Kevin Smith

A message from Gavin Turley’s father Jason🖤 🧡 🖤 🧡 To Beaver Nation — from a father: thank you. I don’t know how to write something that fully captures what I feel in this moment. I’ve started and deleted these words several times because no version feels big enough… deep enough… sacred enough to express what these last three years have meant. But I need to try — because you deserve that. From the very moment my son Gavin stepped onto campus, you made him feel like he belonged. Not because of what he could do on a baseball field, but because of who he was — a young man far from home, carrying a dream, still figuring out who he was going to become. You showed up for him. You stood by him. You made him feel like everything was going to be okay. Through the ups, the downs, the great moments and the hard ones — you stayed. And you loved him. That kind of love doesn’t just cheer in the stands. It builds people. And that’s what you did. You helped build my son. And I’m eternally grateful for it. I’ve watched from the sidelines — not just as a dad, but as a witness — to something rare. I’ve watched how this community loves its players. Fiercely. Patiently. Unconditionally. I’ve seen the way you celebrate, the way you mourn losses, the way you show up — even on cold nights, even when the scoreboard doesn’t go our way. You don’t just support a team. You carry it. You carry the people in it. You make them feel like they matter. And I can tell you now — you mattered to my son. More than you will ever know. More than you can even comprehend. He loves Oregon State. And he loves all of you. To the coaches who poured into him — thank you for your time, your wisdom, your belief. To the teammates who became his brothers — thank you for fighting beside him, laughing with him, hurting with him, growing with him. To the fans — thank you for every moment, every chant, every kind word shouted over the rail or whispered after a tough game. To the families and friends and faithful faces that showed up rain or shine — thank you for being his village when we couldn’t always be there. And there’s something else I’ll never forget... Over these last few years, so many of you have stopped me — in the airport, at the grocery store, on the field, in the stands, or sent me a personal message — just to thank me for Gavin. Not for his stats. Not for what he did on the field. But for who he is. For the kind of man he’s become. For allowing him to be part of Oregon State. And I’ll be honest… there have been moments where those kind and thoughtful words hit so deep that tears swelled in my eyes and rolled down my cheeks. Moments where I couldn’t even talk because of how meaningful those words were. I’ll never be able to fully express what that kind of kindness has meant to me. Those small thank-yous felt enormous. They were enormous. They reminded me that we were in the right place, surrounded by the right people. To say this place is special is an understatement. Its magic. This past week, Gavin played his final game as an Oregon State Beaver. He’ll move on now — into whatever comes next. But this place, this team, this family… it’s in him now. Forever. And it’s in us too. You gave him a home. You gave him a foundation. You gave him love when it counted most. And from a father’s heart — I will never forget that. Thank you for everything. Truly. With all my love and gratitude, Jason Turley