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Kalan Hooks, ESPN
Butterflies filled Shelton Douthett’s stomach when he dressed in a full Miami Hurricanes uniform as a fan for the first time. He went back and forth about whether he wanted to wear it in public, but he felt the presence of his brother, Wayne, in the uniform. It became his reminder that Wayne would always be with him in spirit — and as his armor.
Shelton had never been to a bowl game, but at the 2009 Champs Sports Bowl, a tradition was born. He now wears the uniform to every Miami home game to honor his brother, who died in Oct. 2009 due to heart complications related to pneumonia.
“Doing something expressive normally made me nervous, but then I thought to myself, ‘How could I honor my brother in my own way?'” Shelton told ESPN.
Shelton, a Miami Gardens native, took advantage of the bowl game being in Orlando. As he walked through the lot in his full Miami uniform — including a helmet, cleats, pads and gloves — fans stared at him in confusion. Multiple fans approached Shelton and asked why he wore the complete combination.
He didn’t care what opinions others had of him dressing in full uniform — the only thing that mattered was that he fulfilled one of Wayne’s final requests.
Following Miami’s 20-14 loss to Wisconsin, Shelton went home with $500 donated by fans from both sides, which went to Wayne’s memorial scholarship fund.
“It was a lot of butterflies, but the memory of my brother got me through it. It was my own way of saying that he’s still with me through this tough time,” Shelton said. “It was a lot of nerves, but I got over it quickly.”
The Douthett family had a different type of love for Miami football.
Gloria Douthett, the mother of Shelton and Wayne, is a retired police officer for the City of Miami Police Department. When she worked off duty security at the Orange Bowl, Gloria would receive Miami tickets when the team played.
In the late 1990s, Gloria gave their father, Wayne Douthett Sr., tickets to take their sons to see the Hurricanes take on the Syracuse Orange.
“The whole family fell in love with the Canes right there. It was the birth of a good thing because between me, my brother and my parents, that’s one thing we all had in common. We were all individual people, but Hurricanes football brought us together,” Shelton said.
In 2009, the Douthett family became Miami season-ticket holders. They’d never been to an away game, but after Shelton acquired his driver’s license, he saw a perfect bonding opportunity with Wayne to attend the Hurricanes’ season opener against the Florida State Seminoles.
Shelton rented a vehicle and drove them to Tallahassee for the game. Shelton wore a No. 32 jersey and Wayne wore No. 72 to the game. The duo witnessed the iconic Jacory Harris comeback, where he threw for 386 passing yards and two touchdowns to anchor Miami to a 38-34 win over Florida State.
As Harris exited the stadium, he approached the crowd and threw up the “U” with his hands. Shelton and Wayne were close enough to witness the moment.
Things took a turn after that.
Wayne was diagnosed with a lung infection after the trip, which led to him spending days in the hospital.
The moments Shelton shared with Wayne in the hospital became unforgettable, one of which inspired Shelton’s modern-day game tradition.
“[Wayne] was laying in the hospital bed, and I was watching the game with him [and] he points at the screen, and then he’s like, ‘When are you going to do that?’ And I’m like, ‘What, suit up?'” Shelton said.
Shelton said he told his brother he would suit up for one game when he was discharged from the hospital and returned to the Hurricane bleachers.
Gloria encouraged Shelton to go to Tampa to watch Miami play the South Florida Bulls, hoping it would help him take his mind off Wayne’s illness and optimistic that Wayne would be okay when he returned. With his bags packed, Shelton was set to take off early the next morning — but as it would turn out, the next few hours would cause him to cancel his trip to Tampa.
Around 3 a.m., the phone rang. It was the hospital.
Shelton heard his mother burst into tears, and when he asked his father what had happened, he was overcome with numbing shock.
“He said my brother passed, and at that moment, I could say it was just an empty feeling. It was like a nightmare. I just remember going back into the room and just sitting on the floor trying to figure out what was going on,” Shelton said.
Gloria needed to see Wayne immediately. As the family arrived at the intensive care unit, Shelton described the moment of what felt like the longest walk he’d ever taken.
“The ICU was just a short walk away from the entrance, but it felt so long. My feet were heavy and that feeling I never forgot,” Shelton said.
Once Shelton saw Wayne in the bed, emotions struck him instantly that his brother was gone. Wayne died on Oct. 17, 2009, and he was buried in his No. 72 Miami jersey, which he wore to the games with Shelton. A “U” was carved on his gravestone. He was 23 years old.
Game days for Shelton aren’t just about Miami. They’re about honoring Wayne.
The night before the game, Shelton’s first mission is to find out what uniform combination the Hurricanes will don, so he can match his uniform. Every helmet Shelton owns has the No. 72 featured somewhere, honoring Wayne.
The following morning when he gears up, his wife, Jacqueline McAllister, will smack the top of the helmet saying “Go Canes” before Shelton walks about 10 minutes up the road to Wayne’s grave for a pregame talk. Shelton then heads to the stadium.
When Shelton arrives at the tailgate, he greets fans before kickoff. He then walks the entire stadium, feeling a spiritual connection as if his brother is walking with him. Before taking his seat, Shelton kisses his hand and smacks the wall.
As the team runs out, Shelton puts on his helmet but doesn’t snap the chin strap until kickoff, symbolizing that game time has arrived. The helmet won’t come off until the game’s over.
Shelton told ESPN that fans occasionally poke fun at the uniform but never at him.
“Most of the away [fans] know who I am, what I do and why. I hear all the time, ‘We need you, we need you to go down there,’ especially if the team is losing,” Shelton said.
But no joke can stop Shelton from his purpose. He says that he won’t stop suiting up as long as he’s still able to get into the uniform. With the support of his parents and wife, the smiles Shelton brings to others’ faces continue to drive him, just as they did on that 2009 day in Orlando.
“This is going on 15 years I’ve been doing this, and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon,” Shelton said.
“I even talked to my wife about it and she’s like, ‘Look, as long as people see you and support you doing this, I think you should keep on doing it.’
“I love what I do. I love the smiles it brings, and I love honoring my brother and the Canes.”