Babe Laufenberg still can’t believe how many text messages he received after Luke, 21, passed away on Aug. 22 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
He can’t believe that two dozen of his son’s friends from all walks of life messaged, all saying they considered Luke their best friend. Or that the offensive line coach at Argyle Liberty Christian texted him stating how Luke – who only played at the school for one year – had a “profound effect” on him, and how he remembered Luke staying after practice and asking for pointers on blocking. Not many 17-year-olds playing receiver in a four-wide offense do that. The offensive line coach at UTEP still texts Babe saying that he feels Luke looking down on him.
He can’t believe that Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett – a longtime friend of the family – dedicated an entire press conference to how Luke Laufenberg was the best example of fight he has ever seen in his life. He can’t believe several UTEP coaches skipped practice to fly to Luke’s funeral just days before their first game, even though his son was only enrolled at the school for about three months. As a former NFL player and now a broadcaster for the Dallas Cowboys Radio Network, Babe Laufenberg knows: ”Coaches do not just take off practice.”
“I can’t tell you the number of texts,” Laufenberg said. “It just made me feel good that he had a good heart and was a good person. I’m not one to put a bumper sticker saying 'Hey, I have a great kid.' But it turns out, I had a pretty great kid.”
Luke only spent 21 short years on this earth and switched schools four times in his final four years to try and reach his dream of playing college football, which he finally accomplished by becoming a scholarship tight end at UTEP. He was in El Paso for just three months and never played a single game. Yet, Luke has become part of the DNA of this Miners program.
“He impacted everyone,” UTEP running back Treyvon Hughes said. “He was one of those guys who would try to get everyone to do the right thing. For him to pass, it just hurt everybody.”
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