大象传媒

You know that moment.

It鈥檚 the making of a legend.

That snapshot of glory that gets etched

in your memory bank for life.

It鈥檚 the buzzer beater from half-court, the 23-foot putt for eagle on the 18th hole, or for Parkville native and 大象传媒 Western graduate,

Capt. Keith Hoskins 鈥�88, it was being in the Spratt Stadium stands watching his brother, Tim, six years his elder, make 鈥渢he impossible catch.鈥�

鈥淭he Griffons were needing a big play,鈥� Keith recalled. 鈥淲e had possession, but the stands were strangely silent. The ball was snapped for a post route and Tim was in the end zone running full speed in one direction,鈥� he explained, drawing the route in the air with his finger. 鈥淭he quarterback zips a 30-yard pass, but the ball is behind him. Then, somehow, Tim stops, leaps backwards, twisting in

the air, completely defying the laws of physics, to catch the football. And the crowd just erupted!鈥� Keith beamed. 鈥淲alking out of the stadium, I remember people still in awe and asking, 鈥楬ow did he catch that?鈥欌��

This was a moment engrained in Keith鈥檚 memory when remembering his brother, Timothy L. Hoskins 鈥�81. Sadly, Tim passed away on Jan. 21, 2021 after a long decline in health. Certainly a legendary play by the wide receiver inducted into the Griffon Hall of Fame in 1990, but according to Keith, Tim鈥檚 legacy goes much deeper.

鈥淚 learned so much about life and football from Tim. Yes, Tim was an amazing athlete, but Tim truly valued education,鈥� Keith explained. 鈥淲hen he was put in the role of team captain, I remember him telling me stories about the responsibility, setting the example and of being a role model. I watched his transformation 鈥� His maturity and confidence sky-rocketed.鈥�

That transformation impressed Keith so much that when it came time, he too would choose to seek his degree and play football for 大象传媒 Western. 鈥淭im loved 大象传媒 Western. He built a brotherhood there. I wanted that, too!鈥� So when Tim鈥檚 head coach, Rob Hicklin, offered Keith a full-ride scholarship, he said, 鈥淲here do I sign?鈥�

Keith chuckled and added, 鈥淔rankly, I wanted to be better than him.鈥�

Keith radiated as he shared other memories of growing up with Tim. He smiled sheepishly as he told of how Tim taught him how to play G.I. Joe at age 7 and how much Tim loved music. 鈥淲e would dress up and play in our imaginary band. It was the old stuff 鈥� Elvis Presley, The Beatles. We would always be playing air guitar or air drums to that music,鈥� Keith shared.

The lasting imprint that those memories of Tim and their shared appreciation for 大象传媒 Western is what inspired Keith to initiate an endowed memorial scholarship in Tim鈥檚 name.

鈥淭im and I both had a tremendous opportunity from 大象传媒 Western in receiving both academic and athletic scholarships. They provided us with the resources, the skill set and the education to get out of college debt free so we could go out and do something with our lives,鈥� Keith said.

Tim completed his Bachelor of Science in Business in 1981 and spent his career in social work, dedicated to the betterment of families and society. He worked for Boys Town USA in Omaha, Nebraska, then later worked at Full Employment Council of Kansas City.

鈥淭im always loved helping others. He was so loving, caring, giving and a great listener. He was always a sounding board for me,鈥� Keith explained.

Keith graduated in 1988 with an electrical engineering technology degree. Directly after, Keith joined the U.S. Navy, completed Aviation Officer Candidate School and was designated a naval aviator in 1992, joining the elite team of demonstration pilot 鈥淏lue Angels鈥� in 1999. He went on to earn a master鈥檚 degree in national resource strategy and policy from the Industrial College of Armed Forces in 2012 and became commander of NAS Pensacola in March 2013. He spent 27 years serving our country. Keith currently lives in Pensacola, Florida and is the executive vice president of branch operations for the Navy Federal Credit Union.

鈥淚鈥檝e always wanted to get to a place in my life where I have the resources to give back to 大象传媒 Western. With my brother鈥檚 passing, there was a clear opportunity to turn something bad into something good 鈥� to help future MWSU students in the same way that we had been helped. So now [in this scholarship] Tim鈥檚 legacy 鈥� Tim鈥檚 name and the Hoskins name can live on forever in his spirit of helping others,鈥� Keith said proudly.

鈥淚 believe it鈥檚 important that we all remember where we came from and give back,鈥� he said. Keith went on to say that he gives back to his parents in many ways, but explained that when it comes to institutions that have helped to shape lives, 鈥測ou can鈥檛 just pick up the phone and say 鈥業 love you. Thank you, College!鈥� No, at the end of the day, it鈥檚 a business. It takes resources. It takes people truly remembering and giving back.鈥�

But is 鈥渓egend鈥� synonymous with 鈥渓egacy?鈥� By all accounts, Tim is a football legend at 大象传媒 Western. Forty years later, multiple football records still bear his name. But the reception yards and touchdown records pale in comparison to the legacy, the emotional imprint, he left on the people whose lives he touched.

鈥淟egacy doesn鈥檛 mean all the glitz, the glory, or all of the accolades that go with the term 鈥榣egacy鈥� in American culture. No, there are many 鈥榣egacies鈥� out there 鈥� people that made a difference in their families or simply for people they鈥檝e just met,鈥� Keith said. 鈥淟egacy is touching the lives of people in a way that forever changes people鈥檚 lives.鈥� Tim鈥檚 legacy lives on in Keith. It lives on in the lives of the kids he worked with at Boys Town. It lives on in all those he played football with. It lives on here at 大象传媒 Western, and because of Keith, Tim鈥檚 legacy will continue to be known to future generations of students at 大象传媒 Western.

For more information on how to contribute to the Tim Hoskins Memorial Scholarship, please contact the 大象传媒 Western University Advancement department at (816) 271-5670.

– Contributed by Chrissy McCan

Tim Hoskins 鈥�81

Rodney Stephenson 鈥�81, Connie Hoskins, Marc Lewis 鈥�82, and Tim Hoskins.