Travis Hunter Sr. walked so that his son could run. He was a football and track star for Boynton Beach High School in the early 2000s. For instance, he recorded 10.82 seconds on a 100-meter sprint as a 15-year-old freshman. In 2004, along with Odiles Jeune, Jodson Noel, and Cameron Rolle, he set the Boynton Beach’s school record in the 4×100-meter relay, 41.63 seconds. This record still hasn’t been broken despite close misses by relay teams starring future Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson in 2014 and 2015.

On the field, he used his speed to overwhelm the opposition, despite the Tigers not being the most competitive team. In fact, in 2004, Travis Hunter Sr. recorded an 82-yard kick return and a 46-yard pick-six against Martin County. This secured a much-needed win for his school and snapped a 14-game losing streak.

Interesting Fact: Travis Hunter Jr. gets the speed from his father. He recorded a speed of  21.4 MPH during a chase-down tackle against Colorado State running back Avery Morrow. This took place in the fourth quarter of the Buffaloes’ 28-9 win over the Rams in Week 3.

A 2005 Boynton Beach High graduate, Hunter Sr. wanted to play college football. Back in the day, he had shared that he dreamt of joining a JUCO roster in Kansas after graduation but had to let go of it as he had children to take care of. Instead, he started playing semipro football in the Florida Football Alliance and Southern States Football League. He even won the Offensive Rookie of the Year for the latter in 2007.

Back then, as a 22-year-old, he stated, “I am trying to chase a dream… I would be willing to go arena first and I’ll go from there. I’ll see who picks me up. I will go to the Canadian League, or the NFL, whoever wants me.”

“I just want to play ball. I was supposed to go to Dodge, Kansas [after graduation], but I had two kids so I couldn’t leave them.” His sacrifice seems to be paying of as his son, Travis Hunter, is living his dream as a college football player.

Travis Jr. was born in May 2003 so one can understand how his father had responsibilities on his shoulders. Once, in a video released by ‘Reach The People Media’ on YouTube, Junior recalled having a rough childhood. When asked about how it felt to be back home, the athlete responded, “I don’t like coming back home, though,” owing to his childhood experiences, though he didn’t elaborate much about it. But what he did state was the fact that he successfully made it out.

Regardless, the father has been a part of his son’s football journey and they even posed together on the field when the now-Colorado star was at Jackson State. While not much information is available about his current occupation, we do know that the father closely watches his son’s games and the college football scene, as he posts about it on Instagram quite often. He even referred to his son as “The Future” in some of his posts. On the other hand, his mother, Ferrante Harris, is a digital creator, who also follows football closely.

While Deion Sanders is not related to Travis Hunter Jr., he does see his coach as a parent. “He’s like a father figure to me,” Hunter said during an Oct. 8 interview on ‘The Richard Sherman Podcast’.

Travis Hunter Sr.: He admires Deion Sanders!

In a 2023 interview, Hunter Sr. spoke about his son, his team, and his coach, Deion Sanders. What did he say?

He was happy that ‘Prime Time’ was his son’s coach because of the discipline and accountability that he brought in. “I’m happy that coach Prime is his coach.” 

“Coach Prime being his coach and I know he know my son. So he know how he moved, he know how he act, he know how his body is exactly. That’s a good thing,” he stated.  Although his playing days never rose to where he had dreamed, Hunter Sr. saw to it that his son never lacked chances. He inspired a young Travis to become the best that he could be but he never stopped preaching his love for football. The result?

Hunter Jr. gained respect as he was one of the highest-rated prospects, left Jackson State, and followed Deion Sanders to Colorado.

Hunter Jr. once said, “My dad taught me to always keep fighting. No matter the situation, stay hungry.” And stay hungry, he has. He transformed himself into one of the most exciting players in college football today.

Well then, who is Travis Hunter’s father? It is the man who has sacrificed his ambitions for his children. The baton has been passed and Travis Hunter Jr. is picking it up. Every time he makes a throw, one feels his Hunter’s father’s dreams coming true. What do you think?