Utah Honors Ty Jordan, Aaron Lowe in Rose Bowl With ‘Moment of Loudness’

Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

Utah football continued its tradition of honoring former players Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe with a “moment of loudness” during the Rose Bowl. 

The two players died nine months apart from each other, Jordan first from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound and Lowe was shot and killed at a house party just hours after the Utes beat Washington State in September. The two were high school teammates, and after Jordan’s death, Lowe switched his jersey to No. 22 in honor of him. 

But instead of the deaths tearing the team apart, it brought them together. 

“It brought us together in a way that I don't know what could have been more powerful,” coach Kyle Whittingham said to ESPN. “It unified us and gave us all a cause. Not that you need that to have a good football team, but that really sparked us and really gave everybody a common denominator to play for."

Throughout the season, the team has honored their memory with a “moment of loudness” rather than silence, asking fans in Rice-Eccles Stadium to turn on the lights on their phones and cheer to celebrate their lives. Saturday, they took the tradition to the 90,000 fans in the Rose Bowl.

"During the break between the third and fourth quarter, we asked you to smile. Smile like Aaron and Ty did," the team account wrote in the caption for its video. "LIVE like Aaron and Ty did. While this video played, you turned your flashlights on and you stood and you cheered with us in a breathtaking moment of loudness for the lives of Aaron Lowe and Ty Jordan. We play for them, our brothers. #22forever and ever ♥️"