Uvalde senior Cory Luevanos chosen to wear No. 21, honoring brother and all Robb Elementary victims

After the Robb Elementary School shooting, Uvalde head football coach Wade Miller chose not to retire No. 21 but to use it to honor the 21 lives lost.

Each season, the Uvalde football player who wears No. 21 is voted on by his teammates and selected to represent the best of the community.

“We hadn’t really thought about it, so I asked the kids what they would want to do, and the consensus was we’d give it to one of the seniors who represents the town,” Miller said.

Now, every season, seniors who want the jersey number stand up — and their teammates vote.

This year, the choice was unanimous.

“I said, ‘Any senior interested in being No. 21, stand up,’ and the team wrote it down. We read their votes, and Cory was unanimous,” Miller said.

For Cory Luevanos, wearing 21 is deeply personal.

“I was honored and grateful to represent everyone — all the people and all the lives that were lost. It just feels great,” Luevanos said.

Luevanos is the first player chosen for the honor who lost a sibling in the shooting.

His brother, Jayce Luevanos, was one of the victims killed at Robb Elementary. He was 10 years old.

“To be able to tell him he was going to get to wear that number and represent his brother, it was special,” Miller said.

Before telling Luevanos, Miller made sure his parents were the first to know.

“They were excited and emotional at the same time, because they really wanted me to get it,” Luevanos said.

“I just wanted to make sure it was OK with them,” Miller said. “They were excited for Cory and excited for the opportunity.

“Everybody knows Cory, and everybody loves Cory,” Miller said.

“I’m friends with everybody. Nobody sees me as a bad person, so even if I’m on or off the field, I’ll always be there cheering them on,” Luevanos said.

“Being on the field just makes me happy,” Luevanos said. “Football is the sport I love the most, and being on the field just makes me feel good.”

The No. 21 tradition has now spread across every sport at Uvalde High School — a game-day reminder of the lives lost, and the community still carrying them forward.

“I’ll feel pretty emotional. Either way, if it’s my last game, I’ll still go to every single game and watch everybody that gets to wear No. 21,” Luevanos said. “This is a special city. Everything that has happened, everyone just got closer over time.”

The Coyotes have been a team in every sense of the word since the Robb Elementary shooting.

The Uvalde Coyotes football team will host Floresville for the regular season finale at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Read also:

• How Madison Mavericks long snapper balances football and Type 1 diabetes