Small Gesture Leaves Lasting Impact
April 13, 2022 | Football
STARKVILLE – After every game that Mississippi State plays in – home or away – dozens of young fans gather around the Bulldogs' tunnel in hopes of getting a glove, wristband or even just a high-five from one of their favorite football players.
Following last year's season opener, Jack Nations was one of those lucky fans. Nations, a fifth-grader at Pisgah Elementary School, was attending his very first MSU game with his great aunt and uncle in the Gridiron Club.
After cheering on the Bulldogs' comeback over Louisiana Tech and breaking his cowbell in the process, Nations was about to have another unforgettable experience inside Davis Wade Stadium. Linebacker J.P. Purvis approached the 12-year-old on his way off the field after the win and handed him his game-used gloves and a towel.
"I try to pay attention to who I give my gloves to and if they've already got some, I'll try to go down and give them to a person that doesn't have any," Purvis said. "I try to do that after every game. Something just told me to give him some gloves."
That small gesture made a lasting impact on Nations.
"I was so excited," said Nations, who was grinning from ear to ear in a photo taken right after his initial encounter with Purvis.
Nations was so elated about the experience that he and his great aunt, Jan Bryant, decided to send thank you letters to Purvis by way of the athletic department in hopes that they would reach him.
"(Jack) drew some pictures and wanted to send them to coach (Mike) Leach and to J.P. and also wrote a thank you letter to go along with it," Bryant said. "I wrote a letter to J.P. too so he would kind of know about Jack and we mailed them all together."
Those letters made it to their intended destination. Purvis admits that he got a little emotional when he read just how much his generosity meant to a young fan.
"My heart really just dropped a little," Purvis said. "It was nice that someone out there noticed me and that I'd touched somebody in a sense. It was a really special moment."
After reading the letters, Purvis wanted to do more. But first he would have to find either Nations or his aunt. He scoured Facebook to no avail, so Purvis called for reinforcements – his girlfriend's mother – and within minutes Purvis was on the phone with both of them.
"We stayed on the phone for hours after that just talking about everything," Purvis said.
It was decided during that conversation that they should all meet again in person. As luck would have it, Nations attends school less than 20 minutes away from Purvis' hometown of Pelahatchie.
So on Feb. 6, the trio met in the parking lot of Pisgah Elementary School so that Nations could spend some time with his new hero. To make the visit even more special, Purvis surprised Nations with even more gear this time too.
"In talking with his aunt, she told me that was his first football game and told me a little of his backstory," Purvis said. "I just saw myself in him a little. After hearing all that, I really wanted to do something special for him so I got some goodies together like one of my jerseys, some gloves, and cleats and signed everything. I got a football and got some of the players to sign it. I just wanted to touch him and show him that there is hope."
Nations was the talk of Pisgah Elementary the next day too because he wore everything that Purvis had given him to school, cleats included.
"He's my No. 1 player now," said Nations, whose profile picture on Facebook is now of him and Purvis posing together that day.
Little did Nations know but the meeting in February meant just as much and uplifted the 6-foot-1, 230-pound Purvis.
"It really made me feel special," Purvis said. "Up here, you're always battling to be the top guy every day. In high school, I was that top guy. This helped put me back in that mode of thinking. I'm able to touch little kids and that's really what it's all about, helping others."
The experience meeting Nations inspired Purvis to start giving back even more. In addition to continuing to be a positive role model, he wants to start up a football camp at his former high school.
"I really want to give back to all of the little kids that look up to me," Purvis said. "I'm going to try to get a couple of the other players that are from down in my area to help with it and do something nice for them and have some t-shirts made."
Purvis certainly remembers what it was like growing up in a small town without many heroes to look up to. That, however, changed for him when former MSU wide receiver Sam Williams was hired as his head coach at Pelahatchie High School.
"It's a small school so I mainly had to look for inspirations outside of Pelahatchie," Purvis said. "But when my high school coach came in, Sam Williams, I started looking up to him. He helped lead me in the way I should be and helped get to the position I'm in now."
Purvis, of course, is one of dozens of Bulldog players that gives away gloves, sweatbands, towels or simply stops for an autograph or selfie after games. But his good deed back in September certainly meant the world to a young boy attending his first football game and his family as well.
"I'm so proud of our guys on the football team," Bryant said. "You always hear that it's like family, but it is. J.P. didn't have to give Jack anything but they were all giving away things to the kids. We love J.P. but I've seen players do that for years. You can see it on the kid's faces when a big-time star is generous enough to hand them something. It's really awesome."
