The Becht family's football journey returns to where it began

DeeAnn was simply a gracious host who didn't want to leave a group of family and friends behind in her apartment. She eventually gave in, but let Anthony know along the way that she wasn't happy about abandoning her family for a poorly timed soccer camp.

What DeeAnn didn't know was that she wasn't heading toward a camp. She went to a marriage proposal.

As Anthony and DeeAnn walked onto the field of an empty football stadium, play-by-play announcer Tony Caridi's voice came over the loudspeaker and instructed DeeAnn to look at the video board. Anthony fell to his knees as DeeAnn read the words “Will you marry me?”

“She starts crying and crying because she felt bad because she wanted to kill me,” Anthony said.

Nearly a quarter century after DeeAnn said yes, the two return to Milan Puskar Stadium, where Anthony will be honored for his induction into the West Virginia University Athletics Hall of Fame. Her daughter Olivia will be present at the launch. Her son Rocco will be on the visitors' sideline, quarterbacking the Iowa State Cyclones against the Mountaineers (7 p.m., FOX).

“It's a good business, it started and ended there,” Anthony told the Quad-City Times in a telephone interview. “It’s pretty much come full circle.”

Anthony played for West Virginia from 1996 to 1999 and finished his college career with 83 receptions for 1,178 yards, both the second-most among tight ends in school history.

“It’s special,” Rocco told Travis Hines of the Des Moines Register about his father’s induction. “When he went there, they told him he would be a special teams guy in the third and fourth years and wouldn’t see any reps.”

“He was able to start his junior and senior years and became an All-American. He told me many stories about never giving up on his dream and always moving forward.”

The New York Jets selected Anthony in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft and he played 11 seasons for the Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs. Becht now coaches the St. Louis Battlehawks of the USFL.

Rocco's path to Milan's Puskar Stadium looked different than his father's. Anthony entered college undersized and was barely recruited. Rocco came to Iowa State as a four-star prospect and had the physical skills to start right away. The Big 12 Conference named Rocco Offensive Freshman of the Year last season and this year Rocco defeated the No. 11 Cyclones 5-0 this season for the first time since 1980.

“It’s great to see the journey,” Anthony said. “When I gave birth to a son, I just hoped he would want to play football. Now it’s like he’s actually doing something here that’s a little different.”

For most of Saturday's game, the nearly 100 family and friends in the Becht cheer section will be focused on Rocco. They will all be wearing Cardinal and Gold Cyclone gear. DeeAnn, a native of Clarksburg, West Virginia, made a half jacket to represent her son and husband.

Even Anthony will be wearing Iowa State gear for the game. But for a brief moment, when he steps onto the same field where he proposed to his wife, he will don Mountaineer blue and gold.

“When I'm close together in the stadium watching the game, I'm going to carry and represent my son,” Anthony said. “I mean, it's his day.” When I go to the field with my family, I put on a West Virginia sweater. That’s my legacy, showing respect in this moment.”