Words By Lewis Flanagan III
Name: Aaron Lowe
Number: #22
Position: Defensive Back
College: University of Utah
High School: West Mesquite High School (Mesquite, TX)
Every week Dallas Weekly and Parrish Restaurants, LLC partner in celebrating the accomplishments of local student athletes, both on and off of their respective playing fields. It is a task that is not taken lightly on its own, but in difficult moments such as this one, it is one that we consider a deeply personal honor.
Almost every student athlete learns that it isn’t whether you win or lose, but how you play the game. While the lesson is of particular import on the front end of life, it only proves more poignant in retrospect. On the evening of Sept. 25, just a few short hours after celebrating a 24-13 victory for his University of Utah Utes over Washington State, former West Mesquite High School football standout Aaron Lowe was shot and killed. Reports state that Lowe was targeted after an argument he had with another party-goer.
After the accidental shooting death of a fellow West Mesquite and Utah teammate, Ty Jordan, Lowe entered this season with a heavy heart. Aaron nobly charged himself with carrying the torch for his fallen teammate, changing his jersey number from 2, to Jordan’s number, 22, and set out to forge a legacy worthy of the two of them.
The Shreveport, Louisiana native was already on pace to make a significant name for himself. The multi-sport athlete may have also earned letters in track and field, but it was the prospect of utilizing his speed on the football field that prompted the Utes to offer Lowe the opportunity to play for head coach, Kyle Whittingham.
Despite having played wide receiver at the beginning of his high school career, Lowe eventually moved to safety where he sped to First Team All-District honors in his senior season. Lowe was an aggressive defender and pursued the ball-carrier even better, logging 15 tackles in a single game versus Timbercreek.
The Communications major played the bulk of his collegiate football career as a contributor on a special team, but will not have the opportunity to replicate the same greatness he demonstrated at West Mesquite. All that remains is the lesson left for us all to learn.
Life is every bit as fragile as it is precious, and for that reason, each of us must possess the fortitude necessary to play for our teammates and live every day with a deep appreciation for our loved ones.
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They say that the true measure of a champion is not in statistics, wins or losses, but in the inspiration that he or she sparks in the lives of those they touched along the way. No one trophy is significant enough to be adequately emblematic of a life well lived. That said, the widespread outcry of mourning in the wake of the news of Aaron Lowe’s untimely passing is testament to the scale of a loss felt from West Mesquite to the Western Rockies.
Rest in peace, Aaron Lowe… Well played.