Some Things Are Bigger Than Sports: Dom Welch To Honor Buffalo Shooting Victims

Dominick Welch, a St. Bonaventure transfer who recently landed at Alabama as a graduate transfer in late May, will wear No. 10 next season to honor the 10 people who were killed in the Buffalo mass shooting, the team announced.

On May 14, a shooter opened fire at the Tops Supermarket on Jefferson Avenue, injuring three people and killing 10. Eleven of the 13 victims were Black, while the other two were white.

Welch, a Buffalo native, played four years at St. Bonaventure , appearing in 110 games while starting in 105. Last season, Welch averaged 12.3 points, six rebounds while shooting 41.4% from the floor as one of the top scorers in the Atlantic-10 conference.

By now we have all seen the horrific tragedy in Buffalo last month. As I have blogged before, athletes like Micah Hyde have stepped up for relief efforts for the victims. 

Welch was a key offseason get for The Crimson Tide, and has chosen to honor those lost from his area every time he steps on the floor this season by donning the #10. A very heartwarming gesture by Dom , and something I am sure he will take great pride in. Numbers in sports can often be trivial, or by coincidence, luck or "just because" . You are a young kid and you pick 7 because it was the day you were born so you stick with that, or an athlete you like wore #21 so you use that but it's not really your number you just do it because they did, or like my brother #11 was the one they gave you out of the box and that just became your number. There was no real attachment to it, but you embrace it. It's always great on the flip side to see when numbers have a purpose, like this case or when Mark Sanchez wearing #6 to honor his father's firehouse . Credit to Dom for putting some meaning on #10 and making it mean something to himself, and a community. Bonus props to his teammate Charles Bediako who gave up #10 so Dom could wear it. 

There will always be uplifting stories in sports, here's to hoping every time someone mourning from the Buffalo area turns on an Alabama game they can even for a few minutes enjoy Dom in his #10 jersey. 

#SomeThingsAreBiggerThanSports