For as long as Adam Bighill can remember, his father Andrew has been a constant presence in his life.
He was there when Bighill, as a young child growing up in the small town of Montesano, Wash., was teased for being different, after he was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate that made him an easy target for bullies. He was there to nurture the budding confidence he helped foster in his only son during those early years, as Bighill used that support to persevere through whatever obstacles he faced to become a star in both the classroom and sports.
His father was there when Bighill reached his ultimate goal of turning his passion into a full-time job, playing in both the NFL and CFL, where he has cemented his legacy alongside the all-time greats to have ever played the three-down game. And he was there to watch his son start his own family, diving head-first into his new role as grandpa to Bighill and wife Kristina’s three young children.
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Seventeen-year-old Adam Bighill and his father Andrew at the Washington State Powerlifting Championships.
So, when Bighill got the news that his father had fallen ill back home, he knew exactly where he needed to be. Anything for the man who had always been there from the very beginning.
“He didn’t want me to come home because he knew that I had things I had to take care of here,” Bighill said in an emotional phone call with the Free Press earlier this week. “That just kind of epitomizes him and his unselfish nature. He just wanted what was best for me, always.”
Last Tuesday Bighill flew to see his father, who had been admitted to the Oregon Health and Science University Hospital in Portland for what doctors believe began as an infection in his foot. As the hours passed, Bighill said the diagnosis just got worse, and by the time he arrived later that day, he knew it could be the last time he saw his No. 1 fan.
“He wasn’t fully awake and talking when I got there,” Bighill said. “But he squeezed my hand a couple of times, I think letting me know he can hear me.”
Andrew Bighill suddenly died just a few hours later, on June 27, 2023. He was 72.
For many father-son relationships, it can be a complicated bond. For Bighill, though, the love he and his dad shared was as straight-forward as it was unconditional.
When Bighill’s parents divorced when he was nine, his dad became his full-time guardian. He remained close with his mother, Janine, who also had a big impact on his life, until her death six years later from a heart attack. It took Bighill some time to grieve the loss, but it undoubtedly brought him and his father closer.
“He gave me all the life skills that I have today,” Bighill said. “Over my professional career, I’ve tried to identify how I got to where I am, who I am and why I am the way I am. Without having him help instil those things into me, you never know what could have happened.”
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Adam Bighill and his father Andrew at Adam’s graduation from Montesano High School.
Bighill remembers asking his dad as a young child why he was born with a facial difference, to which Andrew, who went by Andy, told him it was God challenging him, and to make up for it, he was granted incredible athletic gifts. From that conversation, Bighill believed he had super powers, and he would later go on to dedicate part of his life to supporting kids with facial differences, helping build up their self-esteem by working with groups such as Making Faces.
His father also told him you can achieve anything you want in life so long as you put in the work and sacrifice. Bighill became addicted to out-working others, whether it was in the classroom, on the grid iron, basketball court, soccer pitch or wrestling ring. He didn’t drink or try drugs. It’s where his relentless work ethic was first born.
Finally, his father told him if he was going to do something, anything, to do it to your absolute best. Bighill saw first-hand what that looked like, as his father, who worked decades at the local lumber mill, became known as the best grader on the entire West Coast.
“Dad, as I look back now, he had me under his wing the entire way,” said Bighill, adding his father was a talented football player, but quit the game to attend a university that had the classes he desired but not a team. “We didn’t have a lot growing up. We never went on fancy vacations and as a kid, it was always peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or bologna and mustard. Sometimes it was just mustard and bread. But because I had his love, I felt like I felt like I had everything I could ever want.”
While his father enjoyed watching every sport Bighill competed in – “My dad was famous around town for being at all my sporting events,” he said – they shared a special bond over football. From his time playing as a kid, to starring at Montesano High School and then Central Washington University, to his stint with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints followed by years with the B.C. Lions and now the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, his father was there every step of the way.
In the years Bighill played for the Lions, his father would make the five-hour trek north to attend all his home games. That first season in B.C., in 2011, Bighill won the Grey Cup on the team’s home turf, creating a moment with his father that he cherishes to this day.
“Having him in the stands and coming down on the field afterwards, it was really just me and him at that time and it was the first championship that I had won in any sport,” said Bighill, who would go on to celebrate two more championships with his dad as a Bomber. “If I think about playing sports my entire life growing up, I can see my dad in the stands. I knew exactly where he was at. He’s always standing. He was always in that spot. That’s always a good memory, just having his presence. I can see it clear as day where he is.”
It’s their shared bond over football and knowing that his father loved nothing more than watching him play the game, that inspired Bighill to join his teammates four days later for their game against the Alouettes. He flew from Portland to Montreal, where he was greeted with the support of his teammates, something Bighill said he is incredibly grateful for.
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Adam Bighill and his father Andrew while Adam played for the Central Washington University Wildcats.
The Bombers would go on to win 17-3.
“There was a challenge to it, for sure. Because at the end of the day, it’s different. He’s not watching on TV,” Bighill said. “I had to walk into the game and get focused, but dealing with that the entire week, there was definitely a sense of emptiness inside of me from working on being able to just deal with it. I don’t think you can handle it and put it away and have it never come back. It’s just something that I got to work with and work through, knowing he’s there watching over me.”
Twitter: @jeffkhamilton
Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer
After a slew of injuries playing hockey that included breaks to the wrist, arm, and collar bone; a tear of the medial collateral ligament in both knees; as well as a collapsed lung, Jeff figured it was a good idea to take his interest in sports off the ice and in to the classroom.
