SAN DIEGO, California (KTSM) – In January, Jacob Cowing decided to take his talents to Arizona after a spectacular season with UTEP in 2021.
That led him to departing El Paso and UTEP, but he made sure to take a piece of Miners’ football with him to Arizona.
That piece being the #2 jersey number that means so much to UTEP football and many more.
That was the jersey number that Luke Laufenberg had with UTEP. Laufenberg joined the Miners for spring ball in 2019 after playing at Mesa Community College. Luke then passed away at the age of 21 on Aug. 22, 2019 after battling cancer for two years.
Since then, the Miners have kept Luke close to their hearts. UTEP players have worn black “LUKE” stickers on their helmets since the start of the 2019 season. In 2020 and 2021, former UTEP wide receiver Justin Garrett wore the #2 jersey in honor of Luke.
In 2022, the trend continues with quarterback Gavin Hardison sporting the #2 jersey.
Even though Cowing is no longer a Miner, he still wants to spread the message of #LiveLikeLuke.
Babe Laufenberg, the father of Luke, says that Cowing reached out to him, asking him for permission to wear the #2 at Arizona. Without hesitation, Babe granted Cowing the opportunity to wear it.
In Cowing’s first game with Arizona, he collected three touchdowns on eight catches and had 152 yards against San Diego State on Saturday.
He did all of that while wearing the #2 in honor of the late Luke Laufenberg.