Following last year's season opener, Jack Nations was one of those lucky fans. Nations, a fifth-grader at Pisgah Elementary School, was attending his very first MSU game with his great aunt and uncle in the Gridiron Club.
After cheering on the Bulldogs' comeback over Louisiana Tech and breaking his cowbell in the process, Nations was about to have another unforgettable experience inside Davis Wade Stadium. Linebacker J.P. Purvis approached the 12-year-old on his way off the field after the win and handed him his game-used gloves and a towel.
"I try to pay attention to who I give my gloves to and if they've already got some, I'll try to go down and give them to a person that doesn't have any," Purvis said. "I try to do that after every game. Something just told me to give him some gloves."
That small gesture made a lasting impact on Nations.
"I was so excited," said Nations, who was grinning from ear to ear in a photo taken right after his initial encounter with Purvis.
Nations was so elated about the experience that he and his great aunt, Jan Bryant, decided to send thank you letters to Purvis by way of the athletic department in hopes that they would reach him.
"(Jack) drew some pictures and wanted to send them to coach (Mike) Leach and to J.P. and also wrote a thank you letter to go along with it," Bryant said. "I wrote a letter to J.P. too so he would kind of know about Jack and we mailed them all together."
Those letters made it to their intended destination. Purvis admits that he got a little emotional when he read just how much his generosity meant to a young fan.
"My heart really just dropped a little," Purvis said. "It was nice that someone out there noticed me and that I'd touched somebody in a sense. It was a really special moment."
After reading the letters, Purvis wanted to do more. But first he would have to find either Nations or his aunt. He scoured Facebook to no avail, so Purvis called for reinforcements – his girlfriend's mother – and within minutes Purvis was on the phone with both of them.
"We stayed on the phone for hours after that just talking about everything," Purvis said.
It was decided during that conversation that they should all meet again in person. As luck would have it, Nations attends school less than 20 minutes away from Purvis' hometown of Pelahatchie.
So on Feb. 6, the trio met in the parking lot of Pisgah Elementary School so that Nations could spend some time with his new hero. To make the visit even more special, Purvis surprised Nations with even more gear this time too.
"In talking with his aunt, she told me that was his first football game and told me a little of his backstory," Purvis said. "I just saw myself in him a little. After hearing all that, I really wanted to do something special for him so I got some goodies together like one of my jerseys, some gloves, and cleats and signed everything. I got a football and got some of the players to sign it. I just wanted to touch him and show him that there is hope."
Nations was the talk of Pisgah Elementary the next day too because he wore everything that Purvis had given him to school, cleats included.
"He's my No. 1 player now," said Nations, whose profile picture on Facebook is now of him and Purvis posing together that day.
Little did Nations know but the meeting in February meant just as much and uplifted the 6-foot-1, 230-pound Purvis.
"It really made me feel special," Purvis said. "Up here, you're always battling to be the top guy every day. In high school, I was that top guy. This helped put me back in that mode of thinking. I'm able to touch little kids and that's really what it's all about, helping others."
The experience meeting Nations inspired Purvis to start giving back even more. In addition to continuing to be a positive role model, he wants to start up a football camp at his former high school.
"I really want to give back to all of the little kids that look up to me," Purvis said. "I'm going to try to get a couple of the other players that are from down in my area to help with it and do something nice for them and have some t-shirts made."
Purvis certainly remembers what it was like growing up in a small town without many heroes to look up to. That, however, changed for him when former MSU wide receiver Sam Williams was hired as his head coach at Pelahatchie High School.
"It's a small school so I mainly had to look for inspirations outside of Pelahatchie," Purvis said. "But when my high school coach came in, Sam Williams, I started looking up to him. He helped lead me in the way I should be and helped get to the position I'm in now."
Purvis, of course, is one of dozens of Bulldog players that gives away gloves, sweatbands, towels or simply stops for an autograph or selfie after games. But his good deed back in September certainly meant the world to a young boy attending his first football game and his family as well.
"I'm so proud of our guys on the football team," Bryant said. "You always hear that it's like family, but it is. J.P. didn't have to give Jack anything but they were all giving away things to the kids. We love J.P. but I've seen players do that for years. You can see it on the kid's faces when a big-time star is generous enough to hand them something. It's really awesome."
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