August 22, 2019 at 4:36 p.m.
Bobo's passing leaves hole in team, community
Line Drives
Caleb Kunkle never made things about himself.
(He’d probably be upset with me for writing this.)
He always put the needs of others ahead of his own, especially on the football field.
If that meant pushing his body to its brink, so be it.
“He pushed the limits,” Jay County High School football coach Tim Millspaugh said. “Because he did that, he was willing to put his body in harm’s way where most other people would not.
“If Michael Schlechty runs through a hole and there’s a smaller kid in the hole, a lot of those kids would step out of it. Caleb would have never done that. He was a very physical football player. Some people do not gravitate to a physical game, and he thrived on that stuff.”
Known as “Bobo” by his circle of friends and teammates, Caleb had high aspirations for his senior year. As a junior, he was second on the team in tackles, was first in tackles for loss, caused three fumbles and recovered another.
He wanted to be an all-state defensive player.
Those plans changed abruptly on Aug. 11, 2016, when he was involved in a single-vehicle accident on his way to JCHS for the first day of school.
Rather than preparing for the upcoming school year, Bobo was fighting for his life.
His upper body absorbed the majority of the damage after being thrown from his Jeep. He shattered two vertebrae, broke five ribs and his scapula, punctured a lung, severed a nerve and was left paralyzed from the chest down, among a host of other complications.
As the squad dedicated the season in Bobo’s honor, the injured just wanted to make it back to the field and join his teammates. He didn’t immediately wish to be able to walk again — with some assistance though, he would later get to. Instead, he just wanted to be out there with his boys.
His brothers.
His Patriots.
Bobo was released from Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne for week seven, homecoming against South Adams, and he got to rejoin his team.
“During that whole season, with the communication between me and Mike (Caleb’s father), and him coming back for the homecoming game, it had everything to do with the team,” said Millspaugh.
That’s Bobo putting others before himself.
Drew Huffman, a 2016 JCHS graduate, fondly remembers Kunkle as a teammate.
“Bobo was kind of the engine of the team,” he said. “Even as a sophomore or as a junior, even if he wasn’t that senior leader, he was a dude that everyone looked to for that physical or mental toughness.
“You knew he was going to give 100 percent every play.”
Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Bobo’s activism — he was an advocate for those with special needs, especially his younger brother Conner — and unselfishness never waned.
Although he could no longer play the game he loved, Bobo continued to do what he could to make the team better. He constantly sent texts to Millspaugh, attempting to stay as close to the program as possible.
He was able to convince his friend, Caleb Webster, against the idea of quitting the sport.
“The summer before my junior year I told (Millspaugh) I was done and I wanted to work instead of play football,” said Webster, a 2019 graduate. “I told Bobo about it one day and the dude went nuts. He told me that I was crazy and he would be so disappointed if I didn’t play.”
Webster was still hesitant, until Bobo gave him his neon green gear and No. 3 uniform number.
“After he said that, I instantly knew I had to play,” said Webster, who ended up leading the team in receptions (21) and receiving yards (341) as a junior, and caught five touchdown passes over his final two years. “Everything was for him from that point on.”
Again, Bobo always looked out for others first.
Caleb H. Kunkle passed away June 19 at his home at the age of 20. His death did more than leave a void for his family — mother Kathy, father Mike and brothers Cameron and Conner.
It left a hole in the Patriot program, the football brotherhood and surrounding communities.
“Something I think about looking back now that he’s gone is just the inspiration he was to the entire community,” Huffman said. “I saw it after every game, all the little kids in the stands, they all looked up to him.
“They all wanted to be Caleb Kunkle when they were in high school.”
(He’d probably be upset with me for writing this.)
He always put the needs of others ahead of his own, especially on the football field.
If that meant pushing his body to its brink, so be it.
“He pushed the limits,” Jay County High School football coach Tim Millspaugh said. “Because he did that, he was willing to put his body in harm’s way where most other people would not.
“If Michael Schlechty runs through a hole and there’s a smaller kid in the hole, a lot of those kids would step out of it. Caleb would have never done that. He was a very physical football player. Some people do not gravitate to a physical game, and he thrived on that stuff.”
Known as “Bobo” by his circle of friends and teammates, Caleb had high aspirations for his senior year. As a junior, he was second on the team in tackles, was first in tackles for loss, caused three fumbles and recovered another.
He wanted to be an all-state defensive player.
Those plans changed abruptly on Aug. 11, 2016, when he was involved in a single-vehicle accident on his way to JCHS for the first day of school.
Rather than preparing for the upcoming school year, Bobo was fighting for his life.
His upper body absorbed the majority of the damage after being thrown from his Jeep. He shattered two vertebrae, broke five ribs and his scapula, punctured a lung, severed a nerve and was left paralyzed from the chest down, among a host of other complications.
As the squad dedicated the season in Bobo’s honor, the injured just wanted to make it back to the field and join his teammates. He didn’t immediately wish to be able to walk again — with some assistance though, he would later get to. Instead, he just wanted to be out there with his boys.
His brothers.
His Patriots.
Bobo was released from Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne for week seven, homecoming against South Adams, and he got to rejoin his team.
“During that whole season, with the communication between me and Mike (Caleb’s father), and him coming back for the homecoming game, it had everything to do with the team,” said Millspaugh.
That’s Bobo putting others before himself.
Drew Huffman, a 2016 JCHS graduate, fondly remembers Kunkle as a teammate.
“Bobo was kind of the engine of the team,” he said. “Even as a sophomore or as a junior, even if he wasn’t that senior leader, he was a dude that everyone looked to for that physical or mental toughness.
“You knew he was going to give 100 percent every play.”
Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Bobo’s activism — he was an advocate for those with special needs, especially his younger brother Conner — and unselfishness never waned.
Although he could no longer play the game he loved, Bobo continued to do what he could to make the team better. He constantly sent texts to Millspaugh, attempting to stay as close to the program as possible.
He was able to convince his friend, Caleb Webster, against the idea of quitting the sport.
“The summer before my junior year I told (Millspaugh) I was done and I wanted to work instead of play football,” said Webster, a 2019 graduate. “I told Bobo about it one day and the dude went nuts. He told me that I was crazy and he would be so disappointed if I didn’t play.”
Webster was still hesitant, until Bobo gave him his neon green gear and No. 3 uniform number.
“After he said that, I instantly knew I had to play,” said Webster, who ended up leading the team in receptions (21) and receiving yards (341) as a junior, and caught five touchdown passes over his final two years. “Everything was for him from that point on.”
Again, Bobo always looked out for others first.
Caleb H. Kunkle passed away June 19 at his home at the age of 20. His death did more than leave a void for his family — mother Kathy, father Mike and brothers Cameron and Conner.
It left a hole in the Patriot program, the football brotherhood and surrounding communities.
“Something I think about looking back now that he’s gone is just the inspiration he was to the entire community,” Huffman said. “I saw it after every game, all the little kids in the stands, they all looked up to him.
“They all wanted to be Caleb Kunkle when they were in high school.”
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