Miner Covered In Soot Drops Everything To Take His Son To His First Basketball Game

June 4, 2024 Malorie Thompson

A coal miner in Kentucky recently went viral for his dedication to his son.

You see, Michael McGuire was hard at work but he'd committed to taking his 3-yea-old son, Easton, to their first live basketball game together.

Photo: RawPixel

McGuire was running late at work, so he dropped everything and ran straight to the game. When he got there, he was still covered in soot and in his work clothes, but it didn't matter because he'd made it and was there with his son.

The two were watching the University of Kentucky men’s basketball Blue-White scrimmage together and they caught the attention of the basketball team's coach, John Calipari. Calipari snapped a photo of the two as he wanted to give them something special.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

He tweeted, "My family’s American dream started in a Clarksburg, WV coal mine, so this picture hits home. From what I’ve been told, after his shift, he raced to be with his son & watch our team. Don’t know who this is, but I have tickets for him & his family at Rupp [Arena] to be treated as VIPs!!"

The magic of social media worked and it wasn't long before McGuire was identified.

https://twitter.com/UKCoachCalipari/status/1584557978631294978

According to Bored Panda, McGuire's wife, Mollie, said: "It brought me to tears, just knowing so many people reached out. It was so heartwarming to see strangers thanking my husband, appreciating him for what he does for our family, and then to have Coach Cal do that, it was just amazing altogether. I never thought when we got up [that] morning it would be a day like this."

She added on Facebook that it was a "normal evening" for them, as McGuire often works late and rushes to events and family outings. She said, "There are many times he misses out on these events due to work. So any chance he can be there he is, no matter how tired or dirty."

Malorie Thompson

Malorie works as a writer and editor in Northern California. She's passionate about food, conscious living, animal welfare, and conservation. She's worked with a variety of publications in different sectors but is happiest covering topics close to her heart. When not at her laptop, Malorie can be found enjoying picnics on the beach, hiking in the redwoods, and spending time with her rescue pup, Jax.

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