Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
This Bulldog's Video Tribute to His Dad Is a Must-See
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 5 years ago on
December 17, 2019

Share

Dads and moms sometimes have a hard time finding the right words to say to their children.
I do.


Listen to this article:
 


Portrait of GV Wire News Director Bill McEwen
Bill McEwen
Opinion
That’s why the video tribute that Fresno State football standout Mykal Walker made to his late father, Michael James Walker, is must-see viewing for parents. It captures many of the encouragements and sentiments all dads and moms should express to their children.
As of Tuesday morning, it had more than 40,000 Twitter views.

Inspire, Support Your Children

Only a handful of fathers and sons will play college football at the same university, as the Walkers did. But every father can inspire and support their children to pursue their dreams, give their best, and regard all setbacks as temporary. Every father and mother can model good behavior.
That’s what the senior Walker, a construction manager in the Bay Area, did. And, not just with Mykal.
Michael James Walker’s 2012 obituary included this:
“Michael’s life was energized by a never-ending love for family and being that example for his sons and for his daughters, as to how men are supposed to act. He exemplified what is expected in a man. His example was not only experienced by immediate family but by extended family as well. Nieces and nephews were also influenced by their “Big” Uncle Michael. … no one could have a better friend.”
The younger Walker told gobulldogsports.com as the 2019 season was winding down:
“I don’t come from the best background, but my family has always believed in me. Since a young age, my dad used to tell me ‘don’t be average’ and that really stuck with me. I write that on my tape every game. I almost stopped playing football but losing him really inspired me to keep going. The people that I have around me inspire me to be better every day.”

Walker’s Video Is a Gift to the World

Walker’s video is a gift to fathers, mothers, and children everywhere.
Download it and play it for Christmas. Keep it and play it on Father’s Day or Mother’s Day.
And, when you’re struggling — as all parents and grandparents sometimes do — for the right words, play it again.
I’m pretty sure you will find them.

Photo of Mykal Walker running with an intercepted pass
Mykal Walker runs to the end zone after picking off a pass in Fresno State’s 2018 win over Toledo. (gobulldogs.com/Keith Kountz)
 

DON'T MISS

What to Know About Pam Bondi, Trump’s New Pick for Attorney General

DON'T MISS

North Korean Leader Says Past Diplomacy Only Confirmed US Hostility

DON'T MISS

Democrats Strike Deal to Get More Biden Judges Confirmed Before Congress Adjourns

DON'T MISS

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

DON'T MISS

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

DON'T MISS

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

DON'T MISS

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

DON'T MISS

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

DON'T MISS

Average Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage in the US Rises to Highest Level Since July

DON'T MISS

Cutting in Line? American Airlines’ New Boarding Tech Might Stop You at Now Over 100 Airports

UP NEXT

MLB Will Test Robot Umpires at 13 Spring Training Ballparks Hosting 19 Teams

UP NEXT

Fresno Council Lowers Speed Limits on Friant and Audubon

UP NEXT

How About an Honest Conversation About the Range of Light Monument Proposal?

UP NEXT

UConn Coach Geno Auriemma Breaks NCAA Wins Record With 1,217th Victory

UP NEXT

Warriors Guard De’Anthony Melton to Undergo Season-Ending Knee Surgery

UP NEXT

Wiggins, Curry Power Warriors to Dominant Win Over Hawks

UP NEXT

Sale and Skubal Claim Cy Young Awards After Historic Pitching Triple Crown Seasons

UP NEXT

Bulldogs Stack Double-Doubles Like Burgers on a Plate to Beat Prairie View

UP NEXT

How Trump Can Earn a Place in History That He Did Not Expect

UP NEXT

Love Seeks Redemption as Packers Prepare for 49ers Rematch

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

2 hours ago

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

2 hours ago

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

2 hours ago

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

3 hours ago

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

3 hours ago

Average Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage in the US Rises to Highest Level Since July

4 hours ago

Cutting in Line? American Airlines’ New Boarding Tech Might Stop You at Now Over 100 Airports

4 hours ago

MLB Will Test Robot Umpires at 13 Spring Training Ballparks Hosting 19 Teams

4 hours ago

Death Toll in Gaza From Israel-Hamas War Passes 44,000, Palestinian Officials Say

4 hours ago

Jussie Smollett’s Conviction in 2019 Attack on Himself Is Overturned

5 hours ago

What to Know About Pam Bondi, Trump’s New Pick for Attorney General

NEW YORK — Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, was chosen Thursday by Donald Trump to serve as U.S. attorney general hours after...

14 minutes ago

14 minutes ago

What to Know About Pam Bondi, Trump’s New Pick for Attorney General

1 hour ago

North Korean Leader Says Past Diplomacy Only Confirmed US Hostility

1 hour ago

Democrats Strike Deal to Get More Biden Judges Confirmed Before Congress Adjourns

2 hours ago

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

President Joe Biden with Mary Barra, the chief executive of General Motors, at the Detroit Auto Show, Sept. 14, 2022. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to erase the Biden administration’s tailpipe rules designed to get carmakers to produce electric vehicles, but most U.S. automakers want to keep them. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
2 hours ago

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

2 hours ago

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

3 hours ago

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally at First Horizon Coliseum, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Greensboro, NC. (AP/Alex Brandon)
3 hours ago

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend