For two-and-a-half hours on a recent Saturday, Mike McConathy was the worst dressed man in college basketball. The men's head coach of Northwestern State University had arrived at Moody Coliseum decked out smartly in a gray sport coat with crossing purple stripes, black slacks and a dark mock turtleneck. But just before his team tipped off against Abilene Christian University, McConathy slipped on a bright orange, long-sleeve, moisture-wicking athletic shirt.
He never looked better.
The front of the shirt bore three prominent characters that convinced McConathy, quite the character himself in his 18th year leading the Demons, to commit such a fashion faux pas: P4X, the name of the foundation benefiting from funds raised during that doubleheader between ACU and Northwestern State.
P4X originated as the rallying cry for Rex Fleming: Pray 4 Rex. The son of ACU associate director of athletics for media relations Lance Fleming ('92) and his wife, Jill, Rex was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor in November 2010. His two-year battle engaged innumerable supporters from among the extended ACU community, the city of Abilene, various corners of college athletics and the worldwide web via social media.
For more of this month's Grant Me This, click here.
