Xavier Nixon became the first Florida freshman to start at left tackle in 18 years Saturday, but his parents were just as shocked as everyone else in attendance.
Nixon wanted it to be a surprise. It has been a trying month for the family. Both his parents are in the military, and his mother, Fotini, is stationed at Fort Hood military base in Texas, site of the Nov. 5 shooting.
His parents flew to Columbia, S.C., not knowing how much he would play.
“I didn’t tell them I was going to start,” Nixon said. “After the game, my mom was crying and stuff, and they were all telling me how proud they were.”
His mother has been stationed at Fort Hood for four or five months. He isn’t sure where she was at the time of the shooting.
“She was just as shocked as everybody else in the country was,” Nixon said,” but thank God she was safe.”
Besides being his first start, the South Carolina game held a little extra meaning because of the military salutes at the game and its connection with the Wounded Warrior project.
The Gamecocks wore special black jerseys with camouflage on their shoulders, and each uniform had an ideal, such as Identity or Honor, instead of a player’s last name.
“It kinda struck me a little,” Nixon said. “I just thought about my parents, about what they sacrificed for the country, and it just made me feel good.”
