off my lugguge. After a few minutes of getting situated, my mom and I drove right over to my sister’s home so I could finally meet my niece.

My mom and I reunited in the airport.

If you are a frequent reader of my blog, especially my Thursday posts, you know I have counted down the days for several weeks until I would finally get to hold Mikayla Joy Koutecky. I have devoted a lot of word space and picture space to this special little baby. No question about it, I definitely set myself up to report to all of you on my first ever meeting between Uncle Brent and Niece Mikayla.

We arrived at my sister’s house and went downstairs to where mom and baby were. After seeing hundreds of photos of Mikayla and viewing countless videos, suddenly she was right in front of me. It was a surreal moment but also a very joyful one. She was even more precious and beautiful in person as she was through the various media I watched. My sister brought her over to me in her arms and I got my first up close view. My mom then held her for a second. They then asked if I was ready to hold her. I said yes.

My mom held Mikayla first.

Wish I could say that our first moment together was full of smiles and peace but that would be a lie. Seconds after she came into my arms she started to cry. Even with her tears though, it was so nice to hold the little angel. After a minute or so I relinquished her to Miranda. Mikayla calmed down and I was able to hold her again. This time around she felt very comfortable in my arms and we shared several sweet moments.

Mikayla cried the first time I held her.

My sister then put her on the floor with her back down underneath this contraption that had stuffed animals dangling and music playing. With all this stimuli for Mikayla to enjoy she started to kick her legs and flail her arms. It was so cute and I absolutely loved it.

Mikayla was so cute laying on her back and kicking her feet.

I then got to hold her once again. By this time Mikayla felt completely at home in my arms and I had the opportunity to really talk to her and introduce myself. I received several smiles out of the gorgeous baby girl and I felt so lucky that I was finally able to meet her.

Mikayla warmed up to me and was all smiles.

I won’t have to wait long to see her again. In about 90 minutes, Miranda is going to come pick me up with baby in tow and we are going to go eat lunch with my brother on his work break. The rumor is that Mikayla is wearing her Coastal Carolina University outfit so I will be sure to get some great photos of her and I. What a special Thanksgiving holiday this is for our family. Don’t Blink.

Exactly seven months ago today I started the epic road trip that brought me out here to the South to begin my new position at Coastal Carolina University. Tomorrow morning I will return to where my 3,000 mile journey started, only this time it will be via air. I hop on a plane at 7 a.m. Tuesday to start off a day of travel that will have me in Spokane by 3:40 p.m. local time.

Not going to lie, I am anxious to visit the west after 210 wonderful days in Myrtle Beach. I am excited to see grocery store chains I recognize, fast food restaurants I used to eat at, and streets I know like the back of my hand. I am excited to eat some home cooked meals, see some old friends, and visit some of my favorite bars. I am excited to see the pine trees, mountains, and western wildlife. But most of all, I am excited to see my family.

This photo was taken exactly seven months ago as I said good bye to my mom. I will be excited to see her again tomorrow.

From Tuesday through Sunday night I will be staying at my parents’ cozy and warm home in north Spokane. Besides my mom and dad I am also anxious to see my brother and sister. Of course I am counting down the hours until I get to hold my niece, Mikayla, for the first time ever. I don’t think I have ever been more stoked for a Thanksgiving in my life.

I will miss the warm weather (it is 76 degrees here today as opposed to 30 degrees in Spokane) and the cheap gas but it is more than a fair trade to be reunited with my loved ones in the part of the country where I grew up. I just have to make the cross-country adventure first.

Ah yes, it will definitely be a trek getting from point A to point B. My flight out of Myrtle Beach will take me to Charlotte. After a layover of a couple hours, I will make the very long flight from Charlotte to Seattle. From there I will backtrack to Spokane where my parents will be waiting for me at the airport. It is just shy of a 12-hour travel day but well worth each holiday travel maddening minute.

Safe travels to everyone this Thanksgiving season. I hope many of you are as excited as I am. One of the best times of the year is here! Don’t Blink.

I remember the chaos vividly. The athletic director and head football coach at the University of Montana had just been let go, victims of a sucker-punch that no one saw coming. The community was outraged. Things were uncertain. Inside the office of Sports Information Director Dave Guffey both Bob Beers and Scott Gragg, two men rumored to possibly be named the interim head coach, admitted to us they had no idea who would receive the appointment. It was all a whirlwind, it felt like maybe the wheels were starting to fall off. But then came news that Mick Delaney would come out of retirement and graciously take over as the interim head football coach at the University of Montana. Finally, some stability.

That first practice with Mick at the helm was unlike any practice I had ever attended during my employment with Griz Athletics. The atmosphere was charged. Besides the regular beat reporters on hand you also had sports media from across the state present. Mark Holyoak, the face of KPAX News at the time, had come out from behind the anchor desk to cover the spectacle in Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Staff members from inside the athletic department stood on the sideline to support Coach Delaney. It wasn’t just a practice that day, it was a major event in the historical fabric of Grizzly Athletics.

Mick Delaney came in and saved Griz football.

