“They were his family, too,” said Bev Ruff, a cousin of Sam Foltz’s dad.

Ruff and her husband, Jerry, came down from Omaha for the vigil organized by Foltz's teammates Sunday afternoon. Ruff’s brother Tom Foltz and his wife, Vicki, joined them from North Bend.

Sam Foltz was a family hero, they said.

With the Ruffs season-ticket holders for 45 years, Jerry Ruff said, “We were thrilled we finally got a Foltz in there.

“A walk-on, Nebraska boy.”

In North Stadium’s Section 34 on fall Saturdays, the Ruffs led cheers of “Sammy, Sammy” every time he took the field. Which wasn’t that often, they said.

They don’t know if he could hear their chants and worried it might mess him up, they said.

A preseason All-America punter, the former walk-on and Grand Island High School star had his sights set on a professional football career, his relatives said.

They were all excited for his senior year.

“We sure wanted him to finish great,” Jerry Ruff said.

Talented for sure, Sam Foltz epitomized hard work and humility, the Ruffs and Foltzes said.