Seminoles embrace family after tragedy: 'Just wanted to bring them joy'

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Because of their faith, they know he was watching Thursday night. Smiling. His barrel chest filled with pride.

They also know that his spirit was filling the room.

If only he could have been there in body, too.

Bradley Allen Deanda Sr., died three weeks ago in a tragic accident. He was a devoted father and husband and a 24-year veteran of the Tallahassee Fire Department. He was 46.

At the visitation held a few days later at Tallahassee’s Good Shepherd Catholic Church, an estimated 1,800 people arrived. Each sharing their own special stories.

“We knew he was awesome,” said Gevin McDaniel, Deanda’s brother-in-law. “We didn't know how awesome he was to everybody else. It's a shame you have to lose someone to realize how truly, truly awesome they are.”

Within hours of Deanda’s passing -- he was killed when a vehicle veered off the road and struck him alongside a stretch of rural highway in nearby Jefferson County -- a picture of his life quickly emerged on social media.

The photos told so much.

There he was standing proudly with an arm around his wife, Sharla. Laughing with his teen-aged sons, Bradley Jr. and Brenden. Decked out in garnet and gold at countless Florida State football games.

The passion shines through in every one.

“He was one of the biggest 'Nole fans ever,” McDaniel said. “I thought I was an FSU fan 'til I met Brad. He made FSU fans better. He raised the bar when it came to cheering for FSU.

“He would tell other fans at tailgates and in the stands, ‘We've got a job to do. We've got to make some noise.’ He wanted you to be loud. I never did that at games before I met Brad.”

Before this month, Florida State sophomore center Corey Martinez had no connection with the Deanda family. None that he knew of, anyway.

But when the Tampa native read the news articles about Deanda’s passing, heard that Deanda was a fire captain and saw all the posts on social media about his passion for Florida State football, he felt an immediate kinship.

“My dad and uncle are firefighters,” Martinez said. “So when I heard the story and saw that he had two sons, I wanted to reach out to the family to express my condolences. Then when I found out how big of FSU fans they all were, I thought bringing them closer to us would bring them through this hard time.”

Martinez’s first thought was to grab a team helmet and get some of his teammates to sign it for the family. Once he shared Deanda's story, players lined up.

Then Martinez went to head coach Jimbo Fisher and members of the support staff and asked if anything else could be done.

It turned out there were some connections. Fisher’s sons, Trey and Ethan, know Deanda’s boys. Others on the football staff were aware of the tragedy as well. And once they reached out to the family, they learned that the Deanda family actually was going to be in attendance at the Orange Bowl.

In the week before his death, Brad Deanda had bought tickets to the FSU-Michigan game for Christmas. Not only that, but when he found out where the Florida State team was staying, he booked a room at the posh Hollywood Diplomat Beach Resort.

“Brad was always the kind of guy who liked to save money, so he would stay in the cheaper hotels," McDaniel said. "But he didn’t do that this time. He wanted the boys to be in the team hotel so they could see the players and maybe run into some of them.

“When we heard that, we were all like, 'What got into Brad?' When Sharla asked him, he said, "You've got to live a little."

On Thursday evening, about 24 hours before they were to square off against Michigan in the Orange Bowl, the Florida State Seminoles gathered in a meeting room at the Hollywood Diplomat.

As part of their usual pregame routine, the players would hear some final words from Fisher and his assistant coaches, watch an inspirational video and begin to get locked in mentally for the game.

Toward the end of the meeting, some guests were ushered into the room.

It was Sharla Deanda, and her sons, Bradley Jr. and Brenden.

Thanks to Martinez, strength coach Vic Viloria and others, the family was afforded the rare treat of getting to watch the team’s season highlight video, listening to Fisher’s comments to the team, and then afterward they were greeted with gifts from the Seminoles.

There was the helmet signed by the team. There were FSU hats and T-shirts. There even were pregame sideline passes so that the family could get onto the field to experience pregame warmups.

Martinez made the presentation with a group of teammates that included defensive end DeMarcus Walker, offensive linemen Rod Johnson and Alec Eberle, quarterback Deondre Francois and fullback Freddie Stevenson.

“I could tell they were very happy,” Martinez said. “That’s what I wanted to do. Just wanted to bring them some joy. Especially with it being this time of year.”

McDaniel said the family was blown away by the gesture.

“He's a very nice young man,” McDaniel said of Martinez. “His father was a firefighter, so he knows what the firefighter family is like. There are some really awesome young men and coaches in that program, and we think the world of Coach Fisher. We're all just so proud to be Seminoles.”

After Deanda’s tragic death, the family originally thought about skipping the Orange Bowl trip. There were funeral arrangements to be made. There was grieving to be done.

“The boys said, 'Dad would not have wanted us to miss this game,’” McDaniel said before pausing to finish his thought. “The boys and Sharla have been so strong. I'm proud of them for being so strong.”

It hasn’t been easy. And there will be plenty of conflicting emotions tonight.

Before the game, the family will attend the Capital One Fan Fest event, which will feature a performance by country music star Cole Swindell. A native of nearby Georgia, Swindell’s biggest hit is, “You should be here.” It was written about Swindell’s father, who died in a tragic accident in 2013.

In the chorus, Swindell sings, “It’s one of those moments, that’s got your name written all over it. And you know that if I had just one wish, it’d be that you didn’t have to miss this. Aw, you should be here.”

McDaniel said that was the family’s prevailing thought during the entire event Thursday night. As they watched the players walk out of the meeting room, they laughed about how Brad would know each one by face, including their position on the depth chart and where they’re from.

“We just wished he could have been here,” McDaniel said. “The family has a lot of faith, and we know he’s in a better place now. But that song is going to really hit home tonight.”

After they listen to Swindell and enjoy their time on the sidelines, Sharla, Bradley Jr. and Brenden will make their way to their seats inside Hard Rock Stadium.

They’ll wear their ‘Nole gear and smile and cheer and “do their job,” as Brad would have told them. They'll make plenty of noise.

They’ll also know deep in their hearts that Brad Deanda’s spirt will be in the stadium.

That his passion will fill the hearts of fans he knew. And even some he didn’t.

Editor's Note: According to Brad Deanda's obituary, a fund to support his sons’ education was set up through the Brad Deanda Memorial Fund at any First Commerce Credit Union.

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