A family of Roughriders super fans have more reasons to cheer after a chance run-in with Brandon Bridge at a Regina restaurant.
“I was still shaking, I was so nervous,” 10-year-old fan Carter Allan-Kuntz recalled.
The Kuntz family had gathered Tuesday night to celebrate the return of a cousin from Bali. When Bridge, his girlfriend, and offensive lineman Josiah St. John entered the restaurant to place a take-out order, heads started to turn.
“Me and (my cousin) Dylan were all like ‘should we go get an autograph or stay here?'” Carter recalled.
“We kept talking about it,” seven-year-old Dylan Allan added.
“We really wanted an autograph and picture.”
The boys eventually mustered some courage and got their wish, while their grandma, Marney, shared a heartfelt conversation with the quarterback known as ‘Air Canada’.
“He’s just such a personable guy,” Marney Kuntz said with a smile. “I said ‘I think you’re doing awesome! Please don’t leave the Riders!'”
In nearly 50 years of following the green and white, Marney Kuntz had never had such a personal interaction with a player. She thought the pleasant words would be the end of the interaction.
But the shocker came when the bill didn’t.
As it turned out, Bridge picked up the tab for the entire family- nearly 30 people.
“He walked out and we were just kind of standing there with our mouth open because we were in shock,” Kuntz added with a laugh. “We didn’t expect that!”
A day later, the group is still a little starstruck. Dylan and Carter pour over the photos, marveling at Bridge’s height, and plan how they’ll showcase their signed napkins.
Most importantly, they plan to pay it forward.
“The Kuntz family is doing a collection and we’re going to donate it to the food bank in Brandon’s name,” Marney Kuntz announced. “We really appreciate what he did.”
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