BLUFFDALE, Utah — As the Big 12 Football Championship between BYU and Texas Tech looms large on Saturday, the two opposing fanbases once again found a way to unify off the field.
The latest showing of reaching out for help grew from a horrific crash in Bluffdale on the day before Thanksgiving.
“So Katie and Gavin were actually on their way home,” said Britney Petersen, Katie’s sister. “We were going to be meeting up at their house to prep for Thanksgiving.”
That’s when Gavin and Katie Cornia's families received notifications that no loved one ever wants to see.
“I saw the LifeFlight come in … and it was just really devastating,” said Katie’s mother, Branden Raleigh.
The young Eagle Mountain couple had been married just 15 months when they were involved in a head-on collision just outside Camp Williams. While Katie suffered critical injuries in the accident, her husband, Gavin, was killed.
It’s been a tragedy that resonated some 800-plus miles away with Ivan Ortiz.
The team barber for Texas Tech University’s football team was the beneficiary of an outpouring of support in the days leading up to BYU's regular season meeting at Texas Tech. After hearing how Ortiz's wife, Maddie, had been seriously hurt in a crash of her own, Cougars fans helped raise nearly $200,000 for Maddie's recovery and rehab in Colorado that continues weeks after the first game.
BYU fans already winners coming to aid of Texas Tech family in need:
A recent donation to the GoFundMe for Maddie Ortiz reads, “BYU fans still thinking of you. Peace and love.”
“She does have a long way to go still,” said Ivan on Friday. “She’s going to be at this facility for a few months.”
Ivan said the outpouring has helped he and his wife down the difficult road.
“You know, they told me before that this is bigger than football,” Ortiz said. “I’m very blessed. All the people that read the story, reached out and even just said a prayer for me.”
As it turns out, Gavin Cornia was a huge BYU supporter.
So now, Red Raiders fans who have seen the tragic story are returning the favor, as the GoFundMe fundraiser for the Cornia family has gone over $100,000.
“To have those people just offer their love and generosity to someone they don’t personally know - it means so much,” said Petersen.
Katie found the strength in her recovery to leave rehab and visit her husband at the mortuary Friday.
“Gavin was 19 - today was his 20th birthday,” his mother said Friday. “[Katie'] whole mantra as she’s gone through rehab was like, ‘Be strong for Gavin. I have to see Gavin.’”
Through personal difficulties, two fanbases continue to show the collective strength they’re capable of - from both near and far.
“I didn’t expect it to get this far - and I’m sure they didn’t expect that either,” Ortiz said. “I just know there’s a lot of good people out here, and between both teams - it’s been amazing.”
