Lifelong Georgia football fan Calvin Smith had never seen his beloved Bulldogs take on their SEC rival, the Florida Gators.
Knowing that would be a dream come true game to attend, brothers Brian and Jason Smith bought their father tickets and surprised him with them on his 71st birthday.
“My family is pretty tight-knit,” Brian wrote on Facebook. “My dad is a retired minister and has had some health issues over the past few years. I am the oldest of two boys. We grew up in a suburb of Atlanta, to two hard-working parents. They weren’t able to always give a lot of ‘things’ but they would drop anything on a dime to be there for us. If you know anything about the South, we love football and the SEC. So, the Georgia Bulldogs are a second religion in my house.”
First, the brothers gave him a custom t-shirt with “Gator Hater” written on the front and “Go Dawgs” on the back.
They told him to “wear it for the game on Saturday” before announcing that they’ll be traveling from Georgia to Florida to watch it in person.
“What do you mean?” their father asks. “You’re kiddin’! To the Georgia, Florida game? No…I’m really going to the game? … On my birthday?!”
Here’s the clip:
“When we gave him the shirt, he thought that was the end of it!” Brian said. “To see that look on his face and to see how happy we were able to make him, meant everything to me. The pure love I have for my dad inspired this gift. He is my number one, always.”
The Bulldogs went on to crush the Gators 42-7 in late October, and it looks like Calvin and his sons had a great time.
No matter what college football team you cheer for, this is a story you can’t help but smile about.
