Backyard Brawl gives Rodney Gallagher chance to honor late mother, grieving kids
Family has always meant more than football for West Virginia wide receiver Rodney Gallagher III. It’s why, long before he lined up in a Backyard Brawl or made his first catch in gold and blue, he carried the memory of his mother with him.
Crystal Fields Gallagher was highly respected in her community, a thousand-point scorer in basketball, high-spirited, and devoted to her kids. She died in 2011 when Rodney was only seven.
“My mother was a great person,” Gallagher said. “Everybody loved her in the community. She loved to have fun. She just loved being around her kids, me and my two sisters. I was always under her butt all the time. I always wanted to be around her.”
That loss shaped him, and it continues to inspire his mission today.
Champion of hope
Gallagher has become an outspoken advocate for grieving children, working with organizations and launching his own efforts to provide mentorship and support. This past summer, he announced plans to open a program to help kids who have lost parents.
“When I lost my mother at the age of seven, I wish I had someone like a role model to help me get through the tough times,” Gallagher said. “That’s why I’m starting a program to help kids that lost a parent.”
His vision goes beyond speeches. He wants to meet with kids, play video games, grab lunch, or just spend time with them — anything that helps keep their minds off the grief, while reminding them they aren’t alone.
“This is something I care about a lot and I want to help as many kids as possible,” Gallagher said.
Wearing it for his mother
This weekend, Gallagher will wear a Children’s Grief Awareness decal on his helmet during the Backyard Brawl against Pitt, the rivalry game he grew up watching as a kid in Pennsylvania. For him, that stage was the perfect place to honor Crystal’s memory and shine a light on grieving kids everywhere.
“I’ll be wearing the special Children’s Grief Awareness Day helmet to remember my mother who died when I was seven and to honor kids who are grieving all over the world. You don’t have to be an athlete to be a champion of hope, he said.
“The patch means a lot,” Gallagher said. “I play for every game, but just being in the Backyard Brawl means something a little more.”
Looking ahead
On Nov. 20, Gallagher will once again take part in Children’s Grief Awareness Day. He’ll share his story during a virtual event streaming on YouTube and continue spreading the message that grief doesn’t have to be carried alone.
For Gallagher, it’s a mission rooted in love, for his late mother, for his family, and for kids who need the same support he once wished he had.
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