Nevada’s Kyle Sammons raises his hand after catching the game-winning touchdown during the game against UNLV this season at Mackay Stadium.

Pack football: Sammons gives father a season to remember
DAN HINXMAN
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
Posted: 12/17/2007



Chloe Sammons saw her husband's pride trickling down his cheeks when their son caught the game-winning, 43-yard touchdown pass against UNLV at Mackay Stadium.

Nevada senior receiver Kyle Sammons was swarmed by teammates on that Sept. 29 afternoon. His dad, Patrick, celebrated in silence as the crowd of 25,278 exulted. The tears Patrick Sammons shed that moment said everything to Chloe that he could not say through words.

"I can't even express what it meant to us to see him catch that ball against UNLV," Chloe said from the family's home in Novato, Calif.

Patrick has been able to attend all six of the Wolf Pack's home games this season, which in itself is remarkable. The 58-year-old commercial real estate investor is in the advanced stages of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. He was diagnosed nearly four years ago, and doctors told him he had between 2 and 5 years to live.

"There's all different forms of ALS," Chloe said. "His is bulbar syndrome. It affects swallowing and speech. He can still walk and use his hands, but he's lost the ability to eat and talk."

Chloe speaks in a strong voice, as does Kyle. The entire family -- their other son, 27-year-old Brady, a semi-professional wakeboarder, has moved back home to help care for Patrick -- is taking a matter-of-fact approach to their situation. They feel there is little use in dwelling on things they can't change.

"We're fortunate," she said. "We've felt very blessed that Patrick has been able to attend home games."

Kyle is grateful for the time he has with his dad and for the game that allows him and his family to have a diversion.

"There have been times when I wonder, 'Why him?,' said Kyle, who will play his final college game when Nevada faces New Mexico in the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque on Saturday. "It seems like all the nice people in the world get taken away from us too early. Once he was diagnosed, it put it in perspective how fortunate we are to not have any illnesses. I just try not to take anything for granted and live life to the fullest. I try to stay positive.

"My playing football has kind of taken the focus off my dad, which is kind of good. It kind of eases it."

Patrick, who will watch the bowl game from home, was also at the Pack's last game, a 49-10 victory over Louisiana Tech on Dec. 1.

"Some alumni from UNR set it up so Patrick and I could be in (Reno Mayor) Bob Cashell's (skybox)," Chloe said. "It was so cold, Patrick would not have been able to attend. The alumni has been wonderful to make it possible."

Kyle had eight receptions for 199 yards and two touchdowns in that game, the most productive game of his career.

"That last game, that was something we had hoped for for all three years because we knew he had the ability," Chloe said. "It meant a lot to us."

He has always had the ability and the determination, just sometimes the results weren't there. Aside from a touchdown catch on the final play of the first half against Northwestern on Sept. 8 and the touchdown catch against UNLV, much of the first half of the season was less than memorable.

"He had a couple rough first games," Wolf Pack receivers coach Scott Baumgartner said. "We sat down and talked, and he was real frustrated with himself. He expects a lot out of himself."

Maybe he put too much pressure on himself this year.

"He's always been extremely driven and hard on himself," Chloe said. "I want to say he knew his dad's time was limited and he wanted to do the best he could. But that's his nature, too. He's extremely detail oriented. He's always been quiet and reserved. You pretty much give him something to do and he'll do it.

"As far as taking it up a notch with his dad's illness, it could be. I know he really doesn't know how long his dad has, and he wants to make his dad proud, which he is."

Some of that pride comes from what Kyle has overcome. Kyle came to Nevada in 2005 after two seasons at Santa Rosa Community College. He started eight games his junior year and caught 27 passes for 375 yards and two touchdowns.

During fall camp of what would have been his senior year last season, Kyle broke his collarbone during a drill when safety Uche Anyanwu landed on him. "Broke" isn't quite the right word. "Shattered" is more like it.

"He's got nuts and bolts and screws and all sorts of things in there," Baumgartner said. "He just landed on it wrong."

Kyle redshirted and worked hard to get back, and now he owns two weight-lifting records among Wolf Pack receivers. This season he has 36 catches for 659 yards and four touchdowns.

"He's done a nice job and he's gotten better and better as the year has gone on," Baumgartner said. "We're definitely going to miss him.

"The Vegas game, for him to catch the winning touchdown was great for him. And the game he had against Louisiana Tech, to go for 199 yards, it's just been nice to see. He's a tremendous kid. He does a nice job academically. He's going to graduate. He's got a bright future. It's a nice story, especially for a senior coming off an injury."

Baumgartner and tight ends coach Cameron Norcross, who recruited Kyle, have become very familiar with Patrick, who uses e-mail to communicate.

"He e-mails me and Coach Norcross quite a bit," Baumgartner said.

And Kyle, too. Separated by some 200 miles and robbed of voice, Patrick is often not far from his computer. Although when Kyle calls home, Chloe will put him on speakerphone so Patrick can hear him.

"We're fortunate to have two great boys," Chloe said. "It makes it a little easier, if there is a way to make it easier."

"For a young kid to go through that "» but he's got a great family, his brother and everybody," Baumgartner said. "It's a tough situation, and he's handled it great."

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