Grief To Glory: Carl Albert Honors Father, Coach Wilkerson In Championship Win

The Carl Albert High School football team faced an unimaginable challenge when their beloved assistant coach, Jimmy Wilkerson, unexpectedly passed away just a day before the state championship game.

However, in the face of tragedy, the team found the strength to honor Wilkerson's memory and secure a third consecutive state title. At just 43 years old, Wilkerson showed no signs of slowing down. Earlier this season he gave a memorable pregame speech, preaching to his players, "Weak-minded teams have weak results... We are a championship team. We play like champions do."

His son, Maddox, a senior on the team, was stunned by the news of his father's sudden cardiac arrest. "At first, I didn't really like believe it," Maddox said. "It felt like all it was like a really bad dream, but as like, it kept going on it all just hit me."

With just 24 hours until the championship game, Maddox and his family had a decision to make.

Wilkerson's wife, Jamie, said, "I knew what his dad would want Maddox to do, but I wasn't gonna put that pressure on him," she said. I asked what that would be and she said, "He would want him to play. Outside of Jimmy's family, football was his love."

Jimmy agreed, "If my dad was still here, he would want me to go play." Maddox even thought about what his father would say to him. "I was thinking about a lot. He would probably, he'd probably be like, even though, like, I'm gone, you're still gonna have to carry on, and just know I'm going to be watching you from above," Maddox said.

The emotions continued throughout the game, every time Maddox looked to the sideline and didn't see his dad it would hit him. He said, "I knew he was with me, but I just wanted to see him one more time." Meanwhile, Jamie was fighting the emotions in the stands. She said, "I cried in the beginning, but then I told myself I had to hold it together because occasionally Maddox would look up into the stands and wave, and I didn't want him to look up and see sadness."

As soon as the final whistle sounded, and Carl Albert secured the championship, the emotions started flowing. "I was really excited, but at the same time, I was really sad. I was just thinking, 'I wish my dad could have seen my last high school football game'."

With Jimmy gone, the football community that loved him so much is going to make sure his family is taken care of. Carl Albert head coach Mike Dunn said, "One of the first messages I gave him was, we're never going to be able to replace your dad. No one's ever going to be able to do that, but we're always going to be there for you."

Jimmy's wife takes comfort in that. She said, "Knowing the kind of men that are surrounding my boys, to step in and take on that role, it just gives me a sense of peace."

Two of those men are Jimmy's former coaches: Bob Stoops and Brent Venables. Both men are set to speak at his service on Thursday. Wilkerson's legacy will live on, not only in the championship trophy but in the lives he touched and the players he inspired.