A few weeks ago we lost a member of the NCDA Dodgeball family. Derrick Ammons was a member of Saginaw Valley State’s dodgeball team, and a great friend to many of their players. I never had the privilege of meeting Derrick, but many members of SVSU’s team knew him well. Here are a few brief comments by Saginaw Valley players remembering Derrick Ammons:
Jonathan Airbets: I would just like to say that even though it was my first time playing on the team, he always made me feel like I’ve been there forever with his huge smile and joyful laughs, and no matter how many times he got hit in practice or how bad everyone was doing, you would never be able to get him to stop smiling or having a good time. He will be greatly missed by anyone who was lucky enough to know him.
Gregory Gaskin: He went to John Glenn High School in Westland Mi. Class of 2010. Derrick was a varsity baseball team walk-on his freshman year at SVSU. He used to come to all the games our freshman year and after he had to stop playing I convinced him to play dodgeball.
Nathan Council: Derrick was always the kind of person you gravitated toward. He had a positive outlook and personality and that made him the kind of person you wanted to be around. I unfortunately wasn’t close to him but I was always pleased to see him at practice. He had a great arm and I never saw him have an aggressive outburst. If he got out, he’d slap his hands together, smile, and try harder next time. His family and friends will be in my prayers and I wish all of them the best through this difficult time.
