Colorado University Athletics
Buffs4Life Continues To Grow, Help Buffs In Need
June 20, 2016 | General, Neill Woelk
BROOMFIELD — Sunday afternoon, Jackie Weatherspoon and her daughters spent their 11th Father's Day without their husband and dad.
But they didn't spend the day alone. They spent the day with family — dozens and dozens of Anthony Weatherspoon's closest friends, former Colorado teammates of the late fullback who banded together to help the Weatherspoon family 11 years ago when he succumbed in a battle with leukemia.
It was then that Buffs4Life began. From that beginning, the group has blossomed, growing each year while helping Buffs from all sports and all walks of life in times of need. It has, quite simply, become an extended family that exemplifies its name: once you wear a University of Colorado uniform, you are a Buff for life.
“What they did then, what they organized was amazing,” Jackie Weatherspoon said. “At the time, I didn't know what I was going to do. I'd lost my husband and best friend. We had moved to another state so Anthony could get treatment. I was by myself with three small children and they said, 'Don't worry about it. We're going to help.'
“I don't know what I would have done without them. I don't know how we would have made it if it hadn't been for them.”
Former Colorado player, assistant coach and head football coach Jon Embree spearheaded the formation of Buffs4Life 11 years ago when he learned of Weatherspoon's situation. But it was something that had been brewing in his mind for many years before that.
“I think the idea started to form after my rookie year with the Rams,” said Embree, a key player in the Buffs' turnaround in the mid-1980s. “I realized the 'real world' is different, that you have to deal with all the things that come up. Then, when I was at UCLA as an assistant, I met with Charles Johnson and James Smith and I told them about this idea of Buffs4Life.
“It just kind of grew. Anthony's situation just expedited things and we figured it out as we went along. Since then, it has just continued to grow.”
Indeed, over the last 11 years, Buffs4Life has helped dozens of former CU athletes in times of need. The annual gathering has grown from a golf outing to a weekend event that includes a family barbecue, a fun run — named in honor of late Buff standout Kyle MacIntosh — and golf tournament at the Omni Interlocken Resort.
This year, all the events combined attracted approximately 600 participants that included former athletes, administrators and staffers from a variety of CU eras.
“There's no membership, no fees, dues, anything like that,” said former Buffs basketball star Lisa Van Goor, who serves as executive director for Buffs4Life. “Anyone who wants to be a part of it can be a part of it.
“We do this to help people who need it. Buffs4Life is about our family, and family doesn't stop when you leave CU. If you were a Buff and are in a position that you need help, you would want your teammates to rally around you — and that's what we do. We help our family.”
Sunday's barbecue at the Omni drew Buffs representing at least six decades. Former football coach Bill McCartney was on hand, as well as current CU coaches and a long list of athletes from a variety of sports spanning the years.
“To me, there's a bond when you play any sport at CU, and you never want anyone left without help when they need it,” Embree said. “That's where we have to step up as athletes. When you go to CU, you hear about family. We come to the university as young men and women and leave as adults.
“Those relationships that you forged during that time should be a strong enough bond that if someone needs help, we should be able to help each other.”
Former athletes who have received help represent a variety of sports, including basketball, football, golf and track.
“I was 39 and 'Spoon' was 38 when he got sick,” said former CU offensive lineman Joe McCreary, a member of the Buffs4Life Board of Directors. “We were all still kind of bulletproof at the time, thinking nothing could ever happen to us. When we lost Spoon, we just bonded together and stepped up to help his family.
“As athletes we bled together, sweated together, won together, lost together — and what we've discovered is that bond actually grows as we get older. It gets stronger, and the chance to step up and help whoever needs it is something we embrace.”
Buffs4Life has helped in a wide variety of circumstances.
“You don't think about it when you are an athlete, but life happens,” Embree said. “Whether it's a medical issue, help getting medication, help with rent, help with child care … we've done all those things. We hear of situations, we reach out and and ask how we can help. Then we say, 'Let's get it done.' That's how it works.”
Sunday afternoon, Jackie Weatherspoon and her daughters once again met with their Buffs family at what has become an annual event for them.
“When I first started coming, I came along because my girls were much younger,” Weatherspoon said. “But as they got older, it was important for them to be here. Today being Father's Day, it was important for them to hear the stories about their father.
“He lives in us, and this group is an extension of that. His spirit lives through Buffs4Life and I really believe it is because of him that so many people are getting help.”
For more information about Buffs4Life or to get involved, go to www.buffs4life.org.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
