He didn’t say, “Hut, Hut, Hike!”
Instead, Josiah Newby called out, “DADDEEEEEEEEE.”
That’s because seeing his dad again was more important than football.
Josiah, who lives in Louisville, Kentucky, was at football practice with his teammates when his dad surprised him.
The 7-year-old from Lousiville, Kentucky, hadn’t seen his father, Jordan Lee Newby, in seven months.
During that time, Newby was in Africa, serving in the Air Force National Guard.
So, Newby surprised his son to make their reunion extra special.
He planned to pose as a “human tackle dummy” during his son’s football practice with his team, River City Renegade.
Videographer Dantana Smith captured Newby’s big surprise for his son on video.
The video shows Josiah lying on the field with the ball in his hand.
As he leaps up, we see a man kneeling on the field.
That’s dad!
Josiah charges right past him and a fellow teammate before turning around.
You can hear everyone in the background laughing at the fact that Josiah had absolutely no idea that he just ran past his father.
Josiah suspects that something is up when he notices everyone laughing at him.
He turns around and pauses for a moment.
That’s when he spots his fathers and calls out to him with a “Dadddyeeeeee!”
Josiah drops his ball and runs toward his dad before he jumps up into his dad’s arms.
That little boy hugged his dad so tightly around his neck.
And his dad hugged him right back.
You could tell just how much they missed each other.
You could see little Josiah crying happy tears behind his big bulky helmet.
“I was going to hit beam, but he moved out of the way. So, then I turned around. So then when he moved out of the way, I tried to turn around and try to find him. But I see– when I see my daddy,” Josiah said.
Josiah’s mom, Cydnii Newby, joined her husband and son on the football field for a heartwarming family moment where they all hugged.
In the final clip of the video, Josiah can be seen wiping away his tears.
Apparently, he wasn’t the only one getting emotional.
Mom said that “There was not a dry eye.”
Everyone on that football field felt the power of this beautiful moment.
Especially because the bond between Newby and his son is so palpably strong.
“Josiah and Jordan are the best father and son duo, so it was so difficult for his dad to be away because he missed track season, basketball season, and baseball, but he arrived just in time for football season.”
Smith’s video was shared online, went viral, and was picked up by various news outlets.
“The love for a father is a beautiful blessing,” wrote one commenter.
“Made me cry,” said another.
“What a beautiful world,” and another.
You can watch this heartwarming moment in the video below.
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