2023 Gator Good Foundation Campaign: Tyson

Each year since 2018, the Gator Good Foundation has brought a unique Florida Gators fan- or in some cases, fans- to a Gator football game in Gainesville.

Our inaugural campaign saw us bring Kentavien “Scoot” Walker. The following year, we brought Austin Nevens. The coronavirus pandemic relegated us to a virtual campaign in 2020, but we returned the ensuing year to bring Ontario Jones. And last year, we brought a pair of close friends, Alec Gluckman and Bennett Esquenazi.

In 2023, we had a more specific theme in mind. Serving in the United States military is a commitment that requires great amounts of selflessness, courage, and strength. Those who make this commitment sacrifice many comforts of civilian life for long deployments, separation from loved ones, and exposure to dangerous and high-stress environments. So we wanted to repay at least one such individual who’d made these sacrifices with an all-expenses-paid trip to see the Florida Gators play in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

As part of our military theme, we chose Florida’s contest against Arkansas - which Florida had designated as this year’s “Saluting Those Who Serve” game – to be the game for our 2023 campaign. And we’re proud to say we found the perfect candidate for the honor.

For nearly three full decades, a die-hard Florida Gators fan named Tyson Wills has proudly served in the United States Air Force. But while Tyson is as patriotic as they come, his commitment was about more than that.

“I came from the projects,” Tyson explained. “That’s probably the best way to put it. Between that, my parents being addicted to drugs, and other bad situations, I just needed to give myself structure. And I figured the military would give it to me.”

So in June of 1995, Tyson decided to join the Air Force. And thus, Tyson began a lifetime of serving his country. Throughout various points in his military career, Tyson has served around the world, performing a variety of duties related to cybersecurity.

But Tyson’s commitment to his country extends far beyond his own service. After seeing how the military changed his life and marrying his wife Patrice- who also served in the Air Force- he knew the military could similarly change the lives of others. So he decided to make that happen. 

After retiring from active duty in 2015, the call to serve his country stuck with him. So Tyson decided to transition into a new role within the Air Force as a recruiter. In this role, he has enlisted 348 Airmen into the Air Force- one of which was his own daughter.

That’s not to say his military life was easy. It was anything but. “Getting yelled at isn’t fun,” Tyson recalled. “The struggles of being away from your family, competing with your peers for ranks, the rules being so much stricter than in the civilian world, it all just took a toll on me.” 

As a result of the difficulties of military life, Tyson began to struggle with his mental health. “The anxiety and depression of that life, a lot of which was simply not being able to be there for big family milestones, were hard to navigate through,” Tyson admitted. “Suicide is often a real thought, and we’re afraid to talk about our mental struggles because we don’t want to be seen as weak. We’re just supposed to be on our Ps and Qs at all times, soldier on, handle being screamed at as our superiors try to build us up by breaking us down, and then go on with our duties like we don’t have feelings. But we do. We’re people.”

Despite those difficulties, for Tyson, there’s always been one thing that’s kept him going through the tough times: Florida Gator football. In fact, the Gators are as much of a part of Tyson’s life as the Air Force. His desks have always been adorned with Gator paraphernalia, he loves trading trash talk with his Georgia and FSU friends, and- whether he was stationed in South Korea, Guam, Germany, or Turkey- he’s never missed a game.

“I love my Gators,” Tyson declared. “Whether I had to wake up at 3:59 am or stay up to watch a game that kicked off at 1 am, I was that guy on whichever base I was at. Cheering, chomping, waving that Florida Gator flag, everyone knew I bled orange and blue. I was the no-nonsense military man for all but three and a half hours a week, and then I turned into a Gators superfan.” Knowing his deep love for the Gators, his Squadron surprised him for his retirement by flying his retirement flag over Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and then presented him with a Gator football helmet that had been signed by the 2014 and 2015 football teams.

While Tyson has no regrets about his military career, it has prevented him from being able to see his beloved Gators from playing in person- except once. And Tyson doesn’t really count it. On a foggy and ominous December night in the COVID-marred 2020 season that limited the crowd to 25% capacity and removed much of the game day experience from the realm of possibility, Tyson- who had just been stationed in southern Georgia- was in the stands for one of the more disappointing games in recent memory, a 37-34 LSU upset that essentially knocked Florida out of the College Football Playoff.

“What a first-ever Gator game to go to,” Tyson laughed wistfully. “No tailgating, no Gator walk, no band routine, and then to cap it all off Marco Wilson throws a shoe.” Tyson recalled being so angry at the stunning defeat, he decided to forgo his hotel room and drove through the night back to his house, arriving at daybreak on pure adrenaline. But he’s still glad he went that night. “I swore when I stepped out of my car, I’d be back one day,” Tyson remembered. “That wasn’t a real Gator football experience. That was just a tease. I vowed that someday, I’d go back and get that real Gator football experience, with all the bells and whistles.”

