Blake Anderson has taken yet another significant step in the grieving process.
Arkansas State announced Aug. 19 that Anderson would be taking a leave of absence from his job as head football coach to be with his wife Wendy, who was battling an aggressive form of breast cancer for the second time in three years. The following day, Anderson posted a heartfelt message on social media revealing that his wife had lost her brave battle with the insidious disease shortly before midnight the night before “with me laying right beside her.”
Not surprisingly, Anderson’s leave of absence extended into the regular season, with Anderson missing his team’s season-opening loss to SMU. In the days leading up to the Week 2 game with UNLV in Las Vegas, it was unclear when Anderson would return to the sidelines.
Reports began to surface in the hours leading up to the 10 p.m. ET kickoff that Anderson may indeed be back with the team as soon as this weekend. In a video posted to ASU’s official Twitter account not long ago, Anderson surprised his players by appearing at a team meeting and, in the process, signaled his return.
👀 Look who walked in‼️#WolvesUp | #NOW pic.twitter.com/YGHmmEY7r7
— Arkansas State Football (@AStateFB) September 8, 2019