That day with all the microphones pushed in his face, Coach Delaney said he would do all he could to give the media, the athletic department, and the community everything he had. It is now some 32 months later and he never waivered on that pledge. Ask any media member about working with Mick, they will all say he was accommodating and kind. Quiz any athletic department staffer on whether Coach Delaney was a team player who held his players/staff accountable while supporting the other programs and they will nod yes in a heartbeat. Ask Mick’s wife Cheri about the long list of community causes he aided and she will rattle off an endless list. Pretty good for someone who was yanked out of retirement and placed in the most scrutinized position in the state, right?

It definitely wasn’t a walk in the park for Mick. He had to deal with the crippling repercussions from the President’s decision, the unfair suspension and trial of his star player, and unrealistic expectations/unfair criticisms from fans. During his inaugural season, I served on the travel advance team for Grizzly football. On those road trips I could literally see the stress hanging on his shoulders during that challenging 2012 campaign. I watched him smoke a lot of cigars on those trips, his only chance to provide himself with a little relief. However, even with the stress and setbacks, Mick always kept his integrity and always came out a winner.

The 2012 season was a tough one. I took this photo at Eastern Washington, a game the Griz would lose in the fourth quarter.

I debated going about it this way because I didn’t want to turn this post into a list. However, I feel it is the best way to highlight his character. I want to quickly offer my five favorite personal Mick Delaney moments that really illustrate the leader and special person that he is (listed in no particular order):

Mick Sacrifices Time for Small Marketing Event – In 2013, Monte had earned yet another spot on the Capital One All-American Mascot Team. The competition to crown the Mascot of the Year that season depended partly on fans photographing or videoing themselves completing weekly challenges and posting the content to social media. One particular week the challenge was to capture the celebration you thought your mascot would do if he scored a touchdown.

I planned an event in Washington-Grizzly Stadium where fans could run around on the field, catch a touchdown pass, and then celebrate with Monte. I didn’t even bother asking Coach Delaney to come out because it was right in the middle of the week and the team was traveling the next day. But lo and behold, when I escorted the participants through the Adams Center and out the tunnel into the stadium there was Mick standing at mid-field. On a cold Montana day with plenty of wind and sleet, Mick did his own touchdown celebration with Monte. He then stuck around and took photos with the fans who showed up, many who never had the opportunity to watch a game inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium because of the ticket availability and cost. I was so humbled that he would show up to something that I didn’t even know was on his radar. For him to then go the extra mile and make sure everyone else had a memorable experience made it that much sweeter.

Mick does his touchdown celebration with Monte in September of 2013.

Mick Surprises 102-year-old Lady – Toward the end of last football season, Mick made the day of one hardcore Griz fan by paying a surprise visit. However, this University of Montana supporter wasn’t a testosterone-driven message board poster covered in maroon and silver body paint. Instead it was a sweet old lady named Emma Lommasson, a 102-year-old Griz diehard who once served as the Assistant Registrar at Montana.

When Coach Delaney walked into the lobby of Emma’s retirement home her eyes lit up and her mouth dropped open. The two held hands and had a lively conversation for about 30 minutes. This wasn’t a photo op or a publicity stunt (only our storied play-by-play guy and myself were present), this was just Mick being Mick. They would have talked all day long but Coach had to hustle back to campus to start practice.

Emma Lommasson held tight to Mick’s hand the whole time they were together.

A Hand-Written/Hand-Delivered Thank You Note – When the head coach of a major program brings you a card with a personal, thoughtful message you know you are dealing with a man who is truly down-to-earth and humble. Just a couple days before offices in the athletic department started to clear out for the holidays, Mick walked around to members of the support staff and handed out Christmas cards and boxes of chocolates. When I read what he wrote, I could undeniably say that I felt truly valued and appreciated by one of the most well-known and recognized men in the state.

A few different shots of the card Mick Delaney presented to me.

Road Trip – In August of 2013, a year-long sponsored rivalry competition was introduced to spotlight the Griz-Cat series across all sports. The press conference was held in Butte (a location in the middle of Missoula and Bozeman). I had the opportunity to make the drive with our athletic director, our associate athletic director, and Mick Delaney. During the drive there and the drive back, I just relaxed and listened as Mick talked about football. He discussed players, coaches, FBS, FCS, conferences, past games, war stories, and more. It was a totally uncensored look into a 50-year vault of pig skin richness, also known as Mick’s brain. I ate up every bit of it and even managed to have some of my questions answered.

This was the press conference in Butte that I rode down with Mick for.

Pre-Game Speech: Before the Appalachian State game in 2013, Mick Delaney addressed his players while our video guys caught it on camera. This video was created for an in-stadium feature and when we played it at the second home game of the season it was extremely powerful. It wasn’t a “yell at the top of your lungs” rant or a psychological, well-planned lecture. Rather, it was just Mick speaking from his heart. Those last 30 seconds represent everything he tried to instill during his three seasons as head coach at the University of Montana. That is the Delaney Gospel right there, and the best way possible to end this list.

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As he preached in the speech I just highlighted, Mick Delaney did things the right way. At times, critics complained. But you know what, who cares? Coach Delaney made a selfless decision to step in when things were toxic. He oversaw the program for three seasons, ran a clean ship, and won more games than he lost. He will pass the torch to a new coach who will inherit a solid program with a strong incoming recruiting class. Thank you Mick Delaney for your amazing leadership. You will be forever remembered for what you did to help Griz Nation when it needed help the most. Don’t Blink.