CORPUS CHRSITI, Texas — With the stroke of a pen, Flour Bluff's Johnny Dickson is closer to seeing his dream of playing major college football a reality.
The All-South Texas center signed his letter of intent to play at Virginia Tech Wednesday morning during the early signing period for football players. Dickson has always rooted for the Hokies since his early days while growing up in Virginia.
What made this day extra special for Dickson was the fact that his mom, U.S. Navy Petty Officer First Class Candace Dickson, watched his big moment via FaceTime from over 8,000 miles away in Bahrain where she is currently stationed. Her son was ecstatic when he found out she could watch.
"Just having her on the little screen like an iPad or something like that is always going to mean something to me," said Dickson. "It's a moment we will always treasure for the rest of our lives."
"I'm super excited, like you see this?," Candace Dickson said as she smiled and laughed. "I can't put what today means into words. It's almost as good as when I came home to surprise him."
Her surprise visit came October 29 when the Hornets were getting ready to play Veterans Memorial at Hornet Stadium. Dickson snuck up on her son right before kickoff and gave him a big hug.
She admits being so far away and being allowed to watch her son sign his scholarship papers will always be a cherished moment.
"It has really overwhelmed me which I needed extra people to be here life me up because I was probably going to cry," said Dickson. "I am incredibly happy for my son and all his achievements."
Johnny Dickson plans on majoring in science at Virginia Tech. He hopes his accomplishment of earning a full ride athletic scholarship will motivate other South Texas athletes to follow in his footsteps.
"You just have to keep your faith," he said. "I know Corpus Christi is a small recruiting area but with me doing this today shows other kids you can get recruited. You just have to get the work in."