Tyson Wills being presented with his Air Force achievement medal by Major Reliford in 1999. (Photo credit: Tyson Wills)

Life in the Air Force, though, has made that difficult. Between various assignments and being stationed in various bases in Alabama the last few years, Tyson just hasn’t been able to make it work.

So the Gator Good Foundation decided to help.

Our team of five co-founders receives a large number of applications each year from deserving individuals, but this year, when we announced that we would be specifically looking for a current military member or veteran, we were blown away by the sheer quantity of amazing individuals. Yet even with so many well-qualified candidates, Tyson’s story was impossible to ignore.

“Tyson stuck out to me because his story was about so much more than his service,” Gator Good Foundation co-founder and treasurer Matt Marino said. “His wife and daughter served, and he’s still serving by recruiting hundreds more people to follow in his footsteps. And once we got a chance to talk, within maybe 30 seconds it was clear that this was a Gator superfan we’d come across.”

“It was obvious to me how positive and humble he was from the start, just a happy light in this world,” added Gator Good Foundation VP Taylor Reimsnyder. “Every time I talked to him, he was just so thankful and appreciative. And that really brings a humble perspective on life. We all have a tendency to take things for granted whether we mean to or not, but the way Tyson made sure to express his heartfelt gratitude every step of the way was just so genuine.”

And so, the plans were set. On the day the Florida Gators were going to honor the military and wear commemorative black jerseys against Arkansas, the Gator Good Foundation would be bringing Tyson Wills to a packed Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to experience a true Gator football game day for the first time in his life.

First, though, we had a little surprise in store for Tyson.

Under the pretense of coming back for yet another interview with our team, we set up a Zoom call to break the news to Tyson in an unforgettable way. Former Florida All-American tight end Ben Troupe, who comes from a military family himself, happens to be one of Tyson’s favorite Gators- and a few minutes into our “interview” with Tyson, he suddenly popped onto the screen. Surprise!

Stunned, Tyson screamed with delight. He quickly calmed down, at least enough to have a detailed discussion with Ben about the current state of affairs with the Gator program.

After a few minutes, Ben could no longer contain himself. “So, you’ve heard about Florida wearing black jerseys this year?” the former All-American casually asked our winner. 

“So I’d already ordered one,” Tyson explained. “A long, long time ago. I had it custom-made and shipped to me overseas. I’ve never worn it though, I’ve been waiting for the right time.”

“You ordered one well before Florida even announced it would wear them?” an incredulous Ben Troupe followed up. “Oh yeah!” Tyson exclaimed. “Oh yeah.”

“Well, Tyson,” Ben replied, “Make sure you wear it November 4 because you’ve got an all-expense paid trip to Gainesville for the Arkansas-Florida game.”

And that was when Tyson- noted for his stoic demeanor and no-nonsense attitude while serving in the Air Force- lost his mind. Tears flowed as the American hero struggled to find the words to express his gratitude.

Although Florida unfortunately didn’t win the game, Tyson said that the experience not only lived up to his hopes but exceeded them. It started on Friday night at the Florida Victorious Operation Diamond Deck event, where he met with dozens of current Gator athletes, plus a few former football players. And it only got better from there.

Shortly before 10:00 am on Saturday, Tyson and his son Tyson Jr. (TJ) arrived for the Gator Walk. Fans who’d heard his story cleared a path for the two of them, allowing them to be front and center to slap the players high-fives and wish them well. But as cool as that was for Tyson and TJ, the father and son nearly fainted when star players Trevor Etienne and Graham Mertz sought them out to thank them for their service. “I heard you’re the man today,” Mertz told Tyson. “Thank you for everything.”

Florida quarterback Graham Mertz and running back Trevor Etienne stop in the middle of the Gator Walk to welcome Tyson to Gainesville and thank him for his service. (Photo credit: Neil Shulman, In All Kinds Of Weather)

Tyson couldn’t believe it. “He said I’M THE MAN!” he exclaimed in euphoria. “HE SAID I’M THE MAN TODAY. THAT’S OUR QUARTERBACK AND HE JUST SAID I’M THE MAN!”

Indeed, he was. And in case there was any doubt, Tyson was invited onto the field after the game to meet the players and sing the alma mater with the team.

