For as long as he can remember, sports have played a role in the life of Liberty University alumnus Pat Doney (’07). At 4 years old, he was the ball boy for the football team at Liberty Christian School in Huntington Beach, Calif. He played basketball, football, and baseball in high school. He studied sports broadcasting at Liberty and has enjoyed a career that has taken him to the top tiers of the sports world, from the Super Bowl to the World Series and the Olympics.
In an interview with “Flames Central,” Liberty’s sports TV program, Doney, now a sports anchor and reporter for NBC 5 in Dallas-Fort Worth, and his wife, Sheleena (’07), shared about the path God has led their family on, including the blessings of adoption and caring for a child with special needs and how they have learned to faithfully serve as beacons for the Gospel in all areas of their lives.
Pat first visited Liberty’s campus for College For a Weekend and attended basketball and football games before he decided to enroll and pursue a degree in broadcasting. Starting out as a production assistant with 90.9 The Light, the on-campus student radio station, Pat eventually took on additional roles, such as host of a weekly talk show, sports editor at the “Liberty Champion” (the university’s student-run newspaper), and baseball play-by-play announcer alongside Liberty Flames Sports Network broadcaster Nick Pierce.
Pat and Sheleena met at the beginning of his sophomore year at Liberty’s Block Party. They married soon after graduation and moved several times over the next few years before finally settling down in Dallas in 2013, when Pat accepted the job with NBC. Their daughter, Barlow, was born that year.
In 2014, the couple began looking into the possibility of adopting a child, something that had been on their hearts for a while. Eight months after sending in their paperwork, the couple received a call that their adopted son had been born. Rushing to the hospital, Pat and Sheleena met Hudson for the first time at 1 day old.
“It was just one of those life-changing moments that you see this baby that’s there and immediately realize, ‘This is our son,’” Pat told Flames Central. “Even though my wife did not (actually) give birth to him in that moment, he is forever a part of the Doney family now.”
Six months after taking Hudson home, the Doneys began to notice that he was not progressing at the same rate as other children his age. A trip to the pediatric neurologist confirmed their worst fears: Hudson had cerebral palsy.
In the weeks, months, and years that followed the diagnosis, Pat and Sheleena adapted to the new reality of caring for a child with special needs.
“One thing that I tried to continue to lean on is that God doesn’t make mistakes,” Pat said. “There’s a reason that Hudson is a part of our life. There is a reason that God has us in this circumstance. There is a reason that out of all the families that the (adoption) organization could have given Hudson to … God chose our family for that.”
“I don’t think there’s a better gift that you can give in life than to give someone a family who doesn’t have one,” he added. “(Adopting Hudson) completely changed the way that we see the world and we see life. We don’t see our two children as being our biological daughter and our adopted son. We just see our two kids, and he has become an immediate part of our family.”
“I don’t think there’s a better gift that you can give in life than to give someone a family who doesn’t have one. (Adopting Hudson) completely changed the way that we see the world and we see life.”
– Pat Doney
Now 9 years old, Hudson lives life as a typical third grader, only with some additional challenges. He eats through a feeding tube and takes multiple medications every day to prevent illness. Although he cannot speak verbally, he communicates through Tobii DynaVox speech technology. He relies on a wheelchair and uses a KidWalk mobility system to walk during PE class.
“There are so many different things that we have been able to see and that he’s been able to do that have surpassed the expectations from when we received the diagnosis when he was 6 months old,” Pat said. “And it’s amazing to see his joy through the whole process as well. He’s one of the happiest kids you’ll ever meet. His laugh is infectious. Everybody loves Hudson. He’s probably the most popular kid in his elementary school.”
“(Hudson is) a blessing to everyone he meets,” Sheleena added. “He goes to Gen Ed class at school, like it’s truly amazing. He is probably one of the smartest kids I know. … He makes friends with everybody. Everybody loves him. He’s a joy, like he really is so joyful in such hard circumstances.”
Through his job with NBC Sports, Pat covers everything from high school football to professional Dallas teams like the Cowboys, Mavericks, and Stars. He has covered two Super Bowls, the Texas Rangers in the 2023 World Series, and the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. In a previous position, he covered the University of Kentucky and their 2012 NCAA Basketball Championship win and two consecutive Kentucky Derbies.
No matter where he finds himself, Pat faithfully uses his platform to share his Christian walk and demonstrate the love of Christ to others.
“To see the platform and the opportunity God has given me, I just don’t want to mess it up,” he said. “I’m trying to do everything I can to live in a way that He wants me to live. I’m trying to be the best example that I can possibly be. It’s hard, and there are challenges for sure. I’m so thankful for the opportunities God has given me.”
Despite the incredible success he has found in his career, he said those moments pale in comparison to his Christian faith and love for his family.
“I love my career. I love my job. But there’s no question to me, my family is number one,” Pat said. “And there’s nothing like getting to see my kids grow up and to become the people that they are. I’m so proud of them.”
Throughout everything the family encounters in life, one prominent theme in all circumstances is joy. Instead of allowing a difficult situation like Hudson’s cerebral palsy to negatively affect them, the Doneys choose instead to trust God’s plan.
“I wish (Hudson) did not have to go through this every single day. I wish that he did not have this diagnosis,” Pat said. “It’s not my job to fully understand that. It’s my job to live my life full of joy and to try and be different, to try to be salt in the earth, try and be light in the darkness, and do everything that I can, and our family can, to make a difference and to use this for His glory.”
“Flames Central” is a weekly Emmy Award-winning sports program featuring in-depth stories focusing on Liberty University athletics and the intersection of faith and sports. Watch more inspiring stories from “Flames Central” at LibertyFlamesCentral.com or on ESPN+. You can also tune into the “Flames Central Podcast” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
