Big Ten Championship Game honors Sam Foltz and Mike Sadler during coin flip

In a classy gesture, the coin for the Big Ten Championship Game had Sam Foltz and Mike Sadler represented as heads and tails.

Before the start of the Big Ten season, tragedy struck when two punters, Sam Foltz and Mike Sadler, were killed in a car crash. They played for Nebraska and Michigan State, respectively.

There have been tributes all throughout the season whenever someone played those two teams. But in the Big Ten Championship Game, which didn’t featured either of Nebraska or Michigan State, they still had to pay their respects. That’s because Foltz and Sadler’s families were at the game, and were invited onto the field for the coin toss. That’s when they saw the coin had their sons’ face on it:

Michigan State went from Big Ten champions to a three-win season. It was an unexpected fall, and while part of that had to do with all of their departing talent, Mike Sadler’s death probably played a part in it, too. Nebraska, meanwhile, had a great bounce back season and went from 6-7 year to 9-3. However, they couldn’t hang with the best the Big Ten had to offer, and ultimately fell short of winning the West Division.

While the Big Ten has been using this coin all year now, it felt different this time around. Doing this at the Championship Game made Nebraska and Michigan State fans feel like they were a part of it, and having their families come on to the field was an extremely kind gesture. There was hardly a dry eye in the stands, or on TV.

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No matter what your feelings are towards these two teams, an incident like this is bigger than football. The Big Ten, and all of its fans, have recognized that as such. While many fans hardly ever recognize the importance of a punter, they’re a teammate all the same, and losing one is an indescribable feeling. Every time a tribute like this pours in, you can’t help but love it.