Upstate NY Teen Hero Tells Us About Living His Dream on Jets’ Draft Day
One of the best stories to come from the 2023 NFL Draft was that of 13-year old, Kyle Stickles. A resident of Ghent, New York, Kyle was responsible for announcing the New York Jets' first-round draft selection last week, and in the process, captured the hearts of football fans everywhere with his passion and calm demeanor.
Tuesday afternoon on The Drive with Charlie and Dan, we caught up with Kyle Stickles himself, and he told us the story behind his New York Jets' draft-day dream.
Hear Kyle Stickles Talk Jets and Draft Day on 'The Drive with Charlie & Dan'
Kyle Stickles is my hero, and if you're just learning about him today, he's about to become yours, too. Kyle was given the opportunity with the Jets on draft day through the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northeast New York.
This happened because at just 11 years of age, he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. He spent 97 days in the hospital at Albany Medical Center and went through months of chemotherapy, before being given the news that he was in remission.
Now, at 13 years old, he's happy, healthy, and back to playing baseball again. Last Thursday night, he joined NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on-stage to live every young Jets' fan's dream:
Here are a few photos of Kyle on-stage at the draft, from ESPN Citizenship:
Tuesday afternoon, were lucky enough to catch up with Kyle on The Drive with Charlie and Dan. He told Charlie Voelker and me that he grew up watching and going to Jets' games with his dad, and has been a life-long fan of the team. His favorite player growing up was WR Brandon Marshall, but his favorite player now is Sauce Gardner.
It was WR Garrett Wilson, however, that Kyle played catch with while visiting the Jets' team facility last week.
Outside of his Jets' fandom, Kyle is an avid baseball player, and as he told us, is a right-fielder. He's in eighth grade right now, meaning that high school is right around the corner
If you didn't get the chance to hear Kyle on the show on Tuesday, we've included the audio clip here:
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