WATCH: Detroit Lions Coach Dedicates Game Ball From First Win to Oxford Shooting Victims and Community
The Detroit Lions won their first game of the season on Sunday, beating the Minnesota Vikings 29-27. Both teams honored the students killed in the school shooting in Oxford last week, and Lions head coach Dan Campbell dedicated the winning game ball to the Oxford community.
Oxford High School is under an hour drive away from the stadium where the Lions play.
“This game ball goes to the whole Oxford community, all those who were affected,” Campbell said. “I want us to not forget these names: Madisyn Baldwin, Hana St. Juliana, Justin Shilling, Tate Myre, Phoebe Arthur, John Asciutto, Riley Franz, Elijah Mueller, Kiley Ossege, Aiden Watson and Molly Darnell who is a teacher.”
Baldwin, 17; St. Juliana, 14; Shilling, 17; and Myre, 16; died from the shooting, while the others were injured.
“Those names will never forgotten and they’re in our hearts and our prayers and all the families and not to mention all those that were affected by all of this — the classmates, the brothers and sisters, the cousins, the teachers, everybody,” Campbell said.
The NFL players paid tribute to the victims on Sunday in other ways as well. Both teams held a moment of silence before kickoff, wore Oxford “O” decals on their helmets and several wore Oxford High shirts during warmups.
Lions safety Jalen Elliott wore a jersey with Myre’s name and the number he wore for Oxford’s football team: 42.
The Oxford football team wrote that Myre was a “great young man with a bright future” who was on varsity since his freshman year.
A change.org petition is seeking to rename the school’s football stadium in honor of Myre, who attempted to disarm the gunman.
Watch above, via the Lions