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For DeShane family, the ultimate in contrasts
Published: 11/26/2012 7:43 PM
Last Modified: 11/26/2012 7:43 PM

From one Saturday to the next, the DeShane family experienced the ultimate in contrasts.

During the Senior Day ceremony that preceded the kickoff of the Nov. 17 Central Florida-Tulsa football game, Golden Hurricane offensive tackle Brian DeShane dropped to one knee and proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Meagan Dickinson. She accepted.

The hug-and-kiss moment was witnessed on the field by DeShane’s parents, Kathy and David DeShane, and on the H.A. Chapman Stadium video board by 19,725 spectators.

“We love (Dickinson) and are excited for her to be in our family," Kathy DeShane said.

A nice Saturday became even better as TU defeated the Knights 23-21, clinching Conference USA’s West Division championship.

For the DeShanes, there was joy on Nov. 17 – and misery on Nov. 24.

One week after Brian’s public proposal in Tulsa, there was a terrible moment in Dallas. During the second period of last Saturday’s regular-season finale at SMU, DeShane sustained a left-leg injury – believed now to be a fractured ankle and possible ligament damage.

It was immediately obvious that DeShane had been badly hurt. While examined by TU medical personnel, DeShane punched the Gerald J. Ford Stadium turf. Concerned teammates and even some SMU players approached DeShane and shook his hand. The former Union High School star was loaded onto a cart and wheeled to the Hurricane locker room. SMU surged to a 35-6 lead and held on for a 35-27 victory.

DeShane is a senior. His career had ended. He had been on the field for all of TU’s meaningful snaps this season, and he had played at an all-conference level.

When TU hosts UCF for this week’s Conference USA championship game, DeShane will lean on crutches and watch from the sideline as redshirt freshman Garrett Stafford starts at right tackle.

If Nov. 17 was the best Saturday of Brian DeShane’s college football life, Nov. 24 was the worst.

-- Bill Haisten


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Tulsa World Sports Writer Bill Haisten was named the 2010 Oklahoma Sportswriter of the Year. He is the World's only staff member to have covered OU, OSU, TU and ORU sports on a beat basis. He was on the OSU beat from 2004-2012. A Texas native, he has covered two Super Bowls and two national championship football games for the World.

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