Why do you wear that number?

“Why do you wear that number?” 

It’s a question I was asked when I was younger, and one that I ask today when I’m around the different teams I work with at UNCW. It’s an icebreaker that I like to ask when student-athletes come to UNCW.  

Sometimes the answer is as simple as being what their favorite player wore, or it was assigned to me. But every so often there’s a story behind the number, one kept close to the individual. 

Adam Smith is a sophomore in the UNCW baseball program. He wears number 35. He stepped in as a freshman and started the first 10 games of the 2019 season and his career at shortstop. This season, he moved to the mound and became a go-to reliever, tying for the team-lead with three saves. He has a live arm and an electric breaking ball. 

I thought he wore #35 simply because it was assigned to him. An infielder, especially a middle infielder, with a number that high? That had to be the reason. 

Prior to the season, UNCW’s equipment partner Marucci offered to personalize each player’s glove. When the gloves came in, I saw how each player had made their glove their own. Leather colors, glove lengths and embroidery on the thumb separated each player and brought their personalities out.

One glove stood out. Adam Smith’s glove. It wasn’t the color or the length or the lacing. It was “CM35” embroidered on the thumb.

“Not a lot of people know what that means, but it represents my cousin, Conor (McKenna),” said Smith. “He passed away from cancer and loved playing baseball. When he played, his number was 35 and that’s why I also wear number 35 to help remember and cherish his life throughout my career.

Thirty-five is worn by all Conor’s cousins and siblings in a variety of sports. His younger brothers Quinn and Evan play baseball at Lehigh and Susquehanna, respectively, while his sister Marypat plays women’s lacrosse at Franklin & Marshall.

Among his cousins are Kylie, Bryson and Rory Cahill and Zach Smith (Adam’s brother). Kylie plays soccer at Longwood, Bryson played football at Misericordia and Rory will attend Indiana University Pennsylvania this fall and play lacrosse. Zach, meanwhile, plays baseball at West Chester East High School.

“Our family knew that we needed to carry out his legacy and cherish his life simply by wearing number 35. The number is so special to all of us and we honor him and his number every time we step onto the field, whether it’s baseball, basketball, football, soccer, lacrosse or field hockey. And since Conor was one of the older cousins, most of the younger cousins, like me, did not understand what was going on and or what he was going through on a daily basis. When you get older you start to comprehend what happened with Conor and start to really understand the true meaning behind the number.”

Conor passed away at the age of 15 following a courageous 19-month battle with Angiosarcoma, a rare type of cancer that forms in the lining of the blood vessels and lymph vessels. The lymph vessels, part of your immune system, collect bacteria, viruses and waste products from your body and dispose of them.

For more information visit CM35.org.