“I got to tailgate outside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and then sit fifteen rows off the field at the 40-yard line to watch the game,” Tyson commented. “I got to hear that Gator band in person, got to sing Won’t Back Down with 85,000 other people. And I was thinking, I’m living in my own dream right now. Like, there’s no possible way it can get any better. And then it did. I got to step onto this field I’ve been watching on TV my entire life from three different continents.”

Tyson met a slew of Gators in the aftermath of the game. Even though they were dejected about the outcome, they each took the time to thank him for his service. And Tyson was floored each time. “Cam Jackson thanked ME,” Tyson declared. “Austin Barber thanked ME. Arlis Boardingham thanked ME. Kelby Collins thanked ME. Jaydon Hill thanked ME. Chris McClellan thanked ME. Ricky Pearsall thanked ME. I wasn’t looking for that, I just wanted to meet them, but it meant more to me than they might ever realize.”

Tyson went on to explain that as a member of the military, he’s often forgotten about. “I don’t serve my country looking for anything in return,” he said. “I serve because I want to and I feel I need to. But it’s still great to hear a heartfelt thank you every now and then. Too often, those of us who serve are forgotten. Not even intentionally. People just have too much going on in their lives to think about us. So a simple ‘thank you for your service’ means the world.”

Thank you for your service, Tyson. (Photo credit: Tyson Wills)

Perhaps that’s why coach Billy Napier and the Gators set aside this game to honor the military and express their thanks to those who serve. The team wore special black jerseys with one of the team’s five core values on the nameplates, UF ROTC members were chosen to lead the famous “Two Bits” cheer before the game, and the school honored various military members, veterans, and first responders throughout the game on the field and on the video boards.

While Arkansas finished the game with more points on the scoreboard than Florida, this day was unquestionably a win in a much larger way. Because this day was about so much more than football. It was about honoring those who are willing to take the ultimate risk and put their lives on the line for our country. Napier likes to say that football can teach you a lot about life, and if Tyson’s final thank you to those who made his day possible was any indication, it certainly has.

“The day I got married and the day each of my kids were born were the happiest days of my life,” Tyson said with a smile. “Nothing else even comes close to this. Other than those days, this is the happiest day of my life. I truly mean that; this is the happiest day of my life since my last son was born. Even though we lost, just being able to experience this was an absolute dream come true. Thank you so much, Gator Nation, that’s how happy you made this veteran.”

A Message From Our GGF Team

As we put a bow on this year’s campaign, our team would like to elucidate our heartfelt thanks to everyone who made Tyson’s special day possible. 

Thank you to Lisa Ben-Chaim, the Director of Player Engagement for Florida Victorious who alerted Graham Mertz and Trevor Etienne to Tyson’s story and thus made Tyson’s heart melt on the Gator Walk. Thank you to Rob Yormack, who has been donating tickets to our cause ever since we first started. Thank you to Graham and Trevor, as well as Austin Barber, Cam Jackson, Jaydon Hill, Kelby Collins, Chris McClellan, Ricky Pearsall, Arlis Boardingham, Ja’Quavion Fraziars, and Mark Hocke for making the effort to personally thank Tyson for his service.

Last, but certainly not least: from the bottom of our hearts, thank you, Florida Gator fans everywhere. You made this happen. You are the heartbeat that makes our organization run. This would not have been possible without the generosity of each and every one of you.

With tremendous gratitude,

Anthony Urrabazo, President

Taylor Reimsnyder, Vice President

Neil Shulman, Digital Content Director

Jen Grosso, Secretary

Matt Marino, Treasurer

Help Us Get Started On 2024

Our 2023 campaign has just wrapped up, but it’s never too early to start thinking ahead to 2024.

These campaigns are among the most joyful things that we do in our lives, but they do take some work to make happen. The earlier we’re able to accrue enough funds for next year’s campaign, the more special we can make it. So if you’re able to, please donate to our cause here or by simply clicking the button below. We really appreciate your support, and we can’t wait to get to work on our 2024 campaign!

Where are Tyson's parents today?

The situation involving Tyson's parents has a happy ending, too.

Tyson says that seeing their trials and tribulations with drugs was extremely difficult for him, but that it also inspired him to become the man he is today. Yet the story of his parents is more than just one that motivated Tyson himself. His parents persevered through their struggles as well.

One day, Tyson says, his mom woke up and simply decided, "I'm not going to do this anymore. This isn't me. And this isn't what I want my kids to be."

Tyson's mom kicked her habit in 1993, and his father defeated his habit in 2001. Though the two aren't married, they remain good friends to this day.

Tyson's father currently works at a plastic mill, and his mom currently works as a home care aid for elderly people to enhance their lives.