STEPHENVILLE – Setting up the game-winning score for the one of the biggest wins in program history could be considered the most pressure-packed situation a player faces.
That was not the case for Brad Larson.
Being diagnosed with megakaryoblastic leukemia shortly after birth, Larson was given just a 25% chance to live. He beat those odds and did more than what the doctors thought he could do.
From the hospital to the gridiron, Larson developed into a top-tier kicker with a successful career at Angelo State. In just his second game as a Texan, he secured Tarleton State’s second-ever FBS win with his 37-yard field goal at Army in double overtime.
Now cancer free, Larson is proving he can accomplish anything on and off the field while fundraising for childhood cancer.
“There’s no limit on what you can and can’t do,” Larson said. “I know it was very hard. God gave me the opportunity to raise money (for cancer research) and play the sport I love. None of that would have happened if he wasn’t there. He was guiding me through that moment when I was a kid and all the prayers were answered.”
‘We Knew Something Was Going On’
Stacey and Chad Larson were first alarmed when their son was six weeks old. Brad not only displayed signs of sickness, but he also had a nosebleed and bruised easily.
The Larsons’ pediatrician was out of town when Brad’s symptoms onset, leaving them with medical personnel unfamiliar with the family. Stacey called one more time a few days later, getting ahold of the family’s pediatrician just 30 minutes before the office closed in Lexington, Kentucky.. She got her son and then 1-year-old daughter in the car and raced to the doctor, arriving just five minutes before the doors shut for the night.
It took the pediatrician just one look at Brad to determine he needed to be admitted to Kentucky Children’s Hospital. The family received the diagnosis a few hours later: Brad had megakaryoblastic leukemia.
“As you can imagine, that was very hard to hear,” Stacey said. “The prognosis was really poor. They gave him a 25% chance of surviving.”
The cancer Brad had was a rare form called Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), with only 1% of kids with leukemia getting that type. Due to the intensity of treatment and his age, Brad had to remain in the hospital for 17 consecutive weeks.
Brad went into remission after the lengthy treatment and the doctors informed the family that a relapse was likely within six months to a year. The cancer, however, never came back.
Even though Brad was cancer free, doctors were less than optimistic about his development.
“I’ll never forget when they discharged him,” Stacey said. “They told us, ‘He’s not going to be your athlete. He’s going to be developmentally behind. He’s probably not going to make those milestones most kids do.'”
‘Haven’t Looked Back’
When Brad came home from the hospital, the last thing on the family’s minds was potential complications. He took his first steps at 10 months old, walking his way to a normal childhood.
The future football kicker first used his feet in a sport when he took up soccer at 3 years old, with Chad being his coach. As a speedy striker, Brad remembers dribbling past all the defenders and stopping as he approached the goal. Once the rest of the players caught up to him, that’s when the kicker converted the goal.
“I dealt with a lot of anxiety about what had happened. I overcame it, but I thought (the cancer) could always come back,” Brad said. “Sports was an outlet for me. I wasn’t worried when I was on the field. I’m grateful that God put sports in my life and gave me that I have.”
When the Larsons moved to Texas, Brad flourished as a two-sport athlete. Excelling in soccer and football at Prosper High School, Brad eventually went on to a successful four-year career at Angelo State. He was the leading scorer for the Rams in 2023 and 2024, resulting in a pair of Lone Star Conference All-Offense honors.
The kid who was given a 25% chance to live accomplished something only 7.5% of high school players do: compete in college football.
“He’s a miracle,” Stacey said. “He’s always been underrated from what he can do. There were no delays [in his development]. We haven’t looked back and we’re very fortunate for that.”
‘Great Way to Give Back’
As Brad blossomed into a college prospect, he knew that he wanted his impact to go beyond the playing field.
He attended a kicking camp in high school that showcased the opportunity to start fundraisers. The camp allowed Brad and other campers to kick for any cause of their choosing, giving them the opportunities to obtain pledges and donations.
Brad took that opportunity and ran with it, partnering with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer. He has raised $38,000 for childhood cancer research to date.
“I thought that was a great way for me to give back to those families and those kids and give them hope,” Brad said. “Knowing what my family went through and what I went through, that was a way for me to take what I went through and show people that it’s possible (to recover).”
The work for Brad, however, is far from over. The kicker is dedicating his senior season at Tarleton State for childhood cancer research, with each point that he scores for the Texans resulting in a dollar amount for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.
With over 15,000 children being diagnosed with cancer in the United States each year, Tarleton State’s senior kicker serves as an inspiration for people to fight and overcome the odds. That’s a role that Brad gladly accepts.
“It’s hard to play at this level and show up every day to do your job and go to work,” Brad said. “But if I can motivate other people that are going through cancer and have been through cancer, that means a lot to me. I’m happy to do that for sure.”
Anyone wishing to pledge or donate to Brad’s fundraiser for childhood cancer research can do so by clicking here.
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