College Softball National Champions Unveil Touching Uniform Tribute to Toby Keith: "A True Friend"
The 2023 national championship University of Oklahoma softball team offered a touching tribute to recently deceased country music legend Toby Keith, who had been a loyal fan.
“We are forever grateful for a true friend and passionate supporter,” the team wrote in a post to X on Saturday.
“Our time spent celebrating with TK will always remain in our hearts,” they added.
𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐨𝐛𝐲. ❤️
We are forever grateful for a true friend and passionate supporter. Our time spent celebrating with TK will always remain in our hearts. pic.twitter.com/6cXZlfgHP9
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) February 17, 2024
The team honored the Oklahmoa native with a decal on their helmets that showed an outline of the state of Oklahoma, with “Toby” and a heart symbol inside the outline.
The post also included images of Keith posing with the team and at a game.
“Keith died earlier this month after battling stomach cancer,” Oklahoma’s KOCO reported Saturday. “He was an avid and loyal Sooner fan even as he fought cancer.”
Keith was 62 when he lost that fight on Feb. 5, according to KFOR-TV.
In an editorial titled, “How We Remember Toby Keith,” The Norman Transcript also noted that he was “a devoted OU fan.”
“He loved his Sooners,” the paper wrote.
Another fan posted a video of what appeared to be the singer celebrating the team with a song after a victory.
❤️🤍 Boomer ‼️ pic.twitter.com/OxHkTVNbAL
— 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒚࿎ (@JusticeBlaze) February 17, 2024
The day after Keith’s death, OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. wrote in a statement that the country singer’s absence “leaves a void” at the school and elsewhere.
“Personally, I will miss Toby’s laughter, warmth, and everlasting love for the University of Oklahoma,” he wrote.
“His spirit will live on through his timeless music, the memories he created, and the countless lives he touched by sharing his talent, generosity, and his Oklahoma spirit with the world.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
