Travis Hunter gets teary eyed at Heisman podium while delivering special message to dad: "I did it for you"

Travis Hunter couldn’t hold back his tears as he stood at the Heisman Trophy podium on Saturday night in New York. While delivering his heartfelt speech, he directed a special message to his father, Travis Hunter Sr., who was watching the ceremony from their hometown in Boynton Beach, Florida.

“I know you're watching on TV," Hunter said. "Dad, I love you. All of the stuff you went through. Now look at your oldest son. I did it for you."

“All the times that you didn't get to see me from not saying probably two games in high school to seeing me on TV every weekend and come to see me. Man. I mean so much to me.”

"I know you wanted to be here and you can't, but trust me, I got you," he added. "I'm bringing the trophy home. I love you."

Hunter Sr., who ran track and played football at Boynton Beach High School, chose to skip the ceremony for a touching reason.

"I don't want to go," he told The Palm Beach Post. "I want to be there when he gets married and when he gets drafted. I'm going to watch this from home."

The Heisman win is the latest chapter in Hunter’s remarkable journey. With the trophy in hand, he’ll now suit up for Colorado one final time at the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28, closing out a historic season.

Travis Hunter's mother reflected on the family’s challenging journey

Travis Hunter's mother, Ferrante Harris, shared that what others once labeled her "biggest mistake" of becoming a young mom turned out to be her greatest blessing. At the Heisman event, she said:

"I love the person that he is," she said. "But I'm also grateful that because what they said was my biggest mistake turned out be the biggest blessing. So there that just goes to show you you can have."

"You can make mistakes, but that does not define who you are. And I'm so excited for him. But I'm also so excited for all the people that's behind him, all the people that look up to him and see that he is just you can do it."

During an interview with ESPN's Mark Schlabach, Travis Hunter's mother, Ferrante Harris, reflected on the family’s challenging journey. Harris shared how they moved from Florida to Georgia, spending nights on the floor of a friend’s house before relocating to a hotel.

“To have something, you’ve got to see it,” Harris said. “I knew this was just a phase we had to go through. We endured it, and it made us stronger—not just one of us, but all of us. Trials and tests can make you stronger, wiser, and hungrier.”

Hunter’s grandmother, Shirley Hunter, described him as “different” even as a child.

"Everything about him was different," Shirley told ESPN. "His demeanor was different. When he was playing little league football and they'd take him off the field, he'd get upset. He wasn't like the other kids."

Now, the family is gearing up to watch him take the next step, transitioning from a college football star to a top prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft.