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Every day, every play.
These are the words assistant coach Joe DeForest remembers most about Vernon Grant, the words he now preaches to his own players and the words Andre Sexton has lived his life by while at Oklahoma State.
Sexton has said a lot in his four years at OSU, but perhaps his request of assistant coach Joe Deforest after he redshirted his first year at OSU speaks the loudest of Sexton’s character.
Sexton asked to wear the No. 20.
The number was worn the previous season by cornerback Vernon Grant, who died in a car wreck on May 23, 2005.
DeForest said Grant’s lovable personality and amazing heart for people is something he will never forget.
“Probably the greatest person I have ever been around — not football player, but person,” DeForest said. “He was pleasure to be around every day and there are so many things I learned from him. Vernon will be someone you remember, as a coach, for the rest of your life. There are not many people like him and I was very fortunate to have an opportunity to work with him.”
When Sexton asked to wear Grant’s number, DeForest said they took into consideration the type of person it would take to fill such a memorable personality and that he believed Sexton was worthy.
“The year after Vernon died, we didn’t let anybody wear the number,” DeForest said. “Then Andre came to me and asked if he could wear it and I called Vernon’s parents and asked them if that was ok and coach Gundy thought there wasn’t a better-character guy on our team to wear that number, so I thought it was a good fit.”
Sexton said he was aware what Grant meant to the OSU program and after his redshirt year, he believed he could model what Grant meant to Cowboy fans, including the energy Grant would show while trying to fire up the crowd on kickoffs, which made him a favorite of Cowboy fans.
“I got to meet him when I came up here on my visits, so I knew what he was about and the type of person he was as a whole,” Sexton said. “I know how much he meant to the OSU fans and coaches and especially coach DeFo because he was the one that recruited me and Vernon and I knew the whole story and I felt pretty honored that they allowed me to wear it.
“I think I have done a good job of trying to live on his legacy and trying to embody what he meant by wearing that number.”
Senior cornerback Perrish Cox said the legend of Grant’s exceptional work ethic is something you hear your first day of practice at OSU.
“The coaches kind of put a lot of emphasis on the things that he did and the person that he was, and because of what he did and because he loved the game, it was all kind of put it into perspective for me because of Vernon Grant,” Cox said. “Vernon Grant did this, Vernon Grant did that. You all should have met him because that is the one dude that kind of put it out there for us.”
Now, as Sexton’s senior year comes to a close, coach Mike Gundy said he has to sit back and smile at the quality of person the coaches chose to wear No. 20 in memory of Grant.
“They are both very classy guys, and Vernon was a first class person and Sexton is the same way,” Gundy said. “It makes me feel good that he is wearing his jersey because both played with great effort and I have a lot of respect for them.”
DeForest said he is glad Sexton was the one to wear No. 20 and whoever is after him will have to show the same type of class.
“He exemplifies everything Vernon did, he is a great team guy and an emotional player and hard worker and I think he embodies everything Vernon was,” DeForest said. “I definitely think it is going to be a character kid that we feel represents everything Vernon did and Andre did and we have to be careful on who wears that number -- because it’s special.”
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