The Nevada Sagebrush

When Rick and Teresa Kaepernick wanted to adopt a child, they only had one requirement.

Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s adoptive parents gave him the guidance to become the Wolf Pack’s adopted son. File Photo/The Nevada Sagebrush

“Our only criteria when we were looking for a child was one who was essentially healthy,” Teresa said. “We wanted a child who didn’t have any birth defects because we had two other sons before that and they died as babies from heart defects.

“Amazingly, they gave us this perfect, beautiful baby.”

That baby boy was Colin Kaepernick, now a junior quarterback for the Wolf Pack football team.

Colin was just five weeks old when the Kaepernicks made him their son, but right away, Teresa saw her boy’s athletic ability.

“This’ll sound crazy, but even when he was just a toddler, you could see he always had a lot of agility and coordination,” said Teresa, a registered nurse. “He was always into sports. I remember him being in the dugout of Kyle’s (Colin’s older brother) baseball games and pestering the other kids.”

This is where the nickname “Bo” came along.

“Since Bo Jackson was very popular in school back then, everyone called him Bo because of how into sports he was,” said Rick, a worker for the Hilmar Cheese Company.

But the “Bo” nickname opened the door to teasing. Colin’s older siblings, Kyle and Devon, gave their younger brother the loving treatment other older siblings give their younger ones.

“Since his nickname is Bo, when they get mad at him they call him bozo or dumbo,” Rick said, laughing. “He didn’t get any special treatment at home.

“Even now when he comes home, if he’s lying on the couch and my daughter (Devon) comes home, he’s off the couch before she even tells him to.”

Despite the customary teasing from his brother and sister (which Colin said turned playfully violent sometimes), Colin has grown to be a family-oriented person.

“For my birthday and Mother’s Day, it’s always been the same thing with him — I just ask him to spend time with me,” Teresa said. “He always takes me to a movie and sometimes a dinner. I remember we watched the ‘Harry Potter’ movie in Reno. He’s always been a thoughtful kid.”

Colin’s love for his parents is understandable — his dad has attended every one of Colin’s football games while Teresa has only missed one.

And even though he won’t admit it, Mom and Dad are always on his mind.

“Colin is a man of few words. He’s always been like that,” Teresa said. “But I’ve heard him tell people, ‘My parents have never missed a game,’ so I know it means a lot to him. He’s never looking for us in the stands, but we’re always there and I know he’s proud of that.”

Since Colin’s adoption, his parents said he has been nothing but a blessing. Colin agrees.

“I can’t even say how blessed I am just to be in the situation I am,” said Kaepernick, who was born in Milwaukee. “Especially being a bi-racial kid coming out of a mainly white area. Coming into the family I did, I couldn’t ask for anything more in my life.”

Colin often tells his parents he has to focus on school and football and has time for nothing else, but Rick and Teresa said they always have time to thank God for bringing Colin along.

“He came to us because of some sad things that happened, but I think sometimes the good Lord takes care of you,” Rick said. “Things happen for a reason and Colin was a true blessing for us.”

Juan López can be reached at jlopez@nevadasagebrush.com.

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