Hurricanes running back Mark Fletcher Jr. was preparing for Florida State when tragedy struck his family. His father, Mark Sr., known as “Big Mark,” died at just 53 years old two days before the 2024 rivalry game.

Still, there was no doubt the younger Fletcher would play. Then a sophomore, Fletcher took the field and helped lead Miami to a blowout win over FSU, scoring a touchdown and pointing to the sky in the end zone.

“I miss him every single day,” Fletcher said Tuesday, as UM once again prepares to face the Seminoles. “But just the way he left his legacy, I just have nothing to do but just carry it in the best way, and that’s what I plan to do.”

Fletcher leaned on his teammates in the wake of his father’s death. The entire team attended his father’s funeral , which deeply touc

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