The Colorado wide receiver and cornerback won the prestigious award, given to the top player in college football every year, on Saturday, Dec. 14, during the Heisman ceremony at the Lincoln Center in New York City.
The football star, 21, thanked friends, teammates, coaches and family during his acceptance speech, but he got particularly emotional while shouting out his father, Travis Hunter Sr.
“I want to say something to my father. He’s not here. But I know you’re watching on TV,” he said, tearfully. “Dad, I love you. All the stuff you went through, man. Now, look at your oldest son. I did it for you, man. All the times that you ain’t get to see me, and the times that you came to see my games. From probably two games in high school to seeing me on TV every weekend and coming to see me, man, that means so much to me.”
“I know you wanted to be here and you can’t, but trust me, I got you,” he concluded. ”I’m bringing the trophy home. I love you.“
Travis Sr. opted to stay home so his mom — Travis Jr.’s grandmother Shirley Hunter — could attend instead, according to The Palm Beach Post.
“He could have went. He just wanted me to go in his place because I hadn’t been (to New York) and he wanted me to go instead of himself,” she told the outlet after the Heisman ceremony.
Travis Jr. also gave a shout-out to his grandma during his speech.
“My grandma, you’re the person that got me to start playing football. That means so much to me,” he began. “You seen the vision before I even seen the vision. At 4 years old, you told me to put on some pads, go outside and play with your cousins.”
“Y’all see how small I am. Just imagine me at 4 years old trying to put on shoulder pads,” he continued, inciting laughs. “It’s crazy. I thank you. I know you’re up there crying. I rarely talk to you, but I am telling you right now, I love you. Thank you for everything you have done.”
Travis Sr. told The Palm Beach Post that although he’d miss this ceremony, he plans on attending his son’s other life moments: “I want to be there when he gets married and when he gets drafted,” he said.
Per Sports Illustrated, Travis Jr. is the second Buffaloes player in school history to win the Heisman Trophy, joining running back Rashaan Salaam, who won in 1994. Travis Jr. won the Heisman over Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Miami quarterback Cam Ward, and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty for the honor.
This season, the Colorado wide receiver caught 92 passes for 14 touchdowns and 1,152 yards; each of those first two figures led the Big 12. He also intercepted four passes and broke up 11, with the latter figure also leading his conference.
His efforts also helped Colorado finish 9-3 and reach the Alamo Bowl, and he became the first player in history to win both the Bednarik Award as the nation’s best defensive player and the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s most outstanding receiver, per Sports Illustrated.
Earlier this year, the Colorado football star gifted his mother a five-bedroom home in Savannah, Georgia, and posted a video of the elaborate surprise on his YouTube channel.
In 2023, he also gave his then-girlfriend Leanna Lenee a new Tesla — a surprise he documented on his YouTube channel. This February, the pair announced their engagement.
The couple recently confirmed their wedding date to be May 24, 2025.
