Father’s Day came early for Daquan Neal.
The night before the Tucson Sugar Skulls’ 58-33 win over the Bay Area Panthers last weekend, the quarterback got word that his fiancee back home in North Carolina was going into labor.
At roughly 3 a.m., Neal’s fiancee, Charity, gave birth to Khelani Marie Neal. Khelani is the second daughter of the Neal clan, joining her sister, Aaliyah.
“He texted me at like 11:45 that night and said, ‘Coach, I think my baby is coming,’” Sugar Skulls coach and general manager Dixie Wooten said as Tucson prepares to host the Vegas Knight Hawks Saturday night. “Of course, we’re laughing and joking, because I told him, ‘As a father of a girl, you don’t have to go to the old folks’ home, because those girls will always take care of their dad.’ I told him about my two girls, and he’s just excited. My wife and I FaceTimed his fiancee, and she was walking around the hospital like she didn’t just have a baby.
“It’s crazy, man. I was like, ‘Whatever energy you have, you need to give it to us.’ She was so excited about the game and to see Daquan play, she was ready to go, and he had a great game.”
Neal remained in Tucson, then completed 14 of 22 passes for three touchdowns and adding a rushing score. Neal ranks second in the IFL with 38 passing touchdowns this season; his quarterback efficiency rating of 205.4 is tops in the league.
“I really wanted to come out and play carefree. This game was really for Khelani, and I’m thankful that I can be away from my kids and be able to chase my dream while my other half is holding it down,” Neal said. “It’s definitely a blessing being able to be out here and perform well.”
Neal takes pride in being a “girl dad.” Neal says it “mellows you out.”
“When you’re young and don’t have things to worry about, you just attack life head-on and full-speed. When you have kids, you have to sit back and take in everything,” he said. “I just feel like it made me a better man from a mental standpoint. I look at things in life and break it down rather than just react. … That helped translate to the field. … I’m thankful that everything I’ve been through has helped me transition into playing quarterback.”
While Wooten has a son, Dixie Wooten III, the coach said “having daughters is everything.” Wooten has two daughters, Tania Collier and Tiara Collier.
“It teaches you how to love a lot more — how to forgive a lot more, because it’s different when your son messes up because you jump on him right away,” Wooten said. “When your baby girl messes up, you’ll get through it. When my son messes up, it’s Coach Wooten, but when my daughter messes up, I’m Dixie.”
Wooten had two role models growing up. His father was a high school defensive coordinator in Bayou Chicot, Louisiana — or as Wooten said, “Places you wouldn’t even know existed. Like, ‘Waterboy’ type of stuff.”
Wooten’s first memories came on the football field with his father.
“When I was 3 years old, I would be around the field and falling down. I was born and raised around football, and I wouldn’t want to do anything else. … He’s the reason why I coach the way I coach,” Wooten said. “He was always intense, because he was a linebacker.”
Wooten’s father still gives his son coaching notes and advice.
“When I go home on bye weeks, he gets with me and he goes over my entire season,” he said.
Wooten’s grandfather established a family tradition of catching crab and crawfish during prime catching season in the spring and summer months in Texas and Louisiana. Wooten now takes his grandchildren on the boat with him whenever he catches crawfish.
When the Sugar Skulls take the field on Father’s Day weekend, Wooten will remember the men who molded him.
“Father’s Day means everything, because my father is my hero. From Day 1, he’s always taught me the rights and wrongs of things. I didn’t make a lot of mistakes like a lot of young guys made. Then, when I got into those bad situations, I knew to walk away because my father taught me so much.
“Still to this day, my dad is 72 years old and I can call him right now and we can have a conversation about anything and everything. … My dad is my hero, man, and Father’s Day means so much to me, so this is one of the greatest times of the year, because my father is amazing.”
Extra points
Wooten ruled out Sugar Skulls wide receiver Arthur Jackson IV for Saturday’s game. Jackson suffered a high ankle sprain and “kinda tweaked his knee a little bit” during last week’s win over Bay Area, Wooten said. “If it was the playoffs, he could go this week, but we want him to get rest and be available for Northern Arizona,” Wooten said.
Both Tucson and Vegas are fighting for a playoff spot. A win this weekend would give Tucson the tiebreaker and a 2 1/2-game lead in the standings with four games remaining.
Saturday marks the Sugar Skulls’ last home game until July 9, when they host the Iowa Barnstormers.
