Video goes viral

The gift meant he’d be on his way to see Alabama square off against Notre Dame in the BCS National Championship in Miami with a ticket to the game he’d found hidden in his present.

“At first, I was extremely satisfied with the what Daniel had given me. We had seen it at Cracker Barrel in Oxford and I thought my daughter-in-law had made a mental note to come back and get it because I liked it, but after I tried it on they kept telling me to check to see if the size was correct on the inside and that’s when I saw the BCS logo [on the ticket],”said Buckhannan.

A home video Daniel posted to Facebook documenting his father’s hysterical response along with a personal note he shared online with his friends expressing how fortunate it was he was going to be able to enjoy the event with lifelong friend and fan who had never attended an Alabama bowl game eventually went viral, catching the attention of over one and a half million viewers.

“You couldn’t wipe that smile off my face,” Buckhannan said, explaining the look of cheerful surprise that appeared glued to his demeanor throughout the clip.

“The funny thing is, right after we watched it, the whole family told Daniel, ‘Man, do not post that on Facebook. His face looks so twisted,’ but he did anyway and proceeded to call me every day afterward joking with me how many views it got.”

Buckhannan is now a bonified YouTube superstar, admittedly enjoying his “fifteen minutes of fame” in the wake of ABC, The Today Show and ESPN sharing his story with the world.

“It’s been kind of overwhelming and crazy so far but fun. I used to work in West Virginia, and I got a call from my old pastor yesterday along with other friends around the country telling me that ‘I saw you on the TV!’” Buckhannan said.

Buckhannan said although his kids’ thought behind the ticket was beyond anything he could have ever imagined, what actually caused his elation was a perfect storm of thankfulness brought on by the holidays.

“Before I even opened his gift, my son had already asked why I was teary eyed, and I told him I was just so happy to be sharing Christmas with the grandchildren, ages 1-4. Then I realized what was in the hat and with emotions already on edge, I just lost it.”

“You’d have to know how my son was raised to understand why I reacted the way I reacted. On the day he was born, I sat down with him as a baby and told how much fun we would have together watching Alabama football" Buckhannan said.

“Knowing what my kids had done for me and knowing that they knew what that would mean to me made me cry. We used to joke with each other when we had bad seats if they were ‘even in the stadium’. They definitely are this year.”