Second grader Cam McGuire with Texas Rangers baseball player David Murphy
After Stonewall Jackson second grader Cam McGuire registered for the “Take A Player to School” sweepstakes through MetroPCS for a chance to win a school visit from Texas Rangers baseball star David Murphy, he repeatedly asked his dad if he had heard anything.
“I kept explaining to him, ‘Cam, it was a contest, so the chances of winning are really low,’ ” says Cam’s dad, Cory McGuire.
Then a couple weeks ago, East Dallas neighbor Cory got a phone call from MetroPCS.
“I’m thinking it’s probably a sales call, but I’ll pick it up,” Cory says. “So I pick up and they’re like, ‘You signed up for the Bring a Player to School contest,’ and I’m still thinking, ‘Eh, they’re probably going to try to sell me a phone plan.’ Then they ask, ‘Do you have a child in school?’ And I said, ‘Yes, I do.’ And they said, ‘Well, you won, so you get to bring David Murphy to school.’ ”
It took a little while for the news to sink in, but eventually Cory knew it was the real deal. And as excited as he was, Cam was even more thrilled.
“His eyes light up when he finds out, and he starts saying, ‘Wow we won! We really won!’ ” Cory recalls.
After all, David Murphy is one of Cam’s favorite players. Cam has been following Murphy’s success in the major leagues for a while, and even wears high socks like David Murphy during his little league games.
Of course the students and staff at Stonewall Jackson Elementary School were eager to share in Cam’s winnings. Yesterday, the school decked out in red, white and blue to welcome the left fielder who’s been to the World Series with the Texas Rangers twice.
Stonewall Jackson principal Michele Hill gave Murphy a tour of the school and the Stonewall Gardens, and then ushered him into an auditorium full of second graders, who erupted into cheers upon seeing him.
Murphy, who has three youngsters of his own, chatted with the students about the importance of education and faced a volley of second-grade level questions with the grace and patience of a saint, as is evidenced by the video below.
