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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Mark Fletcher Jr. never considered not playing in Miami’s rivalry game against Florida State, for the simple reason that his father would have wanted him out there.
And it was no accident that Miami’s opening touchdown was his.
Fletcher rushed for 71 yards and a score in No. 6 Miami’s 36-14 win over Florida State on Saturday night — playing despite the fact that his father, Mark Fletcher Sr., died earlier in the week. Fletcher took a knee in the Hard Rock Stadium end zone after scoring, pointing to the sky.
“Just a shout out to my dad, paying him respect,” Fletcher said. “It’s been a long time since he’d seen Hard Rock this packed. I know he would have loved this, this energy out here, all the seats was taken up. I know he would have loved it. So, I just did this for him.”
“Big Mark,” as Fletcher’s dad was known by everyone around the Miami program, was a regular visitor to practice. He would hold court in the stands at games, talking to anyone and everyone with a personality that Miami coach Mario Cristobal described as larger than life.