It’s Aug. 31, 2019. It’s the opening weekend of the college football season, and nearly 27,000 people pack into the Alamodome in San Antonio to watch the inaugural matchup between San Antonio’s two largest universities, UTSA and Incarnate Word, in the “Hometown Showdown.” This also marked the first game in the career of UTSA safety Rashad Wisdom, who was beginning his freshman campaign for the Roadrunners. But before Rashad even stepped foot on the field, it was another Wisdom, Bryce, who received the first cheers and applause from the crowd, but for a completely different and bigger reason than the merriment of a football game. A reason that is, to this day, the driving force for Rashad and his family to power through anything thrown at them.

Born just 22 months apart, Rashad and Bryce were connected from an early age, especially with their older brother, Roisean, being years older than them. Rashad protected Bryce since the younger Wisdom was brought home from the hospital after he was born eight weeks early. When Bryce remained in the hospital, Rashad brought his mother, Diana, comfort during the difficult period without her newborn son. That desire to comfort others turned into a protective nature for Rashad, developing a “my brother’s keeper” attitude toward his little brother.

“During the time Bryce was still in the hospital, Rashad was like my comfort,” Diana told us. “He didn’t talk much; he had a pacifier so I would always hold on to him and cry because I was missing Bryce. Rashad took great care of Bryce, from the moment he was two years old, and he always did that from the time they were growing up… Bryce had a real huge respect for his older brother.” Mrs. Wisdom always ensured that her boys would look out for each other, and with the relative closeness in age, it was especially true for Bryce and Rashad.

Growing up, the Wisdoms had a relatively normal childhood. One thing that was certain, though, was that football was a mainstay in the Wisdom household. Bryce and Rashad, along with Roisean and youngest brother Miles, fell in love with the sport early in life, and the Wisdom parents embraced it, even though it got chaotic at times trying to support all four athletes at once.

“We would be at the little ones’ games, so we would have three little games, bag them all up and drive to Houston and we would run so we can get to the game to see Sean (the oldest who played at UH) run out,” Mrs. Wisdom said. “But it’s been amazing. I couldn’t have it any other way.”

Rashad does not take his family dynamic for granted and credits them for being a big part of who he is today. Now in his fifth year at UTSA and on the verge of graduating, he knows that he would not be in this position if it wasn’t for his family.

“The fact that I’m here at UTSA and about to graduate with my degree and still have the opportunity to play at the next level is a huge blessing,” he told us. “They’re a big reason why I’m having so much success at an early age like this. I wouldn’t want to have it any other way.”

Family even played a role in Rashad’s recruitment. With many schools hot after his services, it became overwhelming for him. Luckily, his older brother, Roisean, who went through the process a few years earlier, was able to guide him through and help find the best school for him. Ultimately, the decision dwindled down to two schools — Tulane and UTSA. Wisdom was not afraid of leaving home, and he even leaned toward going to Tulane before ultimately choosing UTSA. While the decision was ultimately his to make, Mrs. Wisdom, while discussing her son’s recruitment, made a small confession about her role in the decision.

“He may not know this, but before he made that decision, I made a phone call (to UTSA),” Mrs. Wisdom told us with a laugh. “It was like ‘you guys, he’s thinking of going somewhere else. We need to do something quick.’ He ended up signing at UTSA, and he’s been very happy ever since.”

The importance of Rashad’s decision became even more apparent in March of 2019 when Bryce was diagnosed with kidney cancer at 15 years old. The news devastated the family, but in typical Wisdom fashion, they decided to strap up the pads and helmet and tackle the issue head on, ready to make an impact. The positive attitude and determination shown by Bryce and his family was broadcasted on social media, capturing the hearts of not only his small community of Converse, but the entire country.

BryceStrong became the rallying cry, and many schools, organizations and even professional athletes bought in and showed Bryce and his family love. The UTSA community rallied around Bryce’s story, choosing him as the honorary captain for the Roadrunners to participate in the coin toss in the opening game against UIW.

Sadly, after about 16 months of fighting, Bryce passed away on July 26, 2020.

“It hit me hard,” Rashad said. “I really saw how it felt to be depressed and anxious, and those are real problems people face on the daily”. While the loss of Bryce was devastating, it came during an already difficult time for the country, which became overwhelming for Rashad. “During all of this, there was a lot of stuff going on like COVID and the racial injustice. So there were a lot of mental barriers I had to get over, and I kept myself in my room and just broke down crying. I didn’t know why I felt the way I did. I felt numb sometimes.”

With the circumstances around him grueling to overcome, it would’ve been understandable for Rashad, or anyone in that position, to not be fully ready to commit to their work. But not Rashad. It was not the Wisdom way. Instead, using his mental journey as motivation, he exploded onto the college football scene in 2020. In his sophomore campaign with the Roadrunners, he led the team in total tackles and interceptions, earning First Team All-Conference USA honors, while also cementing his place as a leader among his teammates.

“I didn’t have a care in the world,” said Wisdom of how he tackled his mental hurdles. “I realized that life is so short. Who really cares about what’s going on? At a certain point, you have to care about some things to a certain extent. You have to be mentally strong, you know, cause life throws a lot of stuff at you at any given time. Another thing I came to realize is that life isn’t gonna stop just because you’ve had something thrown at you. You have to keep on doing what you’re doing, otherwise you’re gonna get left in the dust.”

