Chris Cotton watches over Wawasee PeeWee football Saturday at Warrior Field. Cotton was recognized for 25 yeas of service to the football organization. (Photos by Mike Deak)

SYRACUSE – Chris Cotton has been one to wear his emotion on his sleeves. No matter the color of the top. Saturday afternoon, Cotton bore those emotions on ground he’s poured plenty of emotion into over the years.

Cotton, a Wawasee High School graduate and one of the founding fathers of the Wawasee PeeWee football system, was given reason to be emotional in a good way as he was honored for 25 years of service to the Wawasee area football community. In a ceremony at Warrior Field, a place where he played as a teenager and later coached for Wawasee High School for more than a decade, Cotton was given an ovation as well as support from several of his peers and former players and coaches.

Chris Cotton is greeted by Wawasee PeeWee football players after receiving his award.

The ceremony was held between the Wawasee and Triton PeeWee football games, where his grandson was in uniform and a host of familiar faces were brought in for the proud moment.

“I was shocked and stunned at this,” Cotton said. “I knew there was something going on, but I didn’t know all of these people were showing up.”

Erick Leffler, currently involved with the PeeWee programs, served as emcee for the ceremony, offering thoughts on the mentorship of Cotton as well as the sacrifice put in over 25 years of volunteerism to keep the programs moving. In tow emerged over two dozen players, coaches and friends to stand with Cotton as he received a commemorative award, with several others in the stands and along the fence lines.

Included was current Wawasee varsity football head coach Jon Reutebuch, who coached with Cotton at Wawasee for several years. “You don’t do it for the money. You do it for the community, for the love of the game and helping the kids out. It’s so hard to find people willing to do it for that long of time. It’s a nice tribute for Chris for all the time he’s put in. It’s really nice to see all the people come out and recognize him for all the work he has put into this.”

Added Leffler, “Chris has definitely had an impact on this community. Twenty five years of doing anything in incredible, especially something at the volunteer level and in a sport as scrutinized as football. Coaches often bear the brunt of the scrutiny, and somehow he’s weathered this now for 25 years.”

Cotton was greeted after the ceremony to high fives from several youth footballers and then more peers waiting outside the field gates. Cotton took a minute to compose himself, took in a few more hugs with more who came for the surprise ceremony, and offered a couple more thoughts.

“There’s lot of people in the community wearing my clothes,” said Cotton, who was adorned in a Notre Dame jacket. Cotton sold all of his Wawasee clothes when he took an assistant coaching job with Goshen High School a few years back, the money donated to the Wawasee PeeWee program. “The coolest thing about this is last year my grandson played PeeWee and caught a touchdown pass in the rookie game from a grandson of one of my teammates. Just seeing guys that I coached, they are out here coaching, kids running around. This is great.”