Karns City super fan Nate Ridley has never let spina bifida stop him from following Gremlins
In one respect, Karns City football's final home game of 1997 was no different for Nate Ridley.
It was senior recognition night, and he was there to support the Gremlins as he had done so many times before — he'd been attending games “as long as I can remember,” he said.
But this time, his mind drifted from the action on the field.
Ridley was never able to play himself due to being born with spina bifida, a congenital defect of the spine which leaves him unable to use his legs.
“That was my senior year against Moniteau, the final time the team would be playing at home,” said Ridley, who now lives in Chicora. “It was the first time I can remember that not being able to play really bothered me. I just wanted to be out there for one play with my friends.”
Ridley's presence at Karns City athletic events did not stop with his graduation in 1998. He was a member of the boys and girls basketball boosters for a decade, has held several positions with the KC Quarterback Club (currently on the board of directors) and has remained a constant presence at Karns City athletic events in general.
“Nate is a die-hard fan of our sports teams. It's an extension of his high school days,” KC girls soccer coach and Ridley's former classmate Tracy Dailey said. “I've known him for over 30 years. In school he was a likable kid, always talking to people. He's never let spina bifida slow him down.”
Nate's father, Ron Ridley, was coach of the Karns City Blue Devils, a youth football team, from 1970-2002.
“I'd go to all those games, and as long as I was there to watch my friends and be close to the action, that was enough for me,” Ridley said. “At that time, I didn't think about my situation and not being able to play myself.”
Ron Ridley also served as an AAU baseball coach in Karns City and taught his son how to keep a scorebook. He and Nate attended varsity games on the gridiron and other events in the district.
“He was also a Karns City grad (Class of 1970),” Nate said. “It was very important for him to support his alma mater, and he's the one who helped instill in me that passion. Even after I became an adult, we'd go to football games, baseball, basketball. ... We were always going somewhere.”
Ron Ridley died in 2003 at the age of 51.
“It wasn't the same without my dad, not even close,” Nate said. “But I never thought to stop attending games. He would not have wanted that and it's something that is in my blood.”
Ridley’s unwavering backing of Karns City’s teams extends to the fall, winter and spring seasons. He was in Hershey in March 2000 when the girls basketball team won the state championship against Bishop Hoban. He was at Diehl Stadium on Sept. 1, 2023, when senior quarterback/defensive back Mason Martin collapsed and was taken from the field in an ambulance after a brain injury.
“That was the quietest I've ever heard that stadium,” said Ridley, who picked football as his favorite sport.
“Golf and cross country are the only two sports I've never seen in person. It would be very difficult to keep track of them, being in a wheelchair,” he said.
Ridley's car is equipped with hand controls, allowing him to drive himself to games. He attends football, soccer, basketball and baseball games the most. Other than the COVID season of 2020, he has not missed the Gremlins playing on the gridiron, home or away, in 20 years.
“There are days when we have multiple events scheduled, and I hate when that happens,” he said. “I have to pick and choose which one to go to. It often depends on the matchup. If one of our basketball teams is playing at home against a team that we should have no problem beating and the other is playing on the road against a good opponent, I'll go to the away game.
“Summers are boring for me. During that time of the year, I can't wait for football season to start.”
Last spring, he got the opportunity to be the announcer for a number of KC baseball games at Pullman Park.
“That was a lot of fun, but my smart watch said that my heart rate was getting too high,” he said with a laugh. “I got better with it as the season went on.”
Ridley, who is employed as a data coordinator at Early Learning Connections in Mount Chestnut, admitted there are times when he thinks about the limitations of his life due to spina bifida.
“I get bitter, but I try to not let it control me,” he said. “What gets me back to thinking positively is realizing how fortunate I am to understand sports as well as I do.”
His involvement with the KC Quarterback Club carries on the legacy of his father, who was a member for over 30 years. Nate has previously served as president, vice president and secretary of the organization, which ensures the football program has up-to-date equipment and holds fundraisers that pay for summer camps and scholarships for Gremlins players.
“I joined the quarterback club about a month after I graduated,” he said. “Even when I was still a student, I knew it was something I'd get involved with.”
Current Karns City athletic director Chris Bellis previously served as a coach, both head and assistant, with the girls basketball team, and later led the boys program for over a decade.
“Nate’s support of Karns City’s kids has been tremendous, and we appreciate all of the time and effort he puts in,” Bellis said.
Ridley knows many of Karns City’s varsity coaches well and has had lengthy conversations with girls basketball coach Steve Andreassi, current assistant girls coach Dave Kerschbaumer and Dailey, among others. The topic can be sports, while simply catching up is the focus at other times.
“I believe I was put on this earth to help young athletes as much as I can,” Ridley said. “Supporting the teams at Karns City is my life. It's a way for me to stay involved.”
