Virginia kicker Ian Frye was named the Atlantic Coast Conference’s specialist of the week after hitting all four of his field goal attempts in the Cavaliers’ 41-33 loss at BYU on Saturday.
That’s not even the half of it.
Frye learned at halftime that his father had suffered a heart attack while watching the game in the stands at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
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Frye kicked a 22-yard field goal to give Virginia a 16-13 halftime lead. He was notified about his father’s situation as he was leaving the field and saw his father outside the locker room, where he was being attended to by paramedics.
He opted to stay with the team rather than accompany his father to the hospital.
"“I knew (staying) was the right thing to do,” Frye told the Daily Press of Newport News, Va. “I knew the paramedics and doctors would take care of him.”"
Frye went on to hit two extra points and a 46-yard field goal in the second half.
"“That was probably one of my hardest kicks that I’ve ever had to do,” Frye said. “Just knowing about my dad and what he was going through and having to perform still for the team. I kicked it for him. … I just relied on all the training and past experience that I had. Just told myself I had a job to do and I had to complete it.”"
When Frye got to the hospital after the game—escorted by the BYU police—his father, Mark Frye, was already out of surgery and watching college football.
"“He said he’s never missed a kick, so he was quite upset he had,” Ian Frye said (per the Washington Post)."
Ian Frye got stuck in Atlanta Sunday night because of flight delays and didn’t get back to the Charlottesville, Va., campus until Monday morning, where he got a text message from his father informing him of the ACC weekly honor.
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