Wildcat players, fans think pink

COLBERT HEIGHTS - Who says real men don't wear pink?

The Indianapolis Colts have worn it for a whole month. Brett Favre's pink cleats have hardly been a stumbling block for him, and athletes around the country are acknowledging, in their own fashion, the need to find a cure for breast cancer.

The Colbert Heights High School football team wore pink proudly Thursday evening - in the form of ribbon stickers on their helmets and pink hand towels at their waists. And then there was the pink on the sideline - coaches donning pink ball caps.

Pink symbolizes October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The fans also got in on the festivities, many adding a touch of pink to their traditional blue and white Wildcat attire.

Spectators had the opportunity to make a donation at the gate to the Susan B. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research. In return, they got a pink ribbon and pink balloon that they set sail before kickoff.

The close-knit Colbert Heights community had one of their own in mind as the balloons soared Thursday night. A Colbert Heights bus driver and longtime supporter of the school, Hazel Scott is battling breast cancer that resulted in surgery earlier in the day Thursday.

Karly Suggs, a senior at Colbert Heights and vice president of the student council, organized the activities. She was a passenger on Scott's bus as a child.

"I love Ms. Hazel, and all the kids on her bus adore her, so the whole school has just gone with this pink theme," Suggs said.

"The football players were all about doing this. When I talked to (head football coach) Ivan Denton about it, he was like, 'What? Wear pink?' "

Suggs said she told him to consider the fact that he's helping to find a cure for breast cancer. And with that, he was hooked.

"He even came up with the idea to put the pink stickers on the players' helmets," she said. "Oh yeah, they're all about it now."

As for Scott, she said she was "humbled beyond words" to learn what the students were doing, not just for her but for breast cancer awareness in general.

Diagnosed a month ago, Scott said she is blessed to have been given a good prognosis and she expects to be cancer free and healthy again soon, with only follow-up radiation treatments. Getting back to the bus route is also a priority.

"I'm in my 26th year driving the bus, and I love it still," she said. "These are really good kids, always have been."

Scott's friend, Deborah Reid, who also drives a bus for the school district, said she's never seen such excitement over a single cause. But, she said, the school's love for Scott is a major factor.

"She's my dear friend so I'm partial, but knowing her and seeing these kids' excitement has been wonderful for Hazel and our community," she said.

Lisa Singleton-Rickman can be reached at 740-5735 or lisa.singleton-rickman@timesdaily.com