TAMPA — This is a very special Father’s Day for Chris Godwin.
In January, the Bucs receiver and wife Mariah became first-time parents to son Ace.
Nearly a year earlier, 10 days after the Bucs lost to the Lions in a division-round playoff game, Godwin’s father, Rod Christopher Godwin Sr., died of cancer.
“He wasn‘t my coach. He was just a parent supporting me,” Godwin told the Tampa Bay Times in October. “I just always thought growing up that that’s kind of how everybody’s parents were. But then, as I got older, I realized, like, that that wasn’t the case. And it went that way all the way through high school, right?
“It’s tough to put into words. A lot of my memories as a young boy playing football when I was 6 were of my dad, running up and down the sideline screaming, ’Half man! Half monster! The Manster!’ ”
![Chris Godwin’s wife Mariah holds their newborn son Ace during a news conference back in March.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 620 459"/%3E)
Chris Godwin’s wife Mariah holds their newborn son Ace during a news conference back in March. [ DIRK SHADD | Times ]
Godwin has decided to honor his father by adding “Jr.” to the back of his Bucs No. 14 jersey this season.
“I lost my Pops in January of 2024, and Father’s Day last year was a time of reflection and introspection,” Godwin wrote on Instagram this past week. ”This year, Father’s Day represents a full circle moment in my life journey as I get to celebrate being a first-time dad with my son, Ace.
“Fatherhood has already been an unbelievable experience and has changed me in so many ways. I can only hope that Ace feels the same way about me as I do about my dad.”
It’s been quite a journey in the NFL for Godwin. In 2021, he tore two knee ligaments in a game against the Saints in the final month of the season. Somehow, he started the 2022 season opener at Dallas and caught the first pass of the year from Tom Brady.
Flash forward to that night Oct. 21, 2024. The Bucs were on their way to losing 41-31 to the Ravens in the final minute when Godwin dislocated his ankle after an illegal hip drop tackle by linebacker Roquan Smith. At the time, Godwin was leading the NFL with 50 receptions and had caught five touchdown passes.
But Godwin never has wavered about his desire to return to the field. He will do so with a new way to honor his father.
“As a professional athlete, you are always recognized for the name on the front of your jersey, but I also play for the name that’s printed on the back,” Godwin wrote in the Instagram post. “That’s why I’ve chosen to add ‘Jr.’ to my name in honor of the man who gave so unselfishly of himself to others and helped mold me into who I am today.”
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