For Mrs. Wisdom, Rashad’s ability to bounce back from difficult times was no surprise, as this was something that was instilled in them from birth, no matter the circumstances. Whether it’s racial injustice or the tragic passing of Bryce, the Wisdom parents made sure that it was important for the boys to see the positives out of every situation. That is something that Mrs. Wisdom takes great pride in.

“I consider myself privileged to be able to raise four black males and mold them and make them into the men I know they can be,” she said. “So I try not to focus on the negative and I try to enhance the positive.”

Success didn’t stop in 2020 for Rashad and UTSA. It was merely the beginning. In the past two seasons, the Roadrunners have been one of the best teams in the country, winning two straight conference titles and reaching the AP poll for the first time in school history. While injuries have sidelined Wisdom over the last three years, his maturity and outlook have helped him push through those and continue the grind, something his mother noticed in him since the passing of Bryce. The realization that tomorrow is not promised has lit a fire under Rashad to accomplish all his goals, on the field and in the classroom.

Mindset aside, Mrs. Wisdom believes that Bryce has helped Rashad and the Roadrunners on a more spiritual level. Bryce is Rashad’s “angel up there that is orchestrating, guiding and protecting him” and has made his presence felt ever since the opening game of the 2020 season, a thrilling double overtime victory against rival Texas State.

“That game was crazy, and we all knew Bryce had everything to do with it,” she described excitedly. “They tried to kick a field goal and it went wide left, and everybody was like ‘that was Bryce! He pushed it over!’ Even Jeff Traylor was like ‘that game was all Bryce.’ He is with that team every day, and I really feel like their success has a lot to do with him. This is when it all kicked off. Bryce passed away, and UTSA has been on fire ever since.” While the team’s success can definitely be credited to Bryce’s impact, perhaps the biggest of impacts he has made has been the formation of the Bryce Strong Foundation.

With Bryce going through his battle with cancer from ages 15 to 17, there were very few support systems that accommodated his age group, and the pediatric support systems catered significantly to young children. They offered face paint and meetings with Mickey Mouse, something a teenager may not be interested in. “Bryce was diagnosed at 15, and they treated him like a baby,” Mrs. Wisdom said of the pediatric ward. That is when Bryce knew something needed to be done, and like the Wisdoms do, they decided to make an impact, and the Bryce Strong Foundation was born.

With Mrs. Wisdom leading the way as the president, the Bryce Strong Foundation has strived to give children with cancer the support they need, as well as bring awareness to childhood cancers and other illnesses. What started as providing gaming systems to the pediatric ward for the older kids has grown to include blood drives, 5K runs and charity concerts.

“I wanted to be able to give to people that need help immediately without the red tape,” she said. “So that’s what we’ve done. We’ve helped parents pay mortgages, we built ramps for fighters that lost legs from cancer, we’ve paid for food, we’ve bought Christmas trees. Whatever it is, they were able to reach out to somebody in the foundation and say we need so and so, and I would have it delivered. They shouldn’t have to fill out paperwork because your mind is somewhere else.”

The foundation has definitely made an impact. Just this year, University Health announced that the new family room in the pediatric ward, the same ward Bryce was in, will bear his name. While making a difference is what means the most to her, the response from the community and the nation is hard to ignore, and it definitely fills the heart of the Wisdoms.

“It’s crazy, the amount of support that we’ve gotten from Bryce’s fight, even still today,” Rashad said.

“I don’t look at what I’ve lost. I look at all that I’ve gained in the support from this community and in the city and worldwide,” Mrs. Wisdom added. “His fight wasn’t in vain, and I didn’t lose him. If anything, we gained a lot. He may not be here physically, but Bryce’s spirit is still felt. I just love and appreciate that he’s still not forgotten. It’ll be three years in July that he’s been gone, and he’s still very much a presence all over San Antonio and in other areas.”

While Mrs. Wisdom says that the foundation is a group effort among the community, Rashad counters that all the credit belongs to Momma Wisdom and her determination to make a difference. As he put it, “She’s a beast.”

“She’s the real deal. With the way she’s been able to take this foundation from a little idea to what it is today and seeing it all come to fruition for her, I’m really happy and proud of her to say the least.”

Clearly the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, as Rashad has been able to use the things instilled in him from his parents to continue to push through everything in his way.

As we sit here four years later, a long time has passed since this chapter in the Wisdoms’ lives began back in 2019. Yet, as Rashad enters his final year as a Roadrunner, signaling a near end to this chapter, the goals remain the same: do things the right way.

“I want people to say I did it the right way,” Wisdom said of how he wants to be remembered. “I didn’t take no shortcuts. I earned everything that I got, and I’ve always stayed true to who I am and to my people, and overcame everything that was thrown my way and was still able to prevail.”

Regardless of what happens in life, you gotta keep pushing, because that’s what the Wisdoms do. That’s what Bryce did. To continue to get up when you get knocked down is not just being mentally strong, it’s being Bryce Strong. And everyone should have the wisdom to be Bryce Strong.

The Transfer Portal CFB is very proud to support the Bryce Strong Foundation. If you would like to learn more or contribute to this incredible cause, you can learn more here:

Web: https://brycestrongfoundation.com/
Twitter: @BryceStrongFDN

Donations to Family Room: UniversityHealth.com/wewon