Prevot Invites Special Guest to Autzen This Saturday
By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
Over the course of a typical football game, Torrodney Prevot will be asked to take on offensive linemen who might outweigh him by 100 pounds or more, and to race down the field on the kickoff team before crashing into an opposing player at full speed.
The physical demands of those duties are incredible. They also pale in comparison to the battles 13-year-old Thomas Nuss has endured, which is why Prevot invited Nuss and his family to watch No. 2 Oregon take on Wyoming in Autzen Stadium on Saturday (11 a.m. PT, Pac-12 Networks).
Nuss, whose family lives in Medford, has been diagnosed twice in the last three years with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He beat the cancer once at age 11, and is in the process of doing so again now that he’s 13. Prevot met Nuss and his family while on a fishing trip this past summer, and the two stayed in contact since.
The fishing trip, in late July, paired kids who have battled cancer with members of the UO and Oregon State football programs. “I was figuring, they’re so busy, they’re just kind of doing it for an extracurricular activity; maybe it looks good on their transcript,” said Jennifer Nuss, Thomas’ mother. “But I’d definitely say Torrodney has taken it farther than that. It’s been a great experience.”
Initially, there was little indication Prevot and Nuss would form a lasting friendship. At the onset of the fishing trip, which Prevot attended along with offensive lineman Elijah George and two other UO athletes, players and kids were pairing up. “You an Oregon fan?” Prevot asked Nuss. “No,” came the response.
But the more they talked, they more they connected. They talked fishing, and ended up in the same boat for that day’s trip. They talked video games, each being a fan of “Call of Duty.” Nuss is “a big foodie,” according to his mom, and Prevot is an outside linebacker who likes to eat a bit himself.
At some point, they even started busting on each other, as sure a sign as any that two young guys are getting along. “Maybe you can help me with fishing,” Prevot said, as he watched Nuss pull fish out of the water more frequently. “Maybe you should stick to football,” Nuss said with a smile.
In other words, after a while, it was just two guys hanging out, rods in hand and not a care in the world. “He was a real sweet kid, real down to earth,” Prevot said. “He just kept a smile on his face, kind of like me.”
In the middle of the day, Thomas and his brother traded boats, and Thomas was fishing with his mom. “But every time he’d see me, he’d give a big wave and smile, call my name,” Prevot said. “It was super cool.”
A connection had been made, and it was mutual. At the end of the trip, Prevot and the Nuss family traded phone numbers, and became Facebook friends. Jennifer Nuss’ husband is from Houston, like Prevot, so they found yet another topic of conversation.
It’s a conversation that’s continued since. “His family’s in Houston, so he probably gets a little homesick not having family there,” Jennifer Nuss said. “I try to keep in touch as much as we possibly can.”
Eventually, Prevot threw out the idea of having the Nuss family attend Saturday’s game, using the player-guest passes each Duck receives for home games. Prevot has even pledged to meet up with the family afterward for lunch.
“I just want to help him stay strong as much as I can,” Prevot said. “To be able to impact his life – I don’t think he needs it, honestly. He’s done a lot, way more than I can ever say I’ve done in my life. He has his experiences and I have mine; I can learn from him and he can learn from me.”
Among the influence Prevot has had on Nuss – he’ll be cheering for Oregon against the Cowboys. Nuss has played in Autzen Stadium before, in Pop Warner, but this will be his first time cheering on the Ducks from the stands.
Recall that, at the outset of the fishing trip, Nuss told Prevot he wasn’t an Oregon fan. “By the end of the day he goes, ‘Yeah, I think I could be a Ducks fan’” Jennifer Nuss said.
The influence is mutual. The kid who has twice battled cancer has had a huge impact on the UO linebacker, perhaps bigger. “No matter what you’re going through,” Prevot said, “there’s always a brighter day.”
On Saturday, Prevot will provide Nuss one of those brighter days, as he takes in his first ever Oregon football game.
