JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Sandy Hawkins Combs didn’t know that when she boarded her United Airlines flight from Denver to Jacksonville, she would have a life-changing moment.
“I am feeling so blessed,” Hawkins Combs said. “I am still on Cloud 9. I know I’m going to come down after a while, but I am enjoying every moment. People are like ‘are you that Sandy?’ I’m like ‘what Sandy? But yeah I’m that Sandy!’ So I’m enjoying every moment. I never thought that chance brief moment with Travis would be so wonderful.”
“It was meant to happen,” Hawkins Combs said. “It’s like I thank God every morning I wake up for that blessing because I just still can’t imagine, I couldn’t have planned it. It was just perfect.”
Sandy treated herself to her first-ever first-class ticket to return home for Mother’s Day and for her grandmother’s 100th birthday party. She had been working as a travel nurse for months. When Sandy boarded the flight, sitting in her row was Jaguars second overall draft pick Travis Hunter, who just graduated from college.
“I said ‘I think that’s my seat’ and he said ‘okay’,” Hawkins Combs said. “He stood up and I went to put my piece of luggage in the compartment, and he said ‘I got that ma’am, don’t worry about it. Just go ahead and sit down.’ So I did and I started smiling and I thought ‘what a nice young man.’”
As more passengers boarded, people continued to congratulate Hunter, which confused Sandy because she had no clue who she was sitting next to.
“We had to wait for a while before we could take off on the runway,” Hawkins Combs said. “I turned to him and said, ‘may I ask you a question?’ He said, ‘yes ma’am’. I said, ‘who am I sitting next to?’ He just smiled and I said, ‘are you a professional athlete or something?’”
That’s when Hunter introduced himself, and Sandy started to realize who was sitting next to her.
“I tried to leave him alone, but I also said ‘can I take a selfie?’,” Hawkins Combs said. “That was before we took off to show my son. Then he took the picture. I sent it to my son Charles. Immediately he called me. He never responds to his momma that quick. He called me and said ‘how did you get to sit next to Travis Hunter?’”
Charles facetimed Hunter while they were waiting to take off, but Sandy still didn’t fully grasp who she was sitting next to.
“It still just didn’t click,” Hawkins Combs said. “I just thought this is such a nice young man. Who would have thought that he was a professional athlete?”
A few days after the flight, Sandy wanted her Facebook friends to know how kind Hunter was.
“Travis is the type of person that gives you faith that everything’s going to be all right no matter what’s going on,” Hawkins Combs said.
That’s when her post went viral. Millions saw her Facebook post that was picked up by sports networks like Good Morning Football. After this experience, Sandy is hooked on the Jaguars.
“I liked the Jags, but now I am a diehard Jags fan for life,” Hawkins Combs said.
Her favorite Jaguars player is now, of course, Travis Hunter.
“Yes I am,” Hawkins Combs said. “I most certainly am. Probably next to his mom, but yes. I will be his #1 fan.”
“Job well done,” Hawkins Combs said. “Between her and the grandparents, job well done.”
