'He watches over me': How Oklahoma State's Spencer Sanders has bonded with an autistic friend
Jacob UnruhOklahoman
STILLWATER — As Oklahoma State players began their warmups, Stone Evans quietly sat in the stands just behind the end zone beside his father, Stan, with a home-made black, orange and white sign.
Stone locked his eyes on the field waiting for No. 3 to emerge.
“I think that’s Spencer,” he said as Cowboys quarterback Spencer Sanders took the field. Stone’s eyes lit up.
“He watches over me,” Stone said.
On this day two weeks ago, Stone was keeping an eye on Sanders.
It was less than an hour before kickoff in the Big 12 Championship Game, a gut-wrenching 21-16 loss to Baylor highlighted with four interceptions thrown by Sanders. But in the mind of the Evans family, Sanders was already the most victorious person in the stadium.
Stone is autistic. He’s been bullied and overlooked by many. But not by Sanders.
The two have a bond. They lift each other up.
Since Sanders met Stone at Denton Ryan (Texas) High School, they talk multiple times a week — often through social media as Stone prefers — and Sanders has been known to send OSU apparel.
“I think Spencer is like a real popular big brother,” Stan said. “Stone is the quiet one that stands to the side. This popular big brother wants to bring his little brother to the forefront and does so occasionally.”
That’s why Stone and Stan were at the game inside AT&T Stadium that day.
Sanders had run out of his allotted tickets, but he wanted Stone there. It was his first chance to see Sanders play at OSU. So, Sanders purchased two more tickets for the Stones as a surprise.
“At some point in time, I was that kid in the stands,” Sanders said. “I was that kid standing off by myself. So, 20 seconds or 30 or a minute, 5 minutes with somebody could make the world to them.
“But why not? I was given the opportunity to play here and play football. But there’s some extra things I can do. I’m not just restricted to playing football.”
Sanders realized that early.
His father, David, had a big influence. So did his mom, Carrie.
Spencer was always drawn to help others.
“It melts my little heart,” Carrie said. “That’s a good man, that’s a good young boy being brought up to know there’s other people out there that need help. He’s always been there to help them.”
Spencer was quickly there for Stone.
Spencer remembers meeting Stone on the sideline in high school. They were separated by four years, but Spencer also quickly realized that Stan was the Sanders’ family doctor.
Spencer and Stone instantly had the connection.
Stone will never forget the day he truly realized that. It’s the day Denton Ryan’s star quarterback showed up at his tennis match.
Stone was just a freshman and he was being bullied by others about the sport.
Tennis players were sissies or they were just weird, they told Evans.
Spencer was having none of that.
He shut down the bullying. He stayed the majority of the match, even giving Evans a thumbs up. And later he gave Stone a picture of the football team with a message.
“On the picture it said, ‘Stone, you’re doing an awesome job in tennis. Keep up the hard work,’” Stone said from memory. “On the back it said, ‘To Stone, from Spencer.’”
When Spencer left for OSU, he remained in contact with Stone. Spencer sent OSU backpacks and other gear.
And the Evans family became Cowboys fans. OSU shirts are atop their Christmas lists.
Stan graduated from BYU. But a few weeks ago, he went to Frisco to purchase an OSU shirt for the game. By then, he had posted about Sanders’ generosity. The Facebook post went viral.
A Baylor fan noticed Stan buying the shirts and they struck up a conversation. When Stan said he and his son were fans of OSU’s quarterback, the fan realized who Stone was.
The magnitude of the gesture was evident.
So, Stan and his four older children made a sign the night before the game.
The black sign featured an orange OSU brand and Spencer’s No. 3 with “Sanders” written in white cursive. The other side featured a white puzzle piece — a symbol that reflects the complexity of the autism spectrum — with No. 3 in orange and a message.
“Thank you! Spencer” was written in orange.
“When you have an autistic child, you just want them to be treated normal,” Stan said. “Stone didn’t get very many invites to birthday parties or skating parties or stuff that I wish he would have gotten invited to. I understand. We’re OK with it.
“But with Stone now getting invited to the Big 12 championship, that’s better than any birthday party he’s been invited to.”
