A few years ago, Stephen Kinsey stood on the sideline of his favorite blue football field, a coaching headset covering his left ear and his favorite coach, Chris Petersen, standing nearby.
Then, just a few weeks ago, Kinsey felt like covering his eyes when he heard Petersen was leaving Boise State to coach the Washington Huskies.
“I was a little upset,” Kinsey said.
Perspective came quickly for the 15-year-old from San Antonio. After the initial shock faded, Kinsey sent a text message to Petersen, congratulating him on his new opportunity and wishing him well in Seattle.
Petersen called Kinsey a few hours after his introductory news conference at UW on Dec. 9.
Back in 2010, it was Petersen who was surprised when he found out Kinsey — then in the early stages of non-Hodgkins lymphoma — had made his Make-A-Wish request to come to Boise. Kinsey, who was then 12, wished to coach the Broncos.
Petersen chuckled this week as he recalled his first reaction to that request.
“Did they call the wrong Broncos? Do they mean the Denver Broncos?” Petersen wondered.
Betsy Kinsey knew her son’s wish was ambitious when they made the request in late September 2010. Make-A-Wish representatives said they would do their best, but they couldn’t make any promises.
“Stephen was actually really distraught,” Betsy recalled. “He didn’t want to get his hopes up. …
“Then, within three days, we got a call back.”
Petersen, his wife, Barbara, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Idaho had granted the wish.
“Three weeks later,” Betsy Kinsey said, “we were in Boise.”
