Erik Proffitt loved soccer – it was his main focus in life. He loved his family, his friends, always lived life to its fullest, but he was really consumed with soccer. He always had a soccer ball at his feet. While Erik was at Northwest, he started and played every game all four years. He was captain his junior and senior years and all city his junior and senior years. He was vice-president of his senior class and was also on the honor society his junior and senior years. He liked school because he liked people. He had a very confident manner that transferred from athletic to academic.

Erik attended Eastern Illinois University on a soccer scholarship He got to start and play every game his freshman and sophomore years. Erik got sick with Spinal meningitis and tragically left us six days later here in Wichita as we decided to bring him back home before he died. That was April 20, 1989. There are now a couple of vaccines for bacterial spinal meningitis that is encouraged for children 12 and older and I would ask each of you to check into it for your children or grandchildren. Erik, never I mean never, got sick and this was so unusual for him to be the one to contract this.

From money from his memorial and 3 previous golf tournaments in the early 90’s, we gave 7 scholarships before we decided in 1995 to just give the money to Northwest where the Erik Proffitt #19 Memorial Soccer Fund was started in his name with the idea of putting it toward a soccer complex. Through the hard work of many board members, coaches especially Bobby and Vivian, players, parents, community involvement, and my husband Chris who was the treasurer of this fund as well as the golf tournament director, it is a continuing memorial that benefits both the boys and girls soccer programs at Northwest as well as all soccer players in the city. The opposing teams are always complimentary about the quality of the turf on which they get to play.

We have also re-established a scholarship for each program – men and women’s. Before each starting season there will be information available to every senior soccer player.

Erik is smiling down with his beautiful smile on the Erik Proffitt #19 Soccer Complex and his family and friends are grateful to everyone for helping keep his love of soccer alive in the Gold and Blue colors of Northwest High School and the green green turf of his school. “Follow Erik’s Lead – play it to his fullest!”