Here's How Kentucky Basketball Treated a Hard-Working Coal Mining Family

When coal miner Michael McGuire showed up straight from the mines to take his son to a University of Kentucky basketball scrimmage game, the image went viral. And one of those who noticed was Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari.

Calipari pointed out on Twitter that McGuire’s sacrifice reminded him of his own family’s history in the coal industry. McGuire’s commitment to his family moved the coach, and he announced that he wanted to treat the family to VIP tickets.

My family’s American dream started in a Clarksburg, WV coal mine, so this picture hits home.

From what I’ve been told, after his shift, he raced to be with his son & watch our team. Don’t know who this is, but I have tickets for him & his family at Rupp to be treated as VIPs!! pic.twitter.com/a5BJXUnK2v

— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) October 24, 2022

Calipari made good on his promise on Friday night, and the McGuires traveled to Rupp Arena to watch the Wildcats play Duquesne.

Michael McGuire and his family rode on the team buts and sat directly behind the bench.

Michael McGuire and his family getting the VIP treatment tonight at Rupp Arena. McGuire is the coal miner who Coach Calipari spotted in the crowd at the Blue and White scrimmage in Pikeville a few weeks ago. @WHAS11 pic.twitter.com/Xst1UiK4OU

— Travis Breese (@tbreeseontv) November 12, 2022

McGuire and his wife Mollie even spoke at the postgame press conference, and they shared how much it meant to them for the Kentucky basketball program to show its appreciation.

The soft-spoken miner let his wife do most of the talking. She talked about how excited their son has been about the VIP basketball experience.

“We started about seven o’clock this morning and Easton’s probably not stopped smiling since,” Mollie said. “So it’s been a lot of fun just to see the joy he’s getting out of all of it.”

She also told reporters that the international attention her husband’s story has received has meant a lot to the family.

“We’ve had a couple of people from Germany and Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands,” Mollie said. “We’ve had a couple of people from very far away reach out, and that’s when it’s like, ‘You know, we’re just a small Eastern Kentucky family.'”

What’s especially meaningful for Mollie is for Michael to receive praise for being a good father to his kids.

“Just to see how it’s touched everyone has been very touching for us, and for Michael to see what it means just because he’s a good dad,” she told reporters. “And we reassure him that he’s appreciated all the time, but just all the kindness of everyone else has been very touching for us.”

When a reporter asked Michael if he thought he was being a super dad by taking his son to a game in his work clothes and covered in soot, he replied that he was “just doing what I always do.”

It meant a lot to the McGuire family that Calipari identified with them. Mollie said that it was “shocking” to learn that the successful coach came from a similar background to that of her family. “It’s a family thing for him as well,” she said.

Michael told reporters about how he first learned that his sacrifice for his son had gone viral. His foreman called him into the office and told Michael, “You’re famous now.” Michael said that, on his drive home, his phone started “blowing up,” so he had to call Mollie to find out what was going on.

The McGuires will enjoy another Kentucky basketball game in January, but it’s not clear whether they’ll get another VIP treatment.

The VIP treatment for a hard-working dad and his family was a class move for Coach Calipari and the Kentucky basketball program. At a time when the Biden administration and Democrats everywhere are demonizing the coal industry, it’s important to honor those who make sacrifices to provide for their families. I don’t know Calipari’s politics — and I don’t have to — but good on him for recognizing a dad who’s doing everything he can to give his family a good life.

Thank you, Coach Cal. And thank you, Michael McGuire.